Grasping the Goodness of God

Good and evil. Integrity and dishonesty. Right and wrong.

I’m sure many of you grew up knowing the difference between right and wrong. Even our culture praises people who don’t lie, cheat, or steal. Yet as we get older, we start recognizing that being “good” is more than just holding the door for a stranger or not telling lies. 

As a young believer, it’s sometimes tricky discerning the difference between right and wrong. Our society frequently glorifies things that are blatantly evil, dishonest, and wrong. Yet oftentimes, sin isn’t going to look bad. In fact, it may have an appealing appearance. This poses a challenge for followers of a good God. 

Our culture has developed a misconstrued view of “good.” One person’s “good” may not line up with another person’s standard of “good.” The word “good” takes on many different meanings and interpretations. Say a young man works hard, volunteers frequently, and donates money to the poor, yet he still decides to cheat regularly at school. Our culture may even say he’s a “good” person regardless of the dishonesty.

Paul Tripp said, “We as humans are fundamentally unable to even do what is right or good.” 

If this is the case, what hope even is there for us? How do we distinguish right from wrong? What is our standard?

When God made everything, He said, “it was good.” The Lord admired the wholeness and beauty of His own artistic genius that was built for our good, to display His glory. Something that struck me specifically is that the Bible doesn’t just say that God does good things, or lets good things happen. It says that God is good. He embodies goodness. It’s not just what He does; it’s who He is — and that never changes.

Creation has long been awaiting the return of its Savior. Our future hope is the return of a good King — Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus that we are made good in the eyes of God, but He has given us tools to discern right and wrong on this earth. (See 1 John 1:5-10)

1. He gives us His Word

His word gives us an unchanging standard for what is right. Unlike our desires and changing opinions, Scripture is a strong foundation for building our beliefs. We are invited to seek out His Word daily for wisdom and refreshment. (See Isaiah 40:8, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, and Psalm 119:11)

2. He gives us a Helper

As children of God, He gives us help to discern what is good and evil through the gift of the Holy Spirit, sent to be a helper. Rather than leaving us to fend for ourselves, our heavenly Father invites us to ask for wisdom and guidance as we navigate our way through life. (See Isaiah 11:2, John 14:15-17, and Ephesians 1:13-14)

If we believe in Christ for salvation, we can find eternal hope in these promises God gives us. We can trust that He finishes His sanctifying work in our hearts and will faithfully love us forever.

Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official views of TeenPact Leadership Schools. To learn more about our Vision & Values, please visit teenpact.com/vision-values/.