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The God Who Is
Chapter 2
GOD IS GOOD
The word "God" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon root word meaning "good." The English of old knew that God is the Author of every good and every perfect gift.
The Arabic word for "God" is "goda," and is derived from the Arabic root word meaning "good."
The German word for "God" is "Gott" or "Godt," and it is derived from the German root word meaning "good."
Children used to be taught the simple prayer that began,
God is great; God is good
because He is good in His greatness, and He is great in His goodness.
The only things man can know about God are those things that God reveals. The knowledge that God is good is no exception. Such knowledge did not originate with men: it was necessary that God reveal it; and until God chooses to reveal such knowledge, men cannot know. Men are by nature dead in trespasses and sins. As such, they are dead in their knowledge of God.
But what if God were evil? What if the Almighty, All-Wise God were an evil God? What a living Hell life would be! Therefore, the Bible tells us to "give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness" (Psalm 30:4b).
The Bible tells us that in the days following Noah's flood, "when men knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened" (Romans 1:21). Note the use of the passive voice here: "their foolish heart was darkened." They did not darken their own hearts, but another did. We are told that God did it. And the Bible continues:
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
"For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them" (Romans 1:22-32).