The Fruit of the Spirit Is Gentleness: Gentle and Lowly

The penultimate “fruit of the Spirit” in Paul’s list in his letter to the Galatians is gentleness (Gal. 5:23). Gentleness seems to be a deeply countercultural fruit of the Spirit. I remember reading a radical feminist writer, Daphne Hampson, who had the intellectual honesty to admit that serving others made no sense to her. Why not pursue self-interest? The sensible thing, Hampson contended, is to serve self, not others. Similarly, where does gentleness get you in a world where aggressive self-assertion is a virtual requirement for success? It seems foolish to let others go ahead when elbowing them out of the way would get YOU ahead. So what is Paul saying here?

Gentle and Lowly

Contrasting himself with the Pharisees, Jesus issued this remarkable invitation: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28–30). The Son of God, the Ruler of the universe who came to earth as a baby in a Bethlehem manger, “gentle and lowly in heart”? This truly is an oxymoron, a set of paradoxical opposites: a gentle and lowly King?!?

At the outset of the crucifixion, Jesus, the messianic king, rode into Jerusalem humbly, mounted on a lowly donkey: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9). And yet, the same Jesus was consumed with passion for his Father’s house when he wreaked havoc among the merchants in the temple area: “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade” (John 2:16).

These examples show that being gentle doesn’t mean lacking passion. Nor does it mean being a human doormat that lets people step all over you. Rather, gentleness signifies restrained strength. It presupposes that a person is secure enough in themselves that they don’t need to resort to self-promotion. When I read the Gospels, one attribute of Jesus that strikes and convicts me again and again is his selflessness. The night before his crucifixion, Jesus focused not on his own impeding anguish and suffering but on loving and preparing his followers (John 13–17). Amazing!

Gentleness a Fruit of the Spirit

I’ve mentioned in the introduction that gentleness is a deeply countercultural virtue. Apart from Jesus’s teaching and example, and the enablement of the Holy Spirit, gentleness doesn’t make sense. Neither is it attainable. Rather, we look to the Spirit to work gentleness in us.

This relates to the way in which we exercise authority in the church. As the apostle Peter writes, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:1–3). Peter adds, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Pet. 5:5). 

Gentleness is undergirded by humility, the kind that doesn’t think less of oneself but that thinks of oneself less (a statement likely inspired by C. S. Lewis’s writings).

Pastoral Implications

Pastors, be inspired by the apostle Paul, who amid great opposition exhorted his readers “by the meekness and gentleness of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:1).

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul provides his own application of the Spirit-wrought fruit of gentleness when he writes at the beginning of the next chapter, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load” (Gal. 6:1–5).

Rather than being self-absorbed, or using our position as a platform for self-advancement, we will do well to follow our Master’s example who was “gentle and lowly in heart.” If our Lord and Savior could lay aside his majesty and robe himself in humility, we can do no less. Like a good shepherd, we are called to care for God’s sheep that he has entrusted to us with gentleness and humility, mindful that apart from Christ, we are nothing. While each of us has his own load to bear, if we bear one another’s burdens, we will “fulfill the law of Christ.”

Note: This post originally appeared on the Focused Pastor website.