THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
“Kindness and Goodness”
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Kevin Pendergrass.
Welcome to the Gospel of Christ. This is the third lesson in our study of the fruit of the Spirit. Today we will be defining what it means to be kind, and what it means to do good. “Kindness” means “to be kind,” “to bestow kindness,” or “to be merciful.” It is almost as if “to be kind is kindness” and “to have kindness is to be kind.” The definition itself does not offer too much help. But when we go to the Bible, we will have a proper understanding of what kindness is and how we must be kind to one another.
However, before we do that I want us to look at how God has been kind to us. The reason we are to be kind to one another and kind to God is because God was first kind to us. How did He bestow such kindness on us? Paul provided the answer in Ephesians 2:7 when he said, “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” What was the ultimate kindness that God has bestowed upon us? What is the greatest kindness that God has given us? It was sending His Son Jesus Christ to come to this Earth to shed His blood and die for us so that we could have Heaven as our eternal home. In John 3:16 the Bible says that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” That was the greatest kindness. In Titus 3:4 Paul wrote, “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared.” This was God’s kindness toward all people. We must realize that God has been kind to us by sending Jesus to shed His blood so that we could be saved if we obey Him. In 1 Peter 2:3 the Bible speaks of those who are Christians have tasted that the Lord is kind. What does that mean if you are not a Christian, and you are not a member of the one church Jesus build (the church of Christ; Rom. 16:16; Mt. 16:18)? That means that you have not tasted the ultimate kindness of Jesus Christ. Yes, you may have benefited from some of the kind things that God has provided in this world through nature or through the material blessings that come to all people. But you have not been able to taste the true kindness of God because you have not obeyed His will by obeying the Gospel, and in so doing, accepting Christ as your Savior by realizing that He died for our sins (Heb. 5:8-9). How was God kind to us? He was kind to us by sending Jesus Christ to this Earth to die for our sins so we could have Heaven as our eternal home.
Now let us talk about how we are to be kind, and what it means to be kind. The Bible tells us in Romans 6:3-4 that when we are baptized, we are baptized “into Christ.” When we come out of the watery grave, we are to walk in “newness of life.” When we do that, there are many things that we are to put off. We are to put off sin (Jas. 1:21). No longer are we to continue in sin. When we put off sin as we become Christians (Ga. 3:27), we see that there are other attributes that we are to put on. Consider what Paul said in Colossians 3:12—“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.” One of the characteristics that we must put on as Christians is kindness. We must have kindness as one of our attributes if we intend to go to Heaven.
Now let’s talk about some ways in which we are to be kind. How are we to be kind? One way to show kindness is to forgive one another. When someone who has sinned against us repents, we are to be kind to them and forgive them. In Ephesians 4:32 the Bible teaches us that we are to forgive people “just as God in Christ forgave us.” If we are going to be kind to others, we must be willing to forgive them when they sin and repent. We sometimes see two extremes when it comes to forgiveness. The one extreme says, “I am going to forgive unconditionally. It doesn’t matter if you have sinned against me a hundred times and never have repented. If you’ve never asked for forgiveness, that’s OK. The Bible says we have to forgive, so I’m going to forgive you anyway.” That is a false view. We must forgive, but notice that Ephesians 4:32 says that we are to forgive in the same manner that God in Christ forgave us. How did God do that? He forgives us when we repent and change our ways. Does Luke 17:3 say, “If your brother sins against you, forgive him unconditionally”? No, it says, “If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” We must not have the mentality that says we will forgive a person even if refuses to repent. God does not have that mentality. He does not forgive us unconditionally. Rather, we must repent if we want His forgiveness. Those who sin against us must repent if they want our forgiveness. We must forgive, but such forgiveness must be based upon the repentance of those who sinned against us.
