Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson CVII)

5:22g Our spiritual oneness with the Anointed transforms love into the fruit of Goodness.

 As we have seen, Joy and Peace are virtues that begin inwardly, while Patience, Kindness, and Goodness are virtues that express themselves outwardly. What a fantastic way for Love to show itself as mature and generous. Paul chooses the Greek noun agathōsynē to define this fruit of the reborn spirit where Love becomes transformed into the mature virtue of Goodness. It means to be upright in heart and life, by showing goodness and kindness. Both are virtues of compassion and generosity. Goodness is the selfless desire to be open-hearted and generous to others above what they deserve.^[1]

This Greek noun is used only three other times in Paul’s Epistles. He told the Romans that he admired them because they were full of goodness.^[2] And when he repeats the fruit of the reborn spirit for the Ephesians, he lists goodness.^[3] And then to the Thessalonians, that he always prays for them that they would prove worthy of God’s calling because He fills them with His goodness.^[4]

When we look in the Jewish Torah for any instances where “Goodness” is defined or described, we find the Hebrew adjective towb meaning to be good, pleasant, and agreeable. But that’s not all. Thayer in his Hebrew Lexicon says Jews use towb to express something useful to the senses, goodness found in higher nature; good among many; good in estimation and value; good in behavior; good in being able to understand, and ethically good.

In Exodus, we read that “Jethro was delighted when he heard about all the good things the LORD did for Israel when He rescued them from the hand of the Egyptians;” ^[5] along with God’s word to Israel through Moses, “Now listen!  Today I am giving you a choice between life and goodness, death, and disaster.” ^[6] And Solomon also warned, “Those who lead right living people along an evil path will fall into their trap, but the honest will inherit good things.” ^[7] Here, we see goodness as love, making itself useful in responding to a needy situation.

We also read were from the beginning when God set lights in the sky to govern the day and night and to separate the light from the darkness, God labeled this as something good in the sense of being very appropriate.^[8] According to Jewish tradition, God allocated the stars to the nations of the earth, whereas the sun and moon He assigned to the Jewish people. It means that the nations’ fate is subject to influences of the constellation of the stars (astrology and horoscopes), as opposed to the destiny of the Jewish people, which is subject to the direct supervision of heaven, that is, God the Father and Jesus the Light, personally.[9]

Israel also learned that God does things in various ways to benefit His people that are very good because they are relevant.^[10] Goodness is an essence that can be both proactive and reactive. In looking at its place within the fruit listed here, it signifies to be proactive. In other words, you do not wait to be good after something bad happens, but you are good at preventing something bad from happening.

We see this after Joseph’s brothers came down to Egypt and learned that the one they sold into slavery was now second in command. After Joseph revealed who he was, he told them, “You intended it for my harm, but God intended it for my good (benefit). He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” ^[11] Even the Psalmist declared, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him!” ^[12] In response to the brothers asking Joseph for forgiveness, Rabbi Saba says that Joseph told his brothers that it was way beyond his realm to deal with that as only God personally could handle it and could forgive them if He saw fit to do so. As far as Joseph was concerned, he could forgive their unintentional sin. Looking back, it became clear that their actions were of great benefit to him personally, and advanced God’s plan to reduce the impact of the coming famine in the region. Therefore, forgiveness meant that Joseph was being good by not punishing them.[13]

So again, we see how God wanted to show kindness to His chosen, and that kindness became goodness when He put it into action. Rabbi Kahana tells us that Solomon preached: In a day that offers an opportunity for goodness, then engage in goodness.” [14] Rabbi Kahana says that the opportunity for doing good may not always be there every day. So, as soon as we spot an opportunity, don’t put it off, for it may never come around again.[15]

Jesus made this clear when He taught His disciples that a good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the junk pile in an evil heart.^[16]  Here Jesus contrasts a heart full of transforming love, which brings forth the fruit of kindness while at the same time producing the spiritual fraternal twin, goodness. A heart lacking in love that contrives to deceive and take advantage of innocent people.

On another occasion, Jesus used a different approach to teach about spiritual fraternal twins, kindness, and goodness. He asked the parents: “If your son came to you and asked for a piece of bread, would you give him a piece of stone, or if he asked you for a fish, would you give him an eel? If you then, even with all your faults and failures, quite naturally give good things to your children, how much more likely is it that your Heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask Him? Remember, treat other people exactly as you would like to be treated by them; this sums up everything Moses and the Prophets wrote about.” ^[17] In the first part, Jesus reveals the fruit of kindness, giving what is needed.  In the latter part, Jesus emphasizes the fruit of goodness, not doing any less for others than you would like done to yourself.

The Greeks used the noun agathōsynē to denote something useful. In the English language, many of us are familiar with the phrase, “good for nothing.” (I’ll let the reader determine how they became acquainted with that designation). But the Greeks identified certain things, be they material, intellectual, moral, or religious, as effective in getting the good results intended or desired. But we also find a close relationship between Goodness and the previous fruit Kindness that at first glance makes it appear they are duplicates or synonyms of each other.

The Apostle Paul understood the Greek language so well, however, that he knew these words were similar to fraternal twins, not identical twins. Let me illustrate: we’ve all heard of the phrase “word and deed” as a combination within “commitment;” they typify one’s intention and one’s action. “Kindness” represents our attitude, while “Goodness” represents our actions; one is in our heart, while the other is in our hand.

Another factor in understanding agathōsynē involves how it’s applied in context. For instance, we may look at an animal and say, “That’s a good animal.” The next question may be, “Good for what?” Is it good as a source of meat? Good for breeding? Good as a pet? We must learn in what situation and for what purpose we use the word “Good.” For instance, the same person who has good eyesight may have poor hearing. The same concept applies to the fruit “Goodness.” It is a term needing an explanation as to how it’s demonstrated and why we label the effect as good. Therefore, a good deed may be inspired by good intentions, but only when carried out does, it becomes goodness.

Paul finished writing the believers in Rome and telling them how to treat each other with respect and not be so critical over a few minor differences. He concluded: “I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of good (useful) deeds. You know these things so well you can teach each other about them.” ^[18] It seems that the congregation in Ephesus dealt with the same discord among themselves. Paul reminded them that when they use to live in the darkness of sin that was normal, but now that they are in the light of salvation and have become new creatures in the Anointed Jesus he tells them “Try and imitate God in everything you do because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of the Anointed. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, as a pleasing aroma to God. This light within you only produces that which is good (useful), right, and true.” ^[19]

The Apostle Paul wrote the faithful in Thessalonica, “We constantly pray for you, that our God may declare you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may help you accomplish every good (useful) thing you set out to do as motivated by your faith.” ^[20] Here, Paul adds an essential ingredient to our understanding of “Goodness” as a fruit of our spiritual oneness with the Anointed that is mature and generous when he points to its purpose. The Holy Spirit brings God’s love into our beings through the new birth, then that love transforms itself to manifest the presence of the Holy Spirit living in us with fruit that is useful and a blessing to others. It’s not something we manufacture, but something we yield.

Therefore, understanding the fruit of goodness helps us see how love can inspire a believer to willingly apply the spirit of the Law rather than the strictness of the Law. It helps them discern the fine line between being right and doing right. They are also aware that when in the right, they can demand all the privileges it provides for them; but also have the option to choose whether or not to exercise those rights when another person’s benefits are at stake.

