“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (5:22-23).
Our church recently went through the book of Galatians, and I’ve continued to think about the fruit of the Spirit and the idea that Jesus is the perfect example of each aspect of the fruit. I started looking up verses related to each trait. I think the thing that has stood out most to me is the idea of God’s kindness.
- Ephesians 2:6-7 – “[God] raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
- Titus 3:4-5 – “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”
- Romans 2:4 – “Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
It seems easier to believe that God is merciful and gracious toward us than that He is kind. We are sinners in need of forgiveness, and because Jesus died in our place on the cross we can receive forgiveness. We might tend to think that His mercy is given reluctantly or from some kind of contractual obligation. But the idea of God’s kindness toward us takes it to a different level. As someone has said, “He doesn’t just love me, He actually likes me.”
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word hesed may be translated as “kindness,” “loving kindness,” or “steadfast love.” In the New Testament, we see this kindness illustrated in Jesus’s life. He takes time to talk with the woman at the well even though Jewish men did not normally talk to either Samaritans or women (John 4). He treated her as someone worthy of respect and attention. He evidently found the conversation satisfying since He implied that her coming to faith was better than food for Him (v. 32).
Jesus had compassion on a widow whose only son had died, and He raised the young man from the dead (Luke 7:11-17). He could have stood back and watched the funeral procession pass like everyone else did. One wonders if He was thinking of His own mother and the loss she would soon bear at His crucifixion. His compassion couldn’t help but be expressed in a kind and miraculous act.
At another time, Jesus was approached by a leper who said, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean” (Matt. 8:1-4). Jesus could have healed him from a distance or with a simple word as He had before. Yet this time Jesus reached out to touch the man to heal him. This too was an act of kindness toward one who had probably been untouchable for years.
Others who saw Jesus brought children and infants to Him to bless them (Mark 10:13-16), and Jesus used children as illustrations (Matt. 18:1-6). There had to be something about Him that attracted children and parents to Him. Unkind and cantankerous people don’t attract children and hurting people to them.
Why then is it so hard for us to picture God as loving and kind toward us? Perhaps we identify more with Jesus’s harsh words to the Pharisees, who thought they could earn salvation if they worked hard enough. We want to prove we are good enough, but deep down we know how desperately lost we really are. We are ashamed of our inadequacy and can’t imagine that God doesn’t cringe a bit when He looks at us. (I know I’m not alone in this!)
In another section of Scripture that is illustrated perfectly by Jesus, we are told “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:4-7). Do we dare to believe that God looks at us with this same loving kindness? We should!
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1).
“Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You” (Psalm 63:3).
© 2021 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.
