The Goodness of God

“It is the goodness of God that leads people to repentance.”

If people understood how good God is, would they turn from their selfish ways to Him?

However, God has been so slandered, bad mouthed and portrayed as revengeful by the denominated religionists, most people in religious deception as well as the people of the world do not know Him for the good God He is.

The biggest reason for God not being known for Who He is, is due to the religionist misuse and abuse of the Bible by their man-oriented interpretations of it that leads to the acceptance, misuse and abuse of the Law. This has caused disrespect and damage to God's image. The Law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17). The Law though accurate was incomplete. And if misunderstood and misapplied, it gives a wrong understanding of God and the work of Christ in redemption.

Jesus was the perfect representation of God (Heb. 1:3). If we have seen Him, then we have seen the Father (John 14:9). He did exactly what He saw His Father do (John 5:19). Jesus showed us that God is love (1 John 4:8).

All the Law was  contained in one commandment...LOVE...Still the religionist constantly accused Him of breaking the Law, yet He never did even though He went contrary to the Law. Why? Because LOVE fulfills and superceeds the do’s and don’ts of the Law. The commandment to LOVE is far better than the Law and fulfills the Law and love becomes the reason for doing good and not the fear of punishment for breaking the Law.

Jesus is the only One who ever truly kept the Law. But the mercy and grace Jesus extended toward people was radically different from the "eye for eye" and "tooth for tooth" of the Mosaic Law that religionists today mix with Grace and renders the Gospel that is preached a “false gospel.”

Jesus forgave the adulterous woman whom the Law condemned to death (John 8:1-11). Jesus ate and fellowshipped with publicans and sinners, which the religionists of His day wouldn't do (Matt. 9:11). Jesus touched the untouchable (Matt. 8:3) and loved the unlovable (Luke 8:2) that the religionists shunned. Jesus showed people grace and mercy, which the Law didn't do nor could do.

A wrong understanding of the purpose of the Law leads to a misunderstanding of the Bible and damaged the nature of God. Most people believe God gave the Law to show us what we needed to do to gain and maintain relationship with Him. But the Law was never intended to bring us into relationship or maintain our relationship with our loving and graceful Father. It was intended to show us our sin and our inability to gain or maintain our relationship with God by our own strivings. It was given to show us how self-righteous we were so we would give up our self-effort working. It was to turn us from self-righteousness to a Christ's righteousness (Rom. 10:3-4).

When the Law is understood for what its purpose was, it is good (1 Tim. 1:8). But when people are taught that God's favor, acceptance and blessings are dependent upon religious performances, that nullifies the Grace that Jesus died to give us. Religion has taught that we have to fulfill the demands of the Law in order for God to love us and that is a bunch of hogwash!

God extended forgiveness, mercy and grace even before the Law came...for example, God protected the first murderer. (Gen. 4:15), instead of killing him as the Law later prescribed (Lev. 24:17). Abraham married his half-sister, which the Law forbids and was punishable by death (Lev. 18:9). Jacob married two sisters, which the Law condemned and was punishable by death (Lev. 18:18). Yet Abraham and Jacob became two great patriarchs of the Old Testament, why, because God wasn't imputing man's sins unto him even at that time (Rom. 5:13).

God's wrath was released against sin when the Law came to Moses (Rom. 4:15). God smote people with leprosy (Num. 12:10 and 2 Chr. 26:19-20) and plagues because they did not keep the law (Deut. 28:15-68). And the religionist still believe He does the same today.

The sin issue is settled as far as God is concerned. It is man inspired by the devil that keeps it a issue and hinders the Community of the Redeemed from reaching its rightful potential within the Community of Humanity. If people would but understand that, it would change a world of religious confusion.