A.W. Tozer wrote in The Knowledge of the Holy, “The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshipper entertains high or low thoughts of God.” The spiritual strength of our homes and churches is in direct proportion to the strength of our concept of God. Because of that, it is vitally important that we cultivate and maintain a biblically accurate concept of God. We will gain this by diligence in the Word of God. The writers of Scripture were overwhelmed with the greatness and glory of God. Psalm 34:1-3 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” To magnify the Lord is not to make Him greater than He is; it is to call attention to His greatness.
The goodness of God is a fundamental axiom of Christianity. When we say that God is good, we do not refer to His righteousness. God’s goodness is the root of His kindness and benevolence toward us. He takes pleasure in the good of His people. Psalm 119:68 says, “You are good, and do good.” God created us and redeemed us because He is good. Whatever God is, He is perfectly and infinitely. Hebrews 1:9 says that He loves righteousness and hates lawlessness.
The caricature of God that prevails today is that of a grumpy ogre that delights to hurl lightning bolts down on erring humans. We tend toward this kind of thinking because of our guilty consciences. When a child thinks of his parent coming home, this is a pleasant thought unless the child has misbehaved. In that case, he thinks of the parent as mean. Has the parent changed? No. The guilty conscience causes the child to think this way.
Do you believe that God is good and does good to you?
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