“And Be Ye Kind One To Another”

by Micky Galloway

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).

Kindness is a command. It is also the fifth virtue in the fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). It comes to us from the Greek word chrestotes which is sometimes translated, “gentleness.” Plummer says of chrestotes in his comments on II Corinthians 6:6 that this quality is “the sympathetic kindliness or sweetness of temper which puts others at their ease, and shrinks from giving pain.” This kindness demands that one consider the feelings of another and seek to enhance his joy rather than making him unhappy. It should be our desire to help instead of hurt (cf. I Peter 3:8; Colossians 3:12-13; II Corinthians 6:6; Romans 2:4; 11:22). Even among heathen philosophers it is believed that in kindness man becomes kin to God.

In this study let us note three things: (1) Kindness is attributed to God. (2) Some examples of God’s kindness toward man. (3) How the kindness of God is to be emulated in our own lives toward others.

Kindness is attributed to God. Again and again the Septuagint version of the Old Testament uses chrestotes (or its equivalent) to describe the kindness of God (Esther 8:12; Psalms 14:1, 3; 21:3; 25:7; 31:19; 37:3; 65:10; 68:10; 85:12; 104:28; 106:5; 119:65, 66, 68; 145:7).

Here is an example from the prayer of David in which he asks God to “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy lovingkindness remember thou me, for thy goodness’(chrestotes) sake, O Jehovah. Good (chrestos) and upright is Jehovah: therefore will he instruct sinners in the way” (Psalms 25:7-8). In other words, David bases his appeal on God’s attribute of kindness for he recognizes that it is God’s kindness that leads sinners to repentance (“instruct[s] sinners in the way”). The Psalmist sings, “Praise ye Jehovah. Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; for his lovingkindness (endureth) forever” (Psalms 106:1; 107:1; 136:1).

William Barclay comments:

“What moves the heart of the Psalmist is not the moral goodness of God, but the sheer kindness of God. His only claim to God’s gifts, and his only hope of forgiveness lie in the fact that God is kind; his only prayer is that God should hear him because God is kind, and that God should be merciful to him because God is kind (Ps. 69:16; 86:3; 100:5; 109:21)” (Flesh and Spirit, page 98).

God’s kindness is exemplified in many ways. The bounty of nature is an expression of the kindness of God. The Psalmist said, “Yea, Jehovah will give that which is good; and our land shall yield its increase” (Psalms 85:12; cf. Psalms 64:11). God’s kindness is seen in the revelation of His will to men. “Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes” (Psalms 119:68).

The New Testament also speaks of the kindness and forbearance of God, “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:4). One must be reminded that the kindness of God should never be regarded as providing an opportunity to sin. Hand in hand with God’s kindness is the severity of God (Romans 11:22). The kindness of God is that which provides the means of forgiveness for man. Thus, the supreme illustration of God’s kindness is His willingness to give His son, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:7; 4:32).

God demands kindness of us. For it is kindness that makes a man a good man. To neglect this is to bring the condemnation of God. We must “put on … kindness” (Colossians 3:12) as a part of the Christian’s life. This means “forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye” (Colossians 3:13). This is the parallel of our text from Ephesians 4:32. Paul also wrote, “Love suffereth long and is kind” (I Corinthians 13:4). The wisdom writer affirmed, “That which maketh a man to be desired is his kindness” (Proverbs 19:22). He also described the worthy woman, “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And the law of kindness is on her tongue” (Proverbs 31:26). The attitude that motivates kindness toward others is the same attitude that motivated God’s kindness to us. Paul wrote, “Doing nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself; not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). Read on, “Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient (even) unto death, yea, the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8). Wouldn’t a little kindness cure a lot of ills?

You see, it is not enough to simply to put off the old man with his evil deeds: “Put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful speaking out of your mouth: lie not one to another; seeing that ye have put off the old man with his doings” (Colossians 3:8-9). We must put on the new man “which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him … as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: and above all these things (put on) love, which is the bond of perfectness” (Colossians 3:10-14).

If we could get men and women to obey these requirements for the “new man” in Christ, we would have no problem with success in preaching the gospel to every creature, the growth of the church, peace in the home, etc. The will of Christ would be done. Kindness is indeed a lovely thing. It doesn’t cost us anything in money, but it does cost something of ourselves. The loveliness of kindness means that we treat others in the way that God has treated us. Sound familiar (cf. Matthew 7:12)?