“Goodness of God” was released by Bethel Music in 2019 and quickly became one of the most widely adopted worship songs in evangelical churches. Written by Ed Cash, Ben Fielding, Jason Ingram, Brian Johnson, and Jenn Johnson, the song has been covered by countless artists and appears regularly in church services across denominational lines. It is also a useful example of a modern worship song whose popularity far exceeds its usefulness in corporate worship.
The song is not overtly heretical. In fact, much of its language is affirming truths Christians can genuinely say. The problem is that it combines generic testimony language, minimal doctrinal content, and disqualifying associations into a package that asks churches to settle for sentiment when they could be singing something far richer.
Note: For a full explanation of the rubric and a primer on our scoring methodology, click here.
Doctrinal Fidelity and Clarity:
The central claim of the song is that God is good and faithful. That is obviously true. Scripture repeatedly affirms God’s goodness, covenant faithfulness, and providential care.
The strongest section is:
“All my life You have been faithful
All my life You have been so, so good”
A believer can sing that without hesitation.
The problem is that the song never develops the claim. Why is God good? Because He sent His Son? Because Christ died for sinners? Because He justified the ungodly? Because He conquered death? Because He adopted us into His family? None of that appears.
Instead, the song relies almost entirely on personal experience:
“I have lived in the goodness of God”
“Your goodness is running after me”
Those are not false statements, but they are subjective statements. The song’s theological content never progresses beyond personal testimony.
There is no gospel confusion here, but there is also very little gospel proclamation.
Score: 19/25.
Doctrinal Specificity:
This category is where the song begins to struggle.
The lyrics never explain who God is beyond being good. There is no mention of Christ’s atoning work, resurrection, lordship, kingship, holiness, wrath against sin, grace, repentance, faith, justification, or redemption.
The song is essentially a three-minute testimony that God has been kind to the singer.
Could a mature Christian sing it? Certainly.
Could a Roman Catholic sing it? Yes.
Could a prosperity preacher sing it? Absolutely.
Could a moral unbeliever who thinks God has generally blessed his life sing much of it? Surprisingly, yes.
The lyrics identify a benevolent deity, but they do very little to identify the biblical Christ.
This is precisely the kind of broad, lowest-common-denominator writing that dominates the contemporary worship industry. The song avoids error largely by avoiding content.
Score: 8/20.
Focus:
The focus is overwhelmingly on the worshiper’s experience.
Count the repeated references to “I,” “me,” “my life,” “I’ve known,” “I’ve lived,” and “I surrender now.”
The song never becomes romantic in the way some worship songs do, but it is relentlessly autobiographical.
Contrast that with a hymn like “Holy, Holy, Holy” or “Crown Him with Many Crowns,” where God is praised primarily for who He is rather than how the singer feels about Him.
“Goodness of God” essentially argues:
“God is good because I have experienced His goodness.”
That is a legitimate testimony. It is not necessarily a strong congregational worship song.
Corporate worship should aim higher than individual reflection.
Score: 10/20.
Association:
This category is devastating.
The song comes from Bethel Music and is heavily associated with Bethel Church. Bethel’s theological ecosystem includes ongoing claims of prophecy, direct revelation, supernatural impartations, grave-sucking controversies, faith-healing excesses, and numerous teachings that should concern discerning churches.
Jenn Johnson and Brian Johnson are not peripheral figures accidentally attached to the song. They are central leaders in the ministry producing and promoting it.
Churches do not merely borrow a melody when they platform Bethel songs. They help normalize and advertise the broader Bethel brand.
The association problem is not incidental. It is fundamental.
As Protestia’s rubric notes, significant losses in the Association category can independently justify avoiding a song in corporate worship.
Score: 1/20.
Musical Value:
Musically, the song succeeds largely because it is simple, emotionally accessible, and easy to sing.
The melody is memorable.
The arrangement builds effectively.
The congregation can learn it quickly.
However, the song also illustrates many modern worship weaknesses. Large sections repeat the same ideas with minimal doctrinal development. The emotional crescendo carries more weight than the lyrical content. The bridge stretches a simple concept into an extended emotional payoff.
The music is doing substantial work that the lyrics are not.
It is better crafted than many contemporary worship songs, but it is still formulaic and content-light.
Score: 10/15.
Total Score:
38/100
Recommendation:
Pick Something Else.
Unlike some Bethel songs, “Goodness of God” is not disqualified primarily because of lyrical error. It is disqualified because it offers very little doctrinal substance while carrying enormous associational baggage.
A church could sing this song and avoid saying anything false. That is not the standard. Churches do not need “Goodness of God.” They need songs that clearly proclaim Christ, explain the gospel, teach biblical truth, and strengthen congregational theology.
If you want to sing about God’s faithfulness and goodness, there are countless hymns and modern songs that do so with greater theological depth and without importing the baggage of Bethel Music.
Final Recommendation: 38/100. Pick Something Else.
(For comparison, this would score substantially higher than Bethel-adjacent songs that rewrite Scripture or promote problematic theology directly, but it still falls well below the threshold for recommended corporate use.)