The other extreme is, “I’m never going to forgive—even if you repent. Even if you say, ‘I’m sorry,’ I’m not going to believe you. I’m not ever going to forget or forgive you for what you have done to me.” That is just as wrong. If someone does repent, then we must forgive him. How much must we forgive? In Luke 17:3-4 Jesus said, “seven times in a day.” That, of course, is an exaggeration to prove a point. Jesus was teaching that no matter how many times a brother might sin against us, if he repents, we are to forgive him. If he says he is sorry, and if he changes, then we must forgive him. It may be hard at times. There may be consequences that come along with the person’s sin. But we still can forgive the person if he repents. In fact, we must forgive him. When we do that, we are showing a form of kindness. We must always have a forgiving spirit, just as Jesus possesses as He hung on the cross. He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Jesus was not forgiving them. Nor did the Father forgive them until Acts 2 when they repented. The same people who had crucified were present for Peter’s sermon in Acts 2. Peter told them that they, “with lawless hands,” had crucified Jesus. Those people when asked, “Men and brethren, what must we do?” (vs. 37). If they already had been forgiven, there would have been nothing for them to do. But Peter told them to “repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins.” This showed that Jesus had a forgiving spirit. He was ready to forgive them —but based only upon their repentance. It is very important that we understand this. So many people today say, “The Bible says that we are to forgive, so I forgive unconditionally.” We cannot do that. It is wrong and sinful if a person does that because God does not do that. We do not have any authority to do such a thing. But we certainly must have a forgiving spirit that is always ready to forgive when people who have sinned against us repent. This is one way we are to be kind to one another.
Another way that we are to be kind to one another is by helping a friend indeed (that is, by being “the shoulder to lean on”). In Job 6:14 the Bible says, “To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend.” When friends are going through trials and tribulations such a job loss, the loss of a spouse, or a divorce, we need to show kindness by providing a shoulder to lean on. We need to be there so they can talk to us. Sometimes the best conversation we can have is when we say nothing at all but just listen so another person can talk. This shows a form of kindness.
Another way to show kindness is by helping orphans and widows. James 1:27 teaches, “Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” God always has been concerned with helping the helpless. God has always shown mercy to orphans and widows. This is pure and undefiled religion. The word “visit” does not mean just to go talk to someone for ten minutes. It means that we are to take care of them and do everything we can to help them. In 1 Timothy 5 we see that the church is to “help the widow indeed” (that is, the widow who meets the qualifications set forth in 1 Timothy 5). We must help those who are less fortunate.
Another way to be kind to one another is hospitality. In Acts 28:2 we read that “the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold.” Paul had been shipwrecked, and had ended up on an island. The natives showed him and his companions “unusual kindness.” This was not something that the natives usually did. But they “kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold.” When we are hospitable toward one another, we are showing that we are kind. We bear the fruit of the Spirit of kindness. In 1 Peter 4:9 the Bible says that we are to be “hospitable without grumbling.” I wonder why Peter added, “without grumbling.” I suspect that we all know. Possibly there were times when people invited you over for dinner. Then, after you left, you looked at your spouse and said, “Well, I guess now, since they invited us over, we’ll have to invite them over, even though we don’t really want to.” When you invite them over, you may be showing hospitality, but you are doing it “with grumbling.” You are not doing it by free will, but out of obligation. We need to show hospitality because we want to be hospitable. We should want to help others and make them feel welcome. This applies to individuals whom we know, as well as to congregations. Perhaps you have a visiting preacher in your midst. Should you put him up in a hotel, or should you put him in members’ homes? We need to be hospitable and house the preacher or invite him to our homes to eat. We need to think about these things so we can be kind and hospitable. We need to do these things without complaining or grumbling.
All of these things are wonderful ways by which we can be kind. But the ultimate kindness that we can bestow upon non-Christians is to tell them the truth—what the Bible has to say (Eph. 4:15). We must speak the truth. We must make sure that we are going everywhere to teach and preach the Gospel (Acts 8:2-4). Some, unfortunately, believe that it is not a kind thing to tell someone the truth. You may have heard a preacher present a sermon, and then have heard someone say, “I didn’t like that lesson because he preached on sin, and I didn’t think that was very kind. He shouldn’t have said that certain groups are lost, or that we shouldn’t drink alcohol. That was unkind.” That is not the case. Kindness is telling our neighbors the truth so that they will know what they need to change in their lives, and what they need to do in order to go to Heaven. In the Old Testament there is an example where Abraham convinced Sarah to lie for him so that she would think she was doing him a kindness. In Genesis 20 we see Abraham making a journey. In verses 2-4 we read,
“Abraham said of Sarah his wife, ‘She is my sister.’ And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, ‘Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife.’ But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, ‘Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also?’”
