TEMPERANCE - Fruit of the Spirit

• A Dual Nature - It would be helpful to remind ourselves of each Christian’s dual nature. Let us consider each “side” of a Christian’s whole personality. 2 Cor 5:17 describes his new nature: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. We find similar language in Eze 36:26, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh”. On the other hand, Rom 7:21-25 and 8:1-2 delineate how sin is still a present reality in our bodies, which have not been redeemed:  “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man [or the soul]: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members [or my body”.  This internal dualism is the true Christian’s greatest spiritual struggle, bar none, as Rom 7:24 pinpoints, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”. The apostle Paul, under divine inspiration, reveals in Rom 7:25 the Scriptural assessment that a child of God must constantly keep in mind, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin”. Gal 5:16-18 and verses 24-25 further add:  “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh [our bodies]... And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”. We find this wonderful truth in Rom 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”.




Rom 7:21-25 “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man [or the soul]: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members [or my body]. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin... ”




Rom 8:1-2 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”




Gal 5:16-18, 24-25 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh [our bodies]. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law...  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
















• Jesus was in All Points Tempted like as We are, Yet Without Sin - In John 3:6 the Bible declares, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” and verse 7 continues, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again”. The Bible informs us in Rom 6:16 that we cannot serve two masters: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” As God saves His people and they grow in grace, one thing they quickly recognize is that the Christian life is a battle as we saw above. Even after a person is redeemed he struggles with sin because his body still remains unsaved, even though in his soul he has received eternal life. Mat 26:41 adds, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”. Also in Eph 6 and throughout the Bible one learns that the only “real” strength that one can possess is that which God alone gives to each of His redeemed children. “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” highlight the supremacy of God’s everlasting power in bestowing His salvation upon His elect when He saves them and sustains them by His grace. Eph 6:10-13 explains who the real enemy is in this spiritual warfare, and states that a believer is to “put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”. 2 Cor 2:11 tells why this is: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices”. These verses also outlines the various parts of the Christian’s armor. 2 Cor 10:3-6 further adds that this spiritual battle is to be fought with spiritual weapons. The words “wiles”, “power”, “darkness”, and “wickedness” found in verses 11-12 highlights the Deception of the Devil. Eph 6:10-18 highlights the objective for wearing the pieces of armor, which are defensive in nature – except for the Sword of the Spirit (or the Word of God) which is the only offensive weapon in the Christian’s armory. This weapon – the Truth as revealed in the Word of God, the Bible – along with all the rest of the armour of God can overcome Satan's Deception. The Bible clearly reveals in 1 John 2:16, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”. These were the very same temptations that Satan successfully used against Eve in the Garden of Eden and against the Lord Jesus Christ when He was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. But Jesus did not succumb to Lucifer, as Adam and Eve did, instead he combated Satan with the the Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God.




Cor 10:3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.




Matt 4:1-11 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread [lust of the flesh]. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down [pride of life]: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them [lust of the eyes]; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”




Heb 4:12-16 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 14Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
















• Temperance is the Fruit of the Spirit - Pro 23:7a sets forth an important principle: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he ...”. The thoughts of one’s heart reveal a person’s true nature, as the Lord Jesus proclaimed in Mark 7:21, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders”. Yes, the heart of unsaved, natural man is “desperately wicked” as stated in Jer 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”. Of course, the answer to that question is, “Only God knows the full extent of the wickedness of man’s heart”. However, the true believer, by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, can overrule his evil nature and focus his thoughts on the things of God, as we read in Php 4:8-9: “... whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report...”. “Temperance”, or “self-control”, is a remarkable fruit of the Spirit that motivates the true follower of Jesus Christ to forsake sin and follow the commands of Scripture. The Greek root word is translated as “power” in Eph 6:10, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might”. 1 Cor 9:24-25 reminds us: “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things”.  A Christian can have victory over evil and wickedness because, amazingly, he has the “mind of Christ”, as declared in 1 Cor 2:16 “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we [believers] have the mind of Christ”. Rom 12:21 commands, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good”. And in 3 John 1:11 we read: “Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God”. May God cause us to demonstrate agape love in our lives by being unselfish, controlling our anger, and focusing our thoughts on the things of God.
  