[1] Rose Publishing: The Fruit of the Spirit (Kindle Location 111)

[2] Romans 15:14

[3] Ephesians 5:9

[4] 2 Thessalonians 1:11

[5] Exodus 18:9

[6] Deuteronomy 30:15

[7] Proverbs 28:10

[8] Genesis 1:17-18

[9] Avraham Saba: Tzror Hamor, op. cit., Vol. 1, p. 11

[10] Exodus 33:19; 34:8; 84:11; 107: 1; 145:9

[11] Genesis 50:20

[12] Psalm 34:8

[13] Avraham Saba: Tzror Hamor, op cit., Vol. 2., p. 838

[14] Ecclesiastes 7:14

[15] Rabbi Kahana: Pĕsiḳta dĕḅ-Raḅ Kahana, p. 392

[16] Matthew 12:35

[17] Ibid. 7:9-12

[18] Romans 15:14

[19] Ephesians 5:1-2, 9

[20] 2 Thessalonians 1:11

No doubt, many of us, when asked where we stand on moral, political, or racial issues, claim “impartiality.” In our minds, that may mean “I don’t take sides, I accept all as equally justified in their claims and efforts.” But are we really impartial? We can begin with the dictionary definition: “Treating or affecting all equally. The inclination to weigh both views or opinions equally.” It defines someone who is not directly involved in a particular situation and is, therefore, able to give a fair opinion or decision about it. Sounds easy, doesn’t it. But it’s not.

Here is what psychologists have to say, it is all too easy to assume that the word impartiality must denote a positive, unitary concept – presumably a concept closely linked with, if not identical to, morality. This, however, is simply not the case. Rather, there are various sorts of behavior that may be described as ‘impartial,’ and some of these obviously have little or nothing to do with morality. A person who chooses to vote for a candidate for the local school board based on her friends’ recommendations may be entirely impartial between the various other candidates with respect to their gender, age, or where they went to school. The reason she voted for the one she did is because of her friends.

Yet, if her choice is motivated solely by rational self-interested considerations, then it is clear that the impartiality, she manifests is in no way a form of moral impartiality. To take a more extreme case, consider an arsonist who chooses his victims on the basis of the neighborhood they live in. The arsonist may be impartial with respect to his victims’ occupations, religious beliefs, and so forth, but it would be absurd to regard this as a form of moral impartiality.

It is also worth noting that some types of impartiality may in themselves be immoral or morally questionable. Suppose that you decide to pass along a treasured family heirloom to one of your two sons, Bill and Phil. Flipping a coin would constitute one type of impartial procedure for choosing between the two. But suppose that you have already promised the heirloom to Phil on several occasions. In this case, it would be quite wrong to allow a coin toss to determine whether he gets it. Deciding by means of a coin toss would be an impartial procedure, but it would be the wrong sort of impartiality here, for it would ignore the moral obligation created by my previous promises.

The word ‘impartiality,’ then, picks out a broad concept that need not have anything to do with morality. In this broad sense, impartiality is probably best characterized in a negative rather than positive manner: an impartial choice is simply one in which a certain sort of consideration (i.e. some property of the individuals being chosen between) has no influence.

An analysis along these lines has been proposed by Bernard Gert, who holds that Alfred is impartial with respect to Ralph’s participation in an environmental group. However, Alfred’s impartiality with respect to Ralph must not be influenced at all by what member(s) of how the environmental group may benefit or harm others by their actions. (Gert 1995, p.104). Thus, for Professor Gert, impartiality with Ralph is a proper set of decisions made without including feelings toward a particular group. Once any bias or support for the group is included, the impartiality is gone.

The principle of impartiality is central to practical ethical theories. It calls for an impartial appraisal of a situation, followed by the morally appropriate response.  These impartial moral theories require an individual to set aside personal interests and considerations, that is, they require us to make decisions based on an objective criterion, rather than personal bias. An impartial decision, in short, is one in which certain considerations (particularly personal ones) have no influence on the deliberation involved in the decision.

The impartial value is represented in practical theories in their insistence that outcomes or states of affairs are the solely relevant considerations in determining the appropriate moral action.  Noticeably absent from this view is a place for the personal considerations of an individual.  Thus, the practical agent is not permitted to favor himself or herself, or his or her family, friends, and loved ones when deliberating over a decision.  Rather, the agent is morally required to act to bring about the best outcomes regardless of the beneficiaries of those actions.

To illustrate the principle of impartiality, consider the following case.  A member of the ET squad is faced with a dilemma: they can either answer the call for help from the police for a DUI suspect involved in a vehicle accident, or the call from the police for help to rescue a family member involved in the same accident, but they cannot handle both at the same time.  According to practical thinking, the fact that one is the ET’s cousin is not a consideration that overrides the practical duty to bring about the best outcome, which they will achieve by rescuing the DUI driver. It will be a hard choice, but being impartial is the main object. That means not only doing what is right, but what is best for the other person involved.

The Bible is not silent on this subject of impartiality. We find that God shows no partiality.[1] And He instructed Moses to write, “Be fair in how you judge. Do not show favor to the poor or to the great. Be fair in how you judge your neighbor.”[2] And the Psalmist says that when the LORD comes (speaking of the Messiah), He will be right in what He decides about the world. And He will be fair to the people.[3]

That’s why the Apostle Peter stated that “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation, He accepts those who reverence Him and do what is right.[4] The Apostle Paul said that those who become part of the family of God does not see them as Jews or as Greeks. (To this we can add, Black, Brown, or White). He does not look at them as a servant or as a person free to work. He does not notice them as a man or as a woman. They are all equal in Christ.[5] Also, the Apostle James says it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures:[6] “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[7]

However, being impartial does not mean turning a blind eye to what is evil and destructive. First of all, we must determine the intentions of the individual or individuals involved. If we see a neighbor beating his wife on the back and arms and legs, we might conclude that he is abusing her. But when we find out she stepped into a fire ant nest; we can understand his motive was to get rid of the stinging ants. If we see a mother in a Mall food court grab an item from her son’s plate to keep him from eating it, we might change our minds about what we thought she was doing when we find out that her son has a severe allergic reaction to that type of food.

So, before we judge whether someone is being biased or impartial, first find out their intention in performing the act that made you wonder. After all, God did not call us to be judges, He called us to be peacemakers.[8] That doesn’t mean we excuse those who commit harmful, senseless, acts of violence and destruction, but you remain impartial until all the facts are in. Nor should we try to be impartial as a result of some guilt complex over the sins of past generations. Furthermore, you are not being impartial if you try to ingratiate yourself to someone just to appease the individual into thinking you’re really on their side. Remember, there is only one Judge, and that is God. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

[1] Romans 2:11

[2] Leviticus 19:15

[3] Psalm 98:9

[4] Acts of the Apostle 10:34-35

[5] Galatians 3:28

[6] Leviticus 19:18

[7] James 2:8

[8] Matthew 5:9

NEVER, EVER, GIVE UP!

25-year-old Zuly may be smiling now, but it’s been a long, hard road to happiness. She was born without arms or legs due to a rare Tetra-amelia syndrome genetic condition, which prevents limbs from developing properly inside the womb. She was one of six children her father and mother took care of.

