Fruits of the Spirit – Gentleness

by Randy Folliard

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law,” Galatians 5:22-23.

These nine attributes form the foundation or bedrock of what it is to be a believer in Messiah. If we desire to emulate and follow in the footsteps of our Savior, then we must adopt and live by the characteristics we find here. It’s not enough to simply keep the Sabbath and other commandments, but we must go beyond this and change who we are on in the inside.

In Matthew 23, Yahshua refers to what He calls the weightier matters – judgment, mercy, and faith. I believe the attributes we see in Galatians 5 would also be considered the weightier matters that we should pursue.

Does this mean, then, that commandments like the Sabbath are not important? The answer is obviously not; Yahweh’s commandments are critically important. We know that Yahshua and the apostles, including Paul, faithfully observed the commandments including the Sabbath and Feast days. Is it possible to obey these commandments and yet NOT be found worthy of the first resurrection?

Based on the examples of the scribes and Pharisees, I believe this is a very real possibility. And for this reason we must not only focus on the commandments

Gentleness is one of the nine attributes of Yahshua and a necessary trait we must have if we seek to join in His coming Kingdom rulership.

outwardly but also on how we’re to change inwardly.

Gentleness – Moral Excellence

As we continue with the Fruits of the Spirit series, we focus on “gentleness,” which is described by the Greek word chrestotes. According to Strong’s Dictionary, this word means “usefulness; i.e. moral excellence (in character or demeanor).” Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines it as “moral goodness, integrity” and “benignity, kindness.”

This word conveys moral excellence, a concept not seen in any of the other fruits of the spirit. There’s something special about gentleness that conveys the idea of a person who is morally upright.

This characteristic also exemplifies Yahweh, our Father in Heaven, and Yahshua the Messiah. We see many examples where Yahweh showed kindness to Israel of Old, one of which is portrayed in Isaiah 40:9-11.

“O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your Elohim! Behold, my Sovereign Yahweh will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”

This is a prophecy of hope that Isaiah the prophet delivered to the people of Judah. Isaiah prophesied that Yahweh would gather His people as a shepherd gathers his flocks and the lambs within his arms. The imagery we see here shows the closeness Yahweh has with His people. It also shows His loving and gentle nature.

Even though Israel and Judah continually rebelled against Yahweh, He never gave up on them. While He punished them and at times pushed them away, He never removed all hope.

As we know from prophecy, Yahweh will again restore the people of Israel back to the land at the return of Yahshua the Messiah.

One other passage showing Yahweh’s kindness and gentleness is Psalm 103:8-13, where we see a description of His mercy.

“Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded

us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so Yahweh pitieth them that fear him.”

This passage is one of my favorite Psalms and gives me a lot of hope. We learn just how gentle our Heavenly Father is when we see that He is merciful, gracious, and slow to anger. Also, He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west and has compassion upon us as a father has compassion upon his children.

This last point is so important to me. Being a father of two daughters, I know the compassion and love I have for them. To know that this is how Yahweh looks upon us is comforting to me. As it should be to all of us.

Many believe that Yahweh of the Old Testament was cruel and unkind. But as see here in Psalms, this simply is not true; He was and is a Mighty One of love and gentleness.

Does this mean that He never punishes? Of course not. He punished Israel many times, but even their punishment was a show of mercy and kindness.

As we see in the Book of Hebrews, those whom Yahweh loves He rebukes and chastens. As His people, we’re to follow in these examples. As He showed grace, mercy, and gentleness, we’re to show these same attributes to one another.

We also know that our Savior was merciful and gentle in how He responded to the people. An example of this is Matthew 11:28-30. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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.”

The NIV reads gentle and humble instead of meek and lowly in heart. We see many examples of Yahshua showing gentleness throughout His ministry, especially to those who did not know the truth.

In fact, His principal adversaries were the pompous pharisaical leaders of His day. He had nothing but disdain for them. They were only concerned about the outward appearance with no compassion for their fellow man. But for others He showed compassion and gentleness in His acts, a few of which are listed in the following: • Matt. 14:14 - Fed the multitude with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. • Matt. 15:32 - Fed the multitude with 7 loaves and a few fishes. • Mark 6:34 - Moved with compassion and taught the people. • Luke 5:13 - Healing a man with leprosy. I try to show some compassion and even diplomacy “ when sharing Yahweh’s Word.”

• Luke 5:32-Yahshua stated that He came not for the righteous, but for the sinner. From these examples we witness Yahshua’s compassion for the common people, even for those He deemed sinners. As believers, we’re to follow in our Savior’s footsteps. As He was hospitable, compassionate, and gentle, we must also live by the same attributes.

Kindness to All Men

The Apostle Paul speaks about the need for servants of the Master to show kindness. Do you consider yourself a servant of Yahshua the Messiah? If so, then the following applies to you:

“And the servant of the Master must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if Elohim peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will,” 2Timothy 2:24-26.

Paul’s message here is that we’re not to have strife but be gentle unto all men. In the Greek, the word “strife” refers to an argument or a dispute, while the word “gentle” refers to being kind.