  

1 Cor 9:24-27 “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”




Php 4:8-9 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

GOODNESS - Fruit of the Spirit

• The Goodness of God - At the completion of the first Temple and after Solomon’s prayer dedicating it, we learn this in the first three verses of 2 Chr 7, all the children of Israel “... worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever”. Indeed, God’s goodness as well as all His other divine attributes reveal His magnificent, glorious, and inscrutable majesty. His goodness is portrayed throughout the Bible in hundreds of verses. We know from Jesus’ words in similar verses in Matthew, Mark and Luke that only God is “good”. We read this in Mark 10:18, “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God”. Of course, by that statement Jesus did not mean that He is not God. Jesus is identifying Himself as God and the Messiah. Rom 3:12 (which quotes Psa 53:1) also emphasizes that there is none good: “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” . God’s goodness is also uniquely associated with His mercy in a number of passages, like Psa 86:5, Psa 145:9: “The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works”. Rom 2:4 immediately helps us to see the reason for this: “... the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance [or salvation]?”. Not only is God inherently good, but He bestows His goodness upon His creatures, and salvation is the highest expression of His infinite goodness, as Jam 1:17-18 insists. Salvation is the greatest gift anybody can receive because no human being deserves it. In fact, we deserve the opposite, which is eternal damnation. Isa 52:7 announces the greatest demonstration of God’s goodness as found in the Gospel – that is, the whole Bible: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”

Jam 1:17-18 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18Of his own will begat [made us born-again] he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

Psa 86:5 “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.”

Psa 145:8-9 “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 9The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.”

Psa 107:1 “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

• God’s Goodness Repents Him of the Evil - God Himself does not repent, or change His mind, according to Num 23:19: “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” and 1 Sam 15:29: “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent”. Now on the surface, this can be a bit confusing. Didn’t God “repent” when He did not bring judgment against Nineveh? It is not the repentance in Ninevites that brought out Goodness in God but it is the goodness of God that worked repentance in Ninevites. The first point we have to come to grips with is that even before the foundation of the world, God had planned to save the Ninevites. This was very difficult for Jonah to comprehend. Why would God show this degree of kindness and mercy to such rebellious, wicked individuals and sworn enemies of Israel? Note what he says in Jon 4:1, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry”. However, God was also teaching Jonah an “object lesson”, even as He did with Peter many hundreds of years later about His plan to save a people for Himself which included both Jews and Gentiles. In Jonah’s case, it involved a gourd which God had graciously provided to shield Jonah from the burning sun which was beating down on him in Jonah 4. God’s answer to Jonah in Jon 4:9-11 helps us see God’s love as the motivating force behind this wonderful salvation account, even though God had warned of impending judgment previously.

Jon 3:10 “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented [comforted] of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not”

Jon 4:9-11 “And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?”

Exo 33:19 “And he [God] said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.”

Rom 9:15-16 “For he [God] saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”

Joel 2:12-13 “Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”

• God’s Goodness Lead us to Repentance - Rom 2:4 makes this beautiful declaration: “…the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance”, which is synonymous with salvation. Rom 2:4 emphasizes God’s sovereign power and grace to save His elect people: “Or despisest thou [speaking about at unsaved man] the riches of his [God’s] goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance [or salvation]?”.  God’s Goodness is closely is associated with God’s mercy as we have seen in Psa 86:5: “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee”. Psa 52:1-7 paints a similar picture of human depravity and God’s goodness, despite of man’s rebellion. God is merciful to His elect and saves them because of His goodness; and He works all things “together for good” in their lives, as we read in Rom 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”. Heb 13:21 brings out the incomprehensible reality that God is working to accomplish His divine will in the lives of His people: “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ”.

Psa 52:1-7 “Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. 2Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. 3Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. 4Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. ”

2 Pet 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Heb 13:20-21 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

• The Fruit of the Spirit is Goodness - We need to understand that God must first raise us from spiritual death before we can be “good” and “upright” in God’s eyes. Psa 65:4 pinpoints how God “draws” a person to salvation and is another beautiful illustration of God’s mercy in making His people as holy as Himself: “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple”. Only those whom God has saved can “be good” and “do good” in His eyes because their sins have been paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross; and whatever “good works” they do is only because God is working in them to accomplish “His good pleasure”, according to Php 2:13: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”. Eph 5:9 and Gal 5:22-23 gives us an excellent description of “goodness” as one of the fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Gal 5:22-23). With the continual work of grace – the operation of God – in the Christian’s life, God gives to those who are “new creatures in Christ” – this command in Jam 1:22, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves”. If God has saved you, He will give you an earnest and ongoing desire to do His will, as set forth in His Word, the Bible. God’s people will receive His “goodness and mercy” all the days of their lives – which is forevermore: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Psa 23:6). Salvation is life eternal and, once received, can never be lost or taken away: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Php 1:6). Eph 2:7 gives us a glimpse of what God has planned for believers in eternity future: “That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus”.

