Difference between revisions of "Kindness"

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== Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament <ref name="term_56357" /> ==
 
<p> In its substantival, adjectival, verbal, and adverbial form this term occurs in the English [[Nt]] in the following passages: &nbsp;Luke 6:35, &nbsp;Acts 27:3; &nbsp;Acts 28:2, &nbsp;1 Corinthians 13:4, &nbsp;2 Corinthians 6:6, &nbsp;Galatians 5:22 (Revised Versiononly), &nbsp;Ephesians 2:7; &nbsp;Ephesians 4:32, &nbsp;Colossians 3:12, &nbsp;Titus 2:5 (Revised Versiononly), &nbsp;Titus 3:4, &nbsp;2 Peter 1:7 (Authorized Versiononly; Revised Version‘love of the brethren’). In all these passages (except &nbsp;Acts 27:3; &nbsp;Acts 28:2, where it renders φιλανθρώπως, φιλανθρωπία, &nbsp;Titus 2:5, where it renders ἀγαθός, and &nbsp;2 Peter 1:7, where ‘brotherly kindness’ renders φιλαδελφία) the original has χρηστός, χρηστότης, χρηστεύειν. These Greek words, however, occur in several other places, where the English [[Nt]] docs not employ the term ‘kindness,’ viz. &nbsp;Matthew 11:30 (‘easy’), &nbsp;Luke 5:39 (Authorized Versionχρηστότερος, ‘better,’ Revised Versionχρηστός, ‘good’), &nbsp;Romans 2:4 <i> bis </i> (‘goodness’), &nbsp;Romans 3:12 (‘good’), &nbsp;Romans 11:22 (‘goodness’), &nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:33 (‘good’), &nbsp;Galatians 5:22 (Authorized Version‘gentleness,’ Revised Version‘kindness’), &nbsp;1 Peter 2:3 (‘gracious’). These passages will have to be taken into account in determining the precise meaning of the conception. </p> <p> χρηστός is the verbal adjective of χράω, ‘use.’ Its primary meaning, therefore, is ‘usable,’ ‘serviceable,’ ‘good,’ ‘adequate,’ ‘efficient’ (of persona as well as of things). This utilitarian sense of ‘goodness’ passes over into the ethical sense in which it becomes the opposite to such words as πονηρός, μοχθηρός, αἰσχρός. It further passes over into the more specialized ethical meaning of ‘kind,’ ‘mild.’ The process of the latter transition may perhaps still be observed in the phrase τὰ χρηστά =‘good services,’ ‘benefits,’ ‘kindnesses.’ </p> <p> In the [[Nt]] there is only one instance where it has the sub-ethical meaning ‘good for use,’ viz. &nbsp;Luke 5:39; here the old wine is said to be ‘good’ or ‘better.’ According to [[Trench]] ( <i> Synonyms of the [[Nt]] </i> 9, 1901, p. 233), even here the thought is coloured by the ethical employment of the word in other connexions, χρηστός = ‘mellowed with age.’ This is certainly true of &nbsp;Matthew 11:30, where Christ’s yoke is called χρηστός because it is a figure for demands that are kind and mild. In all other instances the ethical application is explicit. The precise shade of meaning, however, attaching to the word in this sense is not easy to determine. In certain instances it may designate moral goodness in general. This seems to be the case in &nbsp;Romans 3:12 (ποιῶν χρηστότητα, a quotation from &nbsp;Psalms 14:2, where χρηστόν is the Septuagintrendering for טוֹב). In &nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:33 the proverbial saying φθείρουσιν ἤθη χρηστὰ ὁμιλίαι κακαί, ‘evil companionships corrupt good morals’ (or ‘characters’), has χρηστός in the same general sense, the opposite here being κακός. In all other cases there are indications that some specific quality of moral goodness is intended. Most clearly this is apparent in &nbsp;Galatians 5:22, for here χρηστότης stands among a number of [[Christian]] graces and is even distinguished from ἀγαθωσύνη, ‘goodness.’ [[A]] similar co-ordination is found in &nbsp;Colossians 3:12, where χρηστότης occurs side by side with πραὔτης. Various attempts have been made at defining that conception. [[Jerome]] in his exposition of &nbsp;Galatians 5:22 renders χρηστότης by <i> benignitas </i> (cf. the rendering by Wyclif and in the [[Rheims]] Version), and quotes the Stoic definition; ‘benignitas est virtus sponte ad benefaciendum exposita.’ The difference between χρηστότης and ἀγαθωσύνη he finds in this, that the latter can go together with a degree of severity, whilst it is inherent in χρηστότης to be sweet and inviting in its association with others. This, however, does not quite hit the centre of the biblical idea. Most shrewdly, it seems to us, the latter has been pointed out by Tittmann ( <i> de Synonymis in [[Nt]] </i> , 1829-32, i. 141) as consisting in the trait of beneficence towards those who are evil and ungrateful: ‘χρηστός bene cupit, neque bonis tantum sed etiam malis.’ </p> <p> [[A]] closer inspection of the several passages will bear this out, at least as the actual implication of the [[Nt]] usage, if not as the inherent etymological force of the word. In &nbsp;Luke 6:35 God is said to be χρηστός towards the unthankful and evil, and the statement serves to urge the preceding exhortation: ‘love your enemies, do them good, and lend, never despairing.’ The passages in Romans point to the same conclusion. In &nbsp;Luke 2:4 the χρηστότης is associated with ‘forbearance’ and ‘longsuffering’; it is that attitude of God by which doing good in the face of evil He leads men to repentance. In the second clause of this verse the word occurs in the form τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, which probably means the embodiment of the χρηστότης in acts. On the same principle in &nbsp;Luke 11:22 χρηστότης is the opposite of ἀποτομία, ‘severity’; ‘to continue in the χρηστότης of God’ means to continue in conscious dependence on this undeserved favour of God (cf. &nbsp;Luke 11:21, ‘be not highminded, but fear’). In &nbsp;1 Corinthians 13:4 we read of love that it ‘suffereth long (χρηστεύεται), envieth not,’ which indicates that a kindness is meant which overcomes obstacles. In &nbsp;2 Corinthians 6:6, again, χρηστότης is found in conjunction with ‘longsuffering,’ and in a context which emphasizes the patient, forbearing character of the Apostle’s loving ministration to his converts. In &nbsp;Galatians 5:22 we meet with the same conjunction between ‘longsuffering’ and χρηστότης, and here, by distinction from ἀγαθωσύνη, ‘benevolence,’ and πραὔτης, ‘meekness,’ the sense is narrowed down to a benevolence which asserts itself either with a peculiar cheerfulness or in the face of peculiar difficulties. According to &nbsp;Ephesians 2:7 the [[Divine]] grace is shown in kindness; no matter whether χρηστότης is here taken as <i> abstractum pro concreto </i> =the embodiment of God’s kind procedure in the work of salvation, or whether ‘grace’ be given an objective concrete sense; in either case the association of the two shows that the Divine χρηστότης is conceived as having for its object the sinful and unworthy. The context of &nbsp;Colossians 3:12 likewise emphasizes the forbearing and forgiving disposition required of the Christian in view of the forgiveness received from God, and the terms with which χρηστότης is here associated (‘lowliness,’ ‘meekness,’ ‘longsuffering’) are again terms that describe benevolence over against faults observed in fellow-Christians. The χρηστότης of &nbsp;Titus 3:4 is shown by the context to be God’s kindness towards sinful, undeserving man, and held up as an example for the Christian of abstention from evil-speaking, contentiousness, and pride. It came to such as were ‘foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.’ Finally, in &nbsp;1 Peter 2:8 (a quotation from &nbsp;Psalms 34:9) the general meaning ‘gracious’ seems to be indicated by the fact that the Divine χρηστότης is set in contrast to the wickedness and guile and hypocrisies and envies and evil-speakings, which the readers must put aside as new-born men (cf. &nbsp;1 Peter 1:23 and the ‘therefore’ in &nbsp;1 Peter 2:1), and the putting aside of which is invited by their vivid experience in the new life that the Lord Himself is gracious. </p> <p> Geerhardus Vos. </p>
Kindness <ref name="term_56362" />
       
