What is Christian Gentleness?

There's one interesting part of a person's life as you get older, and I'm at that stage now, and many of you are as well. And what I am most interested in is understanding the weightier matters of the law. I'm not so interested now about the basics. Now I'm interested in developing things, working them through learning about the more important aspects of God's Word.

That's what Christ said the Pharisees needed. They studied diligently the Scriptures. But the way they were taught wasn't correctly balanced, and so they didn't have a right notion of how to apply God's laws in a balanced and proper way. Notice in Matthew 23, of course the Pharisees were shocked when Christ directed Himself to them and basically told them, you don't know how to administer God's laws. You don't know how to administer proper justice. In Matthew 23 and verse 23, He said, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees. The scribes, of course, were the ones that focused on copying the law of God. They were experts in the text, examining it, and the Pharisees were very dedicated, but He called them hypocrites, which means actors or pretenders.

For you pay tithes of the mint and anise and cumin, which are tiny little leaves, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith. These, talking about tithing, you ought to have done. Christ was not abolishing tithing. He said, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel, He's talking about they were focusing so much on technical issues and they were swallowing the spiritual issues.

They weren't focusing on them properly. So what the Pharisees needed was to learn how to administer God's justice in a proper way. And they also missed about applying the Sabbath day. Notice in Matthew 12, Christ again says you need to understand the weightier matters of the law. Matthew 12, verse 2. It says, And when the Pharisees saw His disciples going through the grain fields and plucking the heads of grain to eat, when they saw it, they said to Him, Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.

But of course, we don't see in the Bible that God says you shall not pluck anything on the Sabbath day to eat. But they had established these man-made regulations. They considered that was working. And then He goes on in verse 5 to say, Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, because they have to work and do sacrifices, and are blameless?

Yet I say to you that in this place there is one greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice. You would not have condemned the guiltless for the Son of Man as Lord, even of the Sabbath. So He's saying, you're not administering God's law properly. You're so harsh. You're going to an extreme. You're not applying it properly.

You're not thinking about a person that is hungry and they didn't have anywhere else to eat. It's like if you're walking in a field and all of a sudden you're hungry, you didn't get to have breakfast, and you're on the Sabbath. Either they were going to Sabbath services or they had left.

We don't know. But they did congregate on the Sabbath. And what happens if you're hungry and you look at an apple tree and here this is part of a friend's property or your own and you pull out an apple and you start eating it. Well, is that breaking the Sabbath?

Of course not. Now, that's not the day to harvest your apple production. We understand if you bring out a truck and you get in a ladder and you start taking all the apples and putting them in big containers and carrying them, that's work. But if you're just eating an apple, so again, they lacked discernment, spiritual discernment.

And that's what I'm talking about, how to apply God's law in a balanced and proper way. I'm interested in knowing about the weightier matters of the law, how to apply them and apply it correctly, biblical wisdom. In Hebrews chapter 5, starting in verse 12, again, Paul is talking here to the Jewish Christians and also saying, you need to apply the proper principles in wisdom. He says in verse 12, for though by this time you ought to be teachers, you ought to know how to apply God's Word in a balanced and equitable way. You need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God, talking about God's Word, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, mature spiritually, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. It takes not only knowledge but experience, putting them into practice, examining the fruits, the effects, according to how God's Word explains it. And then he goes on to say it, next verse, chapter 6, verse 1, therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, the basics, let us go on to perfection, which means spiritual maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God and of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

All these things, a person who is going to be baptized needs to understand these basic principles. But afterwards, once you lay the foundation, you have to start raising up the spiritual building. You need to fill it out, develop it in a proper way. And so I'd like to focus on one of those principles of Christ's deeper teachings.

It's found in Philippians chapter 4, verse 5. I was looking at the scripture the other week, and I had a question about it. I started studying it deeper. There's a lot to it. It says, Philippians 4, 5, Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. So he says here that our gentleness should be known to all men. Now this word, as we're going to go into a little deeper, it's one of the hardest to translate from the Greek to the English. And the word epikeia signifies, the old King James said, moderation, let your moderation. Others have a translation forbearance, which means stepping back from paying somebody back that has done you harm. Others have tolerance, let your tolerance be known to all men. And it's a very important concept. It is applied to Jesus Christ, and Paul is telling the Corinthians that they should follow this example of Christ. Notice in 2 Corinthians 10, verse 1, Epikeia is mentioned here, 2 Corinthians 10, in verse 1, it says, Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent and bold toward you. So he says, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. These are two words that are related.

