Monday, August 6, 2018

Three Important Doctrines: God is Good

God is Good

Few things are as impractical as having great tools that you never practice using. A doctor might have the best equipment, but if he has not practiced using them, he will be at a significant disadvantage on the emergency room floor. A police woman may be given the best possible gun, but if she has not practiced with it, and made it almost a part of her arm itself, the odds will be against her if she has a sudden need to pull it.

Even so it is good to reinforce good theology when the times are good to make sure they are ready to use when things go bad. In my denomination, we do this by saying “God is good,” and the crowd responds “all the time.” The leader then says, “All the time....” the crowd responds with “God is good.”

By doing so, we reinforce truth to the body that God is always going to do the right thing. He is never malicious. He never takes pleasure in harming us. When he acts he does so as a morally right, perfect being. When he refrains from acting he does so out of his perfect goodness.

There is a distinction to be made here. We are not saying “God provides benefits” when we say “God is good.” While he certainly does that, we recognize that not all time do God’s actions feel beneficial. When he disciplines us (yes that happens! Just read Hebrews 12….) it does not feel like a “benefit.” When we say “God is good all the time,” we are emphasizing that in the wind and wave of life what God does or does not do is always done out of his moral perfection. We are not providing a validation of whether or not he is a solidly performing cosmic Genie.

When times go bad, if we believe God is a cosmic genie, we might think God has somehow failed in a duty to provide us shielding from harm. Instead, “God is good all the time” means that when times go bad, God still is good in that his actions are not done out of malice or ill will toward his people. We recognize that his goodness might require us to be disciplined at times!

Life ebbs and flows. Sometimes these changes can feel like “creation” or “god” or “life” is out to get you. We might be tempted to think, as people often do, that “fate” or “god” is hating on us. But this theology is eminently practical because we no longer see the ebbs and flows of life as a result of God’s favor or withdrawal of it. Instead, they look for how God is still good and bringing the right thing out of every situation.

The sun is shining bright, and the garden is green. God is good.
The car runs today when you crank it on, and you are not late to work. God is good.
The pet is sick, and its the weekend. God is good.
The power is out, and no sign of it coming on. God is still good.

The doctor called and he has bad news. God is still morally perfect, right and just, and he is going to do the right thing.