Goodness
19 agathosune
Romans 15:14 Now I am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also will be full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
Galatians 5:22 – 23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Ephesians 5:9 (for the fruit of the light is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
2 Thessalonians 1:11 Into which we also pray always about you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith in power.
Goodness was the character trait that attained to that which was good. Obviously, the definition of “good” would be open to differences of opinion. Various Greek philosophers assigned different definitions to “good,” and therefore to goodness. The Epicureans found good in pleasure and comfort (like most in the US). Stoics found good in a lack of extreme emotion, or at least the absence of unpleasant emotions. Aristotle and Plato leaned more toward moral excellence. The question always arose, “Who decides what is good?” This is the question behind Jesus’ response in Matthew 19:17, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, God.” (Also Luke 18:19 and Mark 10:18). So, “good” in the New Testament refers to that which corresponds to the nature of God.
Some (not all) passages that use “good” (18 agathose):
Contrasting evil versus good (Matthew 5:45, 7:11, , 7:17 – 19, 12:33 – 35, 20:15, 22:10, Romans 2:9 – 12, 7:18 – 21, 9:11, 12:21, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Ephesians 4:28 – 29, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, 1 Peter 3:11 – 13, 3:16, 3 John 11)
Good work (Matthew 26:10, Romans 13:3 – 4, 15:2, 16:19, Galatians 6:6, 6:10, Ephesians 2:10, 6:8, Colossians 1:10, 2 Thessalonians 2:17, 1 Timothy 2:10, 5:10, 2 Timothy 2:21, 3:17, Titus 1:16, 3:1, Hebrews 13:21, James 3:17)
The Law is good (Romans 7:12 – 13)
God’s work (Romans 8:28, 10:15, 12:2, Philippians 1:6, James 1:17)
Good and faithful (Matthew 25:21 – 23)
Good memories (1 Thessalonians 3:6)
Good hope (2 Thessalonians 2:16)
Good conscience (1 Timothy 1:5, 1:19, 1 Peter 3:16, 3:21)
Good things to come (Hebrews 9:11, 10:1)
Good days (1 Peter 3:10)