<p> <b> [[Kindness.]] </b> —The [[Nt]] term χρηστότης, which is rendered in the Authorized and Revised Versionsboth by ‘kindness’ and by ‘goodness’ (once in &nbsp;Romans 3:12 as ‘good,’ following the [[Lxx]] [[Septuagint]] of Psalms 13(14):1, 3, there quoted, in which χρηστότητα = טוֹב), nowhere occurs in the Gospels. The quality it denotes, however, is an evangelical virtue. Like its [[Ot]] counterpart חֶסֵד, it is attributable both to God (as in &nbsp;Romans 2:4 <i> et al </i> .) and to man (as in &nbsp;2 Corinthians 6:6 <i> et al </i> .). The adj. χρηστός, Authorized and Revised [[Versions]] ‘kind,’ is found once in the [[Gospels]] as referring to God (&nbsp;Luke 6:35). The other instances of its use in very different connexions, as applied to a yoke (&nbsp;Matthew 11:30) and to wine (&nbsp;Luke 5:39), though such use is a natural outgrowth of its root-meaning, need only be mentioned. </p> <p> <b> 1 </b> . <i> The [[Kindness]] of God in the Teaching of Jesus </i> .—The passage in which God is explicitly represented as ‘kind’ occurs in Lk.’s version of the <i> logion </i> of Jesus concerning love of friends and hatred of foes (&nbsp;Luke 6:27-36 || &nbsp;Matthew 5:43-48). The highest reward attendant upon a love that extends to both friends and foes and is ready to show kindness to all men without distinction, is that thereby men become ‘sons of the Most High.’ ‘Sons of your Father which is in heaven,’ as it runs in &nbsp;Matthew 5:45, would appear to be the primitive phrase, but ‘the Most High’ (ὕψιστος) is quite a favourite name for God with Lk., and its substitution here is probably due to this preference (see Dalman, <i> The Words of Jesus </i> , English translation p. 199). God is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. In the Mt. parallel this benign goodness is expressed in the concrete picture of sunshine and rain bestowed equally upon the evil and the good, the just and the unjust. [[Clearly]] the expression of an all-embracing benignity can go no further so far as extent is concerned. The only enhancing possible is in connexion with the gift which betokens that benignity, and this we have in the great saying of &nbsp;John 3:16, along with the same sweep of reference, ‘God so loved <i> the world </i> , that he gave <i> his only-begotten Son </i> .’ That fontal love is manifested in the kindness (cf. &nbsp;Titus 3:4) on which Jesus lays so much stress in His presentment of God as our Father, a kindness going far beyond the providential bounties and mercies of this life, and concerning itself with the profoundest needs of sinful men. </p> <p> If explicit statements of the character of that now considered are not multiplied in our Lord’s teaching, it is to be pointed out that the same conception of God is necessarily implied in a considerable group of the parables—those, in particular, that illustrate the [[Divine]] grace. The great trilogy of Luke 15, exhibiting the Divine concern for man as τὸ ἀπολωλός; the parables which show how royally and wonderfully God pities and forgives, whether that forgiveness is gratefully realized (the Two Debtors, &nbsp;Luke 7:36-50) or is strangely disregarded (the [[Unmerciful]] Servant, &nbsp;Matthew 18:23-35); the parable of the Great Supper (&nbsp;Luke 14:16-24), with its comprehensive ‘welcome for the sinner’—these and other such are full of the wide-reaching kindness of God. </p> <p> An [[Ot]] basis for this conspicuous feature in Jesus’ representation of God undoubtedly exists. [[Whilst]] God was supremely known in [[Israel]] as King, His fatherly relation to Israel is not obscurely dwelt upon in [[Ot]] writings, particularly in the prophets ( <i> e.g. </i> Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea). God’s goodness and graciousness are gratefully celebrated in the Psalms; witness the refrain of Psalms 107, ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (הַסרּוֹ)!’ [[Stress]] on this Divine quality is the great characteristic of Hosea. <i> [[Hesed]] </i> is the bond uniting [[Jahweh]] and Israel in one covenant relation: the <i> hesed </i> of [[J″]] [Note: ″ Jehovah.] to Israel being His grace, of Israel to [[J″]] [Note: ″ Jehovah.] , piety or dutiful love, and of [[Israelite]] to Israelite, love and mutual consideration. Love to [[J″]] [Note: ″ Jehovah.] and love to one’s brethren are identical (cf. &nbsp;Hosea 4:1; &nbsp;Hosea 6:4; &nbsp;Hosea 6:6), and both are made imperative by a right sense of [[J″]] [Note: ″ Jehovah.] ’s fatherly affection and kindness towards His people (see [[W.]] [[R.]] Smith, <i> The [[Prophets]] of Israel </i> , p. 160 ff.). This line of thought, however, regarding God was arrested in later Judaism; God’s transcendent kingly greatness was emphasized in [[Jewish]] thought in our Lord’s time, and His grace and loving-kindness had fallen into the background. Jesus deliberately chose this conception of fatherly kindness as the one predominant characteristic in His revelation of God, and, what is more, proclaimed this gracious God as the Father of all mankind. </p> <p> No difficulty need be raised as to the reconciliation of such a conception of God with His character as ‘Rex tremendae majestatis,’ or as the holy God who cannot regard wickedness with indifference. That God is gracious does not mean that He is an easy-going God. [[Moral]] distinctions cannot be obliterated. Though in Christ’s simple language God sends sunshine and rain upon the unjust, though He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked and they enjoy great prosperity, it cannot be other than an evil thing to be unjust, ungrateful, and wicked. And even though such blessings should appear to be withheld from the just and good, it still must be an altogether good thing to be just and good. Is it not significant that Jesus declares God’s kindness without any qualification whatever, and shows Himself all unconscious that any difficulties are thereby occasioned, that there is anything requiring to be explained and adjusted? The parable of the Unmerciful [[Servant]] displays God’s benignity; but the truculence which shows itself unaffected by an amazing experience of forgiving mercy must needs lose the boon which that benignity bestowed. The conclusion of the parable (&nbsp;Matthew 18:35) expresses what must needs be; and Jesus presents the doom of the ‘wicked servant’ as a picture of God’s dealings with men just as directly and simply as He sets forth the kindness of our Father in heaven. The one presentation is perfectly consistent with the other. </p> <p> Similarly, the problem of suffering and misery, which times without number has evoked the cry ‘Is God good?’, is not allowed by Jesus to qualify in any way His declaration of the kindness of God. It is not because He ignored the problem; He is Himself conspicuous as the Sufferer. And with our Lord the Divine kindness is not involved in doubt, because, as we say, God permits so much suffering amongst men, but rather that kindness is represented by Him as specially called forth by human misery. God is particularly set forth as viewing the sufferings and sorrows of men with compassion and pity; and pity is simply kindness brought into relation to suffering and distress. God declares Himself ‘most chiefly in shewing mercy and pity’ (Collect for 11th Sunday after Trinity). So also it is significant that in enforcing the lesson of &nbsp;Luke 6:35, Christ does not say, ‘Be ye kind, as your Father is kind,’ but [[(V.]] 36), ‘Be ye compassionate, as your Father is compassionate’ (οἰκτίρμων). And what a vast deduction from the sum of human misery would result, and how the problem would be simplified, if everywhere ‘man’s inhumanity to man’ gave place to such a spirit! </p> <p> <b> 2 </b> . <i> Kindness as the Law of Human Life </i> .—‘Love one another’ is the new commandment of Jesus (&nbsp;John 13:34); and kindness is love in its practical manifestation. From what has been said above, we see that this great law of life is directly enforced by the exhibition of the loving-kindness of God our Father. This is the case notably in the comment of our Lord on the dictum, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy’ (&nbsp;Matthew 5:43-48). </p> <p> The ideal of a relation of kindness between man and man is, however, not altogether an original and peculiar feature in our Lord’s teaching. In the [[Ot]] (as, <i> e.g. </i> , in Hosea) <i> hesed </i> is presented as the right characteristic of human relationships, even as it denotes God’s graciousness to men; and as a term belooging to common life it indicates that ‘those who are linked together by the bonds of personal affection, or of social unity, owe to one another more than can be expressed in the forms of legal obligation’ [[(W.]] [[R.]] Smith, <i> op. cit. </i> p. 161). And Jesus quotes &nbsp;Hosea 6:6 with approval, [[‘I]] desire mercy ( <i> hesed </i> ) and not sacrifice’ (&nbsp;Matthew 12:7)—a passage which makes that quality of kindness of greater importance than worship, and worship vain without it. In heathen religions and philosophies, too, ideas are found corresponding more or less to such a conception of the social bond. </p> <p> Further, it is true that our Lord very emphatically insisted on the application of the principle of kindness as a law of life to relations of men with men in general, and not merely those of co-religionists and people of the same tribe or country. What can equal the parable of the Good [[Samaritan]] as helping to a definition of the ‘neighbour’ to whom the service of kindness is due? </p> <p> Yet the [[Ot]] and other forms of teaching are not without traces of a wider view than the scribes of Christ’s day would allow. The duty of kindness to the stranger in the land (as in &nbsp;Leviticus 19:9 f., &nbsp;Deuteronomy 10:18 f. <i> et al </i> .), and of kindness to enemies, with readiness in forgiving injuries (as in &nbsp;Exodus 23:4 f., &nbsp;Proverbs 24:29; &nbsp;Proverbs 25:21 f. <i> et al </i> .), is explicitly set forth in the [[Ot.]] We get one glimpse (among many) of this wider humane feeling, from a very different quarter, in the Indian saying, [[‘I]] met a hundred men going to Delhi, and every one of them was my brother.’ </p> <p> Our Lord’s exposition of this law of kindness is pre-eminent and <i> sui generis </i> . And the newness of His teaching in this respect appears in His having established this duty on a firm religious basis and given it ‘an essential place in the moral consciousness of men’ (Wendt, <i> Teaching of Jesus </i> , i. p. 332). It is significant that the judgment of men in &nbsp;Matthew 25:31 ff. is made to turn on the performance or neglect of the acts of mercy or kindness. The kindness inculcated, also, extends to all creatures: and it is to express itself in the little courtesies of life (&nbsp;Matthew 5:47; &nbsp;Matthew 10:12). </p> <p> [[A]] view of Christ’s ethical teaching as a whole makes it clear that the stress thus laid on the duty of kindness favours no loosening of obligation to justice and fidelity in the manifold relationships of men, nor does it do away with the duty and need of punishment when that obligation is violated. The maintenance of just and faithful dealing does not necessarily involve severity and harshness; rather it is itself part of the law of kindness rightly considered. Love of neighbour and of enemy is as truly reconcilable with the claims of justice on the human plane as is God’s benignity with His righteous government. And Christ makes us see once for all that love is the only satisfactory basis for human relationships, and indeed the only possible bond in the perfected social state. See also artt. Love, Neighbour. </p> <p> <b> 3 </b> . <i> The Kindness of Jesus </i> .—The perfect embodiment of this kindness in human life is seen in Jesus Himself. ‘As [[I]] have loved you’ is the Johannine counterpart (&nbsp;John 13:34; &nbsp;John 15:12) of the Synoptic ‘as your Father is compassionate’ in the enforcement of the Law of Love. The whole [[Gospel]] portraiture shows us that in Jesus the kindness and pity of God fully dwelt. His dealing with sickness and suffering in all forms, His attitude towards sin, His sense of social disorder, His regard for men as men and indifference to class distinctions, His whole demeanour, His gracious speech (&nbsp;Luke 4:22)—all proclaimed the Divine kindness. His fiery denunciation of scribes and [[Pharisees]] (see Matthew 23) presents no exception; for His wrath is the wrath of love, and the denunciation must be read in the light of the yearning lament over [[Jerusalem]] (&nbsp;Matthew 23:37 ff.)—Jerusalem in which Pharisaism and scribism were specially entrenched. The key to this perfect life of kindness and love is found in His own words—‘The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many’ (&nbsp;Mark 10:45). The declaration of vivid and loving remembrance is that He ‘went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil’ (&nbsp;Acts 10:38). </p> <p> [[J.]] [[S.]] Clemens. </p>
== Holman Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_41724" /> ==
 
