The Goodness and Lovingkindness of God

Sunday, December 28, 2025
Pastor Jojo Ma

Sermon Video

When you think about God, what comes to mind? How do you see Him?

3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

I.          What We Were Once Like [v3]
II.        What God Did For Us [vv4-7]
III.       What Our Response Should Be

I.         What We Were Once Like [v3]
3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

To truly rejoice in our Savior, we must first realize our sin.

3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

Ps 14:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.

The fool not only says there’s no God, the fool lives as if there’s no God. Sadly, many professing Christians are like this: Sunday worshipers but weekday atheists.

This is the natural degression of sin. Our foolish thinking and foolish behaving led to being enslaved to sinful and selfish ways. We were trapped and helpless.

Malice is wishing bad for people; envy is wishing no good for people.

Eph 2:1-3 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Jn 8:34 Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.

Theologians refer to our natural state, the way we are all born into this world, as radical corruption. We are not as bad as we could possibly be, but everything about us: our hearts, our desires, our thinking, our emotions, our wills, our bodies, everything is corrupted by sin.

II.        What God Did For Us [vv4-7]

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

“But as I ran my hell-bound race, indifferent to the cost. You looked upon my helpless state, and led me to the cross. And I beheld God’s love displayed, You suffered in my place. You bore the wrath reserved for me, now all I know is grace.” [All I Have Is Christ]

Three precious, gracious, life-changing words: He - saved - us.

If it were simply a matter of God’s holiness and righteousness and justice, we’d be doomed. God has a thousand reasons to condemn us, justly so. But praise God, He is full of goodness and lovingkindness.

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

God accepts me because...

God does not accept me for who I am, He accepts me for who Christ is.

5-6...by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

7...so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

When a person repents of sin and puts their faith in Christ, God the Father declares her perfect and acceptable based on what Christ has done. She doesn’t herself become righteous; rather, this newly forgiven sinner has an alien (or external) and imputed (or credited) righteousness that makes her acceptable before God.

III.      What Our Response Should Be

  • Gospel-Driven Humility

  • Gospel-Driven Confidence

  • Gospel-Driven Gratitude

  • Gospel-Driven Obedience

  • Gospel-Driven Love