Goodness is Godliness
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking, and envying each other.
As we continue our deeper dive into the fruits of the spirit, we address the sixth fruit, goodness. The biblical meaning of good is holy, pure, and righteous.
Goodness is godliness. No one is as holy, pure, and righteous as God. We should strive daily to live godly lives. We should be good to one another. Exhort others, encourage other believers, inspire them to hold to faith and look to Jesus. It is a difficult time for all. We should be quick to pick one another up.
Goodness is not just how we behave outwardly; it is in our heart. As Christians we should have the desire to exhibit good behaviors because we have the goodness of God in us. One of the Greek words used for goodness in the Bible is agathosune. Agathosune relates to doing intrinsically good actions for the benefit of another. This is demonstrated when exhorting or rebuking for someone’s good growth in their character. As Jesus followers, we should not be afraid to come along side one another gently and with love correct each other. We have a responsibility to one another to love enough to say hard things. In addition, when a brother or sister comes to us and points out a shortcoming, we should accept it with humility.
To be good to one another is to love them wholly. Be the cheerleader, the sounding board and the person that cares enough to say “hey, you need to quit that” or “stop whining”. To be an example to others and not be involved in things that are in opposition with the Word’s teaching.
We cannot be truly good on our own, it takes the Holy Spirit within us. Only God himself is good. As we walk in the spirit, we grow the fruits. Just like actual fruit takes a while to mature, so do the fruits of the spirit. To walk in goodness is to walk in holiness, purity, and righteousness. Do you live a holy and pure life?
Make living in goodness a habit. Examine where you go, what you say, and do. Does your speech and actions exhibit a life that walks in goodness?
Typist for Jesus
Mustard Seeds 