What the Bible says about God's Beneficence
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Genesis 2:3 Genesis 2:3 says that God blessed the Sabbath day, something He did to no other day. This blessing falls on the heels of the obviously physical blessings God pronounced on animals (Genesis 1:22) and man (Genesis 1:28). The Bible shows a blessing to be something given or conferred to produce a fuller, more abundant life. The Sabbath blessing, conferred upon the whole creation, acts as the capstone of Creation week. By blessing a recurring period of time, God promises to be man's benefactor through the whole course of human history! The blessing invokes God's favor, and its primary intent is that God will be our spiritual benefactor. It does, however, include the physical as well. Thus, Jesus clearly ties His ministry to the Sabbath concepts of blessing, deliverance, liberty, and redemption. John W. Ritenbaugh The Fourth Commandment (Part Two): Christ's Attitude Toward the Sabbath Related Topics: Creation | Deliverance | Freedom | God as Benefactor | God's Beneficence | God's Benevolence | God's Blessing | Liberty | Redemption | Sabbath | Sabbath and Relationship with God | Sabbath and Restoration of Strength | Sabbath as Blessing | Sabbath as Delight | Sabbath as Gift | Sabbath as Holy Time | Sabbath as Memorial of Creation | Sabbath as Source of Strength and Energy | Sabbath as Spiritual Creation | Sabbath, Liberating Intent of | Sabbath, Redemptive Function

John 3:16-17 None of God's beneficence in any way means He approves of the conduct of sinful men, but rather it is a revelation of His nature that, despite men's wickedness, He has benevolent feelings toward them. He earnestly desires their happiness and is sincerely devoted to helping them make a success of life. The whole world lies in wickedness (I John 5:19), and mankind is unable to extricate itself from it. Part of God's solution is to give a blessing, a gift, by which all the sins of humanity can be met and paid. Think of how much good fruit will be produced because of it! Can any kindness be greater than this? Absolutely not! But it does set a clear standard and pattern of conduct for us to exemplify in our lives so we too can be seen as children of God. John W. Ritenbaugh The Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness Related Topics: Eternal Life, Gift of | God's Beneficence | God's Benevolence | God's Kindness | God's Love | God's Love for Us | God's Providence

 

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