June 16, 2023
Adrian Rogers
Scripture Passage: Galatians 5:22
Galatians 5:22 identifies goodness among the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit. People want good in their lives, but what does it mean to live a good life?
Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”
Real goodness is a moral characteristic—it is to be good and therefore to do good. It won’t make us rich or popular, but it pays to be good.
We cannot deceive ourselves; inward peace and tranquility are reserved for those who are good. A clear conscience grants us tremendous freedom. Living a good life is knowing that if someone else knew us as we did, they would still respect us.
Outwardly, the purpose of goodness correlates with the influence it has on others. Adrian Rogers said, “None of us lives to himself and none of us dies to himself. You’re the best Christian, and you’re the worst Christian somebody knows. You’re the only Bible that somebody is reading.”
There is also the joy of knowing there is nothing hindering our relationship with God because we are who He wants us to be.
The problem is we are not good on our own. (See Romans 3:12.) We have a problem of wickedness and sin in our lives. History proves, the Bible teaches, and personal experience reveals that we are inclined toward evil.
There is a pathway to goodness, but it is not through our own doing.
In the Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul describes being a saved man, having a new desire and determination to do good. (See Romans 7:22.) Still, Paul said the desire to do good is not enough; Paul came to despair in his sinful nature.
But in Romans 8, he reminds us it is not that we are too weak, but too strong. We still believe we can do it on our own; we are trying rather than trusting.
But it is the Spirit of God that delivers us from the law of sin and death. (See Romans 8:2.)
Because goodness is a quality among the fruit of the Spirit, it is only accomplished if we abide in Jesus, the Vine.
Have you been freed from sin, eradicated from your old nature? The pathway to goodness is through Jesus Christ alone; we don’t produce the fruit; we bear it.
