Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness and Goodness

Galatians 5:22-25, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

Kindness

            chrēstotēs means moral goodness, integrity; benignity, kindness; morally, excellence (in character or demeanor): gentleness, good(-ness), kindness. 

Examples in scripture 

Romans 2:4, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

 Ephesians 2:7, “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

 Titus 3:4, “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared…”

Google Definition

            Oxford definition: the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Collins Dictionary: Kindness is the quality of being gentle, caring, and helpful.

Understanding Kindness from a bible perspective:

            The world’s view on kindness just limits it to being generous, caring and friendly. The biblical perspective of kindness is not just limited to our actions. The biblical perspective of kindness starts with our character and then it manifests in our actions. Are we morally, excellence (in character or demeanor)? Are we men and women of integrity? The scriptures that we just read show us How God is morally excellence in character and demeanor.

 Romans 2:4, “Or do you despise the riches of His integrity, morally excellence, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the integrity, morally excellence of God leads you to repentance?”

             The beautiful thing is that we have that same fruit. You and I can bear this same fruit of integrity, of being morally excellence. The context of this verse in Romans 2:4, is God being the righteous judge in the day of judgement. That is why Paul is asking this rhetorical question. Holy Spirit through Paul is telling us that despite of how sinful they might be, God will still be a righteous judge and render to each one according to his deeds. Being a person of integrity and morally excellence in character and demeanor is being who you are regardless of what’s around you. It’s being holy when everything and everyone around you is unholy. It’s being righteous, when everything and everyone around you is unrighteous. It’s being true to your word, when everyone around you is breaking their word.

Goodness

            Agathōsynē means uprightness of heart and life, goodness, kindness. 

Examples in Scriptures 

Romans 15:14, “Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.”

 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, “Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Understanding Goodness: 

            God’s heart and desire is that we all walk in uprightness of heart and life. Uprightness means purity, honesty, obedience, goodness, and blamelessness. Holy Spirit is encouraging us to have a pure, honest, obedient and blameless heart and life. In this day and age, we have to fight to have an upright heart and life.

Psalm 91:1-2, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

            We must learn how to dwell in the secret place of the Most High. That is the only safe place in the whole world. It’s in the secret place that our hearts are renewed, it’s in the secret place that we are purified, it’s the secret place that we can withstand all the sin of this world and stay upright in heart and life. For you to be full of goodness you must know your way to the secret place.

Romans 15:14, “Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.”

            To walk in both kindness and goodness, you must know your way to the secret place. Kindness is being a person of integrity and morally excellence in character and demeanor regardless of what’s around you. When you are in the secret place, it’s easy to be kind. Goodness is being upright in heart and life; how can you be that in this sin crazed world. It’s in the secret place that we can crucify our flesh according to Galatians 5:24.