Preotis is the first one. It means meekness, humility. But the second word is the one that is translated as gentleness, epikeia. It means applying justice while considering mercy when it's merited. It means applying justice with mercy when it's merited. Now, through decades of having to deal with different cases, I have seen what is in my estimation cases which called for mercy and consideration that were dealt with harshness and strictness. And I've seen cases where mercy and consideration were applied that, in my estimation, were unmerited. People that turned out to be scoundrels that took advantage and basically were given a free hand and they did a lot more damage. We see that in the epistles of Paul. He can be so loving and tender but then when he's dealing with, you know, himineus and others, they are the ones that have been causing him so much trouble, he's not gentle with them. He had to put them out of the church. And so again, the need for balance. How to apply this in a proper way.

Barkley, in his word pictures of the New Testament, talks about this term, epi-a-keia, and he says the Greeks themselves explained this word as, quote, justice and something better than justice. They said that epi-a-keia ought to come in when strict justice became unjust because of its generality. In other words, you have this general law. But there are times when that general law doesn't apply in every case in the same weight. There may be individual instances where a perfectly just law becomes unjust or where justice is not the same thing as equity. It is the quality of the person who knows that regulations are not the last word and knows when not to apply the letter of the law. Because, of course, that letter of the law can apply in every circumstance. There are times when you might have to, you see an accident happening, and the person needs you. And you might have to go and back up and go in reverse so you can be there. Well, technically, somebody said, oh, give him a fine. Yeah, he's guilty of this. Well, there are cases when you have to look beyond the law to an application that is more important. So this word covers that. When you apply mercy, compassion, clemency, because the case merits it. Barkley goes on to say, the Christian, as Paul sees it, is the man who knows that there is something beyond justice. When the woman taken in adultery was brought before him, Jesus could have applied the letter of the law, according to which she should have been stoned to death. But he went beyond justice. He saw, and the woman that she could turn around, he saw that he didn't have to apply the strictness of the law in that circumstance.

He gave her an opportunity, but he said, go and sin no more. What would have happened if she would have taken advantage of his clemency? Christ eventually would have said, no, you were given the opportunity. You abused it. And now the letter of the law has to be applied, but he applied mercy.

As far as justice goes, Barkley says, there is not one of us who deserves anything other than the condemnation of God. But he goes far beyond justice. Paul lays it down that the mark of a Christian in his personal relationships with his fellow men must be that he knows when to insist on justice and when to remember that there is something beyond justice. And of course, the wisdom is when to apply it, when to know when to do it. This is a principle that we need to apply in the home, in a marriage. You know, if people are very strict with the other person, usually they're pretty lax with themselves. That's not proper justice. We should extend mercy. We should be considerate of the other person and not just demand this strict letter of the law.

It should be applied to children. If we are too harsh with them, if we're too legalistic and just demand and require the application of the letter of the law. Paul mentions there in Ephesians 6, don't exasperate your children. Be careful to just always be on top of them and correcting them with every flaw that they have. We shouldn't do that. We should show this Epiachaea. We should apply, go beyond just what is required. We also need to apply it at work to show mercy and patience. There are times when people abuse that. When they themselves short circuit the mercy and justice, they're abusing, they're becoming enabling because they think the person's never going to do anything. And so then you have to apply the stricter justice. But you always want to be on that side of believing, giving the person the benefit of the doubt until it just becomes a pattern of violation. And they're not accepting the mercy and clemency to improve or to change. They're using it to continually abuse the good will of the person. We know Christ could be very loving, but he also wasn't so with the money changers that were turning the temple into a big trading and big business of exploiting the people's money, charging them exorbitant fees and the exchange of money. When he saw that, he saw these people were not doing it innocently. They knew exactly what they were doing. And so, of course, he acted. He applied swift justice to this. After all, he was king, and he could apply that anytime he wanted to. But he was kind. He was gentle. And we need to apply it in the Church. This same attitude of gentleness, of going beyond justice, not demanding just everything our way, exacting upon every letter of the law, being willing to be tolerant, patient, not requiring the person that pound of flesh for everything that a person is owed.