Luke 11:9-13 “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

Eph 5:8-11“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

Eph 4:32 “And be ye kind [Good] one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

2 Chr 6:41 “Now therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests [the children of God], O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints [the children of God] rejoice in goodness.”

GENTLENESS - Fruit of the Spirit

• Agape Love [God’s Love] is Kind [Gentle] - The second characteristic of love in 1 Cor 13:4 – kindness or Gentleness: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up...”. We see that God is “kind” to even unthankful and evil people [all of us sinners] in Luke 6:35: “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil”. Neh 9:19 illustrates God’s constant, protective and faithful care for His Sheep, despite of their rebellion: “Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go”. Jer 32:18 illustrates both God’s mercy and God’s justice: “Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and  recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name”. God in His magnanimous kindness grants an individual divine, eternal  pardon and reconciliation as Psa 103:3-4 declares: “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies”. The Hebrew word for “mercy” is checed (H2617), is also rendered as “kindness” or “lovingkindness”. The Hebrew word for “everlasting” is olam (H5769), and both words appear together in almost 60 verses.

Neh 9:16-17 “But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. 18Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations; 19Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.”

Isa 54:8 “In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting [H5769] kindness [H2617] will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.”

Isa 55:3 “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting [H5769] covenant [or Gospel] with you, even the sure mercies [H2617 lovingkindness] of David.”

Jer 31:3 “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting [H5769] love: therefore with lovingkindness [H2617] have I drawn thee.”

Psa 103:17 “But the mercy [H2617 lovingkindness] of the LORD is from everlasting [H5769] to everlasting [H5769] upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;”

• Kindness toward Us through Christ Jesus - In Eph 2:4-10 we read about God’s wonderful mercy, which in Greek is eleos (G656) and expressed His love by sending the Lord Jesus to be the only Savior: “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ”. All the God’s Kindness we have seen above typified, or pointed, to “the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus”. Heb 10:16-18 [also Psa 103:3-4, as we have seen above] emphasizes the total forgiveness that God bestows upon those whom He has elected to save from sin and eternal damnation: “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin”. God, not only magnified His Word: “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou [God] hast magnified thy word above [as] all thy [God’s] name” (Psa 138:2) but also  cleanses the elect with the “washing of water by the word [the Gospel]” through the salvation process because of His “kindness and love” for His people, as we read in Tit 3:3-7: “after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost”. Isa 63:9 speaks of God’s care for the nation of Israel (as they typify the true children of God): “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel [or messenger] of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old”. Man’s spiritual deadness requires that God do all the work needed to regenerate man’s dead soul, including drawing the man to Himself, as Jer 31:3 asserts: “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee”. Because God does all the work of Salvation, all the glory must go to Him, as Jer 9:24 proclaims: “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD”. There is only one kind of boasting that meets with God’s approval – it’s the boasting by believers about the mercy of God for His glory, as we read in Gal 6:14: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”

Eph 2:4-10 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Tit 3:3-7 “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

• The Fruit of the Spirit is Gentleness - Those to whom God has graciously given the gift of salvation do not, in any way, merit such eternal kindness and blessing nor can they claim any credit for it. In Eph 4:32: “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” and Col 3:12-13: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, 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 Christ forgave you, so also do ye”, true believers are instructed to mirror the kindness that God has shown to them by being kind to one another. Following the pattern of their Master, those who are part of the eternal church are equipped with the fruit of “gentleness”, or kindness. We will look at one of Jonathan’s sons, Mephibosheth, to whom King David showed much kindness in 2 Sam 9:3-8 and 13. David loved Jonathan dearly, and in the historical context he desired to express that in a tangible way to Saul’s relatives. He wanted to “shew the kindness of God” to “any of the house of Saul”. King Saul was Jonathan’s father and David’s former enemy. This is a beautiful representation of the biblical injunction to “love your enemies”. May the Holy Spirit empower us to exhibit patience, kindness, and the good kind of zeal in our lives for God’s honor and glory.

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

2 Sam 9:3-8 and 13 “And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar. Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar. Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?. …So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.”

Psa 40:11 “Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.”

