5 Kindness
“The Fruit of the Holy Spirit no. 5 – KindnessGalatians 5:22-23lists thefruit of the Spirit-the resulting character of someone who is allowing the Holy Spirit to develop maturity in his or her life. The fifth characteristic, kindness, is called "gentleness" in the KJV.We are not naturally inclined to feel kindness to one another. The world teaches us to “look out for number one”-to dismiss others and concern ourselves with our own needs.
To feel a positive, kindhearted concern inspired by a good character is not our natural tendency. Yet the Bible exhorts us to be kindIt is hard to show kindness to others, and even harder to feel it. Those who are “God’s chosen ones” are called to kindness. Thankfully, we’re also empowered by the Holy Spirit to make it happen. Kindness is His fruit.
Colossians 3:1212 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.When we exhibit the kindness of God, we are tender, compassionate, and useful to others. Every action, every word will have the flavor of grace in it. To maintain this attitude toward those we love is hard enough. To express kindness toward those who are against us requires the work of God2 Corinthians 6:4-6
4 In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. 5 We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. 6 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us,[a] and by our sincere love.The only way we can truly feel kindness toward others is through the influence of the Holy Spirit. As a believer submits to the leading of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit works in the believer’s heart to replace selfishness, anger, and coarseness with love, patience, and gentleness.These qualities are the “fruit” or consequence of the Spirit.When the Spirit works in us, we begin doing kind deeds because we arekind.There is no hypocrisy involved. The Spirit changes our hearts and thereby changes our actions.
The Greek word for "kindness" ischr─ôstot─ôs. It means "benignity", the Oxford dictionary describes it as (kindness and gentleness of disposition or appearance), it means also tender concern, uprightness." “good, mild, and fit for use.”
It is kindness of heart and kindness of act.This kindness we read of in the New Testament,this chr─ôstot─ôs, is more than just doing something nice once in a while. Itmotivated the Good SamaritanLuke 10:25-37. It is such kindness that should motivate our behavior toward thosewho upset us, but how many of us practice what the parable of the Good Samaritan teaches?
Kindness is the characteristic that led God to provide salvation for usTitus 3:4-54 But-When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.[a]Romans 2:44 Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?Romans 11:2222 Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.
Kindness leads God to give us green pastures, quiet waters, and the restoration of our souls when we’re weary (Psalm 23:2-3). It is God’s tender care that makes Him want to gather us under His wings, to protect us and keep us close to Him (Psalm 17:836:761:4Matthew 23:37). God expressed kindness when He provided for Elijah and the widow of Zarephath during a drought-and He showed more kindness later when He raised the widow’s only son from the dead (1 Kings 17:8-24). When Sarah exiled Hagar and Ishmael, God gave the outcasts kindness in the form of water and hope (Genesis 21:9-21). On multiple occasions, kindness induced Jesus to stop what He was doing and help others in need Mark 6:3434 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.Mark 10:46-5246 Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. 47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"48 "Be quiet!" many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"49 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, "Tell him to come here." So they called the blind man. "Cheer up," they said. "Come on, he's calling you!"50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.51 "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked."My Rabbi,[a]" the blind man said, "I want to see!" 52 And Jesus said to him, "Go, for your faith has healed you." Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.[]
Kindness leads the Good Shepherd to rescue us when we stray(Luke 15:3-7). In kindness He "gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young"(Isaiah 40:11).Listen to almost any talk and ask yourself, how would you like unjustified allegations and unfair jokes to be made about you? Unkind jokes are so common, they seem to be the norm for many people; but they should not be for Christians. When we exposes corruption and hypocrisy that is OK, but when we make pointless remarks, that is unkind.
Have you ever seen a Christian who has no kindness? I don't think anyone has seen a good Christian who is not kind, because it is very hard for a person without kindness to be a good Christian. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says that the greatest character we can have is love, and 1 Corinthians 13:4 says that, among other things, love is patient and love is kind.Let's look at the kindness all Christians should have, and what kindness is not, and subtle ways we might be sinning by being unkind and not even realize it.
Why Be Kind?God commanded us to be kind to others in many places, and that alone is enough reason. Another reason is out of gratitude, because God has been so kind to us.
God is kind he gives us what we need in this life. even if we are disobedient, as with Jonah. He is kind to offer eternal life to all; however, as Jonah 4:2 says, “those who worship worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” Other verses that show God's kindness include :2 Cor. 6:66 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us,[a] and by our sincere love.Eph 2:77 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.Titus 3:3-53 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.4 But-When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us,not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
Luke 6:35.35 "Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.
God is the most kind being in the universe; God is not kind to the exclusion of His other attributes. Romans 11:22 says to consider the kindness and sternness of God.
Do you have the Fruit?As I said before, these are not nine different fruits, because the word fruit is singular; rather these are nine manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.So kindness i an attitude we are to have on the inside.
