“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8

Deuteronomy 6:18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers,

Psalm 37:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

Amos 5:14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

Romans 12:9b Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

MEMORY VERSE: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. —Matthew 5:16

CENTRAL THOUGHT: From the beginning, the Lord has shown and required those who know Him to pursue what is good, with the promise of blessing to follow. Good works are the fruit of being a new creature in Christ.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Deuteronomy 6:18 “right”: straight, level, upright. “good”: beautiful, pleasant, agreeable, beneficial.

Amos 5:15 “establish judgment in the gate”: execute justice in the courts, or tribunals, or places where causes are tried. This used to be at the city gate. “The remnant of Joseph”: the few of them that would be saved after this chastisement (Amos 5:6). Though they were usually referred to as “Ephraim”, he now reminded them of their forefather Joseph, who had received Israel’s patriarchal blessing. In times of apostasy, God has always had a remnant—those who had been faithful to seek Him and obey Him and receive His favor and blessing.

Romans 12:9 “abhor”: to detest utterly; have a horror of. “cleave”: to glue; unite; bond.

Ephesians 2:10 “created in Christ Jesus unto good works”: this speaks of the new creature who is birthed in Christ. The new creation is not because of good works; the good works are because of the new creation.

LESSON BACKGROUND

In the beginning God made man upright and everything in man’s environment was declared good; however, He did give man a choice in the form of a forbidden tree in the middle of the garden. This tree was made to look desirable to Eve by the tempter. The tragedy is that from then on, man has known the depths of evil intermingled with the good that God had made for him to experience. A Savior was promised to bring man back into the fellowship with the holy, good God from Whom he was now separated because of sin.

You can see that God intended for mankind to pursue what is good, even when given a choice. Every one of God’s dealings have been to that end: choose the good and abhor the evil.

The tempter’s wiles haven’t really changed through the years. He is still getting men and women, boys and girls to think that the knowledge of evil is something to be desired. He has always attempted to blur the lines between the two and get man to call evil good.

Throughout the law, in the Psalms, and by the prophets, God has shown man what is good. He has made it clear through His Word and through His Spirit’s dealings with man. He provided a Savior to redeem and restore man back to the state of purity and holiness. God will be fair and just in His final judgments to mankind because His basis for judging will be according to what one knows to be good. No person on earth will be able to provide an excuse.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. God’s purpose and desire: What is in God’s heart for mankind when He commands us to do what is good?

2. Pursuing the good: Name the various commands in our lesson concerning the word good, starting with do good in Psalm 37.

3. The order of things: What must come first? Do good works make one good? Explain the difference.

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

There is a drive in the religious world today to downplay the importance of right living. As a reaction to the rigid legalism of some, the tendency is for the pendulum to swing too far the opposite way, toward an “anything goes” mentality.

Careful and prayerful study of God’s Word, as illumined by His Spirit, will keep us on a safe path. Today’s lesson shows God’s heart in the matter. While in the new covenant we change from “this do and live” to “the just shall live by faith,” the New Testament writers carefully balance faith with works and consistently show the importance of continuing in obedience. While it is  true that “there is none good but God,” in salvation—the new creation—He imparts His goodness to us by His grace and calls us to walk in that goodness.

Shining His light through good works is more important than ever in the wicked environment in which we live. By His grace, we can truly overcome evil with good.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

James said, “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom” James 3:13. Paul wrote to Titus: “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. … And let our’s also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful” Titus 3:8, 14. To the Ephesians he wrote, “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth” Eph. 5:9. (See also Gal. 5:22.)
While good works can never acquire salvation for anyone, good works become not only the natural fruit, but also the duty, of all who partake of the goodness of God through His saving grace in Christ. “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” Gal. 6:10. The Hebrew writer, after exhorting to various duties in chapter 13, concludes his exhortation thus: “Now the God of peace … Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ. . .” (see verses 20, 21). “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” 1 Cor. 15:58. “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister” Heb. 6:10. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,” says Jesus, “ye have done it unto me” Matt. 25: 40.

—Bro. Harlan Sorrell