Explain how the Bible shows the goodness of God

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Explain how the Bible shows the goodness of GodThere are many examples of God's goodness throughout the bible. However there is sometimes confusion as to defining the terms good and goodness, as there can be different interpretations when people refer to the term good. People often refer to the term good Analogically, therefore defining God the same way they would a human. However Gods nature is very different to a humans as he is omnipotent, omni benevolent and omniscient. God can be depicted in terms of close, personal and family relationships as a loving parent or equivalent loved one. The Old testament makes it clear that God extremely interested in the world and its inhabitants and that he isn't remote from people and their needs. Numerous Old Testament stories tell of Gods discussion with people, even undergoing a change of mind as a result.God is always thought of in Christian thought to be perfect or wholly good. Many see this as moral goodness. this is why God is referred to as omni benevolent. However for God to be a moral being he would have to part

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of a community. Therefore, God can't have moral reasons for the actions he takes. There are many instances in the bible that show God as good. The first being in Genesis, Man and Woman were told not to eat from the tree that gives knowledge of good and bad inside the grounds of the Garden of Eden. Afterwards, they saw it as a sin to God to appear naked in front of him. However God was happy with the way he had created the world, why did he make it so the pair were able to disobey him and create a world with both good and evil? and the counter argument is that God wanted to allow us free will, and if he did what he wanted there would be a question of humanities free will. God said to man 'Because you have listened to your wife, and ate from the tree i commanded you to avoid, the very dirt under your feet is cursed, you shall eat of it all the days of your life' the story is also called original sin; God gave humans a chance to live in a world without good and evil, which he took away when man and woman sinned against him.The innocence and tranquillity of Eden are destroyed by Man and Woman's sin. By eating from the tree of knowledge they challenge God's will. God punishes them by taking away his gift of eternal life and expelling them from the Garden of Eden. Their sins lead to humans separation from God.God is also portrayed as good in the Parting or the Red Sea; Moses extended his hand and God drove back the sea. This act of God was seen as an act of goodness. Moses made the command and God parted the seas in order to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt and head into the wilderness, but leaving the Egyptians to be drowned by the sweeping waters. God is portrayed as good most in the book of Psalms. Psalm 23 "The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want...he leads me beside still water; He restores my soul...you anoint my head with oil...surely goodness and mercy will follow me." In this David likens our relationship as people to God, similar to a sheep’s relationship to its Shepard and therefore saying that God has a good power over us. But that when he anoints David's head God is automatically passing his goodness into David. Psalm 103 shows God's goodness; "Bless the lord who forgives all your inequity, who heals all your diseases. He looks after and protects each one of us, but he is also willing to forgive us for mistakes we make." shows Gods omni benevolence and omnipotence as we can see clearly that he is benevolent as he forgives and powerful due to his powers to protect and heal."A good God would not make so many rules and regulations"The most obvious and well known rules set by God are of course the 10 Commandments. God, to gain order out of chaos creates these commandments. They deal with how people should relate to God but also how they should relate to one another. In Genesis God says to man and woman "you will not eat of it or touch it, lest you die." this rule was set in order to save them from the knowledge of good and evil. The then became aware of their nudity which was once natural to them but now seemed like a sin in front of God. Both these examples could be judged by saying that if God made the world, then surely it should be perfect, and therefore the people in it should behave the way god instructs. However God gave us free will, if God was to dictate everything we did then our destinies would already be decided and there would be no reason for us to live.In Psalm 121 God is described as our protector and we are made to visualise him as a parent or provider. There is also the argument that if God made man in the image of himself, then why would it be necessary for rules and regulations. But these laws were meant to be a guide to good relationships. in these rules God tells the Israelites how they should live for their own good and wellbeing. These rules were never intended to a long list of do's and don'ts to make life a burden.These laws reflect Gods character; Holiness, justice and goodness and expressed God's will. They give people practical guidance in order to follow Gods command, "Be holy as I am."There are various instances of rules and regulations being set by God. In conclusion it would be a good God who would set rules and regulations for everyone to follow, it is a parallel situation to a parent setting rules for a child. It enables them to learn that not everything is left up to them to decide, and that there are certain laws that must be followed and that although a lot of decisions will be left up to them, some things in life are just a given. it would be unloving for a parent or God to let us roam completely free. Anna Reilly