A Good Life With God Class Notes

Week one

A Good Life with God Class

Refuge Calvary Chapel, Fall 2025

Bill Faris, MPC

WEEK ONE – What is “The Good Life?”

Opening Class Questions:

1. What are some of the things our culture emphasizes as elements of "The Good Life" (optimal human wellbeing)?

2. What are some images our culture promotes as depicting The Good Life?

3. What do you think of when you think of "living the Good Life"?

Popular Notions:

* Living out your values (meaning)

* Happiness (optimism and positivity)

* Personal Fulfillment ("living the dream")

* Good physical and mental health (lack of suffering)

* Meaningful relationships (belonging)

* Achievement (dopamine)

Ideas From Philosophy

* Self Mastery of our animal passions (Socrates)

* Stability, Safety and Opportunity (Plato)

* The acquisition of virtues (Aristotle)

Aristotle's summary word = Eudaimonia (happiness, welfare) Literally "a good spirit"

Modern Notions – Maslow Hierarchy of Needs

1. From this perspective, The Good Life would satisfy all five key levels of personal needs, including physical, social, psychological / emotional, and transcendent needs.

Question: As far as you currently understand any biblical notions of The Good Life (i.e. A Good Life with God), where do you see alignment?

Question: What is missing from humanistic notions of The Good Life when compared to biblical notions of A Good Life with God, as you currently see it?

Hebrew Notions of The Good Life (Chaim Tovim)

Introduction to Biblical Ideas of A Good Life with God

A. Shalom(peace) –

· Not only an absence of conflict but the presence of wholeness and harmony with God, oneself, one’s family and community.

B. Tikkun Olam (repairing the world)

· Engaged with making society and the environment more just and high-functioning (purpose)

C. Mitzvot (commandments)

· Alignment with God’s will through knowing and obeying the Torah (faithfulness, constancy, stability)

D. Joy and Gratitude (celebration) celebrating life’s moment and expressing thanks to God for His blessings, living in gratitude

Conclusion

Popular Images of The Good Life in Western Culture are anchored in:

· Abundance(consumerism) – “He Who Dies with the Most Toys Wins”

· Unlimited Personal Freedom – “Winning” (according to Charlie Sheen) = Getting Everything You Want

· Family and Belonging, Ideal Relationships

· Fun – Disneyland = “The Happiest Place on Earth”

Popular Image of The Good Life is a fine home, great job or career, happy family, secure retirement, leisure time, the admiration of others, etc.

Philosophical Images of The Good Life are anchored in:

· Virtue (to be of admirable character)

· Self-Mastery (not subject to self-sabotage)

· Personal Excellence (achievement, status)

Modern Positive Psychology

Images of the Good Life are anchored in:

· Positivity, meaning, and “well-being” plus “flow”.

Expressed by phrases such as “in the groove”, “born for this”, “in my happy place”.

· All five components of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are being satisfied as a matter of lifestyle

NEXT CLASS:

What are the key notions of The Good Life according to the Bible and what are some of the biblical images that illustrate them?

A good life with god class notes, week Two

A GOOD LIFE WITH GOD CLASS

Refuge Calvary Chapel, Fall 2025

Bill Faris, MPC

WEEK TWO – Biblical Notions of The Good Life

Introduction

Biblical Assumption Number One – Eden is a Biblical Archetype of A Good Life With God

The first human couple was living a Good Life with God in Eden

Characteristics of a Good Life with God in Eden

Purpose – to rule over (tend to) the environment

Genesis 1:26, 27 - “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (see also vss. 28, 29)

Enough – fundamental human needs were met by divine provision (they had enough)

Genesis 1:30,31 – “Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.”

Fellowship With God – (God “walked” the garden, had conversation with Adam, etc) –

Genesis 3:8 –“the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”

Human Companionship – (Not good for the man to be alone) –

Genesis 2:18 – “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Rest – (Sabbath) –

Genesis 2:2 – “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

Delightful Choices – (Common Graces) –

Genesis 2:16 – “And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden”.

What are some other things you notice about A Good Life with God in Eden?

