Kindness

One of the fruits of the Spirit is kindness. It is important for Christians to show kindness to others.

We learn kindness from God.

“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:4-5).

God showed kindness to us in many ways, especially by saving us when we did not deserve it. Jesus died on the cross when we were still sinners. This shows that true kindness is not given on the basis of good works. 

Kindness is connected to love. When we have love, we can have kindness. Kindness is the overflow of love. Love is the greatest virtue because God is love. Out from love all other virtues flow.

All fruits of the Spirit were perfectly exemplified by Jesus. He was kind. He healed the sick, cast out demons, loved sinners, and died on the cross for us all. He gave his life to save evil and wicked people who hated him. This was very kind of him.

The Greek word for kindness is chrestotes. This word is connected to usefulness. A kind person is useful because he is willing to help others. He is willing to show mercy. He is a vessel who is fit for the Master’s use. God is able to use kind people because they are willing to serve him and others even when it is uncomfortable. Unkind people on the other hand are not useful because they are not willing to help others, they are unavailable, and they cut people off when they get hurt.

“The kindness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4). God is kind to those who don’t deserve it, and this leads them to repentance. Jesus was kind to us even though we killed him on the cross through our sins. It is from Christ that we learn how to be kind to others. We make mistakes, but God is still kind to us. We can be kind to those who hurt us because God is kind to us.

“There is no one kind, no not one” (Romans 3:12). The condition of humanity apart from God is to be unkind. Kindness is contrary to human nature. If someone is mean, we want to be mean back. If someone hurts, we hurt them or withdraw. Kindness does not come naturally. Kindness is rooted in agape love, and without God it is impossible to have genuine agape love because God is love. Therefore it is impossible to know true kindness apart from God. 

“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same” (Luke 6:32-33).

If others are nice it is easy to be nice to them. If they are loving we can love them back. If they do good to us we can do good back. This is what almost everyone does; it’s nothing unique.

But what if people are mean and nasty to us? This is where Christians should be different.

Our love and doing good to other people is not to be conditional on how they treat us. The basis for our actions is not to be other people. If it is, then we allow other people control us. They determine our actions. We wait for our cues from them before acting. This is a form of idolatry, as these other people (often our enemies) become the determiners of our actions.

Instead, the basis for our actions is to be God and his word. Then we can be consistent and full of life, regardless of others. God is never empty; he is an inexhaustible fountain. He is love. When we rely on God, we have strength, and we can minister to others regardless of what they are doing.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph 4:31-32)

Kindness is connected to forgiveness. When we forgive, then we can be kind because we are not bitter or holding a grudge. But when we do not forgive, then it is hard to be kind because our hearts are full of evil thoughts.

God shows kindness to us as we continue in his kindness. If we don’t continue in his kindness, we will be cut off (Romans 11:22). We continue in the kindness of God by recognizing that he is always good and kind, no matter what. Sometimes God shows his kindness in ways we don’t expect, and sometimes his kindness does not appear to be kind. But this is because God’s ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts. But we know God is kind and good all the time, because that is his nature.

If we continue believing in his kindness, we abide in God. But if a person begins to doubt God’s goodness and kindness, then he might make himself God’s enemy. He will separate himself from God, believing that God is bad, a liar, or not loving. Then a person cuts himself off.

Throughout eternity, God is going to show kindness to his people (Ephesians 2:7). He’s been kind to us in the past, and he continues to be kind to us all. Forever, the kindness of God will be poured upon us.

Therefore let us put on kindness (Col. 3:12). We can do this because the Holy Spirit is inside us. The Holy Spirit shows kindness to us, he is kind to others, and he is kind even to our enemies. Through him, the fruit of kindness can be revealed in our lives.