Gentleness, or meekness, is often misunderstood as weakness or mere softness. But in Scripture it is the strength of someone who trusts God so deeply that they don’t need to push themselves forward, grab for status, or trample others to get what they want.
In this week’s episode, we explore:
- How “gentleness” in Galatians 5 is the same idea as “meekness” in the Beatitudes, and why no single English word fully captures this rich biblical concept
- Moses as “very meek, more than all people on the face of the earth”—a man with unparalleled privilege and access to God who never grabbed for glory or equality with others, but accepted the role God assigned him
- Psalm 37 and Jesus’ beatitude, “the meek shall inherit the earth,” as a call to refuse the grasping, scheming ways of evildoers and to wait quietly and confidently for God to vindicate His people in the end
- Jesus as the perfect model of meekness: entering Jerusalem lowly on a donkey, inviting weary sinners to take His yoke because He is “gentle and lowly in heart,” and using His authority to bless and save rather than to exploit
- James’s contrast between selfishly ambitious leaders and those who show their wisdom “in the meekness of wisdom,” content to let God exalt them rather than building their own little kingdoms
- Paul’s call in Galatians 6:1 to restore a sinning brother “in a spirit of gentleness,” remembering our own weakness and resisting the temptation to use others’ failures to prop up our spiritual pride
- How meekness reshapes everyday relationships in the church: taking the lower place, refusing to trample others for recognition, and trusting God to provide honor in His time rather than seizing it now
After listening, you’ll see gentleness not as timidity or niceness, but as a Spirit-produced humility that flows from deep trust in God’s character and promises.
Series: Fruit of the Spirit
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