The Gift of Kindness

When the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us. —Titus 3:4–5

The Greek word translated “kindness” in Titus 3:4 is philanthrōpia, from which we get our English word philanthropy. In other words, Jesus is the perfect expression of the Father’s kindness and His philanthropy toward undeserving sinners. Kindness originates with God the Father and finds its meaning in who He is and what He does—particularly in sending His Son to save us.

This Great Kindness is a gift. We can’t pay for it. We can’t demand it. We can’t merit it by our own acts of kindness. God saves us because He is eternally and immeasurably kind, good, and merciful.

So, for a child of God, kindness is never truly random. Instead, it bears witness to the kindness of our heavenly Father and the great redemptive work of Jesus. We’re kind because God is kind and because through Jesus our hearts are filled to the brim with goodness. Most people would agree that showing kindness is a nice, decent thing to do. But for a believer, it’s the God-thing to do.