A Virtuous LifeSample

Gentleness

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

What does a life changed by the gospel of Jesus look like? It looks like the fruit of the Spirit. The character qualities that Jesus embodied, and that we, His disciples, are meant to develop. Today, we’re talking about gentleness, and specifically, what makes the virtue of gentleness different from kindness.

In Matthew 11, Jesus offers one of His most famous invitations in all of Scripture. He says:

… “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

Through the four gospels, 89 chapters, and nearly 3,800 verses that cover the life and ministry of Jesus, this is the only place where Jesus describes His own heart. And He calls it gentle and humble. Some translations of the Bible say “meek” and “lowly.”

So, what does it mean to be meek? It’s about acting humbly and using our abilities and authority for the benefit of others, not ourselves. Meekness, or gentleness, is kindness wrapped in humility. And, this quality of selfless and humble action defined Jesus’ work in the world.

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8 NLT

This is what the gentleness of Jesus looked like. Kindness wrapped in humility. Rejecting divine privileges by embracing death on the cross for our sake. Taking on a lowly position so that every person could know the love of God and be a recipient of His radical and life-changing grace. When the Holy Spirit leads our lives, we become people like Jesus, gentle and humble in heart.

So, what does that look like in practice, particularly in our relationships with others? The next chapter of Galatians gives us an answer to that question. Before we jump there, a quick reminder on the context and purpose of this letter.

Paul wrote Galatians to unite a group of believers who had been divided by their misunderstanding of the gospel. Some people thought that a person had to become Jewish before they could be a Christian. But that wasn’t the case. The good news of Jesus was made available to all people, those who were Jewish and those who were not. All people who place their faith in Jesus are under the new covenant, guided by the Holy Spirit, not the old covenant, guided by the law.

Some of the Galatians were concerned that, because they were no longer under the law, believers would end up doing whatever they wanted and give in to sin. In chapter five, Paul explains how, when we are truly following Jesus, the Holy Spirit fills our lives, shows us how to live like Jesus, and shapes us into people who love like Jesus. Then, in chapter six, Paul shows how living by the Spirit changes the way we engage in relationships.

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Galatians 6:1 NLT

As people who are godly (filled by the Spirit of God), we have a responsibility to help those who are overcome by sin. How? By confronting them gently and correcting them humbly, so we can help them get back on the right path. Kindness wrapped in humility. We do it kindly because God’s kindness leads us away from sin (Romans 2:4). And we do it humbly so that we don’t fall into the same temptation, because pride comes before the fall (Proverbs 16:18).

Paul continues:

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.Galatians 6:2-3 NLT

Can you spot the virtue of gentleness here? When others are struggling, we kindly offer our support to share the burden with them. When we do, we are obeying the Law of Christ, His command to love one another the same way He has loved us. And, we do all of this humbly, because none of us is too important to help someone else! We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Fellow servants of the King. We are in this together, and we have a responsibility to look after each other.

A few verses later, Paul wraps up this section with these words:

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.Galatians 6:7-10 NLT

What you put into your relationships is what you’ll get out of them. If you plant gentleness, you will harvest gentleness. If you plant bitterness, you will harvest bitterness. So, let the Spirit lead you to plant what is good and true and beautiful so you will receive a harvest of blessings. Relationships can be messy and difficult, but don’t give up. God is faithful. The Holy Spirit is working. So, as gently and humbly as you can, keep doing good to all people, but especially those who belong to the family of God. When you do, you will cultivate the fruit of gentleness and be transformed more and more into the image of Jesus.