<p> Old [[Testament]] The principal word used to express kindness in the Old Testament ( <i> chesed </i> ) bears the connotation of a loyal love which manifests itself not in emotions but in actions. Originally, this loving kindness was considered an integral part of covenant relations. It was reciprocal and expected, a deed performed in return for a previous loyalty. [[Rahab]] expected kindness in return for her kindness to the spies (&nbsp;Joshua 2:12 ,Joshua 2:12,&nbsp;2:14 ). [[Joseph]] expected kindness from the cupbearer in return for the interpretation of a dream (&nbsp;Genesis 40:14 ). In this sense, kindness was distinct from mercy or compassion which was more of an emotion and from grace which was not as closely associated with covenant keeping. In time, however, the concepts of kindness, mercy, and grace intermingled. </p> <p> [[Kindness]] was shown in social relationships as the bond between host and guest (&nbsp;Genesis 19:19 ), ruler and subject (&nbsp;2 Samuel 16:17 ), or friends (&nbsp;1 Samuel 20:8 ). It was the faithfulness expected of a good person (&nbsp;Proverbs 3:3 ). Primarily, kindness characterized the covenant relation between God and his people. God's faithful love accompanied the patriarchs and dwelt with those who kept His covenant (&nbsp;Genesis 24:27; &nbsp;Exodus 20:6 ). The Psalms developed this theme with thanksgiving for divine kindness and praise for its endurance (&nbsp;Psalm 86:5; &nbsp;Psalm 89:2 ,Psalms 89:2,&nbsp;89:28; &nbsp;Psalm 100:5; &nbsp;Psalm 103:8 ,Psalms 103:8,&nbsp;103:11 ,Psalms 103:11,&nbsp;103:17; &nbsp;Psalm 106:1; &nbsp;Psalm 107:1; etc.; see especially &nbsp;Psalm 136:1 ). [[Slow]] to anger and abounding in love became a characteristic description of Israel's Lord, distinguishing His kindness from His wrath (&nbsp;Exodus 34:6; &nbsp;Numbers 14:18; &nbsp;Nehemiah 9:17; &nbsp;Psalm 103:8; &nbsp;Psalm 145:8; &nbsp;Jonah 4:2; &nbsp;Joel 2:13 ). </p> <p> Human response to the covenant with God, however, was bewailed by the prophets as a youthful loyalty that vanished like the morning dew (&nbsp;Jeremiah 2:2; &nbsp;Hosea 6:4 ). In this situation God's kindness always has an aspect of freedom (&nbsp;Exodus 33:19 ) and mingles with mercy and grace. It is an everlasting love which cannot be shaken (&nbsp;Isaiah 54:8 ,Isaiah 54:8,&nbsp;54:10 ). </p> <p> New Testament Although both love of humankind (&nbsp;Acts 28:2 ) and brotherly love (&nbsp;2 Peter 1:7 ) are translated as kindness in the New Testament, the Greek word bearing the richest connotation is <i> chrestotes </i> ( <i> kras to tas </i> ). This word has a basic meaning of usefulness and is translated as goodness, gentleness, and kindness. Once again, actions are emphasized, especially God's gracious actions toward sinners (&nbsp;Titus 3:4; &nbsp;Romans 11:22 ). The kindness God has shown us through Christ is equivalent to his grace and embodies the fullness of salvation (&nbsp;Ephesians 2:7 ). When kindness is included in lists of human virtues, it can be understood as helpfulness to others prompted by an experience of God's redemptive love (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 6:6; &nbsp;Galatians 5:22; &nbsp;Colossians 3:12 ). </p> <p> Barbara [[J.]] [[Bruce]] </p>
== References ==
       
== Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology <ref name="term_17988" /> ==
<p> An attribute of God and quality desirable but not consistently found in humans. </p> <p> The main problem in understanding kindness is the fact that it is one of a series of terms that are overlapping and not clearly or consistently distinguishable in meaning. This is true not only in English (kindness, goodness, mercy, pity, love, grace, favor, compassion, gentleness, tenderness, etc.) but also in Greek (chrestos, eleemon, oiktirmon, charis, agape, splanchnon, epieikeia, etc.) and in [[Hebrew]] (hesed, tob, rahamim, hemlah, hen, etc.). Consider, for example, the relationship of love, goodness, kindness, and mercy in &nbsp;Luke 6:35-36 . Nevertheless, although distinctions are not consistent, kindness (like goodness, love) tends to cover a broad range of meaning, with mercy and grace being progressively narrower. </p> <p> <i> Divine Kindness </i> God's kindness is presupposed or taught throughout Scripture. </p> <p> It is manifest in what is called "common grace." God is kind to all he has made (&nbsp;Psalm 145:9 ), even when his creatures are ungrateful and wicked (&nbsp;Luke 6:35; cf. &nbsp;Matthew 5:45 ). His kindness is intended to lead to repentance, not to rejection of him (&nbsp;Romans 2:4 ). </p> <p> In the second place, it is the believer who can truly celebrate God's kindness, even in areas of experience not directly related to salvation from the guilt and punishment of sin. God's kindness is seen in his deliverance of the believer from affliction, fear, and trouble. </p> <p> Third, God's kindness is manifest in the full salvation that comes through Christ (&nbsp;1 Peter 2:3 ). Indeed, our salvation derives from the kindness of God (&nbsp;Ephesians 2:7-8 ), and it is through continuing in his kindness that we are saved (&nbsp;Romans 11:22 ). </p> <p> What is true of God in general is also specifically attributed to Christ, who is gentle (&nbsp;Matthew 11:29-30 ). In this connection, Jesus' kind yoke might better be understood to speak of the fact that it is gently and considerately laid upon his disciple rather than that it is easy to accomplish. </p> <p> <i> Human Kindness </i> The [[Scriptures]] also teach that divine kindness is to be reflected in the human experience. Indeed, expressing kindness to other human beings is more important than performing ritual sacrifice to God (&nbsp; Hosea 6:6; &nbsp;Matthew 9:13; &nbsp;12:7 ). Thus, we are to love kindness (&nbsp;Micah 6:8 ) and to be children of the Most High, exhibiting his kindness and mercy (&nbsp;Luke 6:35-36 ). Even more direct is the simple injunction to be kind (&nbsp;Ephesians 4:32 ). Kindness often finds a place in the lists of Christian virtues (1Col 13:4; &nbsp;Colossians 3:12 ). Paul can take the injunction a step further and claim to exemplify kindness in his own life to a degree that commends his ministry as authentic (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 6:6 ). </p> <p> Yet human imitation of God's kindness does not come naturally. In fact, ultimately no one is kind (&nbsp;Psalm 14:3; &nbsp;Romans 3:12 ). It is only as the fruit of God's Spirit that kindness can be a consistent part of the believer's experience (&nbsp;Galatians 5:22 ). </p> <p> David [[K.]] Huttar </p> <p> Bibliography [[E.]] Beyreuther, <i> [[Nidntt,]] </i> 2:105-6; [[D.]] [[N.]] Freedman, <i> [[Tdot]] </i> , 5:22-36; [[R.]] [[L.]] Harris, <i> [[Twot,]] </i> 1:305-7; [[D.]] [[K.]] McKim, <i> [[Isbe,]] </i> 3:19-20; [[K.]] Weiss, <i> [[Tdnt,]] </i> 9:483-92; [[H.-J.]] Zobel, <i> [[Tdot,]] </i> 5:44-64. </p>
       
== Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_52289" /> ==
<p> <strong> [[Kindness]] </strong> . The pattern of all kindness is set before us in the Bible in the behaviour of God to our race. He gives the sunshine and the rain, and fruitful seasons and glad hearts, food and all the good they have to the just and the unjust alike (&nbsp; Matthew 5:45; &nbsp; Matthew 7:11 , &nbsp; Acts 14:17 ). But the exceeding wealth of His grace is shown unto us in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (&nbsp; Ephesians 2:7 ). God’s glory no man can look upon and live. It is a light that no man can approach unto. It is inconceivably great, incomprehensibly grand, unimaginably exalted above the grasp of man’s mind. But the kindness of God is God’s glory stooping to man’s need. It is God’s power brought within man’s reach. It is God’s mercy and God’s love and God’s grace flowing through time and through eternity, as broad as the race, as deep as man’s need, as long as man’s immortality. The Bible reveals it. Jesus incarnated it. In His life the kindness of God found its supreme manifestation (&nbsp; Titus 3:4-7 ). All the children of God are to be like the Father in this regard (&nbsp; Matthew 5:48 , &nbsp; Romans 12:10 , &nbsp; Colossians 3:12-14 ). The philanthropy of God (&nbsp; Titus 3:4 ) is to be reproduced in the philanthropy of men (&nbsp; 2 Peter 1:7 ). </p> <p> [[D.]] [[A.]] Hayes. </p>
       
