Explain what is meant in the Bible by the phrase 'God is good'

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Amy Van Schalkwyk         Philosophy: Mrs White

Explain what is meant in the Bible by the phrase ‘God is good’ (25)

There are two key ideas which emerge in the Bible about the goodness of God. The first of these is that god is good; the second is the idea that God’s actions are good. In both the New Testament and The Jewish Scriptures we can find clear images of God’s goodness through his interaction with the world and him being the ex nihilo Creator of the world. His goodness is reinforced in the Bible through the repetition that his actions are good, for example, in Genesis 1 it states ‘God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.’

God’s goodness can also be seen through his actions for the benefit of the people, for example healing (e.g. in the Gospels) or support of his followers in battle (e.g. at Jericho and freeing the slaves from Egypt, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery”). Again the idea emerges that God’s activity within the world is to be seen as good. The goodness of God’s actions is not a matter of human judgment; this is clearly seen in the story of Abraham’s attempt to sacrifice his only son Isaac at the command of God. In this story it is evident that God is challenging Abraham to do something which to most human’s would seem to be immoral and so many would question God’s goodness. However this story also raises the idea that God is the lord and master of all, whose will is beyond human comprehension and so it is our duty to respond to and obey the commands of God even if we believe the outcome to be immoral. In this story we learn that God is testing Abraham’s responses to God’s commands even if the action involves surrendering your will and wishes to God.

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The story of Abraham reinforces the idea that God’s goodness is not for human judgment as it is a human’s duty to follow God’s commands and trust in his goodness and wisdom even if it is beyond our understanding. For example in Job 40, ‘The LORD said to Job: “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!" Then Job answered the LORD:"I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?’ This therefore shows that as humans we are not to question or correct God because he is almighty and perfect. Another way ...

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