Abimelech took Sarah to be his wife because he thought she was unmarried. He did not realize that she was married to Abraham. In verse 5 Abimelech said to God, “Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.” Abimelech did not realize that Abraham and Sarah were married because they lied to him. In verses 6-10 we read,
“And God said to him in a dream, ‘Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.’ So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid. And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, ‘What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.’ Then Abimelech said to Abraham, ‘What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?’”
In verses 11-13 we read,
“Abraham said, ‘Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, “This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, ‘He is my brother.’”’”
Abraham made Sarah think that she was being kind when she was lying for him. Abraham wanted her to believe that holding back the truth was a kindness. Many today feel that if we are kind, we should not tell the whole truth because it might hurt someone’s feelings or make him mad. If someone tells you that, do not fall for the trap for which Sarah fell. We are doing a kind thing when we teach people the truth and rebuke those who are in sin. When we correct others, we are acting kindly. How can we know this? We can know it because the Bible tells us. We see in Psalm 141:5 a prayer of David’s recorded: “Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.” Would you be able to pray that same prayer? David said, “If I am in sin, let the righteous strike me.” If they were to do that, they would be doing him a kindness. David realized that if was in sin, and someone corrected his sin, it would be an act of kindness. True kindness is looking out for the best interests of others. Philippians 2:4 tells us that we are to look out not only for our own interests, but also for the interests of others. We must not fall prey to the false idea which suggests that we are unkind if we tell people the truth. In fact, we are unkind if we hold the truth back from them, even though it may hurt them or offend them for a little while. It will get them to Heaven if they follow it. Thus, let us be kind by rebuking those who are in sin and by teaching the truth. We must correct those who are in error because by doing so we are showing a form of kindness. The ultimate form of kindness that we can be bestow on someone else is to show them that they can make it to Heaven.
Now let us look at what it means to do good. Goodness simply means to do that which is right. In 1 Peter 2:15 we read, “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” Matthew 7:21 says that we must do the will of God. What if I was preaching a sermon on obeying the laws of the land (which we must do so long as those laws do not contradict God’s laws; Rom. 13:1), and I then drive recklessly or blow my horn at people who are doing the speed limit because I’m speeding and I want them to get out of my way? The person who is obeying the law is thinking, “Isn’t that the fellow who preached about abiding the laws of the land?” This will allow ignorant and foolish men to have a platform to use to speak out against the church. We cannot be hypocrites. When we preach on doing good, then we must do that which is good. We must not say one thing, and then turn around do the exact opposite. Otherwise, we are allowing the foolish men of this world to make Christianity look bad.
Peter also said in 1 Peter 4:19, “Let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.” When we are suffering for doing what is right, then we are committing our souls to doing good. Perhaps you lost your job because you stood up for the right thing. Or, perhaps you lost a friend because you stood up for doing the right thing. Maybe you had to endure persecution because you did what the Bible says by standing up for God instead of for me. The Bible says that we not to worry during such occasions because we are doing good. In Acts 5:41 the apostles had just been beaten, yet said that they counted it worthy to suffer shame and do good to the glory of God. When we have to go through trials and tribulations, or when bad things come our way, we need to commit our souls to doing good so that we will not have to worry about the consequences. Far too many people today worry about consequences—the things that will happen to them if they commit themselves to doing good. We cannot worry about that. We simply need to commit ourselves to doing what is right, and then not worry about the consequences. In Daniel 3 we see that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not worried about the consequences of their faith because they knew that God would deliver them. And even if God did not deliver them, they still would not bow because they had committed their souls to doing good. Thus, they were not fearful or worried about the consequences. We cannot be, either. We must commit ourselves to doing good.
