The Fruit of Goodness

Being good is a fairly simple concept. There are a lot of people who “do good”, quite a few whom we would even call “good”. Goodness seems pretty common, even among other religions and those of no religion. In fact, it unfortunately seems more common among non-Christians. Is goodness really a fruit of the Spirit? Is it really something that requires God? Isn’t it something that just happens fairly naturally to most people? Aren’t all people basically good?

On the surface, it would seem that goodness is just a natural trait of humanity. There are many people who are defined as “good people,” and many who “do good.” But the literal translation of the Greek word for goodness used in the New Testament tells a different story. The word for goodness in Galatians 5:22 is “agathōsynē” which literally means uprightness of heart and life.

Ephesians 5:8-10 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

Goodness goes so much deeper than doing good or being good. Those only require outward behavior and actions. But true goodness comes from the heart, from a heart that is upright, or righteous. And we can only be righteous if we are immersed in God, if we have His Spirit in our lives and flowing through us. That is why goodness is a fruit of the Spirit. Anything short of that is fake, in a sense. It is not true, godly goodness.

Luke 18:19 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”

We need to seek God’s goodness, but in so doing we first need to seek God. God is good and we show that we are of God when we are good, but we have to have God in us in order to be truly good. The fruit of the Spirit is a product of a life wholly surrendered to God. We can never be truly good or do anything good apart from Him. Without uprightness of heart our good works, deeds and behavior are meaningless. Without uprightness of heart, our hearts are not good so the good we do is a mockery of our true nature. We have to be upright in our hearts and lives in order for our goodness to be genuine.

True goodness requires godliness, and that only comes from a life engrossed in God and His Spirit. Seek Him and you will be truly good!