Where does the Bible say that God is good? Here are 35 verses that tell us about the goodness of God.
Even without these verses, the Bible gives incalculable testimony to the goodness of God. God’s goodness is revealed on the first pages of the Bible and continues to shine through all tragedy and human wickedness recorded in the pages to come. The goodness of God is most clearly revealed in the demonstration of his love toward sinners in the work and person of Jesus (Romans 5:8). And the goodness of God continues to be revealed in our lives as God fulfills his promises to us and pursues us daily with goodness and mercy (Psalm 23:6).
May these Bible verses show you God’s goodness in the pages of Scripture. (If you make it to the end of the article, you’ll find a playlist of songs about the goodness of God!)
Explicit Declarations that God Is Good
Here is a collection of verses from the Bible that frankly declare that God is good. You will notice in these verses that the biblical authors draw many conclusions from the premise that God is good. For example, because God is good, he is trustworthy and a worthy place to run to for refuge.
1. Exodus 33:19 ESV
And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”
2. Psalm 25:8 NIV
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
3. Psalm 34:8 ESV
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
4. Nahum 1:7 NIV
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.
5. Psalm 86:5 ESV
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
6. Psalm 119:68 NLT
You are good and do only good; teach me your decrees.
7. Mark 10:18 ESV
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”
8. Galatians 5:22-23 ESV
But the fruit of the Spirit [of God] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
God Does Good and Is the Source of All Goodness
The world we inhabit and enjoy is one great testimony to the goodness of God. Think of the goodness of fresh fruit or baby animals or sunsets or people! The Bible tells us that all the good we experience during our existence is God’s doing. Everything God makes is good, every good we experience is from God, and God is good to all people.
9. Genesis 1:31 ESV
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
10. 1 Timothy 4:4 ESV
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.
11. Psalm 16:2 NLT
I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.”
12. James 1:17 NIV
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
13. Psalm 145:9 ESV
The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
Consider these reflective questions, inspired by these verses:
- What are three of your favorite things that God made?
- What are three good things that have happened to you this week?
- How about this year?
- In what ways does God show his goodness to all people?
God’s People Come to Know and Trust God’s Goodness
The following three verses reveal that God longs for us to experience and trust in his goodness.
14. Jeremiah 31:14 ESV
I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the Lord.
15. Lamentations 3:25 ESV
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
16. Hosea 3:5 ESV
Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.
God Does Good for Individuals
Throughout the Bible we see God not just creating good things for all people to enjoy, or offering the good gift of salvation to all, but demonstrating his goodness to individuals in the details of their lives. God does good at specific times, for specific people, in specific ways.
17. Exodus 1:20 NLT
So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful.
18. Deuteronomy 1:25 NLT
They picked some of its fruit and brought it back to us. And they reported, “The land the Lord our God has given us is indeed a good land.”
19. 1 Kings 8:66 NIV; see also 2 Chronicles 7:10
After the festival was over, Solomon sent the people home. They blessed the king and went to their homes joyful and glad because the Lord had been good to his servant David and to his people Israel.
20. Ezra 8:18 ESV
And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebiah with his sons and kinsmen.
21. Nehemiah 2:8 ESV
And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
22. Psalm 23:6 NIV
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
23. Matthew 7:11 NIV
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
God’s Heart Is to Do Us Good, Even in Tough Times
“God is good—” one person shouts.
“All the time!” Another answers back.
“All the time—” the first yells.
“God is good!”
You may have heard this shouted across a room or sung in a gospel song—if not, and you start attending church, you will hear it eventually. Those lyrics are true, and wonderfully true. God is good all the time—including when we are experiencing circumstances that are not good. It’s the testimony of the Bible that though we suffer many evils in this life, our circumstances are no interpreter of God’s character. God is unchanging, and he can only be and do good (Malachi 3:6; Psalm 92:15).
24. Genesis 50:20 ESV
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
25. Deuteronomy 8:5 NLT
Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.
26. Romans 8:28 ESV
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
God’s People Sing About and Proclaim His Goodness
What do we do when we’re overwhelmed by God’s goodness? God’s goodness moves his people to sing, and his goodness is the content of their songs. Can you say today with the Psalmist, “I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me” (Psalm 13:6 NLT)?
Here’s a playlist of songs celebrating the goodness of God.
27. Exodus 18:9 NIV
Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.
28. 1 Chronicles 16:7, 34 ESV
That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner… “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”
29. 2 Chronicles 5:13 NIV
The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the Lord with these words: “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!” At that moment a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord.
30. 2 Chronicles 7:3 NLT
When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying, “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!”
31. Psalm 100:1, 5 NIV
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth…For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
32. Psalm 106:1 NIV
Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
33. Psalm 135:3 ESV
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!
34. Ezra 3:11 ESV
And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
35. 2 Chronicles 6:41 ESV
And now arise, O Lord God, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. Let your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let your saints rejoice in your goodness.
Do You Believe that God Is Good?
Perhaps one of the greatest battles in the human heart is the battle to believe that God is good. In fact, the fall of humanity began with doubting the goodness of God. You can read that story in Genesis chapters 1-3. Ever since then, we are born doubting God’s goodness and suspicious of his heart. One of the ways God’s Spirit renews our minds when we put our faith in Jesus is by helping us to see and to believe the truth that God is good.
Helpfully explaining how our faith in Jesus shapes the way we see the truth of God’s character, one pastor said, “A Christian is somebody who has come to the conclusion, not just that God is good, but that God is good to me. Christians believe this even though our eyes are wide open to the difficulty of life, the pain and suffering of the world, and the presence of evil” (Colin Smith).
Do you believe that God is good, and that he is good to you? May the Holy Spirit help you believe the testimony of Scripture today: God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good.