The Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Part Eight – Gentleness

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

In part one of this series we learned that Paul encouraged Christians to let the Word of Christ dwell richly within them (Colossians 3:16-17). He also encouraged followers of Christ to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-20). Paul also taught that as believers obeyed the Word, followed the example of Christ and were filled with the Spirit they would manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit.   

 

Galatians 5:22-25

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

 

This bearing of fruit is God’s will for our lives and it brings Him great glory.  “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:8

 

So as we allow God’s Spirit to live in and through us, the Spirit produces a set of Christ-like qualities or virtues within us, the fruit of the Spirit. This fruit of the Spirit is manifested in relationships, in our relationship with God as well as with other followers of Christ. While we might think that the fruit of the Spirit are personal attributes and private virtues, they are more importantly interpersonal qualities, virtues that are a result of people loving and ministering to one another as they let the Word of Christ dwell in them, as they are filled with the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is manifested as we grow spiritually and this fruit is a nine-fold visible attribute of a true Christian life. This fruit is not a list of individual “fruits” from which we pick and choose. Rather, the fruit of the Spirit is one nine-fold “fruit” that characterizes all who truly walk in the Holy Spirit. Collectively, this is the fruit that all Christians should be producing in their new lives in Jesus Christ. In other words, the fruit of the Spirit is a physical manifestation of a Christian’s transformed life. In our last segments we learned about love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness and faithfulness. Now we study gentleness.

 

What is gentleness? Gentleness is a humble, non-threatening demeanor that makes others feel safe and cared for. It is an attitude that has concern for others and therefore influences how we approach and talk with others. When we express gentleness we are tender with our words, touch and treatment of those around us.

 

The Greek word for gentleness comes from two words, “prautes” (pronounced: prah-oo-teys) and “epieikes” (pronounced: e-pē-ā-kā’s). This can also be translated as “consideration,” “humility,” or “meekness.”

 

Jesus is an excellent example of someone who is gentle.

 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28–30

 

Here Matthew communicates to us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that Jesus wishes to give us rest. The burdens we carry are massive at times and Jesus wants us to know that He will gently lift these burdens from us and trade them for His yoke which is much easier to carry. The burden He exchanges for the heavy load of sin we carry is light. It is light and easy because when He rules our life as Lord and Master we no longer carry our burdens alone. We now have help from God the Father, Son and Spirit. This great relief He offers us comes from His gentleness and love.

 

Followers of Christ should be known for their gentleness, because Jesus is our Lord and we have the Spirit of God living within us. Our Heavenly Father is known for His grace, mercy and gentleness and therefore as His child we should be emulating His character as we live as Christ and keep in step with the Holy Spirit.

 

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” – Philippians 4:5

 

No matter what issue we face in life or how difficult a relationship issue we might have to deal with, we are to respond with gentleness.

 

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1

 

This does not mean we do not stand up for what is right and true, nor that we allow ourselves to be a doormat, but it does mean we respond always with wisdom and gentleness empowered by the Spirit of God.

 

One of our commandments as followers of Christ is to make disciples. When we obey this command we are instructed to witness with gentleness. You cannot drag someone into the Kingdom of God with coercive words of force. They are won by love and gentleness as you explain the good news of the gospel. We are not to demean people in sharing the gospel, but we are called to confront them with their sin. We do this with tact, concern and above all gentleness.

 

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

1 Peter 3:15

 

There will be times when we may be called by God to counsel others about the sin in their life. This may be a believer or non-believer, but whatever the case, we must confront them with gentleness.

 

“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” Galatians 6:1

 

Often we will be placed in positions of leadership where we have authority over others. We must take as our example the Son of God in how we lead others. Jesus led the disciples with gentleness. He did confront the disciples at times and was rather blunt and to the point. But He always did this with gentleness and love.

 

“And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:24–25

 

Relationships are a blessing, but no matter how cordial, loving and pleasant they can be, there comes a time when we encounter stress and conflict. In such situations we are called to be gentle, meek, and longsuffering and we must seek to express love. This is one of the most significant traits people look at when evaluating our witness.

 

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” – Ephesians 4:2

 

As followers of Christ we should live as Paul instructs, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in his letter to the Corinthians.

 

“We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited…in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;”

2 Corinthians 6:3-7

 

We have learned we are to express this fruit of the Spirit as a normal expression of our spiritual growth as we are filled with the Spirit. But possibly we may still feel that it is a weak character trait. We know that the dictionary defines gentleness as: mild, moderate, soft, and delicate. It is also defined as submissive; to voluntarily assume equality with an inferior. Such words give us an impression that gentleness is weak or “wimpy.” This could be something that men may have issue with in regards to their masculine nature. But, we must remember that Jesus was a man’s man. He was gentle, but He also confronted the men of power of His day, the Pharisees and Sadducees. He also endured horrible torture to express His love for us. There is nothing weak about being gentle when you are truly a godly man. Gentleness could be called an unlikely strength. Charles Swindoll says that “gentleness isn’t weak or soft, but strength under control.”

 

We have learned that gentleness came from the two Greek words “prautēs” and “epieikēs.”

 

“Prautēs” means humility, considerateness, meekness, and it describes things or people.

 

“Epieikēs” is a word used to express a balanced, intelligent, decent outlook on life, a good citizen, an admired person, a trusted individual, these all fall under the heading of “epieikēs.”

 

So the Greeks defined gentleness as power under control. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to be gentle in speech at all times, rather than flying off the handle and speaking destructive words. To be gentle and loving often requires great spiritual strength. Jesus is our role model in this area as the Spirit guides us.

 

Jesus expressed what might be called, “restorative gentleness” many times. Expressing gentleness often requires humility. In John 4, Jesus encountered the woman at the well who had had five husbands and was living with a man who was not her husband. His gentleness to her neediness was restorative. In John 8, Jesus encountered the woman caught in adultery. Rather than condemn her, he forgave in gentleness, and she was restored. In Luke 9, Jesus chose to eat dinner with Zacchaeus, a man despised for being a tax collector. Jesus’ gentleness restored Zacchaeus. In Luke 10, in the face of Martha’s rudeness towards her sister, Jesus responds with gentleness and restores her peace.

 

We might claim that Jesus was able to do this only because He was the Son of God, but we must remember the source of Jesus’ strength. He drew strength from His Heavenly Father and the Spirit. We can as well. Jesus, the Son of God, came to serve and restore. He calls each of us to be like Him. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

 

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Philippians 2:3-5

 

So what does the fruit of gentleness look like in my life, in your life, in our relationships, in our church? First it means that there are going to be times I’m not going to get my way, so gentleness is displayed in my attitude. Gentleness is also displayed in my behavior. Finally, gentleness is displayed in my conversation. Paul wrote, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6

 

The fruit of gentleness must be seen in your attitude, in your behavior, and in your conversation, especially when things don’t go the way you want them to. This can only happen if you are letting the Spirit lead in your life. The fruit of gentleness isn’t something that comes naturally. Gentleness comes from a life committed to living as Christ would and being under the constant control of the Spirit of God. This comes from life cultivated by the Word, empowered by the Spirit and an ever deepening relationship with God. Gentle people have been transformed by the message of God’s grace, and they delight in showing that grace to others.