#CHURCHTALK 35: God's unconditional goodness

Pastor Mark Desmond, Senior Pastor of The Embassy of Zion Ministries 

Matthew 5: 45 [KJV] 

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (KJV)

From the beginning of time till now, God’s character has been consistent. The sin of man did not change who God is. His love and goodness to man have never changed. He loves all men equally. He loves the just and unjust man equally. He loves the virgin and the prostitute equally. 

He may be angry in judgment at the wicked (as David said in Psalms 7:11), but He is still good to them everyday. He is not the one responsible for the misfortunes that befall people. James said that "...God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else" (James 1:13). God does not kill or destroy sinners or evil people; rather He saves them out of love from the control of Satan and sin. 

Our opening text affirms the goodness of God to all men. He hears the cries of all men. He extends help to all men. He heals all men. He provides for all men. He has made his created resources available to all men. These expressions of God’s goodness are unconditional and independent of men. He is good to the Christian, Muslim and the idol worshipper. He is good to every man on earth. His unconditional goodness toward the believer is not different from that toward a prostitute or an armed robber. 

It is an error to assume that all natural or physical blessings of unbelievers are not of God, or that material prosperity belongs only to the believer. Or to be of the view that unbelievers should be poor materially as an act of God's justice. Rather, this negates God's thought process and His sense of justice. 

Never think that God will deny you of any help or healing because of your sins. Jesus on earth healed all people, irrespective of their moral status. God loves you and he will continually be good to you. Goodness is God’s consistent character. 

But if you continue in your sin, your sin will in very fact destroy you. God's goodness to you now despite your sins should lead you to repentance from them and into a fellowship with Him. 

God is consistently and constantly good in character. He is good to all men. His goodness is unconditional. There is nothing you have done which He cannot forgive. And there is nothing He will not do to ensure that you are never destroyed. Embrace Him now. 

Pastor Mark Desmond is the Senior Pastor of The Embassy of Zion Ministries, Nigeria. He is also the proprietor of Bismac Model Schools, Ifo, Ogun State, from where he writes, and can be reached via his Facebook page @Mark Desmond

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