== Bridgeway Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_18779" /> ==
<p> Like many words that indicate qualities of character and behaviour, ‘kindness’ has a very broad meaning. It may be well understood through the study of a number of words closely associated with it. </p> <p> In older versions of the English Bible, kindness is one of the words used to denote God’s covenant love for [[Israel]] (&nbsp;Micah 6:8; see [[Love,]] sub-heading ‘Steadfast love’). It is also used in connection with God’s goodness, patience and forbearance (&nbsp;Romans 2:4; &nbsp;Galatians 5:22-23; &nbsp;Titus 3:4; see [[Goodness;]] [[Mercy).]] [[Christians]] likewise are to be kind, particularly in being patient with people and circumstances that test or annoy them (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 6:6; &nbsp;Ephesians 4:32; &nbsp;Colossians 3:12-13; see [[Patience).]] The meekness of Christ is a demonstration of his kindness (&nbsp;Matthew 11:28-30; see [[Meekness).]] </p>
       
== King James Dictionary <ref name="term_61113" /> ==
<p> [[Kindness,]] n. from kind, the adjective. </p> 1. Good will benevolence that temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses benignity of nature. Kindness ever accompanies love. <p> There is no man whose kindness we may not sometime want, or by whose malice we may not sometime suffer. </p> 2. Act of good will beneficence any act of benevolence which promotes the happiness or welfare of others. Charity, hospitality, attentions to the wants of others, &c., are deemed acts of kindness, or kindnesses. &nbsp;Acts 28
       
== Webster's Dictionary <ref name="term_136107" /> ==
<p> '''(1):''' ''' (''' a.) [[A]] kind act; an act of good will; as, to do a great kindness. </p> <p> '''(2):''' ''' (''' a.) The state or quality of being kind, in any of its various senses; manifestation of kind feeling or disposition beneficence. </p>
       
== Charles Buck Theological Dictionary <ref name="term_20018" /> ==
<p> Civil behaviour, favourable treatment, or a constant and habitual practice of friendly offices and benevolent actions. </p> <p> See [[Charity,]] [[Gentleness.]] </p>
       
== International Standard Bible Encyclopedia <ref name="term_5668" /> ==
<p> ''''' kı̄nd´nes ''''' ( חסד , <i> ''''' ḥeṣedh ''''' </i> ; χρηστότης , <i> ''''' chrēstótēs ''''' </i> ): "Kindness" in the Old Testament is (with one exception) the translation of <i> ''''' ḥeṣedh ''''' </i> , "kindness," "favor," "mercy," etc., used chiefly of man but also of God (&nbsp; [[Genesis]] 20:13; &nbsp;Genesis 40:14; &nbsp;1 Samuel 15:6; &nbsp;1 Samuel 20:14 , &nbsp;1 Samuel 20:15; &nbsp;2 Samuel 9:3; &nbsp;Nehemiah 9:17; &nbsp;Psalm 141:5; &nbsp;Isaiah 54:8 , &nbsp;Isaiah 54:10 , etc.); <i> '''''ṭōbh''''' </i> , "good," is once so translated (&nbsp;2 Samuel 2:6 ). In the New Testament <i> '''''chrēstotēs''''' </i> , "usefulness," "beneficence," is rendered "kindness" 4 t in the King James Version (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 6:6; &nbsp;Ephesians 2:7; &nbsp;Colossians 3:12; &nbsp;Titus 3:4 , and in &nbsp;Galatians 5:22 the Revised Version (British and American)); see [[Gentleness]]; [[Goodness]] . <i> '''''Philanthrōpı̄a''''' </i> , "love of mankind," is translated "kindness" &nbsp;Acts 28:2 ), and <i> '''''philadelphı̄a''''' </i> , "love of the brotherhood" (&nbsp;2 Peter 1:7 , the English Revised Version "love of the brethren," the American Revised Version margin "Gr, love of the brethren"). </p> <p> For "kindness" (&nbsp;Psalm 31:21 ) the Revised Version (British and American) has "lovingkindness," and the American Standard Revised Version in other places where the reference is to God; for "shew," "shewed kindness" (&nbsp;Joshua 2:12 ) "deal," "dealt kindly"; for "The desire of man is his kindness" (&nbsp;Proverbs 19:22 ) the American Standard Revised Version has "That which maketh a man to be desired is his kindness," the English Revised Version "The desire of man is (the measure of) his kindness," like the American Standard Revised Version in m; for "merciful kindness" (&nbsp;Psalm 117:2 ) the American Standard Revised Version has "lovingkindness," the English Revised Version "mercy "; both have "lovingkindness" (&nbsp;Psalm 119:76 ); for "of great kindness" (&nbsp;Nehemiah 9:17; &nbsp;Joel 2:13; &nbsp;Jonah 4:2 ) the American Standard Revised Version has "abundant in lovingkindness," the English Revised Version "plenteous in mercy"; the Revised Version (British and American) has "kindness" for "mercy" (&nbsp;Genesis 39:21 ); for "pity" (&nbsp;Job 6:14 ); for "goodness" (&nbsp;Proverbs 20:6 ); "favor and kindness" the American Standard Revised Version, for "grace and favor" (&nbsp;Esther 2:17 ). See [[Lovingkindness]]; [[Mercy]] . </p>
       
