Biblical Idea of the Goodness of God
Philosophy Essay.
Explain the Biblical idea of the Goodness of God (25).
This essay will explain the Biblical idea of the goodness of God.
The issues that arise with this question are; whether the Bible portrays God as morally good/ perfect and whether God commands good things? Or are things good because God commands them?
Firstly two key ideas emerge about God’s goodness in the bible; first that God is good, second, that God’s actions are good.
Sections of the Bible; for example the Jewish Scriptures and the New Testament paint a clear picture of God being good. Many passages state that God is good and perfect. God’s goodness is revealed directly to people through God’s activity in the world.
God is the creator, and God’s creation is repeatedly stated to be good and to reveal God to the world. By saying that creation reveals God, Christians mean that something is learned about the nature of God through creation.
God’s actions in the world are clearly seen as good in the Bible. The creation myths in Genesis and Psalms clearly state that God’s goodness is visible; in the creation and the sustaining of the world.
Furthermore, God’s goodness is seen through his actions for the benefit of people, such as healing miracles or support for God’s followers in battle; for example at Jericho. The picture that emerges is of God acting within the world and God’s activity is clearly seen to be good.
The goodness of God’s actions is not a matter of human judgement, and this is nowhere more clearly seen than in the story of Abraham’s attempt to sacrifice Isaac at the command of God. The story concerns duty and faithfulness to God, but the fact that God is clearly stated to challenge Abraham to do something which most people would believe to be immoral; sacrificing a child; raises important questions about the nature of God’s goodness.
The story of the sacrifice of Isaac clearly presents an image of God as the lord and master of all, whose will is beyond human
Explain the Biblical idea of the Goodness of God (25).
This essay will explain the Biblical idea of the goodness of God.
The issues that arise with this question are; whether the Bible portrays God as morally good/ perfect and whether God commands good things? Or are things good because God commands them?
Firstly two key ideas emerge about God’s goodness in the bible; first that God is good, second, that God’s actions are good.
Sections of the Bible; for example the Jewish Scriptures and the New Testament paint a clear picture of God being good. Many passages state that God is good and perfect. God’s goodness is revealed directly to people through God’s activity in the world.
God is the creator, and God’s creation is repeatedly stated to be good and to reveal God to the world. By saying that creation reveals God, Christians mean that something is learned about the nature of God through creation.
God’s actions in the world are clearly seen as good in the Bible. The creation myths in Genesis and Psalms clearly state that God’s goodness is visible; in the creation and the sustaining of the world.
Furthermore, God’s goodness is seen through his actions for the benefit of people, such as healing miracles or support for God’s followers in battle; for example at Jericho. The picture that emerges is of God acting within the world and God’s activity is clearly seen to be good.
The goodness of God’s actions is not a matter of human judgement, and this is nowhere more clearly seen than in the story of Abraham’s attempt to sacrifice Isaac at the command of God. The story concerns duty and faithfulness to God, but the fact that God is clearly stated to challenge Abraham to do something which most people would believe to be immoral; sacrificing a child; raises important questions about the nature of God’s goodness.
The story of the sacrifice of Isaac clearly presents an image of God as the lord and master of all, whose will is beyond human