Who Am I? Day 8: I am good.

Genesis 1:31. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

In our culture, to call something good is to usually say that it is just alright. Mediocre. In a ratings system that includes good, better, and best, good is the worst of them all. “How was the show?” “It was good.” This is not a ringing endorsement. It’s like saying, “It was acceptable.” Rather we want to hear words like great, spectacular, amazing.

The Hebrew word for good is the little word, tov. The idea behind this word is one of purpose. Something that is tov does exactly what it was made to do. It fulfills its purpose. Also connected to this word is the idea of something being pleasing. Pleasing to God and pleasing to us. Things are tov when they do exactly what they were created to do and this pleases the Lord. Whenever we use something in the way that God designed it, it is tov. And this goodness brings glory to God, recognizing his wisdom in giving all created things their purpose and meaning. The word tov first appears in Genesis 1:11-12.

Genesis 1:11-12. ¹¹And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. ¹²The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

In Genesis 2, we will be introduced to the Tree of the Knowledge of tov and evil. The tragic irony is that Adam and Eve already were good. They had knowledge of tov. What they lacked, but thought they needed was the knowledge of evil. Such knowledge would allow them to determine good and evil for themselves rather than simply accepting their identity as good because God declared them to be so.

We’ve been relying on our knowledge of good and evil ever since that fateful day, and very little good has come of it. We set in motion the process of defining and creating good on our own terms, with very little recognition that the “good” we are creating falls short of both the glory of God as gracious and the glory of man as requiring that grace. The “good” that we produce still leaves us falling short of our purpose – trust in the Lord with your whole heart and acknowledge him in all things, leaning not on your own knowledge and understanding (Prov. 3:5-6).

Praise God that in Christ we are restored to our original goodness. Our created purpose of imaging THE Image. Our function of receiving good and spreading that good around us through the good works that we were created to do in Christ (Eph. 2:10). God has planted the seeds of goodness in us, and it is our job to let him cultivate that goodness by his grace, watering it with his love, and feeding it with his life.  

Now, in Christ, all things are working for the good for those who love and trust God. What good? What tov? Our transformation into the image of God’s dear son, Jesus Christ the Good (Rom. 8:28-29). This is the ultimate goodness that pleases God. Each of us living and loving as Christ, in grace and in truth. Each of us recognizing that we are not self-determiners, creating our own meaning or even remotely capable of deciding between the good and evil that surround us. Each of us expressing gratitude to the Lord as the source and goal of all good things in us and around us. Each of us longing for the day when all that was meant for evil by man, will be used for good by God.

Christian, to live is Christ means you are good. Not just OK. You have been given a purpose by your Heavenly Father to be his godliness on Earth, and you have been given everything you need for this life and godliness (2 Pt. 1:3).

Questions: How does Christ restore our goodness to us? What are the good works that God has given you to do in Christ (Eph. 2:10)?