Kindness - Part 2: God’s Kindness Toward Us
Here’s something most of us miss: we can’t give what we haven’t received.
Paul writes in Titus 3:4 โ “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us.”
The word “appeared” there is interesting. It’s plฤroล โ to show up, to become visible, to break into the scene. God’s kindness isn’t abstract. It showed up. In Jesus.
That’s the starting point for every act of kindness we offer: we received kindness we didn’t deserve, so we can extend kindness we weren’t obligated to give.
The Debt We Didn’t Repay
Read Romans 5:6-8 with fresh eyes:
“While we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly… God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
We owed a debt we couldn’t pay. Righteousness demanded satisfaction. And instead of making us grovel or earn it, God did something unexpected โ He paid it Himself. Not because we were good. Not because we had it together. But while we were still in the very act of being His enemies.
That’s kindness that goes way beyond what we deserved. That’s operative kindness โ chrฤstotฤs doing real work.
And the writer of Romans makes a point of saying this is how God treats us now, at this very moment. Not after we clean up our act. Not when we straighten out. He extends kindness to the ungodly. Today. Right now. As you sit there reading this.
From Receiver to Giver
Here’s the progression that changes everything:
- Receive โ You accepted God’s kindness. You didn’t earn it, deserve it, or manufacture it. You just received it.
- Remember โ You keep recalling how undeserving you were, so gratitude stays fresh.
- Reflect โ That kindness flows out of you toward others.
Paul says it plainly in Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
The standard isn’t “be kind like some generous person in history.” The standard is “be kind the way God was kind to you.” That’s a high bar โ but it’s also a freeing one. Because if you’re reflecting God’s kindness, you’re not calculating whether the other person deserves it.
They don’t. And neither did you.
Why This Changes How You Treat Difficult People
Here’s where this gets personal.
When someone cuts you off in traffic, when your coworker takes credit for your work, when a family member says something that stings โ your default is probably to match their energy. Give as good as you get. Keep score.
But here’s the reframe: you owe a debt you didn’t repay, and God canceled it anyway. That’s the kindness you received. So the question isn’t “do they deserve my kindness?”
The question is: “Did God give me kindness because I deserved it?”
No. He gave it while I was ungodly. While I was His enemy.
That’s the lens. That’s the filter. Kind people aren’t people who never get angry or never get hurt. Kind people are people who remember what they were forgiven from, and let that shape how they respond.
The Hardest Kindness
There’s a kind of kindness that feels impossible โ when the other person has no idea how deeply they’ve wronged you. When there’s no acknowledgment, no apology, no appreciation. You just get hurt and they move on like nothing happened.
That’s when you remember: I didn’t get what I deserved either. God didn’t wait for me to apologize before showing kindness. He just showed it.
Forgiveness isn’t saying what they did was fine. It’s saying: I will not let this debt determine how I treat you, because God didn’t let my debt determine how He treated me.
That doesn’t mean you don’t set boundaries. Kindness has teeth โ remember Part 1. But the disposition is always chrฤstotฤs โ acting for their good, even when they don’t earn it.
A Prayer for Today
Father, I confess that I often treat others with a่ฎฐ่ดฆ mentality โ they have to deserve my kindness before I’ll extend it. But You treated me differently. While I was still ungodly, while I was Your enemy, You showed up. You sent Christ. You forgave. Help me to remember this debt I owed and could not pay โ and to let that memory shape how I treat the people who owe me things they cannot repay. Grow Your kindness in me today, not as a performance, but as a reflection of what You’ve already done. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Tomorrow: We’ll look at kindness in action โ what it actually looks like when rubber meets the road.
Reflection question: Is there someone in your life you’ve been keeping at arm’s length because they hurt you? What would it look like to reflect God’s kindness toward them today?