Sadly, Zuly’s father committed suicide when she was only two years old, leaving her mother to care for all her children alone in Bogota, Columbia — a country that does not provide any financial assistance to people with disabilities. But Guillermina kept insisting that her daughter could live a normal life and do anything she put her mind to. She encouraged her daughter to learn how to do things on her own, and Zuly credits her mother and God for being the source of her independence. Obviously, Guillermina undoubtedly taught her daughter the meaning of determination by example.

“Mum taught me to do basic things like making the bed, brushing my teeth, and changing clothes using my mouth and stumps to grip things,” says Zuly. “She wanted me to do everything any able-bodied person can do,” Unfortunately, in her neighborhood and school, her peers were not as supportive. Zuly was mercilessly bullied. She was called an alien, and some kids would even steal her snacks. She tried switching schools, but the taunting continued. “I’d go to sleep at night crying and wishing I could just wake up and be like everyone else. I felt pushed aside at school and didn’t have any friends. I thought there was no hope for me. Thoughts of giving up kept taunting me, even when Mum tried to keep my spirits up, but I felt so hurt and low,” recalls Zuly.

The abuse only got worse, and Zuly became the victim of rape. By fifteen, she hit her lowest point and truly believed life was not worth living. So, she climbed up to the fourth floor of her building and was preparing to jump to her death. But God had bigger and better plans. Her mother showed up just in the nick of time and pulled Zuly back from jumping.

Zuly says that it devastated her mom to find that things had gotten so bad for her daughter that she was prepared to take her own life. With tears streaming down her face, Guillermina wrapped her arms around Zuly, hugged her tight, and told her that one day she would go on to shine and show other people that she was able to live a normal, happy life with a disability. “She was my guardian angel,” says Zuly, “the angel that is always standing by my side, and I am thankful to God for her because she was always there when I needed her.”

With encouragement and support from her mother, Zuly worked hard to build up her confidence. After hitting rock bottom, Zuly realized she’d spent too much time focusing on her disability. “I don’t have any arms or legs, but I won’t let that hold me back,” she exclaimed to herself one day. Despite having no arms or legs, God blessed Zuly with incredible artistic talent. Using her mouth to hold a brush, Zuly is able to create incredibly beautiful paintings.

At age eighteen, Zuly went to art college and was later asked by the local pastor to join him on community visits where she could share her story. “My first talk was speaking to 400 college students and parents about bullying in schools,” Zuly recalled. “I was really nervous, so Mum came with me for support. But half-way through, I began to cry uncontrollably because it was so painful reliving what I’d been through. But everyone in the audience started clapping, and that gave me the strength to keep going.”

Zuly now speaks regularly at businesses, prisons, and schools. She has come to realize she didn’t suffer in vain. A very special calling has been placed on her life. God took all her brokenness and strife of years of abuse and turned it into something beautiful.

The impact Zuly is having on others today, combined with the love and support she’s received, is the reason she’s smiling. By sharing her story of perseverance, Zuly is not only inspiring others, but she’s also changing lives. “It gives me so much happiness to know I’m helping people. One boy was about to take his own life with a gun when he saw a TV show I was on. He realized he had to be brave and decided not to take his life. He wrote to me, and we’re now really good friends. I get letters from lots of people who say I’ve helped them through difficult situations.”

Zuly has been able to overcome the trauma of sexual abuse and hopes one day to marry and have children. She also aspires to extend her motivational speaking abroad, as well as to one day open an orphanage.

Satan aims to weaken us by distracting us from what we can do, so we focus on what we cannot do.” But Zuly’s story is a testament to the resilience and strength of the human spirit. “I’m proof you don’t have to let a disability hold you back. I went through such a dark time, but now I’m in a good place, and it’s given me a sense of purpose of helping other people.”

The Apostle James said, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12). We, too, have a great role model in preservice, Jesus our Lord and Savior. We are told that despite all the rejection and criticism He went through when it came time to face His accusers and suffer the pain, suffering, and death that lay ahead, He was resolutely determined to carry on and headed straight for Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51)

There may be things in life we count as handicaps. Perhaps we’ve used that in the past to excuse ourselves from doing things we believe we can do or accept responsibility for ourselves instead of always leaning on others. Let the brave girl, Zuly, also be an example for you. In the words of the great British leader, Winston Churchill, “Never give up! Never, never, ever give up!” Jesus didn’t, Zuly didn’t, so why should you? – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson CVI)

Paul continues his theme on the fruit of kindness. In writing to the Ephesians, he tells them that God wants to point us out as examples of the incredible return He gets for His abundant investment of grace and kindness in our lives: “As soon as you believed, it was God’s grace that saved you. And you can’t say you earned it; it is a gift from God.” ^[1]

But Paul was not putting himself above the Ephesians when it came to love transformed into kindness.  He confessed to the congregation that Titus the Gentile pastored: “All of us were once foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But, ‘When God our Savior revealed His kindness and love; He saved us not because we did anything right, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.’” ^[2] Here again, we see the unbreakable tie between the essence of love and its characteristics. Anyone claiming to have love but does nothing to express that love makes it impossible to prove their love exists.

Believe it or not, a common nickname for slaves in Paul’s day was the Greek word for kindness, “chrestos.” Many believe this indicated that any servant given this title possessed the qualities and characteristics of an ideal, trusted servant. I’m sure the Apostle Paul was not oblivious to this. He strove to be the type of servant God wanted him to be. So, he encouraged others to be examples of kindness, especially among believers.

It appears the congregation in Ephesus did not get along with each other the way they should, so Paul did not mince words when he told them to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through the Anointed forgave you.” ^[3]

Paul certainly did not want anyone to misconstrue the Fruit of kindness as some type of weak-kneed, easy-going, I-don’t-want-to-hurt-anyone attitude. The Apostle found that kindness can often come with a bitter taste that makes it hard to swallow – much like some medicines are today, but in the end, it’s the best thing for you. In addition to that, man cannot duplicate the effects of this newfound kindness in the Anointed Jesus on his own; in doing so, some people attempt to imitate the Anointed’s kindness without love. And the exact term for that is imitation kindness. It cannot compare to the polished and graceful of love transformed as kindness.

Jesus may have considered something like that when He tried to explain to His critics why the type of kindness, He and His disciples practiced would not fit into the old Jewish way of performing good deeds to make themselves look good. Jesus told them, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins. The new wine would burst the old wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. You store fresh wine in new wineskins. But some hooked on the old wine don’t care much for the new wine. They say, ‘The old wineskin is just fine with me.’” ^[4]

In other words, some people refuse to change the way they show kindness as a believer. They’ll tell you, “Don’t ask me to stop and help someone out when I’m on my way to church because it will break my perfect Sunday School attendance record!” Or, “I’m good at helping people on a spiritual level; I’ll leave the charity work up to those not as spiritually equipped as I am.”

