GOD’S REALITIES

By

Morena Arthur Maphutsi

0120718-SAO

A Project

Submitted to the Faculty

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

THE 1033

GOD AND ANGELS

PN 01.13

Global University

August, 2017
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GOD’S REALITIES

1. A descriptive definition of the goodness of God?

God’s goodness, according to Duncan, is a general observation which includes elements

such as His love, grace, mercy, and kindness. Throughout Scripture, one may identify all these

elements narrated in the course of humanity, whether obedient or rebellious. The Bible thus

shows that God is indeed good, He is the source of all goodness and there is no good apart from

Him (James 1:17). The Hebrew word for good is ṭôb and the Greek words are agathos and kalos

meaning benefitting, appropriate, highly esteemed, agreeable, pleasant, upright, and righteous.

Duncan (1992) notes, “Natural love is expressed as affection or concern for someone or

something else. When your concern for someone else equals or surpasses your concern for

yourself, you express true love” (75). At the center of the Christian faith is the love of God for

His creation. Romans 5:8 (NIV) states, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While

we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God’s supreme love is expressed in the sending and the offering of His Son Jesus Christ

to be a ransom for the sins of the world. In so doing, God had to temporarily forsake His Son, for

Jesus was made to be the very sin that was being punished (2 Corinthians 5:21). According to

Galatians 5:22, love is a fruit of the Spirit. That is not to say that God develops fruits of the Spirit

because God is immutable, but there is nothing above what He has and what He is. This means

that to Christians who were once sinners, God through His love has allowed that believers have

access to His attributes, and has also given the Holy Spirit to develop godliness in believers.

Another outstanding attribute of God’s goodness which is also impeccable to the

Christian movement is His Grace. Some believers may refer to Grace as unmerited favor. Simple

as that description may sound, it actually expresses the fundamental and distinguishing truth
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which draws a clear contrast of Christianity to other religions in the world. Duncan (1992)

affirms, “The grace of God is unmerited because it is totally undeserved by those who receive it.

It is favour because it finds its basis in the goodness of God” (75).

There is no Christianity without the Grace of God. John 1:16 (NIV) states, “Out of his

fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.” Many Christians may attest

that this dispensation of the world is indeed the time of Grace, where the doors are opened that

whoever believes in the Son of God may be saved. Duncan (1992) affirms, “While the natural

person wants to earn and control his salvation, Paul told the Ephesians that salvation is free and

by grace” (76). This is the Christian message, that whoever wills, Jesus Christ by His Grace has

accomplished all that is necessary for a sinner to obtain salvation. All that is left is to allow Him

to do the work by giving Him total control of our lives.

Therefore, it is imperative that this message be spread all around the world (Matthew

28:18-20). The love of God and His Grace thus represent two sides of a coin. That is, God’s love

propelled Him to act towards saving mankind in their wickedness, and God’s Grace through our

Lord Jesus Christ is the ultimate gift that makes it possible for a sinner to be brought into justice.

Without these two aspects of God’s goodness, Christianity will be yet another religion of the

world.

2. Two illustrations on how and in what situation you would apply each truth of the

goodness of God to practical ministry in your community?

In today’s world there is a visible moral decline and corruption. One man of God said

that one may see how bad the world is when the Church itself starts to adopt worldly standards.

However, according to Christ, love is the answer for the evil that exists today, and it can

extinguish all the tactics of the enemy. 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 (NIV) states, “So that there
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should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If

one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

In a community influenced by politics and social reformation, division further separates

our communities in a way that it becomes even more difficult to share the love of God with

unbelievers. Matthews 5:13-16 states that Christians are the salt and the light of the world. It

further reinforces the importance of staying true to that which God has made us to be. In John

17:23 (NIV) Jesus prays and says, “I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to

complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you

have loved me.” According to Him, Christians demonstrating God’s love for one another was

that important, that the world could learn about it just by observing them.

The world itself needs to know the love of Christ through Christians. Jesus said, “But

love your enemies, do well to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.

Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to

the ungrateful and wicked.” (Luke 6:35 NIV). This is a difficult but necessary exercise as

Christ’s ambassadors. The people of the world can be evil, but John says greater is He in us than

the one in the world. Therefore, in the matrix of humanity’s influx and sociology, Christians

have a high moral obligation to adhere to the standard of love towards one another and towards

their enemies all the same.

Another important attribute to observe is God’s Grace. One of the reasons why God does

the good things He does to all people, especially believers, is so that they may emulate Him.

Macy (2011 under “Witness to the World”) notes, “In these clusters of Christians, people should

be able to see what they hope for but hardly expect: people serving rather than using each other.

People of widely different social statuses and professions honoring each other rather than putting
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each other down (Gal 3:28).” This is precisely the wisdom of God’s Grace, showing all people of

all classes and races that everybody, no matter their hierarchy, needs God’s Grace.

In the Church, it is rather somewhat difficult to assess how graceful Christians relate to

one another. It appears that there may be apostasy which is on the account of cults developing

within the Christian community. God is graceful, that is the point at which humans meet with

Him, and so by removing Grace out of the church monopoly context, church becomes yet

another religion of the world. Halley (2008) observes, “The way for the church to combat

apostasy and to keep itself pure and free from worldly corruption is to hold fast to the Word of

God as given by the Prophets and Apostles” (807). For example, when disciplining a member of

a congregation, what really stands out- wrath or Grace? For even God is able to discipline a

believer and yet in His manifold wisdom He restores him/her. Be it as it may, Jesus showed and

continues to show His Grace when no one deserves it. That should be the model for the church to

follow.

3. A descriptive definition of the ministry of angels to people?

When God created the heavens and the earth and all that are in them, angels were also

part of His creation. Unlike human beings, the Bible teaches that they are ministering spirits

(Hebrews 1:14). Duncan (1992) notes, “Angels, then, are spirit beings who function as spiritual

messengers and servants of God for those whom He has redeemed” (177). The Old and the New

Testaments both attest to the appearance of angels in history, and thus, it is affirmative to

conclude that they really do exist.

Angels provide for people, especially believers. This however should not be

misunderstood that they do this sovereignly, for God is the real provider. Duncan (1992) states,

“Among these provisions are both physical and spiritual strength” (215). The Bible shows how
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the angels ministered to Jesus in Matthew 4:11 after His temptation, and also how they provided

for Hagar and Ishmael in Genesis 21:8-21. Because believers are not necessarily reservoirs of

spiritual power, and because the Bible shows examples such as Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul

who at some point needed physical strength, it is accurate to believe that angels indeed provide

both spiritual and physical strength in times of need.

Angels also offer protection. This protection is spiritual but can also be spiritual. Daniel

3:19-30 narrates about how God protected the three Hebrew boys from the fiery furnace which

they were thrown into because they refused to worship an idol. The Bible states that believers are

in a warfare against forces of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). This war is a spiritual war, unseen by

the natural eye. God therefore has ordained that angels be actively involved in daily battles (2

Kings 6:16), some of which believers are not aware of. Grudem (1994) states, “Our role is rather

to talk to the Lord, who is himself the commander of all angelic forces” (407). That is, even

though angels offer protection, it is through the commanding of the Father and thus should their

aid must be requested from the Father.

Another aspect of the angelic ministry is deliverance. Duncan (1992) states, “Scripture

indicates that on occasion God used angels to deliver His people out of dangerous circumstances

and situations” (217). When Paul and Silas were imprisoned for delivering a young girl from an

evil spirit, they were imprisoned. The Bible says that while they were worshipping in their

holding cell at midnight, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors for them (Acts 16:40).

