The Nature of Spiritual Goodness
Greetings and good morning brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series
where we seek to explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years,
the heavenly Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them
with you. This morning we will ponder our lives as we seek to understand the meaning of the nature
of spiritual goodness.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Nature of Spiritual Goodness
"For the good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do." Romans,
Chapter 7, Verse 19.
Such is the paradox of our struggling souls. But what is good and what is evil? Evil is ignorance of
the Father's will, and in general is the measure of spiritual immaturity. Anyone who unintentionally
violates the divine law of love is guilty of evil. We must be born again in order to comprehend the
Father's law of love; otherwise, the way of the Father is foolish to flesh.
The Father is trustworthy, faithful, responsible; loyal, patient, merciful, kind, forgiving, meek, self
controlled, gentle, peaceful and joyful, and loving. And all of these qualities are combined into one
quality, expressed as goodness. Goodness is a spiritual quality, and always is the good real, and the
real good. One equals the other. All goodness comes from the Father. The acquirement of divine
goodness is a progressive experience. As we grow in the divine life, we also grow in goodness.
Self-righteousness--self-goodness-- is always evil because the standard of good is the self and not
God. Self righteousness is the bestowal of righteousness on the self by the self. Self righteousness
establishes its own goals and ideas of what is right, and is constantly dragging down divine values
to conform with self rather than elevating self up to divine levels. Self righteousness is conscious
of its acts of bestowal of goodness. It has fixed and crystallized standards, and keeps a long list of
so-called good acts. Self righteousness does things for the sake of self, and always has self-seeking
as a motive. That is, the motive is selfish.
As the Father seeks to manifest Himself through us, his sons and daughters, thus revealing Himself
to our brothers and sisters, and as we seek to allow the Father to manifest Himself, unconscious
goodness flows to our brothers and sisters who are conscious of receiving this goodness. And they
are compelled in their souls to say that God is good.
And it is the goodness of the Lord, not the self, that leads to repentance. Divine righteousness is
unconscious in its reception from God, and is accepted by faith. Like love, it becomes real as we
allow it to flow through us. Divine righteousness is unselfish in its bestowal, ever seeking to bestow
itself on others. Divine righteousness creates a humility that is truly sincere, and is based upon the
faith consciousness of divine sonship with the heavenly Father. Divine righteousness causes true
repentance and true forgiveness. As we consciously strive to attain divine righteousness, we
unconsciously display it.
When we choose the Father's will rather than our own, thus displaying the Father's goodness, we
must only concern ourselves with the desire to be a true son or daughter. We must recognize that
divine righteousness is a gift that must be received by faith in response to our sincere desire to do
the Father's will. As our desire grows to do the Father's will, so does the amount of goodness that
flows unconsciously through us.
When we choose the Father's will and are told that we are good, we naturally reply, "why call me
good? Only God is good." When our wills are subject to the Father's will, we are truly unconscious
of the good that flows through us, and we recognize that it is the Father who dwells within us doing
the work and not we ourselves. Goodness is the perception of the moral and spiritual character of
the spirit Father.
As we increasingly cease to concern ourselves with good works while at the same time increasingly
concerning ourselves with our relationship with the Father, the paradox of the good that we would
do, we do not, while the evil that we would not do, we do, gradually lessens as the self righteousness
within us diminishes. The wear and tear of ourselves decline as we learn to submit to the superior
self: the Father. The resentment and bitterness that is so often the result of not being appreciated or
of not being able to do enough decreases as the goodness taking origin in the Father, expressing itself
in the Son, and manifesting itself in the Spirit, flows.
This concludes today's message on understanding the meaning of the nature of spiritual goodness.
We hope you find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day.
Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry.
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
The Nature of Spiritual Goodness
