Goodness

Photo by Jerome Prax on Unsplash

"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, GOODNESS…."

In my final year of university, I spent many hours poring over the works of C.S Lewis, trying to piece together an understanding of “The depiction of good and evil” for my dissertation. It was often the kind of studying that left me with more questions than answers, but I did come to a couple of definite conclusions that have resurfaced in my mind as I’ve been thinking about the fruit of goodness.

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"Safe?" said Mr Beaver..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.” - From the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of Narnia. C.S Lewis 

Often, our definition of goodness stems from our human associations. We’re told as children to 'be good';  to behave, to stay safe, to conform. We’re told as adults to do good things – to appear liked, to perform well, to succeed. We are all able to strive towards goodness like this, with or without spiritual help. 

But as Mr Beaver suggests, God’s goodness is more than this human endeavour. Goodness is inseparable from who God is:

“God is not merely good, but goodness; goodness is not merely divine, but God.” – C.S Lewis

Just as the gift of love is from a God who is love, and the gift of peace is from a God who is peace, we receive the fruit of goodness from a God who is good.

In a world that is broken and in need of more goodness, this is a profound thing to be given. Yet, so often, the goodness of God is beyond our comprehension because of this world that we live in. A world that’s currently battling between goodness, and evil.

God-  in contrast to everything we see in the world- is wholly good. And created our world to be so. This is demonstrated at the Bible’s opening:

“God looked at everything He had made: and it was very good” - Genesis 1:31 

...and the Bible’s conclusion:

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” - Revelation 21: 3- 4

This conclusion hasn’t happened yet. And so we live in the middle of this story where we wonder where goodness has gone. It appears absent. But it is not.

The Message translation defines the fruit of goodness in Galatians 5 as: “a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people…”As humans created by a God who is goodness, this fruit helps us to receive more of God’s character. More of God’s goodness. Not just for ourselves, but to infect the world with.

Over the past few weeks, I've thought deeply about how we receive and outwork the fruit of goodness in our lives. Yet, I'm realising - just like the other fruit God gifts us - each of these helps us to live more like God intended; a powerful reality for our lives, and for the world. 

The fruit of goodness: it's not safe, but it could transform our world.

This is the seventh blog in a series on the Fruit of the Spirit. Follow the series by the label "The Gifts"