Since the term “angel” means messenger, “Also worth noting is that names in Hebraic thinking

are more than simple labels. Names reflect somehow the being or character of the person”

(Hagner 2002, 46). Thus, angels may deliver people from dangerous situations through actions or

words of warning, but the real source behind the deliverance is He who sent them.
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Lastly, angels offer guidance. Duncan (1992) asserts, “Since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit

has been the believer’s primary guide; nevertheless, God still uses angels at times to guide His

people” (217). It is overwhelming to know that there is so much assistance available to those

who obtain salvation by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The story of Cornelius, a God-

fearing Gentile who was observant of the Jewish customs was instructed to ask for Peter to come

and to minister the Gospel to him so he may be saved (Acts 10:1-8). Henry (under “Acts 10”)

observes, “That he [Cornelius] saw him [the angel] evidently with his bodily eyes, not in a dream

presented to his imagination, but in a vision presented to his sight; for his greater satisfaction, it

carried its own evidence along with it.” Therefore, is clear that even in matters of direction, that

is in guidance, God does choose to send His angels to offer direction.

4. Two descriptive illustrations on how the ministry of angels would be practical to

people in your society?

Angels have a very significant role in the order of creation. As noted above, God

delegates various assignments for them, perhaps even more than what Scripture entails.

However, one writer said that the possible reason why God chooses to conceal these beings in

most cases is simply because they are so glorious that it would be easy to admire then to the

extent of worshipping them (Revelation 19:10). Barnes (1949) asserts, “The proper meaning of

the [ministering spirits] word here- leitourgika (whence our word liturgy) is, pertaining to public

service, or the service of the people (laov) and is applied particularly to those who were engaged

in the public service of the temple” (4111).

The Bible teaches that angels consistently worship God (Revelation 7:11). Houdmann

(under “Do angels have free will?”) asserts, “The holy angels are without a sinful nature. They

are not inclined toward sin but rather toward righteousness, doing everything that pleases God.”
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This is a practical ministry of angels which is an illustrative description of what people should

imitate. God deserves to be worshipped, and He loves worship (Psalm 148). The angels thus

show humans one of the important aspects of our creation, which is to worship our creator.

Metzger (2012) affirms, “I am compelled to put evangelism in its proper place: it’s number two

on God’s agenda. Worship is number one. If churches kept this truth in perspective, a lot of them

would be more honoring to God, and significantly more evangelism would be taking place”

(179).

Grudem says we should be aware of the existence of angels in our daily lives, and the

nature of their activity. It today’s context, the society has generally lost confidence in the Church

as compared to before. Hebrews 13:2 (NIV) states, “Do not forget to show hospitality to

strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

Even in the New Testament God uses such motivation to encourage believers to practice

hospitality.

When believers are aware that angels are in their midst at any given time, helping them in

ways that may not even be visible to the natural eye, Christians may feel obligated to treat

everyone with respect and honor. Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees,

you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices-mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the

more important matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the

latter, without neglecting the former” (Matthew 23:23 NIV). Therefore, just by their existence in

the lives of believers and our Christian programs, that reality should inspire us to be godly and

show all people the love which Christ showed to us when we were just sinners. AMEN!
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REFERENCE LIST

Barnes, Albert. 1949. Barnes New Testament Notes. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

Duncan, David D. (1992). God and Angels. First Edition. Springfield, MO: Global University.

Grudem, Wayne. (1994). Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
Reprint: Springfield, MO: Global University.

Hagner, Donald A. 2002. Encountering the Book of Hebrews. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic.

Halley, Henry H. 2008. Halley’s Bible Handbook. Grand Rapids MI: Zondervan.

Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (complete): Acts 10.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/acts/10.html
(Accessed 15 August 2017).

Houdmann, Michael. Do angels have free will? Got Questions Ministries.org.

Macy, Howard. 29 May 2011. Community: God’s Design for Growth. Bible.org.
https://bible.org/article/community-god%E2%80%99s-design-growth (Accessed 11
August 2017).

Metzger, Will. 2012. Tell the Truth: the Whole Gospel Wholly by Grace Communicated
Truthfully & Lovingly. 4th ed. Downers Grove. IL: InterVasity Press.