Paul listed the fifth aspect of the fruit of the Spirit as “kindness”—or rather, most English translations list it that way. In the original Greek of the New Testament, Paul used the word chréstotés, which doesn’t translate perfectly into English. “Kindness” is part of chréstotés, but there’s more to it than just saying nice words and doing nice things.
HELPS Word-Studies describes chréstotés as “well-fit for use (for what is really needed); kindness that is also serviceable.” The kindness that grows out of God’s Spirit—the kindness Paul was writing about—is a kindness that focuses on providing something that’s truly helpful to the person receiving it.
Like the other aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, kindness doesn’t exist in a vacuum. We can’t express kindness without first having someone to be kind to. And that requires effort from us. If kindness means providing what is really needed, then it also means understanding what others really need (and not just what we think they need). That means getting to know others well enough to know what they’re going through—caring enough to understand the challenges they’re facing, the trials they’re dealing with and what we can do to make their lives better.
That’s a tall order—and like all the traits contained in the fruit of the Spirit, it doesn’t come naturally. We might be filled with good intentions, and we might even actually do kind things for others, but truly understanding what someone needs and knowing the right way and the right time to provide it—well, that’s an ability that can only come from God. It’s little wonder, then, that He sets the standard for us when it comes to showing kindness.
The word chréstotés (and the related chréstos) doesn’t show up much in the New Testament, but when it does, it’s usually talking about God’s mercy. We’re told that “the goodness [chréstos] of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4), that God shows us “the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness [chréstotés] toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7) and that Christ’s sacrifice was the result of “the kindness [chréstotés] and the love of God our Savior” (Titus 3:4).
What can we glean from all that? Well, quite a few things. For starters, it reminds us that kindness isn’t something we give to others when we feel they deserve it. Kindness is meant to be part of who we are, regardless of whom we’re interacting with.
Jesus Christ died for the sins of the whole world, not just a handful of people He felt deserved it. It was Jesus Himself who told His disciples, “Love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind [chréstos] to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36).
It’s easy to be kind to those who are kind to us, but God’s Spirit compels us to do more than that, to be more than that. It reminds us that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We could never have earned that kindness—and no human being should ever have to earn our kindness. It should be something that flows from us freely.
But kindness wasn’t intended to make us pushovers either. Jesus certainly wasn’t. Even though His sacrifice is meant for the whole human race, there are still requirements for those of us who would accept it. In other words, we can’t earn His kindness, but there are still standards He expects us to live up to.
As it turns out, even those standards are kindnesses. Jesus told the people of His day, “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 [chréstos] and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Christ called His yoke chréstos. Kind.
Not nonexistent. Not insignificant. Chréstos. Something good. Something we need. If we’re willing to take that yoke—if we’re willing to submit ourselves to the standards set by God—we benefit. We need those standards and those rules to live the best possible version of our lives. Without them, all we can do is guess at the right way to live and hope it works out.
In His kindness, Christ provides a yoke that teaches us how to live without having to make costly mistakes or guesses.
Earlier, we noted that kindness requires getting to know others on a deeper level—but the Bible has a warning about that too. “Do not be deceived,” wrote Paul. “‘Evil company corrupts good [chréstos] habits.’ Awake to righteousness, and do not sin” (1 Corinthians 15:33-34).
The people we choose to spend time with will have a huge impact on the kind of people we become. Evil company—people who disregard and mock God’s standards—will influence and shape us if we aren’t careful. Paul warns specifically that evil company corrupts good (chréstos) habits. It’s much harder to seek the good of someone else if you’re with a group of people who find that whole idea laughable.
Thankfully, the reverse is also true. Spending time with a group of people who value the right things makes it that much easier to do the right things. As Solomon wrote long ago, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20).
But that doesn’t change the fact that God expects us to show kindness to everyone, just as “He is kind to the unthankful and evil.” God isn’t asking us to be best friends with those who refuse to obey Him (in fact, He tells us to avoid that), but we are instructed to “do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).
God gives us forgiveness we haven’t earned along with strength and love we don’t deserve. He doesn’t just enable us to do whatever we want, whenever we want—He holds us to certain standards and expects us to live up to them.
And that’s the core of all of this—not just kindness, but every aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. The closer we are to God—the more in tune we are with His mind and His ways—the more the fruit of the Spirit can develop in us.
Paul wrote, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).
That’s our template. That’s what kindness looks like. We push away the evil things, refusing to let them into our lives, and then we take our cue from the kindness God has shown to us. It’s as simple—and as difficult—as that. As we let God’s Spirit guide us in providing others with serviceable kindness that meets their needs, we’ll find ourselves one step closer to developing the true fruit of the Spirit.
