(Titus 3:2) “To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”
The bible is full of instructions like these, gentleness and with meekness, especially from the Apostles. If anyone had the right to be harsh it could have been them, what great examples they have left us. And yet their instruction is often that of tenderness. Have the Christians of today forgotten how tender the Lord has been with us? Name one man amongst us that has not deserved death and hell, you will not find one! In Christ alone, through faith alone and by grace alone do we stand. Nothing we have ever done or could ever do in ourselves will ever change this truth! I am surrounded by a constant barrage of accusing or excusing and even I am amongst the number. Be merciful to us our great Father God, who do we think we are, forgive us I pray!
“You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.” (2Samuel 22:36): - If we were to examine the lives of those who have gone before us, anyone worth their salt in Christ and those who have left behind an imprint in the sand have always been gentle with the weak. Take C.H.Spurgeon writings and it will be clearly evident that he too had a gentle spirit when ministering to others. Obviously there are times when a harsh word is needed but as a rule he spoke with tenderness.
Our great Saviour was often meek and gentle; “I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ--I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!” (2Corinthians 10:1):- Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit, therefore my conclusion must then be if we neglect this teaching we do not walk not in the Spirit but in the flesh. Even if I am doctrinally correct in my theology and I lack gentleness I then walk in the flesh and this is why I believe the Apostle Paul teachers; “O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge," (1Timothy 6:20) – And – “But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, (2Timothy 2:16) – And finally; “to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” (Titus 3:2)
“To speak evil of no man: mēdena blasphēmein, to revile, or curse, or blaspheme none: or (as our translation more generally) to speak evil of none, unjustly and falsely, or unnecessarily, without call, and when it may do hurt but no good to the person himself or any other. If no good can be spoken, rather than speak evil unnecessarily, say nothing. We must never take pleasure in speaking ill of others, nor make the worst of any thing, but the best we can. We must not go up and down as tale-bearers, carrying ill-natured stories, to the prejudice of our neighbour's good name and the destruction of brotherly love. Misrepresentations, or insinuations of bad intentions, or of hypocrisy in what is done, things out of our reach or cognizance, these come within the reach of this prohibition. As this evil is too common, so it is of great malignity. If any man seemeth to be religious and bridleth not his tongue, that man's religion is vain, Jam_1:26. Such loose uncharitable talk is displeasing to God, and hurtful among men. Pro_17:9, He that covereth a transgression seeketh love (that is, to himself by this tenderness and charity, or rather to the transgressor); but he that repeateth a matter (that blazes and tells the faults of another abroad) separateth very friends; he raises dissensions and alienates his friend from himself, and perhaps from others. This is among the sins to be put off (Eph_4:31); for, if indulged, it unfits for Christians communion here and the society of the blessed in heaven, 1Co_6:10. Remind them therefore to avoid this.” (Matthew Henry)
By nature we know that Paul was not a sensitive tender-hearted person. How do we know that? It is not that I can find scripture and verse per say to prove my thought, but we are able to deduce from the way he carried out his life from the scriptures that “he took no prisoners”. He was a man who served under the headship of the Jewish faith and he was instrumental in capturing Christians and arresting them to have them killed. He was relentless in his quest until he came face to face with the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus.
Our character and nature in the natural man has nothing to do with whether or not we should be gentle or not. We must not mix the flesh and the Spirit into one pot, although we often do as we look for excuses why we shouldn’t instead of why we should. Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit and therefore all Christians who walk in the Spirit should pursue gentleness as the will of God for their lives.
Signing off
Tyrone
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