The Excellent Way #6

The picture accompanying this blog is one of the entrance way to En-gedi where David wrote many of the Psalms. David was aware of the mercy, the compassion, the kindness of God. It is not unusual then that as we come to the New Testament and we hear from another inspired writer that kindness is mentioned as being a key ingredient of Christian love and unity.

In I Cor. 13:4 Paul continues with the distinguishing attributes of agape by writing "...love is kind..." That is an expression of the Christian will, kindness. And if Christian love exists then kindness is present.

The word Paul used for kindness here was chresteuomai. It means, according to Zodhiates, "to be kind" "obliging" "willing to help or assist." And as one studies this word the forgone conclusion is that kindness is more than just a sentiment or a dormant characteristic. It is a word full of action.

The word comes from chrestos which means "good natured" "useful" "gentle" towards others. It is found in Eph. 4:32 where Paul wrote "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Peter wrote "...you have tasted the kindness of the Lord."(I Pet. 2:3)

Another word related to chresteuomai is chrestotes. It means "profitable" "kindness" "benignity" according to Zodhiates. He says chrestotes is the opposite of cutting something short and quickly. Wow! How the church needs that. Paul admonished the pastors of the church at Ephesus to be kind. Of course, he would not ask other leaders to do what he would not do. So he told the Corinthians that he in every way was willing to show himself to them as a servant of God.(II Cor. 6:4) Then he says as he lists the ways he showed them that "...kindness..." was one of those ways.(II Cor. 6:6) God give us leaders who are kind and who don't jump to conclusions about the flock and cut them short.

Paul uses chrestotes in Eph. 2:7 when he wrote about the way God had expressed his grace to us. He wrote that it was "...expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus." And he told us in Col. 3:12 that we ought to be kind. "...as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves..." "...with kindness..." And he told Titus "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy." (Titus 3:4-5)

We serve a kind God. This word chrestotes has been described as a mellowing characteristic that does away with harshness. God give us leaders like that in the church.

The synonyms of chresteuomai give us a deeper and fuller grasp of kindness. Paristemi is a synonym that means "to stand beside." It too is an active word that is translated help. Paul introduced the servant Phoebe to the church at Rome. He told them "...give her any help she may need." It is also used of Phoebe when Paul tells them "...she has been a great help to many people, including me..." (Ro. 16:1-2) The Interlinear translates this word "...stand by..."

Antilambanomai is another synonym of chresteuomai. It also means "to help" "be a partaker of" "to succor" acccording to Zodhiates. Interesting that Paul uses this word in his admonitions to the elders of the church at Ephesus. He says "...we must help the weak...'(Acts 20:35) God give us "...overseers..." that willingly help the weak.

Boetheo is another synonym. It means "to aid." We are told that Boetheo comes from two words: "Boe-"a cry" and "theo" "to run." So Zodhiates says that it means "to run on hearing a cry." This word is seen in action in Mark 9 where the father of the possessed boy said to Jesus "...if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us..."(Mark 9:22) And as one reads on one sees the reaction of a loving person who hears a cry and runs to aid and give assistance to another.

Other synonyms mean "to do good" "to benefit""to be useful" It was said of Jesus "...He went around doing good..."(Acts 10:38)

Jesus was so people minded. He was kind, willing to help, useful, gentle, benign, standing beside others, aiding others, running to help, acting beneficially....

Blapto is an antonym of kindness. It means "to endanger" "to hurt" "to hinder" "to disable" "to weaken" "to impede." And the synonyms of this antonym mean "to act unjustly" "injure" "to do evil" "to harm" "to put in a bad mood against another" "to take away" "to consume" "to destroy." Paul uses one of them in I Cor. 6:8 when he spoke to these very Corinthians and said of them: "...you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers." The Greek language was no foreign language to Paul. He used another of these antomyms of kindness in Gal. 5:15 when he wrote: "If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed of each other." Paul described love with a word that was opposite of all the negative ways Christians can treat one another for he said "...love is kind..." A word that helps, stands beside it neighbors, aids them, assists them...

Recently I spent a couple of weeks in the home of two people who epitomize the statement "...love is kind..." Just a few years ago out of the kindness of their hearts they spent thousands of dollars, made two trips overseas, and adopted a little boy who had little hope of any comfortable future whatsoever. Who knows what would have happened to him. And who knows where he would be now. Instead he lives in a Christian home. He loves his Bible his adoptive grandmother gave him. He is healthy and happy.

Christian love is kindness. It is a serving kind of thing. It will bring blessings and unity to not only families but also to churches.

Hope my brother can use some of this as he studies about love. Due to circumstances and a lack of room most of my library is being kept by a kind brother and therefore I do not have ready access to it. I feel a little limited in giving as complete a study as I would like, but hopefully what I can do with the aid of Zodhiates will help....And I am not assuming that you need my help in any way. I know you are quite capable of study. I also know your heart and I thank you for giving me this small part in sharing the gospel...I love you brother....