Notice that this call for kindness is not only for believers; Paul says we’re to show this gentleness to all men, including our enemies. As we see from the Greek word for gentleness, chrestotes, we show ourselves to have excellent moral character or demeanor when we exhibit this fruit.

Paul also states that we should be willing to teach, but in a spirit of meekness or humbleness. While we should be bold when we share Yahweh’s truth, we should also avoid strife and show a spirit of humbleness.

If we witness in a way that brings strife or conflict, even if we “win the argument,” we’ve lost the debate based on how we’ve acted. It’s not about winning; it’s about sharing the truth and setting an example that reflects Yahshua the Messiah.

This includes social media. Our behavior on social media should be the same as if we were there in person, exercising compassion and humility, not aggression and pride. Again, even if we “win the argument,” we’ve set a poor example as disciples of the Messiah.

Embracing Servitude

In Ephesians 4:1-3, we’re told to walk with meekness or gentleness. “I therefore, the prisoner of the Master, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Paul begins this passage by acknowledging that he was a prisoner of Yahshua the Messiah. The fact is, we’re all prisoners or servants of

the Messiah and belong to Him. We were purchased with His blood and because of this we belong to Him.

Now there may be some pretentious people who will declare they belong to nobody or are a servant to no one. For those who believe this, let me assure you that we are all servants to someone or something. As we read in Romans 6:16, we are either servants of Yahweh or servants of sin; one leads to life everlasting and one leads to death.

Paul also says to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we’ve been called. This is another common misnomer. Many have a notion that walking worthy is a form of legalism. But as we see here, we have an obligation to live a life that is worthy of Yahweh’s calling. We do this by walking in lowliness, meekness, and longsuffering, and forgiving one another in love.

The word “lowliness” here refers to humility, a must-have for believers in the Messiah. The NIV renders the word meekness here as gentle. When it comes to how we interact with those in the assembly, do we show a spirit of meekness and gentleness OR do we show a spirit of aggression and agitation?

Paul closes this passage by giving three very important points to consider: 1) we should forbear one another in love; 2) keep a spirit of unity that then 3) brings peace.

To forbear indicates having patience with one another. In Greek this word is makrothymias and means long-suffering, embracing steadfastness, tolerance, and long temperedness.

Paul splendidly describes showing forbearance with love in 1Corinthians 13:4. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not selfseeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs” (Berean

Study Bible).

Forbearance and love produce a spirit of unity and peace. There’s no greater achievement for an assembly than to have a true sense of unity and peace within it.

But for this to happen all members of that assembly must adopt and live by the characteristics we find here in Ephesians. If there’s one member who chooses to show something other than forgiveness and love, this can wreak havoc within the assembly and tear down the unity and peace within it.

We encourage everyone to ask themselves: Am I living the values in this passage? Does my behavior bring unity or division?

Bond of Perfectness

A similar passage can be found in Colossians 3:12-14. “Put on therefore, as the elect of Elohim, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Messiah forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”

As we saw in Ephesians, Paul here calls for compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. I cannot say enough about how important it is that we live by these attributes. When it comes to our salvation and position within the Kingdom, I believe these will either make or break us.

Yahweh is looking for the cream of the crop or the best. To be the best and found worthy, we must not only obey the commandments, but also emulate Yahshua the Messiah by living the values in the passage.

Paul goes on to say that if we have a grievance or complaint against someone, we’re to forgive them, as Yahweh forgave us. Once again, we should selfreflect and ask, do I hold a grievance or animosity against anyone?

If the answer is yes, I encourage you to find it within yourself to forgive them and to let go of that grievance. Holding on to animosity or hatred is not healthy and is not something Yahweh wants. He wants us to forgive and to move on.

Just as in Ephesians, so Paul closes this passage by speaking about love and unity. As we’ve already discussed, this is such an important concept.

Again, I simply encourage everyone to pursue love and unity by showing compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Sharing with Gentleness

In addition to Paul, Peter also speaks about gentleness. “But in your hearts set apart [Messiah] as [Sovereign]. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks about the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” 1Peter 3:15, NIV.

In this passage, Peter is speaking about witnessing and sharing the truth in gentleness and with respect. When it comes to sharing Yahweh’s Word, many miss the mark. Although our intentions may be right, we often witness in too forceful a way. The result of sharing the truth this way is typically that it brings only contention and also turns the person off from any future dialogue.

I was guilty of this in my younger years. When it came to witnessing or enforcing Yahweh’s Word, my approach was to look for the biggest two-by-four that I could find and beat them over the head with it until they were bloody and worn down – metaphorically speaking, of course.

Over the years I’ve changed my approach. Instead of reaching for that two-by-four, I try to show some compassion and even diplomacy when sharing Yahweh’s Word. As a minister, I try to also do the same when dealing with problems and disciplinary issues.

So again, the lesson here is simple; when we witness and share the good news, we should always remember to show gentleness and respect. Again, this includes social media. Just because we’re not in person and behind a screen does not give the right to be short, rude, or aggressive.

Restoring with Gentleness

Galatians 6:1-5 gives some advice on how we should restore someone to the faith. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted; Bear ye one another’s burdens, (please turn to p. 15)