Goodness starts with God and can draw others to God, Fellowship Southwest Executive Director Stephen Reeves told Baptist Standard Editor Eric Black in a recent episode of “On the Way,” the Texas Baptist news organization’s podcast.

Reeves and Black discussed goodness as part of a series of podcasts illustrating the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the faithful virtues listed by the Apostle Paul—“love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

“When I hear ‘goodness,’ my mind actually goes to Psalm 23, that closing of the passage: ‘… surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever,’” Reeves said. “It is a Psalm of God’s faithfulness, of God being good.

“And then I think of Genesis 1, of creation being good. God saw it, and it was good, over and over again. … I think of the provision of God’s goodness and his faithfulness … of the abundance and balance and harmony that was there at creation.”

So, the Bible teaches goodness is rooted in God, Black and Reeves agreed. 

And that calls for imitation of God, Reeves added. 

Referencing 2 Peter, he said: “We are called by God’s goodness, and support goodness with knowledge and self-control. … Our actions are part of our witness.” 

But acknowledging Christians often do not act upon or promote goodness, he added: “If we don’t look to others like we have the fruit of the Spirit, perhaps they will not be so interested in the faith we are proclaiming.”

Fortunately, goodness counters the attitudes of “the flesh” Paul mentioned as a prelude to the fruits of the Spirit, Reeves noted, quoting, “hatred, discord, envy, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, and dissension and factions.”

“We’re in a world where people want to be angry, and people are fearful,” he acknowledged. “It’s hard to focus on fear and act out of goodness. … And selfish ambition is a strong word, because we are living in very selfish times, individualistic times. Folks think about themselves … and don’t think so much about community.”

Still, Christians practice selfless acts of goodness every day, Reeves said. He pointed to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel and Fellowship Southwest’s network of pastors on the U.S.-Mexico border, “who are risking their lives to offer hospitality to people who are hurting.”

Goodness presents Christians with ministry and evangelistic opportunities, he added.

“Christians in this country should look out for others. If you want it for yourself, you should want it and work for it for everybody else,” he said. “As faithful, thoughtful Christians, we have to struggle to be good. … But God works through us and through our hearts and minds. We can get there, to know what (goodness) is, even when it is difficult to practice.”

To listen to the full podcast of Reeves’ conversation with Black, click here. At that link, you also can listen to another podcast, in which Black interviews his Baptist Standard predecessor and retiring Fellowship Southwest founder, Marv Knox.