We learn from this that kindness, as produced by love, is not a trait or learned behavior. It springs from the heart due to the Anointed-like characteristics of a newborn creature. It thereby reveals a humbleness of spirit and well-mannered will, which puts consideration of others above self. Peter saw it this way when he advised everyone, “Don’t try to impress people by the way you dress or comb your hair, or with fine jewelry or fancy clothes. Rather, radiate the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a kind and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” ^[5]

The great Reformer Martin Luther, who faced much opposition, spoke this way about this Fruit of kindness: “Kindness in conduct and life. True followers of the Gospel must not be sharp and bitter, but kind, mild, courteous, and soft-spoken, which should encourage others to seek their company. Kindness can overlook other people’s faults and cover them up. Kindness is always glad to give in to others. Kindness can get along with aggressive and difficult persons, according to the old pagan saying: “You must know the manners of your friends, but you must not hate them.” Such a kind person was the Savior Jesus the Anointed, as the Gospel portrays Him. We read that Peter wept whenever he remembered the sweet kindness of the Anointed in His daily contact with people.[6] Kindness is an excellent virtue and very useful in every walk of life.^[7] Luther used the German word Freundlichkeit which means “friendliness.” and the best way to be friendly is to be kind. And in the German/English dictionary, Freundlichkeit is translated into English as kindness.

Methodist theologian Adam Clarke calls it a very rare grace, often lacking in many who have a considerable share of Christian excellence. He notes with certainty that a good education and polished manners, when brought under the influence of the grace of God, will bring out this fruit of the reborn spirit with significant effect.^[8] That is another way of saying that when you place a diamond in an ordinary setting of bronze or copper, it does not sparkle as brilliantly as it does when surrounded by gold or silver. But in God’s eyes, it is a precious stone no matter in what setting you place it.

From the Hebrew manuscripts, Paul read, he undoubtedly understood that in Jewish thinking, no one could ever reach the ultimate level of being kind like the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They usually translated the Hebrew noun checed into English as “kindness,” ^[9] as well as “loving-kindness,” which ties love and kindness together. Reading the First Covenant reveals that checed refers to things and actions that are pleasant and agreeable to our senses. They include things we feel are excellent in value and quality, ways we describe as appropriate, and becoming a person of sound ethics and character.

To put it another way: it is a kind person doing a loving thing at the right time and for a good reason.  In that case, who can exceed the LORD God in being kind? British scholar Alexander Maclaren proposes that this fruit of kindness and the following one of goodness express the same virtue except that kindness is an inward disposition while goodness is the outward disposition. Maclaren continues by saying that kindness answers the desire of acting in a pleasant, kindly manner toward others, while goodness answers to active goodness for the benefit of others.^[10] Therefore, kindness refers to openhandedness, which can also be called openheartedness. It rises above pettiness and mean-spiritedness. In such cases, goodness would be openheartedness.

Some of the earliest Christian scholars describe Kindness as: “caring.” ^[11] Another medieval writer says: “Kindness is will that is most eager in its actions and tempered with kind speech.  It invites not only those of goodwill to love oneself but above all those who would seem to be one’s adversaries.  Therefore, one is called kind if they are exceptionally and exceedingly good.” ^[12]  To put it succinctly, in his mind, it involves those deeds of compassion that go above and beyond the call of duty.  A later medieval writer adds this note, that while we certainly would be considered a decent person if we wish we had something to share with others, he goes on to say that: “Kindness is the broad-mindedness of sharing those things that one does have.” ^[13]

 Dr. Rodney Loper says that many of us think of kindness as being cordial, having a pleasant expression, getting along well with others, or doing good, or a pleasing personality. While these are unique expressions, he believes it goes much deeper. Kindness, in its purest form, is an expression of God’s heart. Loper goes on to say that kindness can be painful, and it isn’t easy to embrace. Kindness doesn’t vary with circumstances. Kindness should be natural for Christians. It is at the center of a believer’s life. Kindness is a choice to be made, not made for us. See Colossians chapter three for a long list of attributes.[14]

Caslyn Rice proposes that the next time someone says a harsh word or acts rudely, what if we would respond in a way that shows a spirit of kindness and concern?[15] The secret is, you won’t know until you try.

Retired God’s Bible School professor, Dr. Larry D. Smith, says that Paul’s pen writes that kindness as a fruit of the reborn spirit is an essential and robust word. It is love in its smaller manifestations, and love is the first fruit of the reborn spirit and the basis for all the rest. To be kind is to be loving in the briefer contacts of life, in every-day details of ordinary life, as well as in its more dramatic moments. So necessary is kindness as an attribute of a true believer that one might as well be speaking of a “square circle” when referring to an unkind Christian.[16]

[1] Ephesians 2:7-8

[2] Titus 3:3-5

[3] Ephesians 4:31-32

[4] Matthew 9:14-17; Mark 2:18-22; Luke 5:33-39

[5] 1 Peter 3:3-4

[6] Matthew 26:75; Luke 22:62

[7] Luther, Martin: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[8] Clarke, Adam: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[9] See Genesis 20:13; 21:33; 24:12; Joshua 2:14; Judging 8:35; Ruth 3:10; Psalm 17:7; 63:3; etc.

[10] Maclaren, Alexander: Expositions of Holy Scripture, Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[11] Augustine: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[12] Haimo of Auxerre: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[13] Bruno the Carthusian: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[14] Loper, Rodney: Revivalist Magazine, June, July August 2019, pp. 3-4

[15] Rice, Caslyn, op. cit.

[16] Smith, Larry D., Revivalist Magazine, June, July, August 2019, p. 5

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson CV)

5:22f Your spiritual oneness with the Anointed bears the fruit of . . .  Kindness . . .

To describe kindness (“humbleness” KJV), Paul uses the Greek noun chrēstotēs, which in English has synonyms such as “goodness” and “kindness.” Greek writers in Paul’s day used this word to denote something suitable and proper for the occasion, especially when evaluating someone’s moral excellence and their integrity. To Greek philosophers, this word described inner greatness, as shown by outer goodness. In other words, it had more to do with character than charity. Kindness is an eagerness to put others at ease. It is a sweet and attractive temperament that shows warm regard for others.

One of the first excellent examples of kindness can be found in the First Covenant, done by someone described as “A man after God’s own heart.” I’m talking about King David, the one who wrote many of the beautiful Psalms believers love, read, and sing to this day. Here’s the moving story about David’s outstanding spirit of kindness:

When we consider all the torment and trouble that Saul caused David, even tried to kill him on numerous occasions, why would David want to return such ill-will with such good-will? David reveals that it was a promise he made to God. God did not demand it; neither did God send a prophet or angel to convince David to do it; he did it out of his own heart. What an example of the type of kindness the Holy Spirit wants to produce in every believer’s heart as the fruit of love transformed. Here we see that a First Covenant believer set a high bar for Final Covenant believers to try and meet.

Venerated Jewish scholar Maimonides discusses this attribute of kindness, along with judgment and righteousness, and gives us this Jewish perspective. The Jews see Lovingkindness practiced in two ways: To begin with, we show compassionate kindness to those who do not claim that we owe them anything. Then, we are kind to those to whom we do owe something, and in a more significant measure than what is due to them. In the Holy Scriptures, says Maimonides, the term lovingkindness occurs mostly in the sense of showing kindness to those who have no claim to it whatever. For this reason, he employs the term lovingkindness to express the good bestowed upon us by God. The prophet Isaiah said, “I will mention the lovingkindness of the Lord.” ^[2] On this account, the very act of creation is an act of God’s lovingkindness. The Psalmist sang, “I have said, ‘lovingkindness built the Universe.’” ^[3] In other words, the building up of the Universe is an act of lovingkindness. Also, in the listing of God’s attributes, Scripture says: “And abundant in lovingkindness.” ^{[4] [5]}

In the Gospels, Jesus gives us two of the most insightful and challenging examples of what it means to express love in a way that is both cultured and graceful. Jesus tells His disciples, “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you are only kind to those who are kind to you, why should you get recognition, even sinners do as much.” ^[6] No doubt, this influenced one translator to express it this way: “be kind to those who persecute us.” ^[7]

Jesus makes it clear that He expected those who profess to be His followers to go out of their way to be kind. I heard that someone at work needed a ride to a particular location. So, I offered to take them there; but they refused by saying, “Oh no, I don’t want you to go out of your way.” I responded, “But that’s the joy of taking you there because it is out of my way. Would I be doing you any favor if where you needed to go was on my way? Besides, it’s a blessing only when it is out of the way.”