And we need to apply it in our community, dealing with others. It says in Philippians, let your gentleness be known to all men, not to just those in the Church. So this is a general attitude. This is a mature person that now knows how to weigh situations, knows when to apply that mercy to go beyond the letter of the law, and is able to apply the spirit of the law. This gentleness is not a weakness. Don't mistake it as a watering down of judgment, because it isn't.

Have you ever been dealt with just the strict letter of the law? I know sometimes with policemen, you'd like to say, look, I've never had any record of violation, I haven't had anything, and could you just this time with a warning, sometimes, boy, they'll just sock it right to you. The average infraction nowadays is $500 for any minor thing, basically, that has to do with traffic. So you see, many times, there's the lack of going beyond what the justice says you should do. So have you been dealt with unfairly with the strict letter of the law? It stings. It is hard to forget. Now, no one is perfect, but we should improve our treatment of others. One of the scriptures that is ideal in this regard is Micah 6, 6-8. It basically sums up this principle of gentleness that we've been covering. Micah 6, verse 6, it says, with what shall I come before the Lord? What is it that's going to really please God when He sees you and what you're doing? And bow myself before the high God when He focuses and regards us. He says, shall I come before Him with burnt offerings with calves a year old? Is it just something physical that we're supposed to present? Will the Lord be pleased with the thousands of rams, ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body, for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good? What pleases Him? And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Three things he says here. So we are supposed to apply justice, but in an equitable, in a fair, and in a merciful way, we're looking to see how we can apply mercy. Is it possible under these circumstances? I know in my life, some of the greatest joys and satisfactions that I've ever had has been when someone was in the hot seat, and they could easily have the book thrown at them. And I was able to intervene. I've seen others that do so, and it was the right thing to do. And the person didn't have the book thrown at them. They didn't have, you know, the strict letter of the law applied. And you see the fruits afterwards. How much damage was avoided in that way?

So it tells us in Micah that we're supposed to do justly, as God would have us judge things, not as we would do them. How would God do them? Would he apply mercy? Doesn't he do that all the time? And so he says here, to love mercy, to love extending that person a bit of favor and forgiveness, maybe they don't deserve it fully, but you are extending it to them. And to walk humbly with your God. Of course, they all go together. If a person is harsh, proud, demanding, they're probably not going to apply mercy very often. And some people relish because they have the authority. I want to see that person squirm, and oh, he came at me, and look what he did to me. Boy, I'm going to really get after him now. That's not the way to do it.

Like David said in Psalm 32, verses 1 and 2, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is a man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

God can forgive because he sees the heart. He sees repentance. He sees that it wasn't done intentionally to damage. So we see here the ideal, the attitude in words and deeds.

In Romans chapter 4, where David's Psalm 32 is quoted, and now Paul is applying it to the Christian. Romans chapter 4, in verse 20, it says about Abraham. He had quoted David a bit before this in verse 6, about Psalm 32, but now in verse 20 he also says about Abraham. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to perform. Here Abraham was 100 years old, and he was going to have a son. He waited 25 years, and he still knew that God was going to fulfill it. It didn't happen overnight. He had 25 long years. He even said, well, probably not going to have a son. So he went with, had Ishmael, but still he never doubted that God was going to carry out his will. So a person's faith is never going to be 100 percent perfect. Going on, it says, verse 22, and therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us it shall be imputed to us who believe in him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification. So again, the key here is God sees the heart. He looks and he says, there's repentance. There's a desire to obey me, to follow me, and I'm going to impute that righteousness because that person has faith and he's going to follow me. This is the same attitude which is quoted here in about Abraham back in Genesis.

And I was looking at this in Genesis 15.6. Genesis 15.6.

Abraham said, and he believed, God talked, and he believed in the Lord and he accounted it to him for righteousness. He knew God was going to bless him and that he was going to continue following his way of life. There was no doubt Abraham was going to continue in that way. An illustration of application of gentleness can use the example. In some of these big factories where they do a lot of metal work and a lot of heavy industries, they have some of these hydraulic hammers that come down and they actually crush even an automobile into just a flat sheet. They're so powerful. And yet, when a person was in a tour and he said, boy, that's a powerful hammer, but I wonder how well is it controlled? And so the manager said, well, I'll show you. And so he took what was a chestnut and he put it on the floor where the hammer came down and he made some adjustments to the machine and then he pushed the button and the machine came and it crushed only the shell and left the meat of the chestnut available. That's how carefully calibrated. Well, gentleness is the same way. You have strength, but you know how much to apply. It's a strong hand with a gentle touch. So it's not about weakness, it's about strength. God has all the power in the universe. When Christ was on earth, he said to Pilate, you know, I have I can bring 10,000 angels at my request if I wanted to. How many legions I could bring? But he was gentle. He had that attitude. I'm not going to use all my power for my own well-being. I've got a mission to accomplish, and so he never abused that power at all. Notice in Matthew 11. Matthew 11.

