Gentleness and meekness

1. GentlenessandMeekness –8th
March 2016
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faithgoodness;andto goodness,knowledge;
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andto knowledge,self-control;andtoself-control,perseverance; andto perseverance, godliness;
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andto godliness,mutual affection;andtomutual affection,love” ”(2 Peter1:5–7).
The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the result of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the life of a Christian. The
Bible makes it clear that everyone receives the Holy Spirit the moment he or she believes in
Jesus Christ. We can learn more through Romans 8:9, “You, however, are not in the realm of
the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone
does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ” An important aspect in the fruit
of the Holy Spirit is gentleness or meekness. What is the quality of meekness or gentleness?
Certainly in the biblical sense it is not weakness, nor is it self-debasing or a belittling of oneself.
Gentleness includes true humility that does not consider itself too good or “too exalted.
Gentleness is never self-important but is considerate, courteous, and modest, and is defined as
restraint coupled with strength and courage. Gentleness is never a false modesty, a self-
depreciation, or a spineless refusal to stand for anything. Gentleness is never a cowardly retreat
from reality, which substitutes a passive selfishness for real gentleness and avoids trouble in
ways that allow even greater trouble to develop. Neither is it a false humility that refuses to
recognize God has given us talents and abilities or that refuses to use them for His glory.
To try to understand gentleness further, we can read in Psalm 45:4, “In your majesty ride forth
victoriously in the cause of truth, humility and justice; let your right hand achieve awesome
deeds.” Obviously, gentleness is not weakness. It is not allowing yourself to become a doormat.
It is part of God’s character as He moves triumphantly in mighty power and victory. In 1
Corinthians 4:21, Paul is dealing with arrogant people and says, “What do you prefer? Shall I
come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?” Paul had a
tremendous love for the believers in all the churches, but his love was not mere blind
sentimentality. He knew they sometimes needed discipline, and he “was prepared to exercise
it.”7 But he wanted to see them respond in repentance so he could show them the love and
gentleness that was in his heart toward them.
We can learn when Paul appeals to the Corinthians for humility (meekness) and gentleness of
Christ. We can read in 2 Corinthians 10:1, “By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to
you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away!
Then he goes on to talk about the weapons we fight with and we can learn that they are not the
weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to tear down strongholds. We
should not be carried away by rage, personal vindictiveness, greed, or pride as we seek victories
for Christ. We need to do that with the gentleness and the humility of Christ we can triumph
powerfully…much better that we can by taking the law in to our hands!
We can also learn when Paul tells us that if a man is trapped in some sin, those who are
spiritual should restore him gently. It teaches: “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a

2. sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you
also may be tempted (Galatians 6:1). He tells us that we need to be firm but gentle when we
accost someone who is a sinner. Because problems can arise where even the best of us may slip
up, just as one might slip on an icy or dangerous path. If we are truly filled with the Spirit we
will show gentleness, not hardness and not condemnation, as we try to restore such a person.
We can also get a deeper understanding when Paul is urging us in Ephesians 4 to live a life
worthy of the calling we have received and he calls on us to be “completely humble and
gentle.”
We are to be free from self-exaltation and fully submitted to the will of God both in our
relationship to Him and in our relationships with others with love.”Be completely humble and
gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”(Ephesians 4:2). In Colossians 3, Paul urges
us “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). This shows that
simply be being knowledgeable on the fruit of the Spirit is insufficient and that we need to
cooperate with the Holy spirit for its development.
In today’s world some may say “Don’t worry about the fruit. Just bask in the sunlight of His
love, enjoy the rain of His blessing, and the fruit will automatically appear.” But it does not work
that way. We have to put to death the works of the flesh. We have to take the fruit of the Spirit
in to our hearts – read, learn and meditate - and work towards enhancing our faith to develop
ourselves as well as many others that we may come in contact with. We can learn when Peter
states: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness,
knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to
perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being
ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does
not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past
sins”(2 Peter 1:5–9).
Furthermore we can learn more when Peter says: Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make
every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never
stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10–11). Jesus’ awareness of His power enabled Him to be gentle to
those in need. The broken reed He would not crush but would fully restore. The flickering wick
of a lamp He would not put out but would cause it to burn brightly again. His gentleness works.
It brings forth righteousness, and it will bring forth justice in the earth, He gently takes the
sinner and makes him whole.
As Christians we must learn to say: “Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord, for
making me whole.” Thank you, Lord, also that you saved me for a purpose. Thank you, Lord, for
the experiences that teach us how to fulfill your purpose with humble gentleness. May we
cultivate that fruit of the Spirit which gives all the glory to God and shows a gentleness that is
powerful and demonstrates the high, holy, faithful love of God!