Knowing the Difference Between Good and Very Good

Genesis 1:31: And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And it was evening and it was morning, the sixth day.

Title: Knowing the Difference Between Good and Very Good

My brothers and sisters in Christ, we gather here today just days before we celebrate Christmas—the holy moment when heaven interrupted earth, when eternity stepped into time, and when the invisible God wrapped Himself in human flesh. This is not just a holiday on the church calendar; this is history-changing, world-altering, soul-redeeming truth.

Yes, I know December 25 is not the exact date of Jesus’ birth. Yes, I know the season has been commercialized and reduced to lights, sales, and slogans. I know the music gets louder, the decorations get bigger, and sometimes the meaning gets smaller. But hear me clearly: none of that diminishes the miracle we are here to celebrate.

Because Christmas is not about a date on a calendar—it is about a divine decision.

It is God’s decision to step into what He created. It is the decision of the Creator to enter His own creation. It is the declaration that God would not remain distant, silent, or removed—but would come near.

Close enough to touch. Close enough to feel. Close enough to bleed. Close enough to redeem.

Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, left the glory of heaven, humbled Himself, and was born of a virgin—not because the world was good, but because it was broken. Christmas is God’s response to fracture, failure, and fallenness. It is God looking at a wounded world and saying, “I will not abandon what I love.”

And church, that alone is reason enough to rejoice.

But before we rush to a manger in Bethlehem, before we sing about angels and shepherds, before we celebrate wise men and star-lit skies, I want to take you back—to the very beginning.

Before sin entered the world. Before shame had a name. Before guilt bent humanity’s back. Before humanity needed saving grace.

Genesis 1:31 declares, “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.”

Not just good—but very good.

That phrase matters more than we realize.

Today, I want to talk about understanding the difference between what is good and what God calls very good. Because too many of us have learned how to live with “good enough” when God originally declared excellence. We’ve learned how to cope instead of conquer. We’ve learned how to manage instead of mature. We’ve learned how to survive instead of step into wholeness.

Too many believers are celebrating good when God is calling them higher. Too many are settling for functionality when God intended fullness. Too many are negotiating with brokenness when God has already planned restoration.

And here’s the tension that arrested my spirit as I studied this text: How could God ever call something “very good” when it would later become broken?

How could God declare “very good” knowing that sin would enter, creation would groan, relationships would fracture, and humanity would fall?

Church, that question points us straight to Jesus.

God didn’t call creation very good because it would never break. He called it very good because He already had a plan to restore it.

Christmas is proof that God never abandoned what He called very good. Even after the fall, God did not change His mind about His creation. He changed the method.

He didn’t destroy humanity—He redeemed it. He didn’t cancel His promise—He fulfilled it. He didn’t walk away—He came closer.

So if you’re wondering why I’m talking about “very good” when it feels like we should only be talking about Mary’s miracle or Joseph’s obedience, understand this: the manger only matters because of Genesis. Bethlehem only makes sense because of Eden.

Jesus did not just come to forgive sin—He came to restore identity. He didn’t just come to save us from hell—He came to restore us to God’s original intent.

Church, the same God who spoke “very good” in the beginning is the same God who sent Jesus so that what was broken could be made whole again.

Now let’s walk through the text.

From the very beginning, when God finished His work, the Bible says it was good. Day one—good. Day two—good. Day three—good. Day four—good. Day five—good.

Light was good. Land was good. Seas were good. Vegetation was good. Sun, moon, and stars were good. Animals were good.

But when God finished day six, the language shifts. Scripture says it was not just good—it was very good.

Now that ought to arrest our attention.

Because on day six, yes—man and woman were created. Yes—the covenant of marriage was established. Yes—Adam was given purpose, provision, a home, and unbroken fellowship with God. Humanity was not created to wander aimlessly; Adam had an assignment. He was not homeless; God gave him a garden. He was not isolated; God gave him relationship. He was not disconnected; God walked with him.

All of that was good.

But here’s the tension: Adam would sin. Eve would be deceived. Disobedience would enter. Brokenness would follow. Shame would show up. Death would be introduced.

By human logic, that should have turned God’s declaration from good to bad.

Yet Genesis still says, very good.

I wrestled with that. I asked myself, How can something that would fall into sin still be called very good? How can failure, fracture, and fallout exist under a verdict of excellence?

Then the Lord showed me something powerful.

God wasn’t only looking at creation as it was—He was looking at creation as it would be covered.

It’s good to know who to call on. But it’s very good to already be covered by the One you will have to call on.

Before Adam fell, God had already made provision. Before sin showed up, grace was already in view. Before the wound appeared, the remedy was already prepared.

Day six wasn’t just the creation of humanity—it was the setup of redemption.

God could say “very good” because He knew that when humanity fell, He would step in. He knew that one day, a child would be born. He knew that one day, a cross would be raised. He knew that one day, a tomb would be empty.

That’s why Christmas matters.

Because Jesus is not God’s reaction to sin—He is God’s eternal plan for restoration.

So when God said, “Very good,” He wasn’t ignoring the fall—He was anticipating the cross.

Genesis didn’t end in Eden. Christmas didn’t end in a manger.

Sin distorted it—but grace restored it. The fall wounded it—but the cross redeemed it. Death touched it—but the resurrection reclaimed it.

And that’s why Christmas matters. Not because the world was good—but because God is faithful. Faithful enough to step into what He once called very good and make it whole again.

Church, hear me clearly: you are not an accident. You are not an afterthought. You are not beyond repair. If God said “very good” then, and still sent Jesus later, it means He is still working to bring you back to what He originally intended.

And that… Is good news.