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always regarded as of the greatest importance. It is generally called His faithfulness, in virtue of
which He is ever mindful of His covenant and fulfils all the promises which He has made to His
people. This faithfulness of God is of the utmost practical significance to the people of God. It is
the ground of their confidence, the foundation of their hope, and the cause of their rejoicing. It
saves them from the despair to which their own unfaithfulness might easily lead, gives them
courage to carry on in spite of their failures, and fills their hearts with joyful anticipations, even
when they are deeply conscious of the fact that they have forfeited all the blessings of God.
Num. 23:19; Deut. 7:9; Ps. 89:33; Isa. 49:7; I Cor. 1:9; II Tim. 2:13; Heb. 6:17, 18; 10:23.
C. Moral Attributes.
The moral attributes of God are generally regarded as the most glorious of the divine
perfections. Not that one attribute of God is in itself more perfect and glorious than another,
but relatively to man the moral perfections of God shine with a splendor all their own. They are
generally discussed under three heads: (1) the goodness of God; (2) the holiness of God; and (3)
the righteousness of God.
1. THE GOODNESS OF GOD.
This is generally treated as a generic conception, including several
varieties, which are distinguished according to their objects. The goodness of God should not be
confused with His kindness, which is a more restricted concept. We speak of something as
good, when it answers in all parts to the ideal. Hence in our ascription of goodness to God the
fundamental idea is that He is in every way all that He as God should be, and therefore answers
perfectly to the ideal expressed in the word “God.” He is good in the metaphysical sense of the
word, absolute perfection and perfect bliss in Himself. It is in this sense that Jesus said to the
young ruler: “None is good save one, even God,” Mark 10:18. But since God is good in Himself,
He is also good for His creatures, and may therefore be called the fons omnium bonorum. He is
the fountain of all good, and is so represented in a variety of ways throughout the Bible. The
poet sings: “For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light,” Ps. 36:9. All the
good things which the creatures enjoy in the present and expect in the future, flow to them out
of this inexhaustible fountain. And not only that, but God is also the summum bonum, the
highest good, for all His creatures, though in different degrees and according to the measure in
which they answer to the purpose of their existence. In the present connection we naturally
stress the ethical goodness of God and the different aspects of it, as these are determined by
the nature of its objects.
a. The goodness of God towards His creatures in general.
This may be defined as that
perfection of God which prompts Him to deal bountifully and kindly with all His creatures. It is