Jesus teaches us that when love expresses itself, it can only qualify as an act of kindness if it necessitates an effort above the routine or out of the norm. Do you think our love for the Anointed would be as intense as it is if the salvation, He purchased for us, required nothing more than a few kind words or His paying a small fine on our behalf?

The second instance involves a young man coming to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what honorable deed must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus responded to him somewhat critically, “Why are you asking me about what is honorable; you know God is the only One who can be called honorable.  Not only that, but you know that according to your religion if you want to gain eternal life, you must keep the commandments.” The young man shot back, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments! What else do I need to do?” Jesus looked at him and said, “Okay, if you want to do it your way, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, then come, follow me.” The young man dropped his head, turned around, and walked away so disappointed because he possessed many riches to give away.  Jesus pointed out to his disciples how hard it was to earn your way into heaven. The disciples were astounded and asked, “Then who in the world can be redeemed?” Jesus stared them right in the eyes and said, “Humanly speaking, it’s impossible; but with God, everything is possible.” ^[8]

We find this same concept when love expresses itself as kindness; it’s not out to gain but to give.  Love transformed expressed as kindness does not seek self-enrichment, but empties itself to enrich others. For sure, this is an accurate portrayal of the Anointed’s character and personality. By expressing this act of love transformed, we can embrace even the most ungrateful and obstinate person, thereby demonstrating unconditional love for those who offer no love in return, as Jesus did.

Does this imply then that we should go out looking for people like that? No! Of course not! But it does mean we don’t try to avoid them when we see them coming our way. Are we obligated to lie down in a puddle of dirty water so they can walk on us to the other side? No! Absolutely not! However, we can offer to walk through the water with them. In addition to that, even if they then walk off without so much as turning around and saying, “Thank you,” we can still consider it worth our effort? Yes! Of course! We didn’t do it for thanks; we did it because cultured love transformed has the power to express itself as kindness under such circumstances.

The Apostle Paul’s knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, along with his concept of kindness being a cultured and graceful act of the will, allows him to express the dynamics of such transformed-love in words that make his Epistle readers sit up and take notice. Writing to Roman believers, who tended to be critical of each other, Paul admonishes them by asking, “Are you about to throw God’s wonderful kindness, consistency, and patience back in His face? Don’t you realize God’s kindness will give you the ability to change your ways?” ^[9]

Here Paul touches on a critical point in explaining the effects of kindness. Even when those to whom we show unsolicited and often unappreciated kindness do not at first seem grateful, Paul believes that given enough time and under the influence of the Holy Spirit, it will have a positive effect. One question we might ask is this: if it takes a large amount of continual kindness to turn some people around, what are their chances of changing course if we show no kindness at all?

[1] 2 Samuel, Chapter 9

[2] Isaiah 63:7

[3] Psalm 89:3

[4] Exodus 34:6

[5] Maimonides, Moses: A Guide for the Perplexed, Part III, Ch. LIII, Veritatis Splendor Publications, pp. 605-606

[6] Luke 6:32-33

[7] Aiyer, Ramsey, The Contextual Bible Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[8] Matthew 19:16-30

[9] Romans 2:4

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson CIV)

Reformer Martin Luther gives us his interpretation of what patience means to him. In his mind, patience is that quality which enables a person to hold up under adversity, injury, reproach, and makes them patient to wait for the improvement of those who have done them wrong. When the devil finds that he cannot overcome certain believers by force, he tries to overcome them with persistent harassment. He knows that we are weak and cannot stand anything long. That’s why he repeats his temptation time and time until he succeeds. To withstand his continued assaults, we must be patient and wait for the devil to get tired of his game.^[1] Another commentator speaks of patience as “tolerance towards others.” ^[2]

British theologian John Gill states that patience does not imply that we are to wait around for good things to come, for more grace, more glory through the Spirit. Instead, we are to be patient by faithfully enduring all the present evils with courage and joyfulness. The Spirit will provide the strength we need according to His glorious power.

It also implies being slow to anger, ready to forgive abuse, put up with insults, and hold up with, and hold back on striking out at one another.  We get this done with the accompaniment of humbleness, humaneness, friendliness, courteousness, which are shown both in words, gestures, and actions. In doing so, we imitate the humbleness of the Anointed and are agreeable to the wisdom found in the heavenly doctrine of the Gospel. There we are told, among other things, to be gentle and quick to respond to pleas.^[3] One translator expands on patience this way: “Be able to bear with others’ mistakes and shortcomings patiently.” ^[4]

Preacher Alexander Maclaren preached on understanding patience by quoting from Paul’s writing to the church in Corinth, where he says this: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.  Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be easily made angry.” ^[5]  He goes on to say: “He has little reason to suppose that the love of God is shed abroad in his heart, or that the Spirit of God is bringing forth fruit in him, who has not gone beyond the stage of repaying hate with hate, and scorn with scorn.  Any fool can answer a fool according to his folly, but it takes a wise and a good man to overcome evil with good, and to love them that hate; and yet how certainly the fires of mutual antagonism would go out if there were only one to pile on the fuel! It takes two to make a quarrel, and no man living under the influence of the Spirit of God can be one of such a pair.” ^[6]  In other words, for Maclaren, patience is best expressed when it absorbs even the most provocative and abusive words or deeds without giving into equally malicious reciprocity. We can see how love transformed is consistent in remaining faithful and loyal to Him who called us by His grace.

Dr. Rodney Loper, President of God’s Bible School and College, gives us several points to examine when trying to understand patience. First of all, patience demands inner strength. This strength rests on the character and timing of God. Also, faith and patience merge here. Biblical patience comes from placing our faith in the One who is beyond time and space, realizing that His purpose and plan displaces ours. Then, patience is a requirement in dealing successfully with others. When people make mistakes, they work slower than we like, tell us “no,” and make us wait in line, place us on hold, or refuse to do what we requested of them, we need patience. Remember, if we are not resting and relying on God’s timing, it is easy to lose control and become frustrated with both people and God.

