43 min
07 Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness Wednesday in the Word
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- Kristendom
Kindness as a fruit of the Spirit is not good deeds. Rooted in understanding God's kindness, it's intentionally acting to benefit others.
Key Points
* Kindness is an active choice to bring good to others despite their faults or actions towards us.
* Biblical kindness is grounded in understanding God’s kindness toward us.
* God’s kindness is both a present reality and a future hope.
Next: 08 Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness
Previous: 06 Fruit of the Spirit: Patience
Series: Fruit of the Spirit
Kindness as a Fruit of the Spirit
In this series, we are searching for an understanding of what Paul had in mind when he wrote the list of the fruit of the Spirit. We are exploring Scripture to see what Scripture says about these concepts and, therefore, what Paul was thinking when he wrote the list.
I have been arguing the items on this list are not feelings. Rather, they are lifestyle changes that result from a profound shift in worldview because the Spirit of God teaches us truth.
For those of you just joining us, I will remind you of the context of Galatians, where we find this list. The Judaizers claim that faith in Jesus is a good starting point, but Gentile believers must also keep the law. Paul spends most of the letter arguing they are wrong. Faith in Jesus is sufficient for salvation.
In Galatians 5, Paul argues that law-keeping does not make us holy because it changes nothing about who we are inside. We may strive to keep laws we used to break, but inside we are still sinners.
Conversely, Paul argues that true moral transformation results from the Spirit of God. Christ's death on the cross reconciles us to God. Therefore, God gives us His Spirit who changes us from the inside out. As the Spirit teaches us truth, that changes our worldview. The results are the items on this list of the fruit of the Spirit. In this series, we're on a quest to figure out what those are.
Kindness is an action
Today we are talking about kindness. The word kindness is a simple but very profound idea. In the New Testament, we see kindness used in two main ways. First, kindness describes working to accomplish a good result for someone. Kindness is not the way I feel towards someone else. It is the way I act toward them. Kindness actively works for their good.
When we looked at peace and longsuffering, we talked about withholding a response. We might decide not to strike back or retaliate. This word 'kindness' is more active. We are actively working for someone else's benefit.
The second context where we see this word kindness describes doing good for someone in spite of their faults. We act kindly despite the way they may have treated us. We see most clearly when the Bible talks about God's kindness toward us.
Titus 3:1-7
1Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
Kindness as a fruit of the Spirit is not good deeds. Rooted in understanding God's kindness, it's intentionally acting to benefit others.
Key Points
* Kindness is an active choice to bring good to others despite their faults or actions towards us.
* Biblical kindness is grounded in understanding God’s kindness toward us.
* God’s kindness is both a present reality and a future hope.
Next: 08 Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness
Previous: 06 Fruit of the Spirit: Patience
Series: Fruit of the Spirit
Kindness as a Fruit of the Spirit
In this series, we are searching for an understanding of what Paul had in mind when he wrote the list of the fruit of the Spirit. We are exploring Scripture to see what Scripture says about these concepts and, therefore, what Paul was thinking when he wrote the list.
I have been arguing the items on this list are not feelings. Rather, they are lifestyle changes that result from a profound shift in worldview because the Spirit of God teaches us truth.
For those of you just joining us, I will remind you of the context of Galatians, where we find this list. The Judaizers claim that faith in Jesus is a good starting point, but Gentile believers must also keep the law. Paul spends most of the letter arguing they are wrong. Faith in Jesus is sufficient for salvation.
In Galatians 5, Paul argues that law-keeping does not make us holy because it changes nothing about who we are inside. We may strive to keep laws we used to break, but inside we are still sinners.
Conversely, Paul argues that true moral transformation results from the Spirit of God. Christ's death on the cross reconciles us to God. Therefore, God gives us His Spirit who changes us from the inside out. As the Spirit teaches us truth, that changes our worldview. The results are the items on this list of the fruit of the Spirit. In this series, we're on a quest to figure out what those are.
Kindness is an action
Today we are talking about kindness. The word kindness is a simple but very profound idea. In the New Testament, we see kindness used in two main ways. First, kindness describes working to accomplish a good result for someone. Kindness is not the way I feel towards someone else. It is the way I act toward them. Kindness actively works for their good.
When we looked at peace and longsuffering, we talked about withholding a response. We might decide not to strike back or retaliate. This word 'kindness' is more active. We are actively working for someone else's benefit.
The second context where we see this word kindness describes doing good for someone in spite of their faults. We act kindly despite the way they may have treated us. We see most clearly when the Bible talks about God's kindness toward us.
Titus 3:1-7
1Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
43 min