The Bible has a lot to say about love and kindness. One of the most well-known passages is 1 Corinthians 13:4, which states that “Love is patient, love is kind.” This verse comes in the middle of Paul’s famous treatise on love in 1 Corinthians 13, where he describes the attributes and importance of agape love.
To understand what it means that “love is kind,” we first need to examine the original Greek word used here. The word translated as “kind” is chrēsteuomai. This word implies being good, gracious, useful and helpful to others. It means to show oneself useful and act benevolently to people in need. In essence, kindness is love in action – demonstrating care, compassion and goodness to others.
The kind love described in 1 Corinthians 13 stands in contrast to some of the selfish behaviors that the Corinthian church struggled with, as described earlier in Paul’s letter. Rather than seeking one’s own good at the expense of others, kindness considers others’ interests and needs above one’s own. It is active, not passive – always looking for ways to benefit and bless others.
So what are some practical ways we can show kindness in a manner consistent with 1 Corinthians 13:4?
- Helping those in need – whether it’s through serving at a homeless shelter, donating to a food bank, or simply being generous to those around you who lack basic necessities.
- Speaking words of encouragement – building others up through genuine compliments, affirmation and expressing belief in them.
- Active, sacrificial listening – taking time to truly listen to and understand others without judgment or thinking about what you’ll say next.
- Empathizing with those who are suffering – seeking to understand others’ pain without minimizing it; comforting those dealing with grief, loss, illness, depression, etc.
- Forgiving readily – letting go of grudges or bitterness towards those who’ve hurt you and wishing them well rather than ill will.
- Meeting practical needs – helping a sick friend with meals, giving someone a ride to the airport, babysitting for free, etc.
- Sharing possessions – lending something useful to someone in need, inviting someone over for dinner, etc.
- Gentle, thoughtful speech – avoiding hurtful words, gossip, lies, or angry outbursts.
- Serving with joy – doing good deeds with a spirit of enthusiasm and cheer rather than begrudging obligation.
- Praying for others – interceding on behalf of others for God’s help and blessing in their lives.
Ultimately, kindness is an attitude of the heart that manifests itself in caring words and compassionate actions towards others. It is one of the primary ways that God’s agape love is demonstrated among believers and shared with the unbelieving world.
The biblical call to kindness
While 1 Corinthians 13:4 gives us a concise definition of kindness, the theme of kindness runs throughout the Bible as God calls His people to reflect His loving character. Here are several other biblical passages that elaborate on what it means to show true kindness:
Colossians 3:12-14
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
This passage describes kindness as a virtue believers are to “put on,” along with other Christlike qualities. The implication is that kindness does not come naturally – we must intentionally clothe ourselves with it. And it is connected to compassion, humility, gentleness and forgiveness.
Ephesians 4:31-32
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Here, the call to kindness is set in contrast to qualities like bitterness, anger and malice. We are to consciously reject unkind attitudes and replace them with active kindness and compassion instead.
Galatians 5:22
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…”
In describing the fruit or character qualities that the Holy Spirit produces in believers, Paul lists kindness as one of the key virtues. As we yield to God’s Spirit working in us, kindness will naturally grow and overflow to others.
2 Peter 1:5-7
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”
Peter exhorts believers to diligently and intentionally cultivate spiritual virtues, including “brotherly affection” – the family-love kindness we are to show towards our fellow Christians.
These and other passages demonstrate that kindness is not optional for followers of Jesus. We are called to exhibit kindness to reflect the very heart of God and echo how He has treated us with immense grace and mercy. Kindness should be a defining mark of the way Christians relate to each other and the watching world.
Examples of kindness in the Bible
In addition to commands about kindness, the Bible contains many stories that illustrate what godly kindness looks like in action. Here are a few key examples:
The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
Jesus told this famous parable to illustrate what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). In the story, neither a priest nor religious Levite stopped to help a man left half-dead after a robbery. Instead, it was a Samaritan – considered a foreigner and outcast – who had compassion, bandaged the man’s wounds, took him to an inn to recover – all at his own expense. Jesus praised the Samaritan for exemplifying true neighborly love through his sacrificial kindness to a total stranger.
Dorcas (Acts 9:36-42)
Dorcas was “full of good works and acts of charity” to the poor and needy in her community (Acts 9:36). When she died, the outpouring of grief from the many widows she had clothed and helped highlighted the tremendous, practical kindness she had shown during her life. Her selfless giving is a model for all believers.
