FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT – Gentleness, Goodness, Faith

 FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT – Gentleness, Goodness, Faith

 

The fifth fruit of the Spirit mentioned is: GENTLENESS

When you hear the word ‘gentleness’ or ‘gentle,’ what do you think of it as meaning?

Oxford dictionary gives this definition: the quality of being kind, tender, or mild-mannered. 

Strong’s Concordance (G5544) will at times substitute the word gentleness with kindness or goodness (the next fruit of the Spirit).  If you ask google, “what are the 9 fruit of the spirit?” it will mention kindness instead of gentleness.

Dictionary.com defines gentleness as: an absence of bad temper or belligerence.  Gentle has reference especially to disposition and behavior and is also associated with forbearance (lonsuffering/putting up with) in dealing with others.

When you begin to study the fruit of the Spirit, you will see how closely each are intertwined with the characteristic of another.

Paul teaches in his letter to the Church in Colossia, how we as Christians are to act toward one another.

Colossians 3:12 says to: put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, KINDNESS, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering (there’s the fruit of longsuffering/patience mentioned again).

As Christians, the elect (chosen) of God, we are to be merciful toward others.  Did you notice that word mercies in this Scripture is plural?  Our mercy toward others should be abounding just as God’s mercy toward us is abounding and new every morning. (Lam 3:22-23)

Humbleness of mind and meekness mean nearly the same thing.  One is how you think about yourself and the other is how you act toward others yet both are indicating that we should not think more highly of ourselves than we should.

We are also to put on KINDNESS (also sometimes mentioned as GENTLENESS – G5544). 

Paul instructed the Ephesians in Ephesians 4:31-32…

Let all bitterness (poison), and wrath (fierceness, extreme anger), and anger (strong feeling of hostility), and clamour (shouting in anger), and evil speaking (saying things to or about someone that are hateful and hurtful) be put away from you, with all malice (intention or desire of ill will toward another). ß These are the works of the flesh, things/feelings/actions that will hinder us from inheriting the Kingdom of God.  These are things we need to put off.

I heard a story of someone who was supposed to be a Christian, yet grew angry at the service or lack of it at a restaurant so she slammed a chair down on the server’s foot which ended up breaking it.

In a separate incident, I witnessed someone call the server ‘toad’ and look disdainfully at them.  That server did not do anything that I could see to merit such hostility. That person was dealing with internal anger (evil speaking) that they then vented onto that poor server.  Jesus was not pleased, and I was embarrassed to be seen with them.

Those two instances are the OPPOSITE of the Fruit of the Spirit.  That is not showing gentleness or kindness toward others.  If Jesus would not behave in such a manner, neither should we.

The fruit of the Spirit helps us to: BE YE KIND ONE TO ANOTHER, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.  These are traits we need to put on and bind around us tightly.

Paul wrote to the Romans reminding them in Romans 2:4 that it is the GOODNESS (meaning the Gentleness, the kindness) of God that leads us to repentance.  Thank God for His goodness/His kindness that helps lead us to repentance.

We want God to be KIND/GENTLE toward us.  In the same manner, we need to be kind and gentle toward others.  We never know how our kindness shown toward others may affect and lead them to Jesus Christ.

The Bible talks about doing good to our enemies and likens it to ‘heaping coals of fire on their heads.’ (Prov 25:21-22)  God showed me a few years ago that this is not meaning it as a way of taking vengeance on them, but rather it may warm their heart. He is not going to reward us for intending ill or harm toward someone, but He will reward us for extending undeserved kindness.   It is a way of overcoming evil with good instead of being destroyed by their evil. (Romans 12:20-21)

Being Gentle/being kind can be tough to exhibit toward some people sometimes, especially if they are hostile toward you.  Many years ago, I had a cashier acting hateful toward me.  I didn’t know her.  I hadn’t said or done anything mean to her. I continued being kind despite her rudeness and finally asked, “Has it been a rough day?”  She nearly broke down crying as she explained that it had been and that a previous customer had been hostile toward her earlier in the day.  It had stayed with her and festered as she then became hostile toward others. 

Attitudes are contagious – be careful as to which kind of attitude you’re spreading. A kind reaction with care and concern helped to diffuse a tense situation.   I could have caught and spread that bad attitude that she had caught and was spreading, but instead I chose to be kind/to be gentle.

God didn’t say to only be kind to those who are kind to us.  He said, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him.  If he’s thirsty, give him something to drink.” (Prov 25:21) He instructs us in Luke 6:35 to do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the Children of the Highest: FOR HE IS KIND UNTO THE UNTHANKFUL AND TO THE EVIL. Wow!  God is kind to those who are thankful AND even to those who are evil.  How much more should we be?

We do our part (displaying the fruit of the Spirit) without ulterior motives or expecting anything in return, then leave the outcome in God’s hands. 

Be Gentle – Be Kind to others – even if they’re not to you.

The sixth fruit of the Spirit mentioned is: GOODNESS

This is the quality of being morally good and virtuous (having high moral standards). 

The New Testament uses many words to describe the characteristics and behaviors of those who are morally good and striving to be virtuous such as: just; righteous; holy; pure.  Those who are morally good and virtuous will also exhibit the characteristic of being gentle and kind (the previous fruit of the Spirit mentioned).

Romans 12:1 – present your bodies a living sacrifice, HOLY (morally blameless, pure, consecrated), acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Asking us to be holy, morally blameless, pure, and consecrated to God so that we are acceptable to Him is not asking anything unreasonable.  Paul said it is our REASONABLE service.  It’s possible, but it takes denying the will of the flesh.)

