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Goodness of GOD

Changing our theology doesn’t change GOD. 

Either GOD is authentically good, or He is not. I would never suggest that we pretend GOD is different than HE is. Nothing is accomplished by allowing our imagination to create our own image of GOD. 

GOD would then be no better than the gods made out of wood or stone, also created by human initiative. Inventing GOD in our minds or building GOD with our hands is a similarity that is both vain and ultimately destructive. Discovering who GOD is and what GOD is like in reality is the only possible way to discover GOD'S true Goodness. 

This eternal journey into GOD'S infinite Goodness is the one we are privileged to embrace. 

I’ve heard people say they don’t believe in GOD anymore after experiencing a disappointment or tragic loss of some sort. I don’t mean to treat their situation with disregard, but you can’t turn a consciousness of GOD on and off like that. You may be mad at GOD. You may accuse GOD and refuse to serve Him. But you can’t decide that GOD no longer exists. To claim atheism as a belief system doesn’t get rid of GOD. It merely deadens a person’s awareness of GOD and attempts to remove the awareness of his need for Him from the context of daily life. 

Changing our theology changes Us, not GOD.

Merely changing our theology changes us, not GOD. But when what we believe is anchored in the reality of who He is, earth comes into agreement with Heaven where the reality of GOD'S world increasingly invades ours, Manifested in both Power and Glory. It’s impossible for us to create a concept of what GOD is like that is greater than GOD really is. GOD is either greater than we can understand, perceive, describe, or imagine, or GOD is not GOD—we are. Neither can we exaggerate His goodness. We can twist it, pervert it, dilute it, and misrepresent it. But the one thing we cannot do is exaggerate the Goodness of  GOD. It will take us all of eternity just to broach the subject of GOD'S Goodness. 

The apostle Paul gives us an extremely challenging promise in this regard. Ephesians 3:20–21: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

The phrase “beyond all that we ask or think” is quite impressive. “Beyond all we ask” addresses the impact of our prayers, which include both those that are outwardly expressed and the secret cries of the heart. What God does for us is beyond the reach of our biggest prayer on our greatest day with our highest level of faith—GOD exists in that realm to work for us. “Beyond all we think” is another very powerful statement dealing with the impact of our imagination. This describes us on our best day, with our most well-thought-out dreams, plans, goals, and imaginations. GOD'S commitment to us is to function beyond the limitations of our imagination and to perform the unthinkable on our behalf. These are expressions of GOD'S Goodness, which come from His being. His perfect Goodness personified. 

I said “yes” to this journey few years ago and have since discovered that GOD'S Goodness is beyond my wildest dreams. My yes started by simply recognizing that I have sinned and fallen short of GOD'S purpose and design. JESUS then became for me the Perfect Manifestation of Goodness. He rescued me from all that would destroy me and brought me into a relationship with HIM where more of HIS Goodness could be discovered. Many have taken that first step but tragically have stopped after step one, picking up the view of who GOD is as seen in the Old Testament stories. Those stories are important and necessary. But the fact is, JESUS came to replace them with a clearer view of what GOD is like. There are few deceptions more devastating than this one. It is tragic and so completely unnecessary.

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