In Matthew 7:17-18 Jesus was talking about the difference between a good tree and a bad tree. He said, “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” Jesus’ point was that we cannot have it both ways. We cannot say that we are loving God, but not show it. If we are going to claim that we are doing good, then we actually have to do it. This is the “action part” of doing good. But to whom are we to do good? Galatians 6:10 says that we are to “do good to all men, especially those of the household of faith.” We are to do good to everyone. We should not pick and choose. In Proverbs 3:27 the Bible says, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in the power of your hand to do so.” There may be times when we do not have within our power to do good for someone. There may be times when we want to give, but financially we simply cannot. But there are other ways of doing good besides financially. We can pray for people. We can encourage them and talk to them. We are to do good to all, and especially those of the household of faith. There are some who say that the church can do good only to Christians because Galatians 6:10 is speaking only of individuals. But in Galatians 1:1-2 we see churches as a whole being discussed, not just individuals.
What else does the Bible teach is “good”? When we have unity, that is a good thing. In Psalm 133:1 the Bible says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” When we are working together as the one church (as opposed to denominationalism), that is a good and pleasant thing. In Amos 3:3 the Bible asks, “Can two walk together unless they be agreed?” Have you ever seen someone in a 3-legged race where two people have their inside legs together and try to run or walk? Unless they are agreed on one standard of how to do that, they are going to fall down. Two cannot walk together unless they be agreed. The unity of which the Bible speaks is a good unity, and is something we must have. It is not a unity that says, “You do your thing, and I’ll do my thing.” Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 1:10 that we are all to be unified. We are to speak the same thing so that there will no divisions among us. We are to be “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” It is good to dwell together in unity. This means that we are all following God. We are not simply “agreeing to disagree,” as so many in the religious world do today. Rather, we are agreeing on one standard—the Word of God. And we are following it as our sole pattern and guide.
Another way we can do good is to sing praises to God. Psalm 147:1 teaches that is a good thing when we sing praises to God. It is good for us to worship God together, and to have that privilege. Of course, the list of good things that we can do could go on and on.
But have you obeyed the Gospel? It is a good thing for you to obey the Gospel? In fact, it is a necessity that you obey the Gospel. In 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 we learn that those who do not obey the Gospel will be lost in Hell for eternity. Therefore, if you have not done good by obeying the Gospel, I encourage you to do so before it is too late. You must hear the Word (Rom. 10:17). You must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Jn. 3:16). You must repent and change your life so you can God’s will (Acts 17:30). You must confess Christ as Lord (Rom. 10:10). And you must be baptized in water for the forgiveness of your sins (Mk. 16:16). If you have yet to obey the truth, we pray today that you will obey the Gospel of Christ.
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
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“Kindness and Goodness”
1. If you were to provide your own definition of the word “kindness” (one that is not the same as one of those given in this lesson), what would it be?
2. How, according to Ephesians 2:7, has God shown kindness to all humanity?
3. According to John 3:16, what is another way that god has shown kindness to all humanity?
4. Explain 1 Peter 2:3 (“…if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious”).
5. Name the five traits found in Colossians 3:12 that Christians should exhibit.
6. According to Ephesians 4:32, how are we to act toward any person who has sinned but has asked for forgiveness?
7. What does Luke 17:3 admonish us to do regarding forgiving someone who has repented?
8. According to Luke 17:3, is it possible to forgive someone who will not repent?
9. What did Jesus mean when He said in Luke 17:4, “If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him”?
10. According to Job 6:14, what is one good way to show kindness to someone else?
11. According to James 1:27, what is another good way to show kindness to specific individuals?
12. What does 1 Peter 4:9 admonish Christians to do?
13. Acts 8:4 provides an approved example of something that all Christians should do. According to Ephesians 4:15, how should we do it?
14. In Genesis 20:2-4 what did Abraham convince Sarah to do “as an act of kindness” toward him?
15. In Psalm 141:5, what did David describe (somewhat unusually) as an “act of kindness” that would benefit him?
16. According to Philippians 2:4, whose interests are Christians to have in mind?
17. What did the apostle Peter mean when he said in 1 Peter 2:15, “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men”?
18. For whom, according to Galatians 6:10, are Christians to “do good”?
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