He said here in verse 28 of Matthew 11, Come to me, all you 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. He wasn't going to put all these man-made regulations on top of God's laws at all. He was going to show the original intent.

Now, one of the nine fruits of God's Spirit is gentleness. If we look in Galatians chapter 5, this is the cousin of the word. It's not epikeia, but it is preotis, which sometimes is interchangeable. Notice in Galatians 5 verse 22 and 23.

It says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, preotis, self-control. Against such, there is no law. There's no law in the Bible that goes against these results. In other words, God's laws produce with God's Spirit these types of fruits in a person's life. One of them is gentleness, the ability to know how to apply God's laws in a balanced and merciful way.

Gentleness is never self-important, but is considerate, courteous, and modest. For instance, we have to learn good manners. The way we address people, do we ask them how they are doing? Are we really interested in it?

Do we call? Do we find out how the persons are? I know some are very good writing notes, and they're so encouraging. Also, when we call someone up, do we first address them? And how are you doing? How was your week? How's things going? Before, starting with what we are really interested in doing, that's part of this fruit of gentleness, being considerate, courteous, and modest. And yet, be willing to try when a job needs to be done, to be humble enough, to step in, no matter what position a person has or responsibility, to pitch in.

There's a story about during the War of Independence here in the States, in Valley Forge, where George Washington had his great victory, and before they had that battle, they were preparing. And there was a corporal who was directing three of the soldiers as they tried to lift a log into place. But with the three men, they just couldn't do it. The log was too heavy. And this was an important part, the preparation. But the corporal just gave order after order. Do it, men! Lift this! Lift this!

A man in an overcoat came by and said to the corporal, Why don't you help them? The corporal pulled himself up to full height and replied, Sir, I am a corporal. In other words, I'm in charge here. Without a word, the man stepped over, and with his help, the log went easily into place. The man was George Washington. Gentleness includes true humility that does not consider itself too good or too exalted for humble tasks. You roll up your sleeves. You do what is necessary. I think one of the greatest examples of gentleness of God is found in that famous scripture, John chapter 3 verse 16 and 17.

John chapter 3 verse 16. It says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Notice here, too, doesn't say that you're going to be in an immortal soul and that you're going to be everlasting in a fire. No, it says, perish, but have everlasting life. Verse 17, For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. So Christ could have judged and could have condemned. He saw all the sin around him. He saw all the faults. He could reap people's minds, but he didn't come to condemn. He extended that gentleness. He went beyond justice. He had compassion. He had clemency. He had mercy upon people. Notice in 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 20. 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 20.

So we see not only Paul understood this concept, Peter did too. 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 20. He says, did I get that one right?

Let me see if I wrote it down in my notes. 1 Peter 3.

I was talking about applying mercy.

Might be. Let's go to 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 3, where he talks about the brethren and the ministry. It says, nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. They shouldn't be lords, so you have to see how things are managed to apply that loving kindness and gentleness toward the brethren. God is merciful. Let me see if I find that one. It talks about his mercy.

Might have to go back. If anybody finds that scripture where it talks about God is merciful. Oh, here it is. It's chapter 3 verse 8. It says, finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another. Love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous, not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. So it talks about these same terms. This is a very important principle. It's throughout the scriptures. This is what God requires of us. In Exodus chapter 34, talking about God giving us his example, Exodus 34, in verse 6, notice how God characterizes himself. Exodus 34 verse 6, it says, and the Lord passed before him, talking about Moses, and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation. So again, there is a proper justice being applied, but God is a God of mercy. He's patient with those that transgress his ways. Ministers are required to have that gentleness. Notice in 1 Timothy chapter 3. 1 Timothy chapter 3.

By the way, is Cheryl Nakashima here? There she is. Good to see you again.

Nice to have her here. 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 3. It says about an overseer, a pastor. These are the qualifications. Verse 3, not given to wine, which is here mentioning don't exceed that.