Loper goes on to make the point that patience is required when dealing with pain. It is not all physical pain; there is emotional pain that goes deeper than any broken bone, wound, or burns. Regardless of the type, pain is real and requires patience and endurance. Furthermore, we are required to have patience in doing our work for God. In Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed,[7] it doesn’t matter if it is the birds, the hard soil, the stony soil, the weeds, or any other impediment. And finally, most of all, patience is necessary while waiting for our Lord’s Second Coming. Patience rests on the assurance that He is coming again, to save those who endure to the end.[8] [9]

I also like the points that Sonja Vernon makes: (1) Patience is not permissiveness. (2) Patience does not keep others from facing the consequences of their wrongdoing. (3) Patience does not ignore healthy boundaries. (4) Patience refuses to write off difficult people immediately. (5) Patience means loving when it may be challenging to do so. (6) And, patience works for the good of others.[10]

Caslyn Rice adds her comments: Most of us know someone who is consistently needy or is always nearby asking endless questions. Instead of pushing them aside or ignoring them, we have the opportunity to show them patience in the way we respond to their needs.[11]

Tertullian also sees a beautiful example of patience in the life of Jesus. This example of divine patience, says Tertullian, might be too esteemed and too unreachable for us to imitate. But what is it the Apostle’s touched and grasped openly by hand[12] among people on earth? God allowed Himself to be humanly conceived in a woman’s womb, and await the time for His birth. And when born, tolerates the delay of growing up. When reaching adulthood, He is not eager to be recognized,[13] but is furthermore indifferent to Himself, and baptized by His servant.[14] He then patiently resists with words alone the assaults of the tempter.[15] He went from being LORD to becoming a Principal, teaching people how to escape death. He was well-trained due to the exercise of the absolute restraint of offended patience.

He did not strive; He did not cry aloud, nor did any hear His voice in the streets.[16] He did not seize the ministry from John the Baptizer; He did not try to quench the one who cried, “Make a path in the wilderness. The one coming after me is greater than I.” [17] No, the confirmation of God Himself, placing His own Spirit, together with patience, in His Son — spoke the Truth. None came to Him that He did not receive. No! He sat at the table with sinners;[18] women of ill repute were able to wash His feet.[19] He ministered to the washing of the disciples’ feet.[20] No sinners, nor tax collectors,[21] did He angrily push away; not even the city that refused to acknowledge Him.[22]

He resisted His disciple’s wish that He hurl fire and brimstone on a contemptuous town.[23] He cared for the ungrateful; He yielded to His arrestors.[24] These were of no small matters. He allowed His betrayer to remain in His company and steadfastly abstained from pointing him out.[25] Furthermore, He yielded to those who came to arrest Him and lead Him away like a sheep for sacrifice.[26] He does not open His mouth more than lambs do when taken to the altar.[27] Had He willed it, He could have with one word had legions of angels present themselves from the heavens to defend Him.[28] He did not approve of one of His disciples raising a sword.[29] The patience of the Lord was wounded in (the wound of) Malchus.[30]

Instead, he desired by the restoration of Malchus’ ear to satisfy someone He did not hurt. Through patience, he endured the beatings, the carrying of His cross,[31] the suffering and shame of crucifixion as a criminal.[32] It was the end for which He came.[33] Yet, the valley of death through which He must go, He neither despised or attempted to avoid. No, He asked the Father to forgive those torturing Him.[34] He refused to drink wine mixed with vinegar to lower the pain.[35] He wished to quench His thirst with the pleasure of patience. He was spit upon, beaten, and ridiculed.[36] Though He was robed and crowned in folly,[37] He maintained His composure with calmness! He who took on human form imitated nothing of humanities’ impatience! Hence, even more than from any other trait, ought you, Pharisees, to have recognized the Lord. Patience of this kind no human would ever achieve. Yet it is instilled in us as the cause and superiority of God’s patience nature.[38]

What a stirring and beautiful eulogy on the person and presence of Jesus the Messiah. Something we should read when we become impatient. And a text we should read aloud on Good Friday to magnify His majesty and the honor we have to have Him in our lives.

[1] Luther, Martin: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[2] Nyland, D. A, Galatians: The Source New Testament With Extensive Notes On Greek Word Meaning, op. cit., loc. cit

[3] Gill, John: Exposition of the Whole Bible, op. cit., loc. cit.

[4] Aiyer, Ramsey, The Contextual Bible Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[5] 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

[6] Maclaren, Alexander: Expositions of Holy Scripture, Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[7] Luke 8:15

[8] Matthew 24:13

[9] Loper, Rodney: Revivalist Magazine, May 2019, pp. 3-4

[10] Ibid. pp. 5-7

[11] Rice, Caslyn, op. cit.

[12] 1 John 1:1

[13] John 7:5

[14] Matthew 3:13-17

[15] Luke 4:1-13

[16] Isaiah 42:2; Matthew 12:19

[17] John 1:15, 30

[18] Mark 2:13-17

[19] Luke 7:36-39

[20] Matthew 26:14-39; John 13:3-9

[21] Luke 19:1-10

[22] Ibid. 9:51-56

[23] Matthew 23:37-39; Luke 13:34-35

[24] Matthew 26:36-56

[25] John 18:4-6

[26] Matthew 26:20-25

[27] Isaiah 53:7; John 1:36; Acts of the Apostles 8:32

[28] Matthew 26:53

[29] John 18:10

[30] Luke 22:51

[31] John 19:17

[32] Matthew 27:38

[33] John 18:37

[34] Luke 23:34

[35] Matthew 27:33-34

[36] Ibid. 26:67

[37] Ibid. 27:28-29

[38] Tertullian: op. cit., pp. 12-13

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson CIII)

No wonder Paul wrote the believers in Thessalonica, “Brothers and sisters, we urge you to caution those who are not involved. Encourage those who are afraid to try. Take tender loving care of those who are unsure.  Please be patient with them all.” ^[1] So we ask what force or essence were the Thessalonians to depend on to develop such patience. The only one that possesses such quality and character to withstand the burden Paul asks them to carry is love. Paul revealed this when he wrote to his protégée Timothy reminding him: “You know what I taught you and the example I set; you know my goal in life and how faith brought me the love I needed to be patient and endure.” ^[2]

We see the same line of thinking in Paul’s word to the believers in Ephesus, when he told them to “Always be humble and gentle.  Be patient with one another, and use your love to make allowance for each other’s shortcomings.” ^[3] Once more, Paul ties the potential of patience to love.  He offered the same advice to the Colossians by telling them: “Since God picked you to be the chosen people He loves, you must become known as tenderhearted, merciful, kind, humble, gentle, and patient people. Above all, become known as people of love, which helps us all act the same way.” ^[4]

There’s little doubt that the concept Paul shared with the Galatians of how our spiritual oneness with the Anointed produces fruit, permeated his thinking when counseling other believers on proper Christian conduct and ethics. We also see that forgiveness plays a dominant role in the fruit of patience as transformed-love. Nowhere does this become more pronounced than in Paul’s letter to the Romans.  He admonishes them for being so judgmental of others, when in fact they were guilty of the very things they condemned. Paul warns them: “Do think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things you condemn? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, consistent, and patient God was with you? Does this mean nothing to you?” ^[5]

In too many cases, believers perceive patience as being a virtue we use when waiting for others to come around to our way of thinking, being more consistent until they do things the way we think they should do them. But not to the Apostle Paul. For him, love transformed as patience helps us to be kind to everyone until God uses that patience to make the changes He wants in their lives. Paul spells this out later on in his letter to the Roman believers when he challenges them to “Rejoice when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop patience. And patience develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. For we know how dearly God loves us because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” ^[6]

In our examination of transformed-love into the fruit of the spiritual oneness with the Anointed such as joy and peace, we saw how our love being in God’s presence brought about these responses and integrated them so naturally with what God originally designed our hearts to do. However, in patience, it’s the effect the presence of the Holy Spirit has on our minds. Here we see the importance of our attitude toward God and others. We don’t know how much influence Paul’s confrontation with Peter, as explained by Paul at the beginning of this epistle, had on Peter, but he joins Paul in extolling the virtue of patience. Peter praises the value of patience when we become the target of ridicule and persecution. He tells us, “For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment…. if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God will be pleased with you.” ^[7]

Yet, few Apostles knew the value of patience more than Paul. He tells the Corinthian believers that “In everything we did, we showed that we were an authentic minister of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We were beaten, imprisoned, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, suffered sleepless nights, and went without food. We proved ourselves with sincere love by being transparent, through understanding, patience, and kindness produced by the Holy Spirit in us.” ^[8] Here again, Paul points to love as the essence brought into lives by the Holy Spirit that leads to love transformed into the fruit we bear.

