Think about the last time you called someone good. Maybe it was a coworker who always delivers excellence. Or a friend who does the right thing even when it costs them. Or someone with strong morals—kind, fair, dependable. When we say “they’re good,” what we really mean is they met the standard. They passed the test.
That’s usually how we use the word good.
Now pause for a moment and ask yourself this question: when we say God is good, what do we really mean?
Most of us would answer with things like this—and we wouldn’t be wrong.
God does good things. Scripture tells us, “As for God, His way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30). Everything He does is right. There is no flaw, no mistake, no corruption in His actions.
We also say God is good because goodness lives in Him. His character is pure. He is loving, merciful, and kind. The Bible says, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” (Psalm 103:8). His moral standard is perfect. He doesn’t just teach goodness—He walks in it.
And yes, we call God good because He gives good gifts. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). The blessings we enjoy, the mercy we didn’t deserve, the grace that keeps finding us—those all flow from Him.
All of that is true.
But here’s the deeper truth I want you to catch.
God is not good because He meets a standard. God is good because He is the standard.
We don’t measure God by goodness. Goodness is measured by God.
That’s why Scripture doesn’t say God does good all the time—it says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good” (Psalm 136:1). Not was. Not will be. He is.
And here’s where it gets real.
God is good when things go your way—and He is still good when they don’t. God is good when the prayers are answered—and He is good when heaven feels silent. God is good when you’re celebrating—and He is good when you’re disappointed, hurting, or confused.
When you’re sad, God is good.
When you’re waiting, God is good.
When life doesn’t make sense, God is still good.
His goodness does not change with circumstances because His goodness is not based on circumstances. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
Anything outside of God falls short of true goodness. Romans 3:12 says, “There is no one who does good, not even one.” That’s not meant to crush us—it’s meant to point us back to the Source. True goodness doesn’t originate in us. It originates in Him.
The goodness of God goes far beyond what He gives, what He does, or even what He says. It is who He is. He doesn’t borrow goodness. He doesn’t grow into it. He embodies it.
And this is what you need to settle in your heart:
God is good—and He cannot be bad.
Not sometimes.
Not depending on your season.
Not based on your feelings.
He is good all the time, because goodness has a name—and His name is God. 🙏
