The Fruit of the Spirit (Goodness)

April 7, 2023

The Fruit of the Spirit (Goodness)

What does goodness actually mean?

In order to understand what goodness means we need to take a look at the verses of Scripture out of the book of Galatians that describes what the fruits of the Spirit are. Galatians 5:22-23 states, In Galatians 5:22-23 the Apostle Paul writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

The Greek word used for goodness is the word agathōsynē which means uprightness of heart and life. In other words it has to do with how you are living your life as a believer of Jesus Christ. A person’s life should be rooted and grounded in the character and nature of God. In order for one to achieve the type of goodness that the Lord is describing in the book of Galatians it requires the power of the Holy Spirit.

As you study the Word of God, the Spirit of God will help you understand the Scriptures as well as how to live your life according to the Bible. We have to remember; because of the fall of mankind we have a sinful nature. We have to die to our flesh daily. Luckily we have the perfect gift of the Holy Spirit that will lead and guide us in the right direction when we veer off course. He will aid us in developing God’s character including the fruit of the spirit called goodness.

A lot of people will lump kindness and goodness into one category but that is not the case. Kindness has to do with treating others as you would want to be treated and goodness is holding yourself to a standard of uprightness when it comes to your moral values. God is the One that sets the standard of morality and righteousness; He is the supreme Judge, Psalm 75:7.

Mark 10:17-18 states, “Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” We can see that Jesus is categorizing God as the One that is good or (upright and honorable). He is the standard of what it looks like to display the fruit of the spirit of goodness.

Another example of Scripture that illustrates the goodness of the Lord is in Psalm 25:8 where David states, “Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.” God teaches sinners through the leading, guiding, and power of the Holy Spirit. He is the Author and Interpreter of the Lord’s Word and is your Helper bringing Scriptures to your remembrance, John 14:26. He is vital in learning and understanding the character of God depicted in His Word..

The Holy Spirit’s work is to develop and mature us into sons and daughters of God. Romans 8:14 states, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” When you allow yourself to be led by God’s Spirit you are going to see spiritual growth in your life, it is inevitable. A person’s life is ultimately transformed by the renewing of your mind, Romans 12:2.

You have to be willing to take your daily walk with the Lord Jesus Christ seriously if you want to see long lasting results. You will know that you are heading in the right direction because the fruit of the Holy Spirit will begin to become apparent in your life by the way that you walk, talk, think, and act.

Living up to the standard of goodness that God has set is not an easy task and you will need the help of the Lord’s Spirit in order to truly transform, but it can be done. We are human beings and will fall short of the glory of God, but living God’s standard to the best of your ability will help you develop the fruit of His Spirit, goodness.

Don’t forget to check out my other articles pertaining to the fruit of the Spirit: The Fruit of the Spirit (Love), The Fruit of the Spirit (Joy), The Fruit of the Spirit (Peace), and The Fruit of the Spirit (Longsuffering)

I am going to go over some passages of Scripture pertaining to understanding one of the most important fruits of the Spirit, goodness.

Exodus 33:19-20

“Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

These verses of Scripture out of the Bible are describing a conversation between Moses and God. Moses wanted desperately to physically see the glory (honor and dignity) of God face to face. The Lord is so holy and so pure that allowing anyone to see His face will literally kill them. That is how powerful His presence is!

In order for God to allow His goodness to pass before Moses He had to shield and cover his face. Exodus 33:22 details, “So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.” Can you just imagine the power that radiated off of the Lord that even a glimpse of it would leave you dead?

God is holy and untainted and that is why the prophet Isaiah states that we are unclean and our righteousness’s are like filthy rags, Isaiah 64:6. This is the reason that sin creates a barrier between you and our Heavenly Father. He is the absolute opposite of sin and he won’t have any part in it. That is why it is important to abstain from immorality because it will create a barrier between you and the Lord.

Developing the fruit of the Spirit that the Lord calls goodness will help you remain aligned with the moral standards of God. You have to be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to do a work in your mind and your heart so that you can start to eliminate the works of the flesh. Your goal should be to become a fruit bearing vessel for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 7:18-19

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”

Now let’s have a look at what our goodness looks like in comparison to the Lord’s. Here we can see that the Apostle Paul is explaining his daily struggle with his flesh. When he wants to do right he just can’t and the evil things that he doesn’t want to do, they become a continual practice for him. It is in our human nature to sin so it is going to be something that you have to want to intentionally repent from.