What Paul says sounds very familiar to what we find in the Letter to the Hebrews: “For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your love to Him by continuing to care for other believers. Our greatest desire is that you keep on loving others as long as possible; to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually boring and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faithful patience.” ^[9] Here again, we see love transformed into the essence of patience.

So, what does all this tell us? We can conclude that patience is not where we stand, but how we stand, not our position, but our poise. Love in this form manifests itself with self-restraint in the face of annoying provocations by others and circumstances. It can never be misconstrued as resignation or apathy or being insensitive. Instead, it serves as the embodiment of endurance in battle; a positive attitude even when things go wrong; the ability to wait, while we expect.

God’s message as He passed by Moses was, “I am Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I am patient and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.” ^[10] Peter, no doubt, read this passage and concluded that the Lord isn’t slow, as some people may think, in fulfilling His promises. Instead, He is showing patience for their sake.^[11] It was the Psalmist who put it very succinctly, “Be still in the presence of the LORD; wait patiently for Him to act. Get rid of your rage!  Keep from losing your temper – it only leads to harm.” ^[12] Yes, let the presence of the Lord fill your mind so that the Love brought there by the Holy Spirit is transformed into patience, one of God’s most benevolent characteristics.

 Early Church writer, Tertullian, wrote, God Himself is a great example of patience. He wrote that no natural human affection, modeled on insensibility, furnishes a permit for exercising patience. The divine arrangement of a living and heavenly discipline, holding up before us God Himself in the very first place, is an example of genuine patience. He scatters His goodness equally over the repentant and unrepentant. He allows the goodness of the seasons, the blessings of the elements, the benefits of nature’s harvest accumulate for use by the worthy and unworthy. He also has patience with the most ungrateful nations, adoring as they do the godliness of the arts and the works of their own hands. Together, they mistreat His Name, along with His family. He puts up with excess, greed, iniquity, deteriorating attitudes, and ethics daily growing more and more bad-mannered. So, by His patience, He allows the belittling of Himself all because they don’t believe in Him. What you don’t know is that His patience is holding back his wrath and anger.[13]

Medieval commentator, Haimo of Auxerre, defines patience as perseverance in doing good works and tolerance amidst adversity. Every believer, says Bruno, ought to be patient so that they might receive their promised reward. As God says, “They are saved who persevere up until the end.” ^{[14] [15]} In other words, if we are patient and don’t give up until He returns, it will be worth it all. Later on, medieval writer Bruno the Carthusian offers his understanding that this fruit of the reborn spirit is patient while being hopeful. Even if compensation gets delayed, one hopes no less nor waits impatiently. This Fruit of the Spirit is consistent love transformed into patience, by which we tolerate every sort of adversity because we know the end of the story.^[16]

Then medieval Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas offers his exposition that the Holy Spirit helps us mature through patience, which makes for calm endurance of adversities. That’s why the Lord told every believer to be patient so that by standing firm, it saves their life.^[17] Also, it is needed to stand against any evil that tries to hinder our joy, namely, the postponement of being with the object of our love. To do this, the Spirit transforms that love into patience, which can withstand any delay, no matter how long. For this reason, Jesus says to be patient while waiting for His return because it may take a while, but wait for it; it will surely come. There will be no delay beyond the appointed time without God supplying us with patience.^[18] That’s why the Lord made it clear that whoever holds out till the end will be preserved from harm.^{[19] [20]}

[1] 1 Thessalonians 5:14

[2] 2 Timothy 3:10

[3] Ephesians 4:2

[4] Colossians 3:12, 14

[5] Romans 2:4

[6] Ibid. 5:3-5

[7] 1 Peter 2:19-10

[8] 2 Corinthians 6:4-6

[9] Hebrews 6:10-12

[10] Exodus 34:6

[11] 2 Peter 3:9

[12] Psalm 37:7-8

[13] Tertullian: The Great Sermons of Great Preachers, Ward and Lock, London, 1857, The Duty and Benefits of Patience, p. 12

[14] Matthew 10:22

[15] Haimo of Auxerre: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[16] Bruno the Carthusian: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[17] Luke 21:19

[18] Habakkuk 2:3; See 2 Corinthians 6:6

[19] Matthew 10:22

[20] Aquinas, Thomas: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson CII)

5:22e  Our oneness with the Anointed in the Spirit bears the fruit of . . . Patience . . .

Both joy and peace, in the original languages spoken by Paul, prove fairly easy to translate, but when it comes to this Hebrew combination of adjective and noun, ‘aph’arek, it is more of a challenge. To understand this better, let’s look at the makeup of the word.  First, ‘arek means “long” and ‘aph means “face.” Most of us certainly know what a long face conveys. But the long face here is an angry one, a frustrated look, rather than sadness or disappointment. The way the LORD looked when He passed by Moses and declared that He was merciful, gracious, longsuffering (patient), and abundant in goodness and truth.^[1] He was letting Moses know that He did not lose patience very quickly. When Moses explained what God told him to the Israelites, he repeats God’s words to him.^[2] And the Psalmist named off the same qualities of God’s essence.^[3] And the prophet Jeremiah begged the LORD not to discard him, out of a lack of patience.^[4]

Today, we might call it an “impatient” look. However, as Augustine notes in his commentary: “patience helps us to be consistent in our love.” In other words, patience is more than just standing there, rubbing your hands, or tapping your foot; it means looking for ways to keep calm while forgiving recurring mistakes. The oft-repeated phrase is found in the First Covenant, “slow to get angry,” which has more in common with the Greek word for patience than the Hebrew “long-face.” The Greek noun is makrothumia, and as the Hebrew, takes two words to explain itself. Makro means “long,” and thumos means “temper.” It’s another way of identifying people who possess tempers with long fuses, people who endure patiently. Patience is slowness in avenging wrongs. It is the quality of restraint that prevents believers from speaking or acting hastily in the face of disagreement, opposition, or persecution. Patience is bearing pain or problems without complaining.^[5]

In Roget’s Thesaurus, it provides an antonym for “long-tempered” – “quick-tempered.” In my vocabulary, we often call it “short-tempered.” Adam Clarke points to a British compound word for long-tempered – “long-mindedness,” and defines it as: “Bearing with the frailties and provocations of others in consideration of the fact that God was very patient with us. Clarke goes on to give two more meanings: “bearing up through all the troubles and difficulties of life without murmuring or complaining,” and “submitting cheerfully to every situation God allows us to go through so that we gain benefits from every occurrence.^[6] However, for the sake of our study, we will use “Patience,” which we will further define as a fruit of transformed-love.

