The number five Fruit of the Spirit

Goodness consists of not just the outward things we do but the attitude before it becomes an action.

• Goodness (Greek: agathosune, Latin: bonitas)

And what else can come from the good Spirit of God, the author of the good work of grace upon the soul? And which disposes it to acts of goodness unto men, in a natural, civil, moral, spiritual, and evangelic way, for the benefit both of soul and body; and which must here be understood, and which is well pleasing to God when done in the exercise of the following grace.

To understand this fruit, we first look at the word good itself. One of the most common words in the English language, we have watered down this word by using it very cheaply and carelessly. In Scripture, however, the word denotes excellence, especially moral excellence. And in its strictest use, it applies only to God Himself.