Read: Galatians 5:22-23; Genesis 1
But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . goodness. (v. 22)
We use the word “good” in all sorts of ways. The food was good, my day was good, the kids were good, the movie was good, his Spanish is good, I’m feeling good. What might “goodness” as a fruit of the Spirit refer to? I don’t think Paul is simply describing good behavior, or even a measure of quality or excellence. After all, he’s trying to help the Galatian Christians see the differences between the way of the flesh and the way of the Spirit. The way of the flesh has its own sense of what is “good.” How does the Spirit’s way give us a different measuring stick for goodness?
Perhaps the goodness that the Spirit brings forth is most similar to the goodness that we hear about in the first chapter of Genesis, where God repeatedly declares that the created order is good. “Behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). The creation was good because it hummed along the way God designed it to, with humans and animals and plant life all in harmony. The goodness of creation was a reflection of God’s ultimate goodness. Humanity’s subsequent descent into brokenness has left us longing for God to restore creation to the goodness and wholeness God still intends for us. Maybe the Spirit’s fruit of goodness gives us a taste of that promise of restored goodness. It’s the sort of goodness that catches the rhythm of creation and foretells the goodness of the new heaven and new earth.
As you pray, ask God to share with you the magnitude of God’s goodness.
About the Author
Jessica Bratt Carle lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she has served as a chaplain and more recently as a clinical ethicist at Corewell Health (formerly Spectrum Health) since 2017. She is a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She and her husband have two young sons.
