God is Good
Great God of wonders, all thy ways are matchless, Godlike, and divine.We talk of God as the good Creator, and the question might be asked, " If He is good then why would he create something, or anything, that is not good. For there are people who are not good and there are bad things in the world. Why would He do it?"
Who is a pardoning God like thee, and who has grace so rich and free?
Yes, God is good, in fact He is the very definition of good, for Jesus said that there is none good but God. He is good and all knowing, so He must have had a reason for creating. Before anything was created God was good, and He did not use up or dissipate any of His goodness when He created the universe. We can assume that since God Himself is Spirit, that is not material, that He made spirit beings before He made the material universe, and as these intelligent beings came into existence there was an audience to behold the goodness of God.
It is perfectly logical and right that God the All Good would want to manifest His goodness, that is Himself, to something or somebody who could appreciate that goodness and be bettered by it, and that is what He did when He made beings that could be impressed by good, the angels. That did not make Him better than good for He is God, but it did reveal His goodness to appreciative and understanding beings who could wonder and worship. In fact some of them were made with such intricate and wonderful minds that they could make choices. Personal choices that could accept good as the ultimate or choose something lesser in its place.
How can we understand that the understanding of good is improved by contrasting it with something of lesser value, that the divine perfections of God appear more glorious when displayed against a fallen creation? And not only human minds but angels also desire to look into these things too.
Another aspect of this unfathomable question shows up when we consider that the perfect God is using imperfect people to display His goodness. The first example we might think of is Job, whom God set up before His accuser as a righteous argument for God's own goodness. But when we read the story we see that Job was merely a fallible human. And yet he was God's effective argument against the accuser. If we follow on we see that the people of Israel were also ordained to display the goodness of God–that was the unconditional promise. Yes, God promised them negative consequences if they disobeyed, but they were and still are His people and the whole world knows about the faithful Creator because of them. We can easily understand how He could get much glory from them if they were what they should be, but even in their blindness He is still seen as God and good. The ways of God are mysterious.
And then to follow this illustration through to include the Church we have even a harder time to understand the mystery. As born again beings we can understand something of the fact that our new perfections bought with the redeeming blood and freely given to us as new creations in Christ are real and are ours now and will appear more so when we are rid of death. However there is no way that outsiders, those who do not have the mind of Christ can understand this. They see our faults, failings, and sins to be the same as their own and ridicule us for imagining we are destined to live with God. Though they may deny there is a God or that He is good they know that there is something more good than what we are.
And yet soiled and stained as we are, we are a testimony to them that there is a good God. That image of God may be imperfect, but it is there and mystery of mystery glory is accrued to the perfect God. The same example can be applied to churches and denominations that are supposed to be honoring God. There is some testimony left, for God is not defeated in His project of displaying His goodness to all of creation. It is still His greatest honor to display everything that is good to the greatest number of witnesses, and He in His character and doings is that good.
But we do know that the end purpose of God will be done and every created being will bend their knees and acknowledge that the good God has done only good, that in so showing Himself to be what He is He has done the most good that could be done. And of course if His enemies will willingly admit this even more will his servants, friends and loved ones shout His goodness in everything. Hallelujah!
Eph 3:9-11 9. And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10. To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11. According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Hebrews 12:1-2 1.Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.