The Biblical teachings on the goodness of God reveal two types of goodness embodied by God. The first category attests to His necessary goodness, in that whatever God is, is good. The second category details His nominal goodness, in that God is good because He does good. God eternally possesses both types of goodness for, because He is God, He necessarily has always been good, and because He is triune He is able to do good acts, even before there was Creation. As a result, both types of goodness equally and inseparably inform God in all that He does, notably, in this case, in Creation. Therefore, both types of goodness enable God to discern and actualize the best of all possible worlds.
To understand how God’s goodness informs Him to choose the best of all possible worlds to create, one begins with an analysis of His nominal goodness. Grudem defines the goodness of God as that which is worthy of approval. In this sense, every act merits His own approval. There is no higher standard of goodness to which God can ascribe. All that He does must meet the standard of His very nature and character. James 1:13 further adds that God does only good. Whatever action He takes must be good in value and holiness. Genesis 1:31 best epitomizes the nominal goodness of God, in that as He reflects on His creative actions, He is able to call it “very good.”
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