Order of Operation: Goodness

When we make the decision to follow Jesus and live according to God’s will, we understand that we need to give up on our sinful ways and many of our earthly desires. For most of us, that transition is easier said than done. If our faith is true and we rely on the Holy Spirit that resides in us, no change is too great. Still, as people, we often need a plan, checklist, or something that might allow us to stay on track and understand what we’re working towards. The Bible provides some insight that could be helpful in 2 Peter 1:5-7.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

The pathway to salvation is the development and profession of faith. The above scripture provides an ordered list of the attributes we should seek after we’ve come to the Faith. To some extent, we can use this list as a measuring stick for how far we’ve moved along God’s way, but first we need to understand what each trait means from a Biblical standpoint.

The first trait identified is goodness. That sounds simple enough. We all understand that we should be good, but what does it mean to be good as a Christian. From, a worldly standpoint, the definition of goodness is hard to pin down. For some it might just mean following society’s laws. For others, it might mean being kind to others and treating everyone with respect. Still others, might equate goodness to being charitable and caring for others. From a Biblical standpoint, goodness means all of that and more. So where do we start?

God gave us laws and commandments in the Bible. Most of us have heard the commandments and know, at least, some of what God expects from us. Making a more concentrated effort to obey God’s commandments is certainly a good start towards goodness.

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. – Romans 2:13

That said, as discussed in a previous blog (2 vs 10), complying with God’s will is about more than following a checklist of rules. It really is only fulfilled as we move through the order set in the verse from 2 Peter. Adding goodness is just the first step, and that step is not about reaching for perfection. That comes later. So what should we do to truly add goodness to our faith?

Turn from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it. – Psalm 34:14

Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. – Romans 12:21

For Believers goodness is the tendency to act according to God’s will or conversely, the tendency to move away from things that are not of God’s will. Adding goodness to our faith means beginning our transition of moving away from evil and sin i.e., the things not of God. Everyone has their own path. For some, it may be an easy task to accomplish. For others, this stage may be long and arduous. For all of us, it requires a conscious effort to acknowledge what is right and what is wrong, and to consistently choose to do what is right. We will make mistakes, but doing good is like anything else. Practice makes permanent. If we want to master some skill or craft, we work at it through repetition until we master it. We train so that performing that skill or craft becomes second nature. The practice of doing good is no different. If we constantly make a point of doing what is right and avoiding what we know to be wrong, eventually doing right will become reflexive. We’ll find ourselves making the good choice without even having to consider it. When we think about such training in a physical sense, we know that it can be tough. Most people who choose to take on such a task often need support in the form of personal trainers. The good thing about being a Believer is that when it comes to moral training, we have a built-in personal trainer – the Holy Spirit.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. - Galatians 5:16

With the Holy Spirit in us, adding goodness to our faith is more than possible, it’s expected. We have everything we need to move towards goodness. We may not always make the right choices, but with our first step after salvation we should at least trend in the direction of righteousness.

Chris Lawyer

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