==References ==
<references>
<references>
 
<ref name="term_56362"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-new-testament/kindness+(2) Kindness from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament]</ref>
<ref name="term_56357"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-new-testament/kindness Kindness from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_41724"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/holman-bible-dictionary/kindness Kindness from Holman Bible Dictionary]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_17988"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/baker-s-evangelical-dictionary-of-biblical-theology/kindness Kindness from Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_52289"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-bible/kindness Kindness from Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_18779"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/bridgeway-bible-dictionary/kindness Kindness from Bridgeway Bible Dictionary]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_61113"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/king-james-dictionary/kindness Kindness from King James Dictionary]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_136107"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/webster-s-dictionary/kindness Kindness from Webster's Dictionary]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_20018"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/charles-buck-theological-dictionary/kindness Kindness from Charles Buck Theological Dictionary]</ref>
       
<ref name="term_5668"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/international-standard-bible-encyclopedia/kindness Kindness from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]</ref>
       
</references>
</references>

Revision as of 00:10, 13 October 2021

Kindness [1]

Kindness. —The Nt term χρηστότης, which is rendered in the Authorized and Revised Versionsboth by ‘kindness’ and by ‘goodness’ (once in  Romans 3:12 as ‘good,’ following the Lxx Septuagint of Psalms 13(14):1, 3, there quoted, in which χρηστότητα = טוֹב), nowhere occurs in the Gospels. The quality it denotes, however, is an evangelical virtue. Like its Ot counterpart חֶסֵד, it is attributable both to God (as in  Romans 2:4 et al .) and to man (as in  2 Corinthians 6:6 et al .). The adj. χρηστός, Authorized and Revised Versions ‘kind,’ is found once in the Gospels as referring to God ( Luke 6:35). The other instances of its use in very different connexions, as applied to a yoke ( Matthew 11:30) and to wine ( Luke 5:39), though such use is a natural outgrowth of its root-meaning, need only be mentioned.

1 . The Kindness of God in the Teaching of Jesus .—The passage in which God is explicitly represented as ‘kind’ occurs in Lk.’s version of the logion of Jesus concerning love of friends and hatred of foes ( Luke 6:27-36 ||  Matthew 5:43-48). The highest reward attendant upon a love that extends to both friends and foes and is ready to show kindness to all men without distinction, is that thereby men become ‘sons of the Most High.’ ‘Sons of your Father which is in heaven,’ as it runs in  Matthew 5:45, would appear to be the primitive phrase, but ‘the Most High’ (ὕψιστος) is quite a favourite name for God with Lk., and its substitution here is probably due to this preference (see Dalman, The Words of Jesus , English translation p. 199). God is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. In the Mt. parallel this benign goodness is expressed in the concrete picture of sunshine and rain bestowed equally upon the evil and the good, the just and the unjust. Clearly the expression of an all-embracing benignity can go no further so far as extent is concerned. The only enhancing possible is in connexion with the gift which betokens that benignity, and this we have in the great saying of  John 3:16, along with the same sweep of reference, ‘God so loved the world , that he gave his only-begotten Son .’ That fontal love is manifested in the kindness (cf.  Titus 3:4) on which Jesus lays so much stress in His presentment of God as our Father, a kindness going far beyond the providential bounties and mercies of this life, and concerning itself with the profoundest needs of sinful men.

If explicit statements of the character of that now considered are not multiplied in our Lord’s teaching, it is to be pointed out that the same conception of God is necessarily implied in a considerable group of the parables—those, in particular, that illustrate the Divine grace. The great trilogy of Luke 15, exhibiting the Divine concern for man as τὸ ἀπολωλός; the parables which show how royally and wonderfully God pities and forgives, whether that forgiveness is gratefully realized (the Two Debtors,  Luke 7:36-50) or is strangely disregarded (the Unmerciful Servant,  Matthew 18:23-35); the parable of the Great Supper ( Luke 14:16-24), with its comprehensive ‘welcome for the sinner’—these and other such are full of the wide-reaching kindness of God.

An Ot basis for this conspicuous feature in Jesus’ representation of God undoubtedly exists. Whilst God was supremely known in Israel as King, His fatherly relation to Israel is not obscurely dwelt upon in Ot writings, particularly in the prophets ( e.g. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea). God’s goodness and graciousness are gratefully celebrated in the Psalms; witness the refrain of Psalms 107, ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (הַסרּוֹ)!’ Stress on this Divine quality is the great characteristic of Hosea. Hesed is the bond uniting Jahweh and Israel in one covenant relation: the hesed of J″ [Note: ″ Jehovah.] to Israel being His grace, of Israel to J″ [Note: ″ Jehovah.] , piety or dutiful love, and of Israelite to Israelite, love and mutual consideration. Love to J″ [Note: ″ Jehovah.] and love to one’s brethren are identical (cf.  Hosea 4:1;  Hosea 6:4;  Hosea 6:6), and both are made imperative by a right sense of J″ [Note: ″ Jehovah.] ’s fatherly affection and kindness towards His people (see W. R. Smith, The Prophets of Israel , p. 160 ff.). This line of thought, however, regarding God was arrested in later Judaism; God’s transcendent kingly greatness was emphasized in Jewish thought in our Lord’s time, and His grace and loving-kindness had fallen into the background. Jesus deliberately chose this conception of fatherly kindness as the one predominant characteristic in His revelation of God, and, what is more, proclaimed this gracious God as the Father of all mankind.

No difficulty need be raised as to the reconciliation of such a conception of God with His character as ‘Rex tremendae majestatis,’ or as the holy God who cannot regard wickedness with indifference. That God is gracious does not mean that He is an easy-going God. Moral distinctions cannot be obliterated. Though in Christ’s simple language God sends sunshine and rain upon the unjust, though He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked and they enjoy great prosperity, it cannot be other than an evil thing to be unjust, ungrateful, and wicked. And even though such blessings should appear to be withheld from the just and good, it still must be an altogether good thing to be just and good. Is it not significant that Jesus declares God’s kindness without any qualification whatever, and shows Himself all unconscious that any difficulties are thereby occasioned, that there is anything requiring to be explained and adjusted? The parable of the Unmerciful Servant displays God’s benignity; but the truculence which shows itself unaffected by an amazing experience of forgiving mercy must needs lose the boon which that benignity bestowed. The conclusion of the parable ( Matthew 18:35) expresses what must needs be; and Jesus presents the doom of the ‘wicked servant’ as a picture of God’s dealings with men just as directly and simply as He sets forth the kindness of our Father in heaven. The one presentation is perfectly consistent with the other.

