All good is from God?

[georgemiller]

In James 1:17: We are taught: “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
Could use some help with determining the proper interpretation of the above Scriptual verse? If all good is from God how does one do any good? Is there any good we do by ourselves? Is every good, knowingly or unknowingly, a cooperation with the grace of God?

 

[Isaiah45_9]

It deals with the origin of good.

Can we point to a specific point in time and person where good things originated from?

Only God is good and perfect, therefore, anything that is good and perfect comes from Him.

In Him.

ETA: Take the case of the parable of the rich man, he calls Jesus: “Good Teacher” before asking him his question.

Jesus first response was: “Why do you call me good?, only the Father who sent Me is good.”

I’m paraphrasing so please forgive any misquotation.

 

[Dorothy]

In James 1:17: We are taught: “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
Could use some help with determining the proper interpretation of the above Scriptual verse? If all good is from God how does one do any good? Is there any good we do by ourselves? Is every good, knowingly or unknowingly, a cooperation with the grace of God?

When we freely choose to cooperate with the grace of God, we do good.

 

[bmullins]

Because all good is from God, when we do good (whether we know it or admit it) we are doing God’s will, because He willed the good to be done. We still chose to do it, but we are channels of grace into the world. Even the atheist and non-believer does God’s will when he does good.

 

[englishredrose]

It deals with the origin of good.

Can we point to a specific point in time and person where good things originated from? My point being that I don’t have to point even…
Only God is good and perfect, therefore, anything that is good and perfect comes from Him.

In Him.

ETA: Take the case of the parable of the rich man, he calls Jesus: “Good Teacher” before asking him his question.

Jesus first response was: “Why do you call me good?, only the Father who sent Me is good.”

I’m paraphrasing so please forgive any misquotation.

Do we have to or can we accept that Only God is good and perfect. Accept our good times in life via from God even if he uses each other to reach us?

 

[Isaiah45_9]

Do we have to or can we accept that Only God is good and perfect. Accept our good times in life via from God even if he uses each other to reach us?

Sorry I wasn’t clear enough. The answer to my own question is: no. It is impossible for us to point.

I completely accept that good and perfect things are only from God.

 

[AlltheRoses]

In James 1:17: We are taught: “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
Could use some help with determining the proper interpretation of the above Scriptual verse? If all good is from God how does one do any good? Is there any good we do by ourselves? Is every good, knowingly or unknowingly, a cooperation with the grace of God?

I think that God is the source of everything good in the universe, because He is the ultimate good, and so I think that anything good we do is possible because of God’s grace and our cooperation, whether knowing or unknowing, with it.

The basic thrust of your Scriptural quote, then, in my reading, would be that, as God is the source of everything good in our lives, all that is good in our lives comes ultimately from God. Others may be the agents God chooses to give us those gifts, and we should be grateful to them for cooperating with God’s grace and doing good to us, but we should also be grateful to God for those gifts and for the agents by which they arrive. That’s just my interpretation, though, and I’d love to hear others’ thoughts

 

[Julia_Mae]

If all good is from God how does one do any good?

You don’t. Ever.

Is there any good we do by ourselves?

No.

Is every good, knowingly or unknowingly, a cooperation with the grace of God?

Good is all God all the time. Jesus said, “There is none good but God.”

The longing to do a good thing is your soul responding to God, longing to be united to God in His Purpose, Will, Presence. Good “we do,” is really just being honored to be present when God acts. Sometimes, we don’t even know it happened.

Maybe most times.

It’s a wonderful thing.

 

[Scoobyshme]

In James 1:17: We are taught: “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
Could use some help with determining the proper interpretation of the above Scriptual verse? If all good is from God how does one do any good? Is there any good we do by ourselves? Is every good, knowingly or unknowingly, a cooperation with the grace of God?

We can only choose to do good through God’s grace. He is the “first mover.” He gets the ball rolling, in other words. Then, we make a choice to respond or not.

We’re talking “actual grace” here. What actual grace does is two things: 1) enlightens our minds to see God’s truths more clearly and 2) strengthens our will to follow God’s truths more closely. In other words, to act according to God’s will, even if we wouldn’t normally want to do so.

All we can do is mess things up (sin). We cannot, on our own, do good. We require God’s grace.

 

[georgemiller]

I guess that is also why we are taught in 2 Peter 18 the following:

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”