The Goodness of God
“All my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God.”[1]
What Do We Mean by “God Is Good All the Time”?
You may have heard the church call-and-response:
Leader: God is good, all the time.
Congregation: All the time, God is good.
But what do we mean by good? And can we truly believe God is good “all the time”? First, let’s define God’s goodness; then, let’s see why Scripture anchors that confession even in suffering.
What Scripture Teaches About the Goodness of God
Good is what God is. Arthur Pink notes the old Saxon root of “God” as “The Good.”[2] The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible calls God’s goodness “the most comprehensive description of God’s moral character.”[3]
God’s goodness is expressed through His benevolence, mercy, compassion, patience, righteousness, holiness, justice, kindness, grace, and love.[4] Paul prays that God will bring to fruition “every desire for goodness” in believers (2 Thessalonians 1:11).
Key Bible Verses About God’s Goodness
- Psalm 145:8–9 — The Lord is gracious, compassionate, and “good to all.”
- Mark 10:18 — “No one is good—except God alone.”
- 1 Chronicles 16:34 — “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
- 2 Chronicles 5:3 — “He is good; his love endures forever.”
- Psalm 107:1–3 — The redeemed testify to the Lord’s enduring goodness.
- Matthew 5:45 — God shows common grace to all, sending sun and rain.
Is God Still Good in Suffering?
Affirming God’s goodness is easy when life is smooth; it’s harder in trials. Andrew Wilson writes that suffering can make even the phrase “God is good” hard to say out loud.[5] Scripture meets us there with psalms of lament (e.g., Psalms 3, 6, 10, 13, 22, 38, 42), where honest grief moves toward trust in God’s faithful love.
On Psalm 34, Wilson notes: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous… but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). Evil is real, yet “none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned” (34:22).[6]
The Cross: God’s Goodness on Display
A.W. Tozer asks why the Eternal Son would bleed for us. His answer: God acts from His goodness and lovingkindness—He forgives again and again because that is who He is.[7] The cross proves that God’s goodness is not abstract; it is self-giving love.
How to Respond to the Goodness of God
- Give thanks for His steadfast love (1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 107:1).
- Take refuge in Him amid affliction (Psalm 34:8–22; Psalm 31:19–20).
- Imitate His goodness by doing good to others (Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 5:9).
- Confess and trust His goodness daily in prayer and worship.
Yes—I will sing of the goodness of God.
References
- Ben Fielding, et al., “Goodness of God,” Bethel Music Publishing, Capitol CMG Publishing, 2021. ↑
- Arthur W. Pink, The Attributes of God (Kindle Edition). ↑
- Walter A. Elwell & Barry J. Beitzel, “God, Being and Attributes Of,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Baker, 1988), 876–880. ↑
- W. L. Walker, “Goodness,” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, ed. James Orr (Howard-Severance, 1915). ↑
- Andrew Wilson, “Goodness and Me,” https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/goodness-and-me--2. ↑
- Ibid. ↑
- A.W. Tozer, The Attributes of God, Vol. 1 (Moody Publishers, Kindle). ↑
Go Deeper
R.L. Wilson
R.L. Wilson has been on staff at the Ankerberg Theological Research Institute since 1982. Wilson’s articles draw from the perspective of someone who grew up in a multicultural environment, and who has been a follower of Christ for many decades.
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