Paul then describes it as an actual war in his mind that is making him a prisoner of the sin within him, Romans 7:23. This is the same thing that we must do as Christians in order to live a life that exhibits the character of Christ. God is the standard and example of how to display pure and uncontaminated goodness.

We will never reach that level but you can begin to make permanent necessary adjustments so that you can be more and more like Christ every single day. You want other people that don’t know Jesus to be able to see His light shine through you. Remember you might be the only one that another person will ever meet who can share what it looks like to be living a life of honor and integrity for the Lord.

You won’t have to say a word because your actions will speak for you. Make it a point to be a walking testimony for every non-believer and even some believers that you come into contact with. Be the example of what the fruit of goodness really looks like in a Christian that is on fire for Christ!

Romans 12:1-2

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Most of us have heard the verse of Scripture that the Apostle Paul mentions in the book of Romans that explains to us the importance of the renewal of our minds, but we overlook the verse before it. Romans 12:1 details, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

When we take a moment to analyze this passage out of the Bible we can gain a clearer understanding as to why the transformation of our minds is so crucial. When you became a Christian it is no longer you that lives but Christ that lives in you, Galatians 2:20. What that means is that your body becomes a living vessel for the Lord Jesus Christ. Your old sinful habits and nature have become crucified when Jesus died for your sins at the cross at Calvary. That is why the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit is so important because it distinguishes what your character should begin to look like as a believer of Jesus Christ.

As you spiritually mature in your walk with the Lord, His Spirit should become noticeable in your life. You will no longer want to live the way that you used to, you will no longer want to speak the way that you used to, and you will no longer want to participate in the things that you used to. Why? The reason this begins to happen is because you are allowing the Lord’s Spirit to do a complete transformation in your heart and mind through the washing of God’s Word, Ephesians 5:26.

You will want to live your life upright and as righteous as you can because of your love and reverence for the Lord. The fruit that we call goodness will begin to be visible in your life naturally. It will not happen overnight and will take effort on your part to want to truly repent from your old ways and live your live devoted to Christ.

What it will boil down to is your cooperation. Remember the Spirit of God is a gentle dove and will not impress His will upon anyone. So, your level of the spirit of goodness will depend on your obedience to the Holy Spirit paired with your compliance to the Word of God. Are you going to be obedient when the Lord tells you to change a part of your life? Are you going to be willing to become that living sacrifice in complete submission and surrender to the Lord?

It is one thing to give Him the areas of your life that you’re comfortable giving Him, but the fact of the matter is that He wants your entire heart. He wants those areas in your life that are not fully surrendered yet. He wants you to trust Him with all of you and not just pieces of you. That is really what becoming the type of goodness that God’s standard is set at. The ball is in your court.

Conclusion

Our Heavenly Father wants us to be His vessels here on Earth, the light of the World in the midst of so much darkness. In order for us to achieve the character of Christ we have to be willing to die to ourselves daily. It is a day to day process for us to completely transform the way that we used to think, act, and speak. The good news is that it can be done with the help of the Holy Spirit that lives on the inside of every believer.

The Lord’s goodness is such a high standard that it would be impossible to achieve because we are imperfect and we will fail. God doesn’t expect perfection but He will evaluate the condition of your heart. Do you say that you are a Christian but everything about you says otherwise?

Some of the questions that you can ask yourself so that you can tell whether or not you are aligned with the moral standard of God are:

Does what I am doing please God?
Does what I am doing bring glory to God?

When you keep it 100% when answering these questions in everything that you do in your life it will help you stay on track. When you aren’t sure you have the help of the Holy Spirit that is convicting you when you need conviction, guiding you when you need guidance, and keeping you going in the right direction. The question is: are you taking heed to that still small voice? That is what makes the real difference.

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

The Fruit of the Spirit (Kindness)

The Fruit of the Spirit (Longsuffering)

The Fruit of the Spirit (Peace)

The Fruit of the Spirit (Joy)

The Fruit of the Spirit (Love)

Overcoming the Spirit of Fear-Part 1

Overcoming the Spirit of Fear-Part 2

Power of Prayer (The Family Unit and Intercessory Prayer)

Power of Prayer (Praying in Your Heavenly Language)

Power of Prayer (Principles of Prayer)

Power of Prayer (Praying the Scriptures)