God is love is good is holy

Our first Bible pattern declares the goodness of the Infinite Good Person. These are simple declarations, but they will be expanded into living color by other patterns to follow. The first text does not use the word “good”, but illustrates the concept in very practical terms.

I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. (Ecclesiastes 3:14, NIV)

I recognized that whatever God does will endure forever; there is no adding to it, or taking from it. Thus has God done that he may be revered. (Ecclesiastes 3:14, NAB)

God wants to be known for His eternal goodness and wisdom. He has no ego to feed. He wants us to heed His counsel and ask His advice so we don’t make stupid mistakes. As we have already seen, anything that is less than eternal is evil. Why not seek Infinite Wisdom before we make shortsighted decisions?

Now let’s proceed from Genesis to Revelation.

...and God saw that it was good....and God saw that it was good....and God saw that it was good.... And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)

The original universe as created by God was perfect. There was no evil in it.

He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. (Deuteronomy 32:4)

During the original perfection, before created beings chose evil into existence, God’s ways were judgment. His ways were wise, discerning, and fair. Everything was in proper balance and proportion. After the rise of evil, God continued to wisely deal with sin by using just the right blend of longsuffering, compassion, justice, and consequence.

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. (Isaiah 6:3)

In modern language, we tend to use holy in a “holier than thou”, self-righteous, “too pure to communicate with you” context. Holy simply means sacred, which means devoted to a single purpose. God’s single purpose is goodness. All of His infinite power is consecrated to the eternal good of His children.

You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love them which love you, what reward have you? do not even the publicans the same? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

Humans cannot be perfectly infinite, so we are called to be perfect like God in another way. The context shows that we are to love perfectly as the Father loves us. His perfect love loves all people in all places under all conditions.

O righteous Father, the world has not known you but I have known you. (John 17:25)

In private communion with His Father, the Son shows us what God values—righteousness, right doing and right being. God values the right use of His power over the power itself.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17)

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

God does not have up days and down days, dark days and bright days. Even when dealing with stubborn sin and sinners, God does what is eternally best for everyone. He shows no partiality and has no mean streaks.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God; for God is love. In this was revealed the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the atonement for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:7-16)

God does not merely act out love. He IS love. His nature, His will, His power is love. He not only feels love, but He thinks love and creates love.

They rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (Revelation 4:8)

Repeating the same words for all eternity would be very monotonous. In the perfect universe there are an infinite number of ways and words to sing the same song. Everything and everyone in the good immortal cosmos always declares the holiness of God.

And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are your ways, you King of saints. Who shall not fear you O Lord, and glorify your name? for you only are holy: for all nations shall come and worship before you for your judgments are made plain. (Revelation 15:3-4)

In this world of good contaminated with evil we can only see God’s pure goodness by faith. However, once the saints arrive in heaven and look back on their experience on Earth they plainly see and understand just how true and just their Father’s ways were. They worship, not out of fear, but of reverential gratitude for every trial and blessing that brought them into harmony with Goodness.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

The original perfection is not part of the former things that pass away. Evil, with the death and sorrow it brings, will be perfectly eliminated to leave a universe that is perfectly good. Not a tear, nor a cause for a tear, will remain. The experience of immortal goodness and everlasting love is pure, evergrowing joy.