Rahab (Joshua 2)
Rahab showed uncommon kindness to the Israelite spies who came to scout out Jericho before its destruction, risking her own life by hiding them from the authorities. Her protection enabled the spies to return safely with key intelligence to conquer the city. James 2:25 commends Rahab’s kindness to strangers and says her actions demonstrated the validity of her faith.
Abigail (1 Samuel 25)
When her husband Nabal spitefully refused to give provisions to David and his hungry men, Abigail intercepted David and graciously gave him more than he had requested, preventing David from taking vengeance. Her kind response is praised for dissuading David from bloodguilt and ill-informed retaliation.
We see from these and other examples that biblical kindness goes beyond mere words – it takes action to meet pressing needs with compassion and wisdom. Those who took time to show extraordinary kindness were commended, whether Jew or foreigner, rich or poor, male or female.
How the example of Jesus demonstrates perfect kindness
Of course, the supreme biblical model of kindness is Jesus Christ himself. His entire life and ministry incarnated God’s kindness on vivid display. Here are some key ways Jesus demonstrated the meaning of perfect love and kindness during His time on earth:
He healed the sick
Wherever Jesus went, He continually healed people of every kind of illness and disability – the blind, the deaf, the lame, lepers, hemorrhaging women, crippled limbs, chronic diseases and more (Matthew 4:23-24). He healed them all with deep compassion, even when it made Him tired and went against religious customs. He poured out miraculous kindness through these acts of healing.
He treated social outcasts with dignity
Jesus purposely spent time with those rejected by broader Jewish society – tax collectors, prostitutes, Samaritans, Roman centurions and other “sinners.” He was criticized for it frequently. But His kindness extended to all, regardless of reputation, and He lifted up the value of every person He encountered (Luke 15:1-2).
He welcomed and blessed children
When His disciples tried to shoo away children who wanted to see Jesus, He rebuked them, saying, “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” He welcomed them, laid hands on them and blessed them (Matthew 19:13-15).
He washed His disciples feet
In one of the most stunning examples of humility and service, Jesus – the very Son of God – washed the feet of His own disciples, a task usually reserved for the lowliest servant (John 13:1-17). He told them to follow His example and wash one another’s feet. There was no act of kindness too lowly for Him to undertake.
He forgave and redeemed sinners
Jesus’ kindness led Him to radically forgive notorious sinners like the adulteress in John 8, the woman who washed His feet with perfume in Luke 7 and even the men who crucified Him. He ministered redemption to those who should have faced condemnation under the law. His kindness overflowed to those least deserving but most desperately needing grace.
Jesus perfectly epitomized kindness in all its various biblical facets – gentleness, compassion, mercy, grace, forgiveness, empathy and selfless giving. He is the model for how we are likewise called to demonstrate the kindness of God to everyone around us.
The transforming power of kindness
Practicing the kind of active, selfless, sacrificial love modeled by Jesus can have tremendous impact on others when it emulates God’s divine kindness. Here are some ways showing biblical kindness can be transformative:
It lifts up those who are down
Kindness shown to those struggling with poverty, illness, grief or depression can help lift their eyes from their troubles to a place of hope. It affirms their worth when life has beaten them down. Bringing meals to a sick family, sending a card to someone grieving, embracing someone just released from prison or the hospital – these acts of kindness remind others they are not alone.
It builds connections between people
Showing kindness often initiates relationships as it overcomes barriers of indifference and self-absorption. Being kindly disposed towards strangers, co-workers, neighbors and even enemies opens doors to develop meaningful connections. Kindness motivates us to treat others as fellow image-bearers of God.
It softens hearts and opens them to truth
Jesus said His disciples should be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Kind words and actions often help open hearts to consider biblical truths they would normally reject or ignore. When we gently speak truth in tandem with kind behavior, it can penetrate through common defenses against the gospel message.
It breaks down walls of division
Showing kindness to those different than us – whether of a different race, religion, ethnicity, political party or socioeconomic status – tears down walls of suspicion that divide groups of people. Reflecting God’s global kindness helps overcome hate with love and models how we are all one in Christ.
It makes others open to kindness
When we lavish kindness on others freely, it makes them more inclined to show that same kindness to still more people. One act of kindness has an exponential ripple effect as it motivates recipients to replicate that kindness in their spheres of influence. This is how the love of Christ spreads around the world.
The Bible makes clear that kindness is not optional – it is a basic trait believers must actively demonstrate as imitators of our infinitely kind Savior. When we clothe ourselves in kindness as Scripture commands, we help fulfill Jesus’ prayer that God’s love would be evident to the world through our lives (John 17:20-23). There is tremendous power when the body of Christ embraces kindness!
