Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness

Let us now direct our attention to the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit deemed "gentleness" (or "meekness") in Galatians 5:22-23:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.

The term defined as "gentleness" or "meekness" is the Greek word praotes, defined by Thayer's as "gentleness, mildness, meekness."

This term is used in the New Testament as an attribute of the child of God (Ephesians 4:1-2, Colossians 3:12, 1 Timothy 6:11, and Titus 3:2), as an attribute of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 10:1), and as the attitude which ought to be displayed when a Christian speaks with and/or needs to correct another (1 Corinthians 4:21, 2 Timothy 2:25).

The term "meek" is often used today with a negative connotation; it is often used of a person who is perhaps quiet and unassuming or a person who does not stand up for himself. This connotation is not present in the word as used in the Scriptures or as it was used in earlier times. Webster's defines the term as follows:

1. Mild of temper; soft; gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries.
2. Appropriately,humble, in an evangelical sense; submissive to the divine will; not proud, self-sufficient or refractory; not peevish and apt to complain of divine dispensations.

We may see the reasons behind the choice of the term "gentleness" in many modern versions over the term "meekness," lest any receive the wrong impression about what a Christian ought to be. A Christian is not to be a "pushover," one who does not stand up for what he believes; he is to be gentle, a person who maintains control and grace even under significant duress. The Biblical concept of "gentleness" is a much harder attribute to imitate than it may originally appear.

We may learn about gentleness from the examples of both Jesus and Stephen, for with these two we see first the One whose lief we ought to emulate (1 Corinthians 11:1), and secondly one who recognized this need and performed it. Jesus says concerning Himself the following in Matthew 11:29-30:

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

We see that Jesus calls Himself meek (gentle) and lowly in heart (humble), and we see that He best demonstrates this by His death on the cross. We see that Jesus was reviled and mocked in Luke 23:35-37, and yet even in this time of duress and peril, Jesus is able to say the following regarding those who mocked and crucified Him in Luke 23:34a:

And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

Stephen finds himself in a similar predicament in Acts 7:54-58. And as the Jews stoned him, Stephen found the ability to say the following in Acts 7:59-60:

And they stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."
And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

What can we learn from these examples? Jesus and Stephen were certainly gentle in spirit, able to desire the forgiveness for those who were killing them. Would we consider these two "meek" according to the way the term is commonly perceived? By no means! Yet they are certainly meek according to the way the Bible uses the term.

Could the same be said of us? Do we attempt to show gentleness even to those who would revile and persecute us? Do we return good for evil, or do we return evil for evil (cf. Romans 12:23)? It is always easier to lose composure and to get angry when we are spoken to or of badly than it is to maintain one's composure and to display the proper attitude of gentleness as seen in the Scriptures. Yet which one truly represents Jesus, and demonstrates that we are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13)? Let us constantly strive to emulate Jesus' gentleness and in so doing further shine as lights for Christ in the world.

Ethan R. Longhenry
evangelist@norwalkchurch.org

The church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio

Thank you for reading the electronic version of our bulletin, Good News for Norwalk. If you live in Norwalk or happen to be traveling in the Norwalk area, we would certainly love to have you visit one of our assemblies!

Our location:

386 North Edgewood Drive (just off US 250 just north of Norwalk's city limits)
Norwalk, Ohio 44857

Our assemblies:

Sunday morning assembly: 10:30am
Sunday evening assembly: 6:00pm

Our Bible studies:

Sunday morning Bible study: 9:30am
Wednesday evening Bible study: 7:00pm

For More Information

If you have any questions or comments about anything you have read here, or desire more information, please contact our evangelist, Ethan Longhenry, at evangelist@norwalkchurch.org.

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