Clothing OurselvesColossians 3:12sayswe are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.So kindness is something we are to practice on the outside; and people should be able to see it. Sometime you should ask a close friend to name ten character qualities about you.Do you think one of them would be kindness? If not, perhaps you need to do more to clothe yourself with kindness.Many Ways to e KindThe Bible gives us many ways to be kind. Love others as ourselves.Matt 22:39-40; Luke 12:31; James 2:8; Col 3:13-14; 1 John 3:16-8Be rich in good deeds.1 Tim 5:10; 6:18; 1 Peter 2:12,15We are to be kind to each otherActs 28:2; 2 Pet 1:7; Eph 4:32Be devoted to doing good.Titus 3:14; James 4:17Aid, care, protect, help, and don’t cause harm to others.1 Cor 13:7; Rom 13:10;14:19-21Be kind to both people and animals. Prov 12:10; Heb 13:3. However, killing and eating animals OK. Acts 10:10-5.Jesus ate fish and other meat.
Be hospitable to one another.3 John 8.Be hospitable to all.1 Tim 5:10; Heb 13:2; Titus 1:8Be especially kind to widows and orphans.James 1:27; Dt 15:11; Psalm 68:5.Be especially kind to the sick, hungry, naked, and imprisoned. Matt 25:34-46; Zech 7:9-10
Looking for Ways to Be KindIn Esther 6:1-3, the king could not sleep, so he had the chronicles of the court read to him. When he heard of what Mordecai did, he asked what had been done for Mordecai. We should always look for ways to be kind to others, including those who have been kind to us. If everyone simply tried to follow this rule, to love and honour God, this world would be a very different and better place.
Even to EnemiesIn Luke 6:27-36, Jesus does not ask, but commands us to be kind to even our enemies. Even though we are not to hate others and be their enemies, others might consider us their enemies simply for being a Christian or speaking the truth of Christ. We are to love them, bless them, give to them, do good to them, and be merciful to them.What Not to DoDo not be self-seeking or just look after your own interests. Rom 2:8; Php 2:3-4, 20-1;Jas3:14-16;1Th4:11-12;Ps119:36; Isaiah 56:11Do not insult others, or even return insults. 1 Pet 2:23;3:9Lk 6:22; James 2:6We overlook others insulting us. Prov 12:16; 19:11.Be civil to others, not rude.1 Cor 13:5; Col 4:6Have no malice to others. Gal 5:18; Eph 4:31-32; Titus 3:3; Mt 5:43-48; Lk 6:27-36; Lev 19:17Don’t even plan or think evil.Ps 119:150; Prov 30:32; 12:20; 14:22; 16:27,30; 24:1-9; Ecc 7:29; 8:11; Isaiah 29:15; 32:6-7;33:15;55:7; Jer 11:15; Nah 1:9; Rom 1:30; 13:14; Zech 8:17; Mic 2:1If You Are A GuyIf you are a guy, particularly if you are physically fairly strong, there can be a temptation to show others that you are stronger than them. When you pick on someone else, even if fun, if that being clothed with gentleness?If you are single, and a girl likes you and you either do not like her romantically, or else no longer like her romantically, ask what is the kind thing to do. Leading someone on is not kind. Making a person feel like dirt is not kind either. Coming across as a jerk is not being Christlike either, so that is not an option. In a kind, but straightforward way, just tell the person straight what they need to know. A sign of a healthy dating relationship is that after the romance has ended, you two can still be regular friends.What if a girl might like you, and a third person, in front of a crowd of people, asks if you like that girl? If you do like her, then you can say so, but what if you do not want to go out with her? You do not want here to have any [more] embarrassment. Christians should not lie, but Christians can be tactful too; they do have to say everything that can be said. They can simply be quiet, or say they like everybody as a friend; but regardless shift the focus off of the girl to reduce any embarrassment.If You are a GirlIf you are a girl, particularly if you are physically attractive, there can be a temptation to point out physical shortcomings in others. Is that being kind as Christ wants us to be?If you are single, and a guy likes you and you are not interested in him, how do you say “no” if they ask you out? You do not want to lead him on, and you do not want to give the appearance of being stuck up if he is simply not your type. You do not want him to be embarrassed; in fact you might be honored that he considered you, even though he is not your type. Perhaps in a letter simply explain your feelings; be friendly, but if there is no way it would ever work, be firm that “there is no chance.” A letter is good, because the guy can read it privately, and a guy does not feel any pressure of how to react in front of you or others. A Christian girl let me know that way, and though it was not pleasant for me at the time, in retrospect, this was the very best way she could have told me.If You Are a ParentChristian parents have a very serious responsibility to bring their children up to be godly. While the ultimate responsibility for the path the child takes belongs with the child, parents are accountable before God for what they taught their children and what they neglected to teach them, both in their words and by their actions. Children will need discipline, but discipline should not be either ineffective nor excessive.A friend of my daughter told in me one time that when she was disobedient, her mother always sent her to her room. But with the TV and other toys in her room, that was not so bad at all. But she did not want me to tell her mother though. Obviously something was not working here.When you discipline your child, how severe should you be. First of all, determine if you are primarily disciplining to satisfy your anger, thirst for revenge (or tears), or is your motivation for the benefit of the child. If it is not solely for the benefit of the child do not do it. It is fine to tell the child, “Daddy is going to punish you, but not for a little bit”, and give yourself a