Omnibenevolence
/ˌɒm.ni.bɪˈnɛv.ə.ləns/
noun
Latin omni- ("all") + benevolentia ("good will") — literally "all-good-willing." A theological term for the attribute of God whereby He is perfectly good in all things and toward all His creatures.

📖 Biblical Definition

Omnibenevolence is the attribute of God as perfectly and universally good. "The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works" (Psalm 145:9). "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17). Jesus said, "No one is good but One, that is, God" (Mark 10:18). God's goodness is not measured against some external standard of goodness to which He conforms; His character is itself the standard. When we call God good, we mean that every attribute of God — His justice, wrath, mercy, love, patience, holiness — is good because it is His. The problem of evil is often framed as a challenge to omnibenevolence: "If God is all-good and all-powerful, why is there evil?" The Bible's answer is not a formal theodicy but a narrative of redemption: God has permitted evil for purposes He has not fully revealed, He Himself has entered the suffering in the person of Christ, and He will one day destroy evil completely. In the meantime, we trust that the God who gave His Son for us will not withhold any good thing from those who love Him (Romans 8:32).

📖 Key Scripture

Psalm 145:9 — "The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works."

James 1:17 — "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."

Mark 10:18 — "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God."

Romans 8:32 — "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

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