People shouldn't be seeing the minister tipsy and already under the influence as such. But gentle. There's that word again that we have epikeia. But gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous. One who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God? So again, the house is this mini kingdom that we are administering.

And this is one of those attributes that God wants to see in our lives. Women should have this as well. Notice in Proverbs chapter 31, it describes here the virtuous woman. Proverbs chapter 31, verse 25.

It says, strength and honor are her clothing. She shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. Some other translations have it. They're clemency. I like the way in this in Spanish it says the law of clemency. She's tender-hearted. She's concerned about those that are having difficult times. She wants to help. Her heart goes out to those that are in need. It's one of the qualities of a virtuous woman. So, in order to apply this principle, again, we need to understand it's the strong hand with a gentle touch. It takes into account mitigating or aggravating circumstances. Even man's law has some of this, although it doesn't have so much of the spirit of the law, but it does have in cases where a judge will consider. Are there mitigating circumstances, which mean are there circumstances that it's more understandable what happened here that can reduce the guilt of the person that is more understandable. You have to take into account mitigating circumstances, but you also take into account aggravating circumstances, which means circumstances that actually go against the person, that make the case a lot more serious, a lot more severe. So, all of these things are important in order to judge properly in our lives. In Colossians chapter 3, in verse 12, again, the term gentleness, Epiachaea is there. It says in Colossians chapter 3 verse 12, Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

God is merciful. He doesn't pay us or do desserts. We should also be considerate. Take all of these things into account.

In Galatians chapter 6 tells us if somebody is found with a certain fault, this is the way to deal with it. Galatians chapter 6 in verse 1 says, Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, in any type of a sin, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.

Same word we're studying here. Considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. So if you're harsh, if you really want to see that person wince and, boy, you're really going to rake that person over the coals because of what they've done, he says be careful because you might have a worse attitude. Your attitude might be more rotten than the person who committed this because God looks at the heart. And so it says, do it in a spirit of gentleness. Do it in private. Do it with love.

But at the same time, it doesn't say here, look the other way. So again, gentleness is not weakness. It is not overlooking a situation. It's dealing with it, but in a compassionate, humble way.

In James chapter 3, so we have Peter that has weighed in on this. Paul has weighed in on this. Now we see James, same attitude that the others had. James chapter 3 and verse 13, he says, who is wise and understanding among you? Who are the people that can judge properly?

Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. Again, what are our motives?

This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic, based on egoism. Verse 16, for where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above comes from God's Spirit, his first pure, then peaceable, gentle, epikeia, willing to yield to seed, not exacting and demanding what you deserve and requiring always to receive what you think you merit, willing to yield full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. So that's the attitude that we are looking forward to having. And we know we're in a training class. This is all about training for the future. We're to start applying it now, but it's looking forward to that time in God's kingdom. Notice what it says in 1 Corinthians 6 as I end. 1 Corinthians 6. And verse 1, Paul is having trouble here because the Corinthians have not been judging things properly. They have not been applying the spirit of the law.

And so he asks, verse 1, There any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? It has direct application. Matthew 19, it says to the disciples they're going to be sitting on the thrones judging Israel. Has to do with direct application with Revelation 20, where it talks about verse 4, about the thrones and that authority has been given to them to judge. So he says, don't you know, one day you're going to judge the world. And then he goes on to say, and if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Don't we know how to apply proper judgment and justice? Verse 3, Do you not know that we shall judge angels? And from what we understand, this is talking about the fallen angels, because we don't have anything to do with righteous angels. We're not going to judge them, but we know there's a judgment for Satan and his angels that's going to happen in the future. How much more things that pertain to this life if then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? So they were going outside the church and they were filing lawsuits, members filing lawsuits against others. And so he says, we should take this into the church. We should deal with this in-house. Now, I know there are cases where there's a criminal justice involved, and of course, then you have to go outside, but we're talking about situations here. He says we're a brother defrauded another brother. And boy, we have seen that through time. People taking advantage and getting into a business with others and then not really doing their part, and the business goes downhill, and then there's these hard feelings. But again, we try to deal with this within the church.

So in God's kingdom, we're going to be applying these principles of how to judge with mercy, how to extend kindness and gentleness as much as we can. So there's a lot more we can learn from these weightier matters of the law. That's what interests me so much now, applying it today and in the future.