7.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• Only God is good.
• We should not trust in our goodness, but in God’s goodness to us.
• In his goodness, God forgives us and makes us new people.
• Through the Holy Spirit, we can grow in goodness.
• You can know if you are growing in goodness by looking at the “fruit” in your life (the things you do and say).

7.2 Galatians 5:22-23←⤒🔗

^5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

^5:23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

© NET Bible

7.3 Matthew 19:16-26←⤒🔗

^19:16 Now someone came up to him and said, 'Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?'

^19:17 He said to him, 'Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.'

^19:18 'Which ones?' he asked. Jesus replied, 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,

^19:19 honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.'

^19:20 The young man said to him, 'I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws. What do I still lack?'

^19:21 Jesus said to him, 'If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'

^19:22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich.

^19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!

^19:24 Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.'

^19:25 The disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, 'Then who can be saved?'

^19:26 Jesus looked at them and replied, 'This is impossible for mere humans, but for God all things are possible.'

© NET Bible

7.4 There is only one who is good←⤒🔗

All people have an idea of what is “good.” We speak about good governments and good schools and good leaders. The man of Matthew 19 thought that he was a good man. He thought he kept all the commandments of God. But Jesus told him the truth: “There is only One who is good” (verse 17).

When people stand next to each other, then we can say, “This person is good, that person is bad.” But if people would stand next to God, then we would see: no one is really good. Only God is good. All of us are bad, because all of us have sinned against God.

It is as we read in the Old Testament: “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). The New Testament agrees: “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22-23).

Sometimes we look at unbelievers and we think, “These people are doing good things!” But when God looks at them, he sees their hearts. This is how Jesus Christ looked at the man who came to him. He saw that, deep in his heart, this man did not love God. He loved his money and his things. When Jesus told him to sell his things and follow him, this man could not do it. He went away from Jesus.

7.5 Trust in God’s goodness←⤒🔗

When the disciples saw what had happened, they were shocked. This man looked like a good man to them! They asked Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” (verse 25). Jesus gave them this answer: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (verse 26).

This shows us that we should not trust in our goodness. It is impossible for us to be good enough for God! But we can trust in God’s goodness to us.

In the time of the Old Testament, God showed his goodness especially to the people of Israel. One day Moses asked God, “Now show me your glory.” Then God answered him, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Exodus 33:18-19). Clearly, God had chosen Israel out of his goodness.

The believers in the Old Testament knew that it was only because of God’s goodness that they were alive. David says in Psalm 23:6, “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” When a believer was in danger, he could say, “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).

Jesus said to his disciples, “With God all things are possible.” He said this, because he knew the plan of God. God sent him, Jesus, to die for the sins of believers. We were evil and sinful, but Jesus Christ took our sins away. This was always God’s good plan, even in the time of the Old Testament. With God, all things are truly possible.

7.6 Growing in goodness←⤒🔗

In his goodness, God not only forgives our sins. He also makes us new people. In Ephesians 2:10 we read these words about ourselves: “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” How did God “create” us again? He created new hearts in us by his Holy Spirit. Goodness is part of the fruit of the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit makes us new, then we start becoming good!

God did not stop there. He also “prepared” good works for us to do. God has put you in a specific place, in a specific time, because he has specific good works that he wants you to do. You do not have to know his whole plan. But you can pray every day that the Holy Spirit will help you to do good.

A Christian is someone who is still growing. A Christian still sins. That is why Paul says of himself, “What I do is not the good I want to do” (Romans 7:19). But the difference is that a Christian wants to do good. He hates his sin and he fights against it. Just like a tree that grows, he grows in goodness every day.

7.7 How to know if you are growing in goodness←⤒🔗

How can you know if you are growing in goodness? Jesus says, "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognised by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). Look at the “fruit” in your life. Look at the things you say, and the things you do.

Where you see goodness in your words and in your actions, then thank God! Where you still see sin, confess your sin to God and pray for the help of the Holy Spirit. (That is also what we have asked you to do, in the “Works of Faith” challenge. Remember to make time to pray after every lesson!)

By God’s grace, you can grow in goodness until the day you die! On that day, your fight will be over. Then God will make you perfectly good, just like his Son Jesus Christ.