Practicing Kindness and Goodness

By Peter Amsterdam

When the apostle Paul was writing about living a godly life, about living in and being led by the Holy Spirit, he listed what he called the “works of the flesh,” which included things like enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, and envy. He then followed this up with “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:19–23). The fruit of the Spirit is the working of the Holy Spirit within us, which causes us to grow in godliness and Christlikeness.

Within this list we find two aspects of the fruit of the Spirit that go hand in hand—kindness and goodness, which are both described as attributes of God’s nature. “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ … so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4–7). “When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy” (Titus 3:4–5).

Because God is kind and good and has shown His kindness and goodness toward us through Jesus’ sacrificial death to atone for the guilt of our sin, we are in turn called to be kind and good to others. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

We are told to “put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness” (Colossians 3:12), and that “the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone” (2 Timothy 2:24). In 1 Corinthians 13, we are also told that “love is kind.”

The Hebrew word chesed, which is used 248 times in the Old Testament, is translated as kindness, mercy, lovingkindness, goodness, and kindly. In the New Testament, the Greek word chrēstotēs is translated as kindness and moral goodness. It means tender concern, a kindness of heart and of acts.

Kindness and goodness are closely related, and the terms are often used interchangeably. Both express an active desire to help meet the needs of others. Jerry Bridges wrote:

Kindness is a sincere desire for the happiness of others; goodness is the activity calculated to advance that happiness. Kindness is the inner disposition, created by the Holy Spirit, that causes us to be sensitive to the needs of others, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. Goodness is kindness in action—words and deeds.¹

Kindness and goodness consist of good deeds which spring from love, done with the goal of being a blessing to others. They reflect Jesus, who “went about doing good … for God was with him” (Acts 10:38).

Kindness and goodness aren’t something shown only to people we love, but to all—even someone who might be seen as an opponent or enemy, because in doing so we imitate the kindness of God. Jesus made this clear when He said: “Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil” (Luke 6:35).

The call is to develop a kind and good temperament so that we are sensitive to others and willing to do deeds which manifest love. As the apostle Paul wrote: “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10).

As believers, we are new creations in Christ, transformed by the Holy Spirit, and called to go about and do good, as Jesus did. He was devoted to the welfare of humanity, and put that devotion into action through loving, caring, and acting in a manner which exhibited kindness, goodness, and care for others. Kindness and goodness are often manifested on a large scale when there is some sort of emergency or great need which causes people, Christian and non-Christian, to reach out and help others.

Many of us will help out in an emergency, which of course is kind and good, but the biblical understanding of this fruit of the Spirit goes beyond that. It is a transformation from our natural proclivity to look out for ourselves, to be selfish and concerned about our own needs, into a godly nature, influenced by the Holy Spirit, that is mindful of and willing to do something about the needs of others.

Most of our opportunities for extending kindness through doing good to others are found in the course of our simple everyday activities. It’s helpful to regularly pray that the Holy Spirit helps us to recognize the needs of others and to nudge us to take action.

Scripture teaches that we are to look not only to our own interests, but to the interests of others (Philippians 2:4). This requires fighting against our inborn selfishness and purposefully acting in ways that go against our human nature. Most of the things we do to become more Christlike butt heads with our human nature. Striving to become more like Jesus calls for change in our heart, mind, and actions; but it’s the heart where those changes must be deeply rooted.

What do kindness and goodness look like? They’re found in our speech when the words we say to others are laced with love and concern for others, when we listen attentively to others, giving them our full attention. We recognize them in those who give of their resources, time, or attention to someone in need. They mean showing genuine interest in and concern for others. They turn the other cheek when someone wrongs us. They help us hold our tongue when someone has said something insulting or hurtful.

Kindness and goodness come from hearts of love, compassion, and mercy. Kind people don’t gossip. They don’t betray trust. They display patience. They aren’t self-centered. They aren’t short-tempered or explosive. They don’t constantly talk about or draw attention to themselves.

As those who strive to imitate Christ, we are challenged to lay down our lives for others. This means giving time to others, such as our spouse, children, and other loved ones, so they feel loved and cherished. It also means showing kindness by giving to others in need, even when it’s a sacrifice; speaking a kind word to someone, even when we’re struggling ourselves; and there are countless other ways we can be kind to others.

Kindness translates into loving words spoken and caring deeds done. All of us have opportunities to be kind to others throughout the course of our days. We can offer a kind word, lend a helping hand, do a good deed, with the goal of acting with love, of making life a little more pleasant for others, thereby reflecting Jesus’ love to others.

Jesus taught how highly God regards showing kindness and goodness in this passage regarding the coming day of judgment: “The King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’” (Matthew 25:34–40).

Originally published August 2017. Adapted and republished June 2023. Read by John Laurence.

Posted in: altruism, audio, giving, love, peter amsterdam

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