“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness…” (Gal. 5:22)
Last week we learned that kindness and goodness are complementary qualities of the fruit of the Spirit. As you recall, “without kindness, goodness becomes harsh and self-righteous. Without goodness, kindness becomes indulgent tolerance” (Beth Moore, Living Beyond Yourself). I think we have a tendency to equate kindness with goodness, but they are distinctive qualities and listed as separate characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit for good reason. Goodness is best understood when considered, compared, and contrasted with the quality of kindness.
God’s Goodness
The Greek word for “goodness” in Galatians 5:22 is agathosune, which means “benevolent” and “active goodness.” It is more than chrestotes (kindness, gentleness, a mellowing of character); “goodness” requires action. “Agathosune does not spare sharpness and rebuke to cause good in others. A person may display his agathosune, his zeal for goodness and truth, in rebuking, correcting, or chastising” (Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament).
From what I understand, goodness always seeks the very best, and that isn’t always the most pleasant. For example, “good” parents are loving and hopefully kind/tender-hearted, but they also discipline their children when necessary to ensure they learn right from wrong and are spared potentially disastrous consequences. Likewise, God kindly extends grace to us and loves us in a tender manner, but His goodness precludes Him from being able to simply brush off sin in the lives of His children and pretend it doesn’t matter.
Ephesians 2:1-10 illustrates this truth:
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
In this Scripture, we uncover so much about God’s kindness (chrestotes) and goodness (agathosune). God’s kindness is the manner by which He demonstrated “the incomparable riches of His grace,” a tenderness that indicates His desire to care for and nurture us. But He did not redeem us so that we could continue living according to the “desires and thoughts” of our sinful nature, but rather, “to do good works” which He “prepared in advance for us to do.”
“Good” Works: Purpose of Our Creation
We have been saved to do GOOD (benevolent, active) works. I love what Beth Moore says about Ephesians 2:10: “We have not only been called to the attitude or disposition of chrestotes or kindness, but also to energize that character into acts of good or acts of beneficence. Specifically, God is saying, ‘You’re here to do some good – kingdom good on carnal ground.’ We’ve been saved to fulfill an assignment God issued in advance.”
I don’t know about you, but this passage makes me wonder if I have unknowingly (or even knowingly) refrained or ignored some of the good works God “prepared in advance” for me to do! It also helps explain why God doesn’t immediately take us to heaven once we put our faith in Him. He leaves us on this earth, obviously because He has work for us to do. That’s pretty amazing.
When thinking about the “good” works we are assigned, comparing the parable of the talents (Matt. 24:14-30) with 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 yields some interesting insights. In the parable, the two servants who doubled their master’s initial investment were commended with “well done, good and faithful servant!” Their master subsequently put them in charge of many things. The servant who hid the talent and did not invest it merited his master’s ill favor and was called a “wicked, lazy servant.” His talent was stripped away. Jesus summarized the parable by saying “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:29-30).
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul outlines how spiritual gifts are given by the Spirit: “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines” (1 Cor. 12:7-11).
As we saw in the parable of the talents and the dispensing of spiritual gifts, each one is given something (talent/gift) and it is the Master/Spirit who does the giving. However, not everyone receives the same talents and/or gifts. Notice that 1 Corinthians 12:11 indicates that the gifts are given at the Spirit’s choosing, almost as if they had been “prepared” in advance by God. In essence, we receive gifts not based on our abilities, but abilities based on the common good – just as the Master chooses.
To earn the commendation “well done, good and faithful servant,” we must prove ourselves faithful with that which God has entrusted to us. When we fulfill our purpose to do the “good works” God prepared for us to do, we will undoubtedly see two results: (1) our responsibilities will increase; and (2) we will share in the Master’s happiness. I also think that we will be called “good and faithful servants” when we obey the command given in 2 Timothy 1:14: “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit.”
For Goodness’ Sake
Earlier we saw that kindness and goodness, while inexorably linked, are not synonyms for one another. Goodness – as evident by active benevolence – always requires obedience, and sometimes it requires discipline.
“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.” (Titus 3:1-8).
In this passage, Paul defines “good” as those things which are “excellent and profitable for everyone.” And it is important to recognize this truth: that which is good, profitable, or beneficial is not always fun, easy, or pleasant. The purpose of “goodness” as a fruit of the Spirit is to do or bring about that which is most beneficial, not what is popular. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 illustrates this truth: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
“You must be yielded to God to be a proper vessel of confrontational goodness. Self cannot be involved because self must be crucified for the Spirit to be freed in you; therefore, goodness is never a personal issue, nor a personal platform, nor for personal gain. It is never the means by which we take up for ourselves or pamper our opinions. Remember, good is always appointed, never assumed!” (Moore)
Challenge
Goodness (agathosune) is basically pursuing those things which accrue “kingdom profit.” Goodness can be acts of kindness, but it may also involve rebuking, correcting, or discipline. However, sharp tongues and self-righteous attitudes do not advance “goodness.” It is important to remember that love, joy, peace, patience and kindness precede goodness in the fruit of the Spirit! God has a very good reason for often coupling kindness and goodness – “kindness provides the safeguard for misguided ‘goodness’” (Moore).
Are you doing the “good works” God prepared in advance for you to do?
As a leader, are you thoroughly equipping others “for every good work?”
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