Romans 14:7 – The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but RIGHTEOUSNESS (right living), and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

1 Corinthians 3:17 – If any man destroy the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is HOLY, WHICH TEMPLE YE ARE.
1 Corinthians 6:19 – What? Know ye not that YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY GHOST which is in you, which ye have of God, and YE ARE NOT YOUR OWN?

When we have the Holy Ghost living inside of us, which is the Spirit of Christ, we are to be holy in every way (morally blameless, pure and consecrated to God) because we are the place that Christ dwells.   He purchased and redeemed us with His own Blood therefore He owns us and has the right to require us to be separate from the world, live a certain way, and avoid doing certain things.  We are not our own - we now belong to Jesus Christ.  Therefore, we are to glorify God in our body and in our Spirit, which are God’s. (1 Cor 6:20)

Lot’s righteous soul was vexed daily by seeing their unlawful deeds and by hearing the filthy conversation of the wicked in Sodom and Gomorrah. (2 Peter 2:7-8) We do the same to Jesus when we listen to conversations or music that promotes or sings about ungodly things or if we watch/set anything before our eyes that is unholy and immoral.  If Jesus wouldn’t listen to certain music or talk, watch anything unwholesome or unholy, or go to certain places then neither should we. 

Ephesians 1:4 – …we should be HOLY and without blame before Him in love.

Colossians 1:22 – …to present you HOLY and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight.

1 Peter 1:15-16 – But as He which hath called you is HOLY, so be ye HOLY in all manner of conversation (meaning behavior which can include what we say). Because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy.

2 Peter 3:11 – Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all HOLY conversation (meaning behavior which can include what we say) and godliness.  (Dictionary.com defines godliness in this way: conforming to the laws and wishes of God; devoutness and moral uprightness)

As we grow in God and draw closer to Him, we will begin to bring forth the Fruit of Goodness (being morally good and virtuous which means having high moral standards).

The seventh fruit of the Spirit mentioned is: Faith

Strong’s defines Faith (G4102) as being: your persuasion, moral conviction of religious truth.

Your faith should be more than just words (‘I believe in Jesus’).  It should be a conviction so strong that what you believe is Truth that you cannot be swayed or persuaded to believe anything different from it, and you are willing to die rather than deny it…just as the early Christians did and those in foreign countries are having to do.

Daniel’s moral conviction of what was religious truth was so strong, he was willing to be thrown in a den of hungry ferocious lions than to deny the God He would one day have to stand before.  He refused to pray to a mortal ruler who would also one day have to stand before the One True God.   Because Daniel held to his moral convictions and would not deny God, God shut the mouth of the lions and delivered Daniel out the den.

The 3 Hebrew boys (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) were willing to face being thrown into a fiery furnace than to deny their God and kneel before a statue to appease the pride and rebellion of the Babylonian ruler.  Because these 3 young men held to their moral convictions and would not deny God or bow to please man, God walked with them in the midst of the fire for the King of Babylon to see and brought them out without any burns, singes, or even a twinge of the smell of smoke.

Peter who proclaimed boldly, “I will NEVER deny You, Jesus!” (Mark 14:31) and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant with a sword as they came to arrest Jesus (Mark 14:47) suddenly grew scared as he feared that he, too, would be arrested, convicted, and hung on a cross just as they were about to do with Jesus.  He was so scared that he cursed adamantly denying that he knew who Jesus was.  I’m sure his heart smote him when he heard the rooster crowing as he realized what he had done. (Mark 14:66-72)  Yet, later, we find he became a bold preacher of the Gospel who could not be swayed.  (see the book of Acts and 1 + 2 Peter)

Steven, in the New Testament, held so tightly to his religious convictions that he was willing to suffer and die for Jesus Christ rather than deny Him.  As he felt life leaving his body, he didn’t hold any anger or malice or unforgiveness in his heart.  He didn’t pray and ask God to remember their deeds, words and actions and repay them for the evil they were doing against him.  Instead, he prayed that God would not hold it against those who were stoning him. (Acts 7:58-59) It’s one thing to be willing to die for our faith in Jesus Christ.  It’s more challenging to forgive and hold no bitterness against someone who is wounding us.

I have to wonder if his strong stand for his faith and the forgiveness in his heart made a difference in the heart of a man named Saul.   Saul, stood by watching and holding everyone’s coats as they stoned Steven until he died.   Saul heard the jeers of his peers yet he also heard the cry for their forgiveness coming from Steven’s lips as his writhed in agony.

Saul thought he was doing the will of God.  He thought he was standing for his religious convictions against what he perceived to be a false doctrine.  UNTIL, Jesus shown a light on him as he was on his way to Damascus to persecute and kill more Christians.   After that encounter, Saul changed sides, and Jesus changed his name.  Saul now became known as Paul.  The persecutor now became the persecuted.  And now, Paul understood how and why Steven was willing to die for His faith.  When you have a life changing encounter with the Savior, you will never be the same.

There are so many more examples I could give, but is our faith that strong that we are willing to die for what we believe? 

Could we still stand for Jesus and not deny His name or our Faith despite the possibility of dying for it just as the early Christians did and as the Christians in foreign countries are forced to choose?

If it’s not, we need to pray and ask God to help our Faith to grow stronger. 

Jesus said if we deny Him, He will deny us. (Matthew 10:33) 

But if we will boldly confess (acknowledge) Him before everyone, He will also confess (acknowledge) us.  (Matthew 10:32)

We need to become rooted (stable) and built up (building upon Christ Jesus) so that we will become established (strengthened) in the Faith. (Colossians 2:7)