Lesson No. 15 

Moral Attributes Lesson No. 15 Goodness

Biblical references regarding this attribute of God are very numerous. Let us consider the following:

Psalm 68: verse 10: Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor”.51

Zechariah chapter 9: verses 16 and 17: “And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land. 17For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids”.51

In Psalm 25: verse 7, reference is also made to God's goodness saying: Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.51

So also, in Titus chapter 3: verses 4 and 5 says: But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.51

It has been defined that God's goodness is His free disposition to impart happiness to His creatures.

His goodness is also perceived in the beautiful and grand creation. It extends even to the little animals of the field, to which it offers pleasure and satisfaction. This can be seen, for example, in the joyful leaps of the little lambs and the cheerful chirping of the birds.

But His infinite goodness is especially manifested towards human beings. Our physical constitution is like an open door for the entry of pleasure and joy. Through the sensory organs (the five senses) and the faculty of reasoning and intelligence, a human being can perceive all the healthy pleasures that our Creator has granted us.

God, who is the source of happiness, has created the necessary means to contribute to human happiness. As our theologian45 says in his treatise on this divine attribute: Who has not delighted in the contemplation of God's vast and beautiful creation? Who has not been captivated by the fragrance of the flowers and the beauty and tenderness of their colors? Who has not been enraptured by the harmony of music?

What would become of us, if having God the faculties that we already know through the study of His natural attributes, such as His omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence, instead of possessing infinite goodness towards His creatures, He were a cruel and merciless Being, delighted in causing us to suffer?

Clearly, if it had been so, no one would have been able to resist without being a victim of the effects of His absolute power. But for our joy, He is not like that, but rather He is our loving Father, compassionate, merciful, and full of goodwill towards His creatures; who abhors evil, crime, deceit, betrayal, hatred, and every manifestation of sin because He eternally desires our happiness.

Due to sin and human degradation, God could have determined that our senses were only conduits of discomfort and pain; that each object be as repulsive to sight as those we most despise; each food as bitter to taste as wormwood; each smell as repugnant to the nose as a putrid body; each object to the touch, as pricking as a thorn; each sound as sad as the wail of sadness. But He did not want to do so, but in His infinite goodness, He allowed humans to possess the ability to enjoy the healthy pleasures of this life.

This theological trend, from which I have taken the basic foundation of these teachings, upholds the concept that God's providence, love, and mercy, as well as His grace, are manifestations of His infinite goodness. However, others consider them as independent attributes.