Changing Our Definition of “Good”

When you hear the word “good,” what do you think of? What immediately comes to mind? For me, I think of pleasant things like nice weather, smiling faces, and a warm cup of coffee on a cold morning.

How do you think the Bible defines good? I bet you it’s vastly different than how you and I described it.

“And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” -Romans 8:28 (ESV)

One of my new favorite things to do when reading scripture is to look at single verses in their original written language with hopes to better understand the intended meaning. The book of Romans was written in Greek. When reading the English word “good” in the New Testament, it is most commonly translated to either “agathos” or “kalos” in Greek. The two words are very similar, only offering subtle differences. The main difference is that agathos implies something is good because it is useful, whereas kalos implies that something is good because it is beautiful. Romans 8:28 was written with the Greek word agathos.

If we are to believe that God works all things for our good, we must understand what the reality of “good” in our lives really is. We may tend to interpret good as “kalos,” believing that everything good from God needs to be beautiful in our eyes. However, this verse shows that the things that God works together for His purpose are intended to be useful—and that is what makes them good.

Much of what I now consider good in my life was not always seen that way. That’s not because it was never good from the beginning, but because I was looking for beauty from it rather than use. Many of the things in my life that are good have been immensely challenging—and definitely not beautiful.

The cross was not initially beautiful. It was agonizing and unbearable to witness. Jesus knew the pain that was to come and seemingly wished to avoid it if possible (Matthew 26:39). Alas, He recognized that it needed to be done and that it had a profound use, which He believed to be more important than His comfortability and even His own life.

His sacrifice on the cross is now considered beautiful because God used it to serve a greater purpose—one that would have not been accomplished without Jesus’ death, conducted in the least beautiful way possible. The cross is beautiful because of the resurrection. The cross is good because it was ultimately used to pay a price that we could not pay, thus bring us freedom from sin and death forevermore. The cross may not have been beautiful from the beginning, but it was always good.

I guarantee you that many of the things in your life that you have been resenting or resisting are actually good things from God that He is using to work for your good.

I urge you to prayerfully consider what these things may be. As you discover the hidden good in your life, begin to thank God. Thank Him even if you haven’t been able to see the beauty yet. Trust that His plan is greater than your own understanding.