chance to cool down. Ideally both the discipline and the severity of the discipline should not be unexpected, capricious, or mysterious from the child's point of view. What kind of mood you are in that day should have no effect whatsoever on the severity of discipline of the child.While the Bible says that physical punishment is fine for a child (Prov 13:24; 2215: 23:13; 29:15), it should not cause harm to the child. Boxing a child's ears, frequent wrapping a child's knuckles with a ruler, punching a child with a fist is abuse, not godly discipline. Also with older children, there are many options in addition to physical punishment. There are consequences of loss of privileges, having to pay money, and sometimes parents choose to let the child learn through logical, natural consequences take their course, if the consequences are not too severe.Criticism of GovernmentRespect those in authority over us. It is fine to criticize the actions of leaders, and try to vote them out of office; but one should not show disrespect to them or their families. Romans 13:7 and 1 Peter 2:13-14 say we are to honour our government leaders. Paul and Peter wrote this during the time of the Roman Emperors, when this was a very challenging thing to do.Kindness Sometimes Goes Against Weak SentimentalityMany people do not like to hear negative things. For example, in the following situation what should I have done? I was outside and my next door neighbour, whom I did not know very well and who was from another country, was putting ant poison on the ant mounds. He was putting his bare hand in the toxic poison and spreading it. After we chatted a bit, what should I have done?
I have a chemical background, and I know that insecticide can be absorbed through the skin. It can cause not only cancer but frequent exposure can cause neurological and other serious health problems. Would the kindest thing have been to keep the conversation pleasant, or would it have been better to start shouting at him? I think shouting at him would have been better for him than keeping silent, but I think the best way was what I did: tactfully, in a friendly way warn him of the dangers of what he was doing.
In a similar way, Jesus has told us that He is the only way to God (John 14:6). If someone is involved in a toxic religion, do we let them pass by to spiritual death, or do we warn them. The Bible shows us that we should warn them. Like my neighbour though, they might not see the reason for the warning. Thus it is good to give them reasons why their way is a false path to heaven, and the urgency of changing and following the true way.Paul and Kindness“As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” 1 Thessalonians 2:6-8
Paul was kind and gentle, and his love and kindness was a motivation to preach to others, refute others, and even debate with others. Paul mentioned rebuke, correction, and encouragement in 2 Timothy 4:2 Most people like to be encourage, but correction and rebuke are just as important, and there is a difference between them. Correction is telling a person who unknowingly is on the wrong path that their path is wrong and what the right path is. Rebuke is for someone who is on the wrong path, and deep down they can know it but do not want to change. It needs to be stronger than correction.
Under what circumstances would you give correction, and under what circumstances would you give rebuke. If your answer to both is never, even when the person will greatly suffer without them, then I question if you are really kind.Kindness and UsOf all of the virtues Christians should cultivate, kindness ranks right up with the other fruit of the spirit, and after faith, hope, and love. Being always nice, and never wanting to rock the boat can be confused with kindness, but kindness often takes more courage than that. Kindness includes outwardly expressing love and concern for others, and kind acts include both pleasant things and warnings. Do not be inconsistent and do unkind things too.A final warning: The world is concerned with how you excel in business , sports, money, and your career. The world can unfairly judge you according to your looks, house, car, and bank account. However, your character and treasures in heaven should be your focus. God is most concerned with how you excel in walking with Him, loving Him and loving others. As you turn away from the priorities of the world, and seek to excel in following God, you will excel in kindness too.Consider Both the Kindness and Sternness of GodKindness is not just about giving, it is also about being willing to accept kindness directed to you. Self pride and vanity can keep people from accepting the kindness of others, and it can keep people from accepting the kindness of God. All of us have sinned, and none of us deserve to go to heaven. All of us have a selfish, sinful nature; some may deny that they are evil but this is true. Not only are we undeserving of going to heaven, we also are unfit to enter heaven.
God has no obligation to have let anyone into Heaven. I like to think I have control over my house; I do not want bugs, strange dogs, or violent people to come inI have the right to keep them out. How much more does God have the right to keep out of Heaven that which is imperfect, and would soil the perfect goodness that is in heaven.
Even though God had no obligation to save anyone, God graciously chose to make a way, His way, for people to go to Heaven, sinful and dirty though we are. God forgave our sins, nailing them to the cross of Jesus, who paid for them. God promises to sanctify us, to clean us up to be sinless and perfect when we die, that we may live with God in love forever.1 Peter 3:8-9This is adresse toAll Christians
8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters.[a] Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing and kindness. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.