Steadfast, Immovable, Abounding

This is the sixth installment in my series of posts about the fruit of the Spirit.

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

What does “doing good” entail? What is our motivation for good deeds? And how can we who are sinful display Christ’s never-failing goodness? The above verse says that it is light which reveals our good deeds. This light is the truth of Christ in us—it is the story of our redemption, told to the glory of our Father. Too often, we don’t consider what change the gospel has made in our lives. Our words and deeds should be clear evidence of the change in our hearts. Ask yourself: would my words and actions be any different if I wasn’t saved? Have I surrendered everything to God’s transforming power? Do my deeds proclaim to others the truth that I have been crucified with Christ and am now living my life by faith?

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” I believe this verse describes a part of what goodness is all about—as Christians we must keep a guard over our words, speaking only what is edifying to others. What we say reflects what is in our hearts, as Jesus says in Luke 6:45: “‘The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.’” So much of what people say is destructive, arrogant, ungrateful (this is a big one), or simply not true. This is the narrative of the world we live in, and it can be very easy to slide into its traps. But if our gaze is fixed on the God above us rather than the world around us, the goodness of His heart will be poured out through every word we speak.

The fact that our actions mirror our hearts poses a problem—none of us is inherently good. We have no power to do good because our hearts are wicked and lost without God. Paul mourns in Romans 7:19, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.” It is not enough to want goodness, for we are powerless to produce it. Only God can do a work in us that replaces our rags with His riches. We may desire goodness, but only He can fulfill our need. Paul writes, “To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Through the Spirit, we have unlimited access to the wonderful goodness of God. That’s why goodness is a fruit of the Spirit: it is an integral and exclusive part of His personality.

Goodness isn’t always easy to exhibit. While we might find it natural to return goodness for goodness, following Christ’s commands means reaching out with God’s goodness to those who will never reciprocate. Jesus says in Luke 6:27, “‘But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.’” He adds later in verse 33, “‘If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.’” It is easy, and enjoyable, to give back goodness. But it is when we exhibit goodness to those who mistreat us that we are truly imitating Christ.

I want to emphasize one last thing. “Doing good” means more than acting charitably. Goodness means living so far above reproach that we exemplify to the world what it means to follow Christ. It means protecting our integrity and character so valiantly that the world cannot help but be struck by Christ’s goodness in us. Titus 2:7,8 says, “in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.” But let’s face it—trying to exemplify God’s definition of “good” in this sin-sick world can be exhausting. That’s when we must lift our eyes to heaven, and remember it is our Father who sees our battle for righteousness. We must remember Paul’s words in Galatians 6:9— “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” Don’t ever give up on goodness. The Spirit is your source, and His supply will never run dry.