Goodness: A Life of Virtue (Fruit of the Spirit)
Before her senior year, Kate and I went on a tour of colleges. It was fascinating listening to all of the Admission Officers throwing their best sales pitches at us, walking campus with the students who have been trained to say all the right things, and visiting the Residence Halls that reminded me of all the joys and frustrations of residential college life.
One thing that was noticeably absent on all the campuses she chose was the required chapel attendance I came to loathe during my college days.
When I was college shopping as a high school student, I was convinced I wanted to go to a Christian College. Even though I had never attended a Christian school, I had this skewed belief that attending a Christian College would be like 36 straight weeks of church camp.
I was young and dumb–what can I say?
While some folks thought the mandatory chapel attendance was horrible, I wasn’t really fazed by the thought of it at first. After all, I was raised in a church where your holiness and jewels in your crown in heaven were tied directly to your church attendance every time the doors were open.
As someone who grew up in a performance-based theology, attending chapel three times a week was simply another item to check off my checklist. It was one more thing that contributed to my status as a “good Christian,” a “good student,” and a “good girl.”
Except that it wasn’t.
At all.
Like anything that is forced, chapel became just another slot in my day, an annoying slot in my day where I found ways to sneak my textbooks into my seat so I could attempt to get caught up on my ridiculous amount of assigned reading for my literature classes.
Sitting in that seat did not reflect my “goodness” at all.
It reflected my ability to follow rules and to keep track of my chapel skips for the semester.
It is so easy to fall into that “goodness” mindset, though, isn’t it?
We hear scriptures like Galatians 5:22-23 where Paul explains the fruit of the spirit, and we immediately associate the idea of “goodness” with our skewed definitions of what it is to be a “good girl,” a “good Christian,” or a “good person.”
I have to admit that this one is hard for me. As a professed exvangelical who is still attempting to recover from the doctrine of Christian perfection, checklists, performances, traditions, and rituals, this idea of “goodness” is one that is close to my heart and soul.
At the strangest times, I find myself triggered by those old thoughts of not being “good enough,” of needing to do more so God will love me and bless me more, and of the potential of God punishing me because I’m not “good enough.”
If, like me, this idea of “goodness” as a fruit of the spirit has kept you captive in a prison of comparison, fear, and performance, take heart, my friend, I have good news for you.
Biblical Goodness
We’re in the middle of this study on the fruit of the spirit, and we’ve covered a ton of information over the last few weeks. If you’ve missed out on this series, I would encourage you to go back and read my earlier posts. If you don’t have the time to do that, I would at least read my introduction and discussion of the context of the fruit of the spirit. You can do that here:
https://kristenneighbarger.com/2023/07/05/whats-with-the-fruit-of-the-spirit-intro-context/
In Galatians 5, Paul spends some time explaining the difference between living a self-life as opposed to living a life in the Spirit. It’s in verses 22 and 23 that he gets to this list many of us memorized as children:
But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions:
joy that overflows,
peace that subdues,
patience that endures,
kindness in action,
a life full of virtue,
faith that prevails,
gentleness of heart, and
strength of spirit.
Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.
Today, we’re looking at what The Passion Translation refers to as “a life of virtue” and what many other translations refer to as “goodness.” The Greek word Paul used here is agathosune. The root of agathosune is agathos which can be defined as benevolent, profitable, and benefiting others. Agathosune refers to active goodness, virtue, excellence, or beneficence. It’s fully expressed through willingly and sacrificially doing for others. It is both moral and spiritual excellence that manifests in kindness to others. It is characterized by an interest in the welfare of others.
That’s a lot, right?
And probably not at all what we’ve ever really thought about when we think of “goodness.”
As I’ve been studying Paul’s letter to the Galatians, there is a clear theme throughout that distinctly separates those who live for self and those who live in the Spirit, and it is as simple as our attitudes and treatment of others.
The goodness Paul is referring to here is not about how “good” we are. It doesn’t reflect:
Our chapel/church attendance
Our performances
Our daily quiet time
Our volunteer hours
Our bible study
No, the goodness Paul is referring to, the life of virtue he is teaching about is a life that is actively, willingly, and sacrificially concerned for the spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional well-being of others.
Active Goodness
What sets agathosune apart is that it’s an active goodness.
Active goodness is more than just:
Thinking good thoughts about someone
Telling a friend you’ll pray for them
Saying something nice about a sermon
Acknowledging a need
Going to church
Reading the Bible
Feeling sympathy for a tragedy
Being outraged by bigotry
Active goodness is taking the next step.
It involves willing and sacrificial behavior instead of just thoughts.
Active goodness might look like:
Dropping off groceries to the family who just endured a lost
Buying the homeless guy on the corner a meal without your judgment or a sermon
Actively participating in projects for change
Teaching/actively participating in the bible study
Modeling Jesus to your children
Seeing a need and then filling the need
Shutting down hate when you hear it
Listening to the nudge of the Holy Spirit
For so many years of my life, I was stuck in this belief system that told me my goodness was about the ways I was performing–in school, in church, at home, at work, etc. It was connected to the boxes I could tick off in my private life:
My prayer life
My quiet time
My bible reading
And it was connected to what I was contributing to the faith community as a whole:
My volunteering
My teaching
My leading
My participation
My presence
The reality, though, is that this active goodness Paul is talking about here in Galatians isn’t about any of these things at all. It’s about my ability to see the needs of people and to actively, willingly, and sacrificially meet those needs.
Individual vs. Corporate Active Goodness
One thing I think we have to be aware of when we’re actively involved in a faith community is substituting service in that community for active goodness toward others. As I think back over the years I spent serving in church, I can honestly say now that I saw my hours of service to the church as a whole as enough. I thought it was enough to serve the church at large instead of meeting the needs of individuals.
It’s easy to make the argument that we’re serving a multitude of people when we serve in the church, but the more I study Paul’s words and Jesus’s example, the more I see the importance of both seeing and working to actively meet the needs of individuals–all individuals, not just those inside the walls of the church.
Organized religion and faith communities can blind us to the lives of virtue we need to live through our goodness in action every day of the week and not just on Sunday mornings if we aren’t careful and aware.
There is a place for work in a faith community. Don’t get me wrong. But, a life lived in the Spirit is a life lived actively pursuing the well-being of those inside those four walls and beyond them as well.
I know that’s a reminder I need often, and I’m not too proud to admit that!
Friend, I pray the Holy Spirit begins to nudge you and show you how to actively meet the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical needs of others.
Reflections:
How well do you practice goodness in action?
What is easier for you–serving individuals with needs or working in a faith community?
What is one way you can be more aware of the needs around you this week?
