Larry Burkett, a teacher and writer regarding financial matters from a Christian perspective, states, “The evidence of our commitment to God’s way will be seen in our concern for others.” Genuine concern for the welfare of other people indicates authentic kindness, which is a result of having agape love (the purest, deepest kind of love) for them. [Our article entitled “Are Christians Supposed to Love Everyone?” discusses such love. To read that article, click on its title.]
Webster’s Dictionary defines kindness as “sympathetic, friendly, gentle, tenderhearted, generous, etc.,” but as previous comments suggest, it is appropriate to add that authentic kindness also involves genuine concern (or compassion) for the welfare of other people. In any case, kindness can be demonstrated by words (i.e., what we say) and/or by deeds (i.e., our actions).
So, what does the Bible say about kindness? [Note: When we quote Scripture in this article, we use the wording in the New King James Version of the Bible. And, when bold print is shown in the scriptures that we quote in this article, it is to focus on certain words that we will be addressing in our subsequent discussion.]
Galatians 5:22-23b declares, “[T]he fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
This scripture implies that kindness is one of the most important characteristics a Christian should demonstrate, along with such virtues as agape love, joy, peace, longsuffering (i.e., patience), goodness (i.e., an inclination to do good), faithfulness to God, gentleness (i.e., not violent), and self-control (i.e., self-discipline).
Ephesians 4:32 admonishes, “[B]e kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
In this verse of scripture, the inference seems to be that kindness is as important as two additional virtues: being tenderhearted (i.e. compassionate) and being willing to forgive other people.
Colossians 3:12 states, “[A]s the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.”
This scripture indicates that kindness is also comparable in importance to mercy (i.e., compassion), and humility (i.e., humbleness), as well as to meekness (or gentleness) and longsuffering, which are also mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23b.
2 Peter 1:5b-7 says, “[A]dd to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”
According to this scripture, kindness is one of the most important characteristics of a Christian, along with faith (i.e., unquestioning belief), virtue (i.e., goodness), knowledge (presumably, about spiritual matters), perseverance (evidently, in regard to living a faithful Christian life), and godliness (i.e., devotion to God), in addition to having self-control and agape love, which are likewise mentioned in 5:22-23b.
Conclusion
It is bad enough when someone makes unkind comments either to or about someone outside their family or when they engage in unkind actions against such a person, but sadly, many people fail to consistently treat even the members of their own family with kind words and kind deeds.
The Bible clearly indicates that kindness is an important characteristic that all Christians should demonstrate. Therefore, those who truly want to please God should endeavor to treat other people with kindness, as expressed by both words and deeds, even when circumstances make it difficult to do so. This world would certainly be a better place if more people consistently sought to treat others with kindness.
Addendum
In regard to how we should express kindness to other people, including both the members of our own family and those who are not, we think it is important to take the following comments into consideration.
If kindness may involve giving someone monetary assistance that could exceed more than just a few dollars, caution needs to be exercised when trying to decide how much monetary help to provide. There are several reasons for such caution. One reason is that some people attempt to take inappropriate advantage of others who are kind. Another reason for such caution is that often people seeking monetary assistance also need financial counseling, so monetary assistance alone is not likely to be sufficient. [For a discussion regarding the need for financial counseling, click on “Do You Need Financial Counseling?”]
Therefore, when attemptng to make a prudent decision about how much, if any, monetary assistance to provide to someone, it would be wise to discuss the matter with a person who has knowledge and wisdom about how to deal with people’s financial problems. Such a discussion should be helpful in making a prudent decision about how to provide appropriate assistance to someone who needs monetary assistance.