MEEKNESS - Fruit of the Spirit

• I [God] am Meek and Lowly in Heart - “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass” (Mat 21:5). Meekness is a wonderful reminder of the two-fold description of the Savior, Lord Jesus Christ, Who said in Mat 11:29, “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”. We must bear in mind that when the Lord speaks of Himself as “meek” and “lowly”, we are talking about eternal God the Creator, His Eternal Majesty, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords! “Who [Jehovah God] humbleth [shaphel:H8213] himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!”. Here we see to what extent Christ had to empty Himself of His divine glory as He humbled Himself by taking on a human nature: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Php 2:6-7). In order to be the only Savior for sinners the Lord Jesus had to first take on a human nature. Secondly, he had to become sin, as 2 Cor 5:21 so emphatically announces: “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him”. Thirdly, He had to suffer the equivalent of spending eternity in Hell for every single child of God: “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Php 2:8). The Savior not only epitomizes the very essence of humility in His life but in His death as well as He suffered the equivalent of eternal damnation in the “lake of fire” for each of His elect people. In Acts 8:30-35 we are faced with the account of the Ethiopian eunuch who asks Phillip to explain a passage in Isa 53: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33In his humiliation his judgment was taken away”. These passages substantiate the infinite degradation that the Lord Jesus subjected Himself to in experiencing the shame of sin and the “lowest Hell”.

Acts 8:30-35 “And Philip ran thither to him (eunuch), and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”

Php 2:5-11 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

• God Giveth Grace unto the Humble - The Hebrew word for “meek” (‘anav:H6035) is found some 26 times, and is generally translated as “meek”, “humble”, “poor”, and “lowly”. Num 12:3 affirms: “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth”. We should remember that Moses is a great “type”, or representation, of the Lord Jesus. One of the main themes in the Bible is the pride of Satan and man, which underlies all sin. The contrast between pride and humility is found throughout the pages of Scripture; and one such example is the historical parable of the Pharisee and the publican, found in Luke 18:9-16. Notice in verse 16 that the Lord pinpoints “little children”: “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer [allow] little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God”, who in their naiveté represent those who have become “children of God”. We see the same “little children” in Mat 18:3: “And [Jesus] said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven”. Also Mat 21:5 that declares, “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass”. The two donkeys pictured here represent the true believers who have been made “meek” or “saved” by their King. He sits upon them as He rides triumphantly into Jerusalem, typifying the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Rev 21:2-4). To “sit” is figuratively associated with “ruling”, or “reigning”, as Christ most certainly does over His eternal church. 

Psa 138:6 “Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly [shaphal:H8217]: but the proud he knoweth afar off.”

Psa 34:18 “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”

Psa 149:4 “For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.”

Luke 18:9-16 “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [or saved] rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 15And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer [allow] little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”

• The Fruit of the Spirit is Meekness - Lord Jesus indeed manifested a “…contrite and humble spirit…” In turn, those whom God has elected to salvation will be “humbled” and will be “made contrite” as God gives them a new resurrected soul and saves them by His grace and for His glory. Before salvation God has to “break us down” spiritually, and humble us because by nature we are so proud and arrogant as we disdain God and His Word, the Bible. Jer 44:10: “They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers”, relates to the rebellion of Judah and Jerusalem in the historical setting, but figuratively it explains what is transpiring in our day with the institutional churches and denominations, putting themselves over the authority of the Bible, which sadly are under God’s wrath. God “revives”, or “makes alive”, “… the spirit of the humble, and… the heart of the contrite ones”: “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isa 57:15). Thus, the “humble” are God’s elect. The trait of humility, which the Savior so perfectly demonstrated, is also found among His people, as the indwelling Holy Spirit produces the fruit, and they reflect His character of being “…meek and lowly in heart…”. 1 Pet 5:5-7 speaks of each Christian as being “clothed with humility” and highlights the essence of someone who is a true child of God. Eph 4:2: “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;” and Col 3:12-23 admonishes believers, to pattern their life after their Master. Notice how God associates “humility” with the “fear of the LORD” in Pro 22:4 “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life” and Pro 15:33 “The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility”. The Lord hears the prayers of the humble: “LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:” (Psa 10:17). God the Holy Spirit indwells the new Christian in his newly resurrected soul. In this wonderful new relationship (which the Bible likens to marriage) the child of God is both taught and led by God in the Scriptures. May God give us the grace to walk more humbly and more obediently before Him.

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

Jam 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble [meek].”

1 Pet 5:5-7 “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 

Col 3:12 “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye”