But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, GENTLENESS, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22, 23, NKJV).
Sweet Powerful Reasonableness
There are five significant things to know about GENTLENESS as a fruit of the Spirit.
First, like all good gifts, it comes from above, and the word Paul uses to describe it is rich in meaning and comfort, like a soft, warm blanket on a cold wintry night. Or a full-grown formidable guard dog that despite its training and experience has not lost its essential puppy-ness.
Secondly, from the perspective of God to Man, this gentleness is best thought of as clemency. It is distinctly active, and serves as the underlying foundation of God's words and actions toward humanity. The relationship is one of superior to inferior, as in Someone having the power and authority to control and condemn, but Who nevertheless ordains a "…fundamentally…relaxing of strict legal requirements concerning others, yet doing this in order to more fully carry out the real spirit of the law. It is clemency in which there is no element of weakness or injustice." Without this gentleness from God towards man, Adam's Fall would have resulted in instant and irremediable judgement. There would have been no gospel, nor redemption nor Messiah.
Thirdly, form the perspective of man to God, it entails the humble acceptance of whatever may come from God. It is the diametric opposite of the rebellious state in which we are all born and live until we, through God's grace and mercy, accept His gift of salvation. It is supernaturally bestowed, a work of the Spirit of God in the heart of a soul that has been born again. Like all aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, it can only be grown by the Word of God planted in that good soil of a regenerated heart that hears the truth, rejoices in the truth, and abides in the Vine. As in all such things, it cannot be produced by any effort of man, but only by the combatant in the field of battle, humbly accepting the terms of surrender imposed by the just and superior force arrayed against him. It is the result of the ignominious and inglorious rebel laying down his puny weaponry, resigned to whatever comes from the victor in response. That the response is clemency and mercy is all the more cause for joy that the conflict has finally ceased.
Fourthly, within the family of God toward one another, GENTLENESS is that powerful and sweet reasonableness spawned from humility, that honest assessment of one's strengths and gifts not corrupted by the sick, self-serving and false proclamations of inadequacies and weaknesses. It is the sincere result of not thinking very much about yourself at all because you hold a firm conviction that smallness is the right self-estimate for any human being, however strong or talented. Lewis wrote, "Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call 'humble' nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all."
Lastly, in the context of gentleness from the believer to the outside world, it is strength under control, sometimes termed 'meekness', though that has modern connotations the original meaning of the word did not. It is not physical or mental strength at all, but strength of character and conviction; that quiet sense of loving substance and certainty not shouted raucously and preachily from mountaintops, but manifested through merely living the Christian life. It is a gentleness that requires no billboards or bullhorns or amplifiers, but is nonetheless a firm foundation of care and sincerity that is oddly attractive without being flashy. It is the kind of gentleness that children and dogs recognize instinctively and instantly, regardless of outward appearance.
The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I appreciate sincere gentleness, and the more I am able to differentiate it from the superficial outward civility that always reminds me of someone trying his or her best not to be flatulent. Of all the different components of the fruit of the Spirit, this one is the easiest to mistake for something which it most certainly is not: weakness. Be forewarned, true Spirit-filled gentleness is captivating and easy to be around, but it is anything but weak. It can withstand and defeat all the brutal offenses of this life because it is fueled not by human will or human determination, but by the fierce and holy fires from the very heart of the Living God Himself.
