Third, God is all-good. How encouraging to know that yes, God is all-good. Even though we are very glad that God is completely good, this is another truth about God that is sometimes hard to believe. After all, we do not know anyone who is completely and perfectly good. Because we are sinners, and all the people we know are sinners—even really fine Christian people still sin and do what is wrong sometimes—we find it hard to believe that God is purely and perfectly good. But good he is! Psalm 5:4 declares of God, “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.” God has no wickedness or evil in him at all. Rather, as Psalm 119:68 says of God, “You are good and do good.” God’s very life is good, and all of his actions are good. There is no evil in God at all, and all that God is and all that God does is completely good.

Part of what it means for God to be good is that he longs for his own people to be blessed and to experience true and lasting joy. He loves his own people deeply, and the proof of his love for his own people is seen in the grace and mercy shown to them despite their sin. Even though we deserve God’s just punishment, God has sent his Son to pay for our sin and bring us into right relationship with himself. Such grace (kindness given to those who deserve punishment instead; see Ephesians 2:8–9) and mercy (kindness given to those who are hopeless and helpless; see Ephesians 2:1–4) are the expressions of God’s love and goodness to his own people.

So, God is perfectly wise, all-powerful, and completely good. We have every reason to trust him, then. God plans only what is best (he is perfectly wise), and God cannot be hindered in bringing it about (he is all-powerful), and we know that his plans will work out for our best (he is completely good). Like sitting on a three-legged stool, we need to sit by faith on top of these three supports: God’s wisdom, power, and goodness give us every reason to put our trust in God, and in God alone.

Questions for Thought

1. Why is it good (and wonderful) that God is both all-powerful and all-wise? How does our trust in God depend on God being both all-wise and all-powerful?

2. How is your confidence in God and his ways strengthened even more by knowing that God is always good? What are some ways your doubts or fears can be removed by trusting in God’s wisdom, power, and goodness?

Memory Verse 
Daniel 2:20—“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.”

Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God
Copyright 2009 by Bruce A. Ware
Published by Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers
1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.