Eden Images Keep Recurring as “Good Life with God” Themes Throughout Scripture

In the Tabernacle / Temple design – a “mobile Eden” (Ex. 25-27)

1. Garden imagery of trees, flowers, etc. on doors, pillars (I Kings 6:15; 31-36)

2. The temple lampstand resembles a tree of life (Ex. 25:31-36)

The Promised Land is compared to the “garden of the Lord” (Gen. 13:10)

Images of Eden restoration in the Prophets and Revelation (Eze 28:14) –

The garden on top of “the holy mountain of God” from which rivers flow.

1. In Revelation, John carried away “in the Spirit” to a “great high mountain” from which point he sees the New Jerusalem “coming down out of heaven” with the declaration that “God’s dwelling place is now among the people and He will dwell with them” (Rev 21:3, 10).

2. The full picture (Rev 22:2) includes The River of Life flowing from the Throne of God, straddled by The Tree of Life bearing 12 crops of fruit as well as healing leaves.

The metanarrative of Scripture is that God’s people are destined to experience the ultimate expression of The Good Life with God at the end of the age as represented in various word pictures.

A Good Life with God (optimal human wellbeing), now, is only a small taste of things to come at the end of the age.

In His goodness, God blesses us in this life with hints of the things that He has prepared “for those who love Him”!

Key Images We Will Use in This Study = Agricultural

Psalm 1 (Unspecified) Tree –

(The one who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers)

Characteristics of the Tree

* Planted – rooted, stable, secure

* By a river – nourished, supplied

* Fruitful – nourishing, reproductive

* Leafy in season – healthy, flourishing

* Prosperous – effective, impactful

* A shelter – (Mustard seed: “birds of the air”)

Jeremiah 17:7,8 (Unspecified) Tree - (the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him)

* Planted – rooted, stable and secure

* Rooted by a stream – nourished, supplied

* Leafy and Fruitful – healthy, reproductive, flourishing

Psalm 52:8 Olive Tree - (trusting in God’s unfailing love forever and ever)

* Flourishing in “the house of God”

Hosea 14:5 – 7 Olive Tree and Cedar of Lebanon (the people of God – Israel – after they return to the Lord)

Cedar of Lebanon

* Rooted and brimming with new life

* Fragrant (healthy, lively)

Olive Tree

* Splendorous (brimming with health and “fruit”)

* Providing of shade (giving shelter to others)

Psalm 92:12-14 Palm Tree, Cedar of Lebanon - (the righteous)

Palm Tree and Cedar

* Planted in the house of the Lord

* Flourishing in the courts of our God

* Enduring – “bear fruit in old age”

* Staying “fresh and green”

Matthew 13:31,32 Mustard “Tree” - (the kingdom of God)

* Starts Small, but becomes Sizable

* Gives shelter to the birds (nations)

The Tree of Life – Genesis 2:9: Proverbs 3:18; Rev. 22:2

Ultimate archetype tree –

* Gives life, healing in its leaves, bears fruit, flourishing in the ultimate courtyard of God at the end of the age in the New Jerusalem

What the Tree of Life Tells Us About a Good Life With God

Component Parts of a Tree – all Cited in Scripture

1. Roots

* They draw life from the soil and from water flow,

* Creates stability. Allows the rest of the tree to grow tall and wide and flourish

* Roots are hidden from view, unseen but essential!

* A good life with God is sustained and stabilized by our deep, private, and personal walk with God

2. Trunk

* The strong center of the tree. Connected to roots. Supportive of branches. Firm. Enduring (tree rings).

* Contains the record of the life of the tree.

Our testimony, our history with God is being created and strengthen year-by-year. Our branches spread from this strong center.

3. Branches

* How the top of the tree spreads. They develop leaves. They support the production of fruit. They provide shade and nesting.

* Our branches are our reach, our works, our invitation to come and find rest and strength.

* The “fruit” contains the future and feeds the present.

Conclusion / Summary

A. Eden is the archetype of a good life with God. The scriptures will call back to Eden imagery again and again as the present age and the age-to-come are described.
Agricultural images will be utilized to teach us about spiritual and human flourishing as well as the kingdom of God itself.

3. The key agricultural image we will be using in this study is The Tree Planted by the Waters (and The Tree of Life).

A good life with God is pictured as a rooted, enduring, flourishing, and fruitful tree.

Files coming soon.