How Do I explain that God is Good

[Boulder257]

I teach 8th grade catechism class and am holding a lesson in the next few weeks about the characteristics of God. I want to explain to the kids that God is good, or goodness. What bible verses can I reference and how best can I put this on an 8th grade level for them?

Thanks in advance.

 

[sw85]

A useful Scripture passage might be Mark 10:18: “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.”

Of course by “good” he means “pure good,” i.e., “goodness itself.”

In terms of explaining it to young folks… well, have you already covered God’s omniscience with them? That God knows everything perfectly? You might then explain that God’s love arises from his knowing everything perfectly. A good example is making a new friend. When you meet someone for the first time you don’t necessarily know a lot about them and, consequently, don’t feel very strongly about them. As you get to know them more and more, your feelings for them intensify, whether the romantic feelings a man has toward a woman or the platonic, friendly feelings any two people can share for one another. Love in this sense is a form of knowledge. To love something is to know it and understand it and appreciate it. This is why, for instance, humans can rejoice in a painting but dogs can’t, because they lack reason and understanding.

So if love is a form of knowledge, then God, who is all-knowing, should be all-loving: that is, he should value everything according to its true worth.

 

[capablanca911]

And God can’t do bad to be good. He can’t be a Fascist Micromanager to override our will even though His will for us would have better choices than the ones that we make, through His grace, for ourselves.

 

[Boulder257]

A useful Scripture passage might be Mark 10:18: “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.”

Of course by “good” he means “pure good,” i.e., “goodness itself.”

In terms of explaining it to young folks… well, have you already covered God’s omniscience with them? That God knows everything perfectly? You might then explain that God’s love arises from his knowing everything perfectly. A good example is making a new friend. When you meet someone for the first time you don’t necessarily know a lot about them and, consequently, don’t feel very strongly about them. As you get to know them more and more, your feelings for them intensify, whether the romantic feelings a man has toward a woman or the platonic, friendly feelings any two people can share for one another. Love in this sense is a form of knowledge. To love something is to know it and understand it and appreciate it. This is why, for instance, humans can rejoice in a painting but dogs can’t, because they lack reason and understanding.

So if love is a form of knowledge, then God, who is all-knowing, should be all-loving: that is, he should value everything according to its true worth.

Great idea. We actually have studied omniscience and are moving towards love next. I can use love to segue into goodness. Thanks man!

 

[clem456]

Psalm 139 is good:

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

Also 1 John 4:8

God is love

I’ve always tried to get them to think about the elemental questions and relate it to everyday life.

Where did I come from?

Who am I?

How was I made?

Did I create myself? If not, I have relied on God for a marvelous gift, my very existence. Have them think about people who give them gifts of some kind, and whether they consider these people good or bad. How much more giving is God compared to the most generous people they know?

How can someone who creates us and gives us our existence as a gift, be anything BUT loving and good? (Be prepared for the obvious questions about suffering).

 

[Nita]

I also think it’s very important to see that they understand the proper meaning of love - that love is to desire and do what is for the good of another person, for their good here on earth and above all, for their eternal good. If you love someone you would never ask or support them in doing something that might send them to hell if they died before repenting. (eg. loose moral behavior so prevalent in the culture) You certainly don’t love someone if you’re not concerned whether or not they spend eternity in hell,.

God is always loving us. It is the reason for His laws (He does not want us to spend eternity in hell); it is the reason He became man; the reason He sufffered and died to redeem us.

 

[cjkaupke]

Saint Thomas Aquinas, on whether God is good:

newadvent.org/summa/1006.htm#article1

 

[fred_conty]

“Greater love no man has than that he lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus.

Your might start out by asking them what they think love is. See if anyone says giving up their life to save their friend’s life. And then do we know anyone like that from history, that laid down their life for others. Or what about any people recently that we might know.
Did Mother Tersa do this or not? Are there different ways to lay one’s life down? How about your parents? And would you lay down your life for someone and what would those conditions be?

Then explain about someone else who laid down their life for all of them…Jesus. By his everyday life, and freely laying down his life for all of them in a most painful way so they might be with happy and joyous with him and each other greater than any thing this world has to offer. Because of his love.

Just some thoughts.