Behold, It Was Very Good

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. And the evening...: Heb. And the evening was, and the morning was etc. - Genesis 1:31

    God does everything, and everything that he does is good. I make no claim to understand all that is implied in the Bible or in the statement that I just made concerning this truth, but I know it is so because the Scriptures declare it to be so. He is the first cause of all things. He can do no less than good because he is good. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations (Ps 100:5). The great work of redemption, from election to glorification, is the work of God alone. Therefore the work of regeneration and the preservation of the saints in Christ is his work and is good. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6). Why should we emphasize this? Because, it is the truth and it glorifies the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, and is the foundation of the hope of every believer, and because the vast majority of preachers and professors of Christianity deny this truth. God is good had he not chosen to save anyone. But he did, and the revelation of his goodness is most wondrously seen in the context hereof spoken—But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour (Ti 3:4-6). As God looked upon his handiwork in Genesis chapter one and saw that it was very good, so he looks upon his new creation in Christ and sees that it is very good. This is how God sees it—good! For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:10). It is good because of the one who did it and he is good—there is none good but one, that is, God (Mk 10:18). If we had anything to do with it, it would not be good. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Rom 3:12). The heart and soul of free will doctrine is no good because it emphasizes the imaginary, God-dishonoring, goodness, works, and supposed ability of man in the execution of, and in the performance of salvation. The Bible plainly declares that; it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy (Rom 9:16). The God of purpose and the purpose of God is good; Christ and his redemptive work is good; the great work of his Spirit in regeneration is good; and all those whom God views in Christ are good, simply and singularly because God is good.