The Holy Spirit’s eighth gift is gentleness.
In English, gentleness is the noun form of the adjective gentle. It’s defined as the quality or state of being gentle; especially displaying mildness of manner or disposition. At first glance that probably doesn’t look too appealing or effective in today’s culture. It seems the only way to be heard, appreciated, or followed is to be loud, crude, and forceful.
But there comes a point where all the loudness blurs together. Picking out what’s important to focus on is almost overwhelming. Could it be that consistent public and private practice of gentleness might make someone stand out from the crowd?
The Holy Spirit’s eighth gift is gentleness
The Holy Spirit’s eighth gift is gentleness.
Looking into the definitions of the adjective gentle reveals some more positive angles: the root word behind gentle, from Latin, Anglo-French, and Middle English means of one’s family, kin, or nation.
The actual first definition reads this way: Belonging to a family of high social station—honorable, distinguished, kind, and amiable (friendly). Nothing there implies being wishy-washy or trampled upon by the agendas of this society we’re living in which re-defines words to lead people away from what God’s word says is true.
Where would honor be in that?
The first half of the second definition contains words that people flinch from applying to themselves, and shouldn’t apply to others. Tractable and docile describe animals trained to obey commands. The second half of definition two does, however, apply to us. It reads free from harshness, sternness, or violence.
Unlike some, I don’t personally take that to complete pacifism, not while we’re living on this planet still marred by sin. There are too many wise verses in Scripture teaching that children need discipline, and that governing bodies administer both punishment and justice. Even Jesus, during his perfect life, laid into unscrupulous animal dealers and money changers with a whip.
The Holy Spirit’s eighth gift is gentleness.
Gentle, as a verb applied to people, means “remove from the commonality, ennoble.” The common state of sinful humanity is deserving death. We’ve broken God’s commands.
However, remember: God gives us all these gifts because of his intention to have relationship with us.
His first gift, Jesus, arrived to live perfectly, and to die for us, because nothing we could do by ourselves would satisfy His Father’s justice and judgment. Believing Jesus’ death is effective on our behalf makes us adopted brothers and sisters of the Prince of Peace. The Holy Spirit confirms it.
Does anyone truly need a higher social status than that? I don’t.
Ruth
Heidi Kortman
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