Holiness, Godliness, Usefulness
01/04/2016, by John Kincaid
Lesson 836: Goodness, Pt.1
Kindness is a characteristic of the heart. Goodness is conduct and action that flows from a heart of kindness.
Goodness is kindness at work.
Kindness wants other people to be glad; goodness takes steps to cause that gladness.
The Boy Scouts refer to these unselfish acts of kindness as “good deeds”.
Scouts watch for things that need to be done, and then do them without being asked.
Scouts notice something that would help someone, or benefit the community, and they deliberately take care of it without expecting any reward.
The Greek word for “goodness” is rare, found only 13 times in the Greek version of the Old Testament, and only 3 times in the Greek New Testament outside the list of the fruit of the Spirit:
2 Thes.1:11 NIV we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.
Eph.5:9 NIV the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth
Rom.15:14 you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
About This Series
The goal of this series is to become more useful in serving the Lord Jesus Christ, as an instrument in the Redeemer's hand. The theme verses for the series are Ephesians 4:22-24, Philemon 11, 2 Timothy 2:21
- to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
- and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
- Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.
- Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
