Fruit of the Spirit: What is Goodness?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22,23)

Dictionary Definition: the quality or state of being virtuous, just, commendable, kind, benevolent

Goodness and kindness are very similar elements of the Fruit of the Spirit.

Matthew chapter 19 verses 16 to 22 illustrates two aspects of goodness: the moral and the benevolent. This is one difference between goodness and kindness. Kindness does not have an integral moral element. Jesus was trying to make it clear to this man that he was not as good a person as he thought he was. This man thought he could earn eternal life by being good; which is not true. Salvation, forgiveness, eternal life is a gift of God received by faith.

Matthew chapter 20 verses 1 to 16 also sheds light on the question of what is goodness. In verse 15, the Greek word translated generous in the New International Version comes from the same root word as goodness. The phrase could have been translated "because I am good." The Bible links being generous with goodness.

In Matthew chapter 25 verses 14 to 30, Jesus tells the parable of the Talents. In this parable, the good servants are the ones who are good stewards. They took what their master gave them and used it for his benefit. So another consideration for us in regards to goodness is to consider how we are using all that God has given us for his benefit as good stewards.

So goodness encompasses being morally good, being benevolent, being generous, and using all we have and are for God's glory.

Fruit of the Spirit: How to Grow in Kindness

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:1-4)

Jesus tells us to do good without anyone knowing that we have done good. This will help us to have the right motive. We cannot be praised by people for doing good if they do not know about it. Instead, we will be doing it for God and out of a desire to really help someone in need.

This has been called the discipline of secrecy. John Ortberg describes this discipline this way, "Every once in a while do something good and try to make sure no one finds out about it."

This will help us to grow in kindness.

Fruit of the Spirit: What is Kindness?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22,23)

Dictionary Definition: the quality or state of being affectionate, loving, of a sympathetic nature, disposed to be helpful, of a forbearing nature, gentle, agreeable

In Luke 6:35, Jesus said, "... you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." In context, Jesus is describing doing good for others without expecting anything in return. He tells us that God is kind, because this is what he does.

The Apostle Paul wrote, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32). In this verse, kindness is connected to compassion and forgiveness.

Titus 3:4, 5 tells us that God saved us because of his kindness and his love. We do not deserve to be forgiven. We did not earn our home in heaven. God is kind. Kindness is helping others when they do not deserve it.

A Biblical example of kindness is Joseph. His story starts in Genesis 37 and continues until the end of the book. In particular, Genesis 45:1-7 shows his kindness. He did not seek revenge on his brothers for selling him into slavery. Instead, he saved them from the famine.

Another example of kindness is David. We read in II Samuel 9 about Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathon and the grandson of King Saul. The normal action in any other kingdom would be to have him killed, lest he try to claim his grandfather's throne from David. But David treated Mephibosheth with kindness, not because of anything that this young man had done, but because David had been friends with his father, Jonathan.