Before anything about God can be rightly understood, one thing must be settled: He is good.
Not occasionally good. Not good in proportion to what you deserve. Not good when circumstances cooperate.
Good by nature, all the time, without exception.
That is what these 21 verses are making the case for.
They are organized around five specific aspects of God’s goodness, each supported by verses that show not only what is claimed but how Scripture backs the claim.
God’s Goodness Is His Nature, Not His Behavior
Scripture locates God’s goodness in who He is, not in what is happening.
Verse 1: Psalm 34:8
NIV “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
Taste and see is an invitation to encounter something, not merely affirm it.
Verse 2: Psalm 100:5
ESV “For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
Good, loving, and faithful are not behaviors He adopts; they are His nature.
Verse 3: Psalm 119:68
NASB “You are good and do good; teach me Your statutes.”
God is good in character, and what He does flows from that goodness: His actions and nature are consistent.
Verse 4: Mark 10:18
NIV “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good except God alone.”
Jesus points the statement toward the Father. Goodness in its ultimate and undiluted form belongs to God alone.
God’s Goodness Shows Up When Life Is Hard
The test of God’s goodness is whether it holds when life is not pleasant.
Verse 5: Nahum 1:7
ESV “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”
A stronghold is designed for a day of trouble, not for calm days.
Verse 6: Lamentations 3:22–23
NIV “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Jeremiah wrote this in rubble. From inside Jerusalem’s devastation, he declared that God’s compassions never fail.
Verse 7: Lamentations 3:25
NASB “The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.”
The verse places God’s goodness toward the person who has not yet seen the answer and keeps seeking.
Verse 8: Romans 8:28
NIV “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
All things include the circumstances no one would choose. God’s goodness operates within them.
Verse 9: Psalm 27:13
ESV “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”
David admits he would have fainted without this belief. God’s goodness is a present confidence, not only a future hope.
God’s Goodness Flows Into Gifts
God’s generosity is not occasional charity; it is the outflow of a nature that cannot do otherwise.
Verse 10: 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.”
Every good thing that has arrived in your life traces back to the same source, a Father whose nature does not shift.
Verse 11: Psalm 31:19
NASB “How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You have given in the sight of all, for those who take refuge in You!”
Stored up describes preparation: God has good things in reserve, not merely on offer.
Verse 12: Psalm 84:11
NIV “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
No good thing does he withhold: the negative construction is emphatic.
Verse 13: Matthew 7:11
ESV “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
The logic is comparison: if imperfect parents give good things, how much more does the perfect Father?
God’s Goodness Is an Invitation
God’s goodness moves toward people and draws them toward Himself.
Verse 14: Psalm 145:9
NIV “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”
His compassion is not limited to the deserving; it reaches across the breadth of His creation.
Verse 15: Psalm 86:5
NASB “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in loving kindness to all who call upon You.”
God is positioned toward forgiveness before the request arrives.
Verse 16: Romans 2:4
ESV “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
His kindness is not passive goodwill but an active invitation toward return.
Verse 17: 2 Corinthians 9:8
NIV “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
The blessing supplied is not for accumulation; it flows in so it can flow outward.
God’s Goodness Has No Expiration Date
The most repeated claim about God’s goodness in Scripture is its permanence: it does not diminish, expire, or have conditions that make it revocable.
Verse 18: Psalm 107:1
NASB “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His loving kindness is everlasting.”
The repetition is liturgical: something the people of God were meant to say together and keep saying.
Verse 19: Psalm 23:6
ESV “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
Surely, not hopefully. Goodness is not something David chases; it follows him.
Verse 20: Psalm 100:4–5
NASB “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His loving kindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.”
Everlasting and all generations describe a goodness with no end in either direction.
Verse 21: 1 Chronicles 16:34
NIV “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
David composed this for the Ark’s entry into Jerusalem, one of Israel’s most significant worship moments.
That is still the truest thing that can be said.
What the Bible Actually Says About God Being Good
Is God good even when bad things happen?
Romans 8:28 addresses this directly: God works all things toward good for those who love Him. His goodness operates inside difficult circumstances, not only around them. Scripture never claims hard things are good; it claims God is good within them.
Does God’s goodness mean He gives us everything we ask for?
No. Psalm 84:11 says no good thing is withheld from those whose walk is blameless, meaning God withholds things that are not genuinely good. His goodness includes the wisdom to give what is truly beneficial, not simply what is requested.
What does it mean to “taste and see” that God is good?
Psalm 34:8’s invitation is experiential, not merely intellectual. To taste means to encounter His goodness firsthand through answered prayer, provision, or deliverance. The goodness of God is not only to be believed as a doctrine but encountered as a personal reality.
Is God’s goodness only for believers?
Psalm 145:9 declares that God is good to all and has compassion on all He has made. Matthew 5:45 adds that He sends rain on the just and unjust alike. His common grace extends broadly. His covenant goodness, however, is specifically directed toward those in relationship with Him.
Why does Scripture repeat “his love endures forever” so often?
Psalm 136 repeats it twenty-six times in a single chapter. The repetition is liturgical: designed to reshape how a community thinks by saying the true thing together again and again. Repetition in Hebrew poetry is emphasis, not redundancy. God’s enduring goodness is a truth worth declaring repeatedly.
How do I trust God’s goodness when I cannot see it?
Psalm 27:13 describes David holding to the belief that he would yet see God’s goodness. That conviction kept him from despair. Trusting God’s goodness in a hard season is not a denial of difficulty; it is confidence that difficulty is not the final word.
Responding to a Good God
Lord, You are good.
Not because my circumstances are comfortable.
Not because I have earned goodness from You.
Because goodness is simply what You are.
I am bringing what I have today: gratitude when I feel it, and trust when I do not.
I am asking You to let these verses do what David said: let me taste and see.
Let me encounter Your goodness, not just affirm it.
Your love endures forever.
That is enough.
Amen.
Consulted Materials
Tozer, A. W. (1961). The knowledge of the holy: The attributes of God, their meaning in the Christian life. HarperOne.
Packer, J. I. (1973). Knowing God. InterVarsity Press.
Sproul, R. C. (1992). The holiness of God. Tyndale House Publishers.
GotQuestions.org. (n.d.). What does it mean that God is good?
Bible Study Tools. (n.d.). Bible verses about the goodness of God.
Crosswalk.com. (n.d.). Bible verses showing that God is good.
Christianity.com. (n.d.). What does Scripture say about God’s goodness?
(2026). Goodness of God: Bible verses that reveal His loving nature. Bible Thought Blog.
(2026). 30 important Bible verses about the goodness of God. Bible Reasons Blog.
(2025). 30 powerful Bible verses about God is good. Bible Study for You Blog.
(2026). 38 Bible verses showing that God is good all the time. Prayer Galaxy Blog.