Similarly, the problem of suffering and misery, which times without number has evoked the cry ‘Is God good?’, is not allowed by Jesus to qualify in any way His declaration of the kindness of God. It is not because He ignored the problem; He is Himself conspicuous as the Sufferer. And with our Lord the Divine kindness is not involved in doubt, because, as we say, God permits so much suffering amongst men, but rather that kindness is represented by Him as specially called forth by human misery. God is particularly set forth as viewing the sufferings and sorrows of men with compassion and pity; and pity is simply kindness brought into relation to suffering and distress. God declares Himself ‘most chiefly in shewing mercy and pity’ (Collect for 11th Sunday after Trinity). So also it is significant that in enforcing the lesson of  Luke 6:35, Christ does not say, ‘Be ye kind, as your Father is kind,’ but (V. 36), ‘Be ye compassionate, as your Father is compassionate’ (οἰκτίρμων). And what a vast deduction from the sum of human misery would result, and how the problem would be simplified, if everywhere ‘man’s inhumanity to man’ gave place to such a spirit!

2 . Kindness as the Law of Human Life .—‘Love one another’ is the new commandment of Jesus ( John 13:34); and kindness is love in its practical manifestation. From what has been said above, we see that this great law of life is directly enforced by the exhibition of the loving-kindness of God our Father. This is the case notably in the comment of our Lord on the dictum, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy’ ( Matthew 5:43-48).

The ideal of a relation of kindness between man and man is, however, not altogether an original and peculiar feature in our Lord’s teaching. In the Ot (as, e.g. , in Hosea) hesed is presented as the right characteristic of human relationships, even as it denotes God’s graciousness to men; and as a term belooging to common life it indicates that ‘those who are linked together by the bonds of personal affection, or of social unity, owe to one another more than can be expressed in the forms of legal obligation’ (W. R. Smith, op. cit. p. 161). And Jesus quotes  Hosea 6:6 with approval, ‘I desire mercy ( hesed ) and not sacrifice’ ( Matthew 12:7)—a passage which makes that quality of kindness of greater importance than worship, and worship vain without it. In heathen religions and philosophies, too, ideas are found corresponding more or less to such a conception of the social bond.

Further, it is true that our Lord very emphatically insisted on the application of the principle of kindness as a law of life to relations of men with men in general, and not merely those of co-religionists and people of the same tribe or country. What can equal the parable of the Good Samaritan as helping to a definition of the ‘neighbour’ to whom the service of kindness is due?

Yet the Ot and other forms of teaching are not without traces of a wider view than the scribes of Christ’s day would allow. The duty of kindness to the stranger in the land (as in  Leviticus 19:9 f.,  Deuteronomy 10:18 f. et al .), and of kindness to enemies, with readiness in forgiving injuries (as in  Exodus 23:4 f.,  Proverbs 24:29;  Proverbs 25:21 f. et al .), is explicitly set forth in the Ot. We get one glimpse (among many) of this wider humane feeling, from a very different quarter, in the Indian saying, ‘I met a hundred men going to Delhi, and every one of them was my brother.’

Our Lord’s exposition of this law of kindness is pre-eminent and sui generis . And the newness of His teaching in this respect appears in His having established this duty on a firm religious basis and given it ‘an essential place in the moral consciousness of men’ (Wendt, Teaching of Jesus , i. p. 332). It is significant that the judgment of men in  Matthew 25:31 ff. is made to turn on the performance or neglect of the acts of mercy or kindness. The kindness inculcated, also, extends to all creatures: and it is to express itself in the little courtesies of life ( Matthew 5:47;  Matthew 10:12).

A view of Christ’s ethical teaching as a whole makes it clear that the stress thus laid on the duty of kindness favours no loosening of obligation to justice and fidelity in the manifold relationships of men, nor does it do away with the duty and need of punishment when that obligation is violated. The maintenance of just and faithful dealing does not necessarily involve severity and harshness; rather it is itself part of the law of kindness rightly considered. Love of neighbour and of enemy is as truly reconcilable with the claims of justice on the human plane as is God’s benignity with His righteous government. And Christ makes us see once for all that love is the only satisfactory basis for human relationships, and indeed the only possible bond in the perfected social state. See also artt. Love, Neighbour.

3 . The Kindness of Jesus .—The perfect embodiment of this kindness in human life is seen in Jesus Himself. ‘As I have loved you’ is the Johannine counterpart ( John 13:34;  John 15:12) of the Synoptic ‘as your Father is compassionate’ in the enforcement of the Law of Love. The whole Gospel portraiture shows us that in Jesus the kindness and pity of God fully dwelt. His dealing with sickness and suffering in all forms, His attitude towards sin, His sense of social disorder, His regard for men as men and indifference to class distinctions, His whole demeanour, His gracious speech ( Luke 4:22)—all proclaimed the Divine kindness. His fiery denunciation of scribes and Pharisees (see Matthew 23) presents no exception; for His wrath is the wrath of love, and the denunciation must be read in the light of the yearning lament over Jerusalem ( Matthew 23:37 ff.)—Jerusalem in which Pharisaism and scribism were specially entrenched. The key to this perfect life of kindness and love is found in His own words—‘The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many’ ( Mark 10:45). The declaration of vivid and loving remembrance is that He ‘went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil’ ( Acts 10:38).

J. S. Clemens.

References

  1. ↑ Kindness from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament
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