So, the early English translators gave us “longsuffering” to translate both the Hebrew and the Greek. In English, it means: “to allow, to tolerate or put up with something for a long time without despairing.” It serves as the essence of patience. It expresses an attitude toward people in which one endures their stubbornness or procrastination no matter how unreasonable they may be. It never loses hope for them, however ugly and unmanageable they become. Since God declares patience as one of His virtues, we can see that the Spirit’s transformation of love to produced patience. It’s not for our patience with God, but our patience with others even as God was patient with us. At the same time, it denotes an attitude toward circumstances that never admit defeat. It never loses hope or faith, no matter how dark the situation becomes or how inexplicable events may turn out to be. Theologian Robert Gundry describes such patience as “having a long fuse, as opposed to ‘outbreaks of rage,’ which is one of the works of the sinful nature.” ^{[7] [8]}

Four great people of faith in the First Covenant give us glowing examples of patience. There is Noah’s patience with God’s prophecy and people’s harassment. Abraham’s patience with God’s promise while waiting for his son to be born. Joseph’s patience with God’s plan by refusing to take the easy way out. And Job’s patience with God’s purpose by not compromising his faith in a just Redeemer. Job, more than any other patriarch, became the icon of patience to every Jewish believer, and Christians admire him just as much. However, as a fruit of transformed-love manifested by the spiritual oneness with the Anointed, we must find how other Scriptures portray this attribute of love being consistent and strengthened in the believer’s life to grasp Paul’s reason for including it in the list of spiritual fruit.

The writers in the First Covenant knew that patience required the virtue of love. When Moses pleaded with God to forgive the rebellious Israelites, he tried to convince them to repent. He also attempted to persuade the LORD to pardon them. His message to them was this: “It takes a long time for the LORD to get angry because He’s filled with an unfailing love that allows Him to forgive every kind of sin and rebellion.” Then Moses prayed: “O LORD, because You have such magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of these people, just as You have forgiven them over and over since they left Egypt.” ^[9]

The Psalmist agrees and praises the LORD for being a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.^[10] Then the prophet Joel used the same thought when pleading with the people that judgment day was coming, “Return to the LORD your God, for He is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to be patient and not to punish.” ^[11]

Even Solomon, in his wisdom, taught that sensible people control their temper and earn respect by overlooking wrongs.^[12] Also, people with common sense control their anger because they know a hot temper makes them look foolish.^[13] Furthermore, patience is more admired than influence; self-control should be more desired than winning.^[14] For Solomon, patience did not imply weakness; instead, it spoke of the power to pause; strength to stand, and energy to endure. Even more, a reason to accept that love is an act of the will, not the expression of romantic emotions, no matter how deeply we feel them.

In the eighteenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, we find a fascinating interaction between Jesus and His disciples on character and virtues. His followers start by asking who rates as highest in the Kingdom of Heaven, and Jesus replies by pointing to those who have child-like faith. Then Jesus proceeds to instruct them on being forgiving and not resentful; rejoice when you win back someone through patience. It impacted Peter in such a way that he later came to Jesus and asked how patient should people be in forgiving others. Should they be patient for a respectable amount of time? Jesus looked at Peter and smiled, “No, Peter! Be patient as long as it takes!” [15]

Our LORD then commences telling Peter a parable about a man who was overdue in paying back the king a large amount of money he owed. When the king requested immediate payment, the man fell before his master and begged him, “Please be patient with me, and I will pay it all back.” The king relented and marked the account, “Paid in Full.” This same man then went and found a neighbor who owed him a small amount of money, and started choking him while demanding that he pay up at once. The man fell before him and begged for a little more time. “Be patient with me, and I will pay it all back.” This scoundrel showed no patience or mercy and had the man jailed. When the king was informed, he ordered the ungrateful man arrested and thrown into prison.

After telling this parable, Jesus turned to His disciples and said, “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” In other words, let your love act decisively by being patient with those who may offend you, especially your fellow believers, even as your Heavenly Father was patient with you until you confessed your transgressions and asked His forgiveness. Wow! Now that’s something to think about, isn’t it?

As such, the word patience gives us essential insight into the essence of Love. Emotions and passions of admiration and attraction are not Love; they are the basic instincts of “a need to be wanted and appreciated,” as well as to satisfy our human nature.  Love, however, is an act of the will. John does not say that God so loved the world because they were kind to Him.^[16] Paul tells us that while we were yet sinners, the Anointed died for us. That’s why with God’s love in our hearts, we can decide to show kindness and goodness to someone even if they don’t return the favor right away. Therefore, when someone tries our patience, they are testing our persistence in loving them.

Paul’s definition of love helps clarify that love can help develop the character of one’s spiritual oneness with the Anointed.^[17] What the world calls love is often not much more than a romantic notion. It’s like a flame that sparks into being and then quickly dies out. But the love of God that the Holy Spirit infuses us with has the power to will love into action anytime it is needed. Once we lose our will to love, however, then the fruit of the spiritual oneness with the Anointed will wither on the vine.  No wonder the Psalmist said to the LORD, “I’d rather have your unfailing love than life itself.” ^[18] On the other hand, when we do “will to love” and return our investment with affection by the person to whom we showed love, then all the emotions and desires that accompany that act of love are felt more substantial and more profound than ever.

When Epaphras came from Colossae to visit Paul, he told him about the love the Holy Spirit put in the Colossian’s hearts for others. So, Paul wrote to them, “We have not stopped praying for you ever since we heard about what you’ve done. Each time we ask God to increase your comprehension of His will and add to your spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live and act will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit.  All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power, so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.” Here we see how the consistent Love of the Holy Spirit brought into their hearts is transformed into patience.

[1] Exodus 34:6

[2] Numbers 14:18

[3] Psalm 86:15

[4] Jeremiah 15:15

[5] Rose Publishing: The Fruit of the Spirit (Kindle Location 80)

[6] Clarke, Adam: Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[7] See Galatians 5:20

[8] Gundry, Robert H., Commentary on Galatians, op. cit., loc. cit.

[9] Numbers 14:18-19

[10] Psalms 86:15

[11] Joel 2:13

[12] Proverbs 19:11

[13] Ibid. 14:29

[14] Ibid. 16:32

[15] Matthew 18:21-22

[16] John 3:16

[17] 1 Corinthians 13

[18] Psalm 63:3

Undoubtedly, you’ve heard someone say about another individual, “They are dedicated to their profession, or job, or role, etc. Just what does it mean, “to be dedicated.” For clarity, we must decide how the phrase is being used. In the case of religion, it’s the dedication of a church facility, baptistry, or a child. It can also apply to the setting aside of some object for a particular purpose. In some situations, it is putting someone’s name on an object as dedicated to their memory.

Psychologist Marcia Reynolds sees the dark side of dedication. By that she means, choosing to stick with something based on a bad excuse, or no excuse at all. The Big Question always boils down to, “Who is making your decision? Society, your parents, or the slave-driver, fear-monger, criticizer in your head?” Is your dedication to what you have just an alibi to stay safe?

Dr. Reynolds goes on to ask: What inner strengths can you call on? Recall a time in your life when you accomplished something you were proud of. What inner characteristics did you call on to make this happen? Were you courageous, determined, creative, curious, trusting (had faith), adventurous, hopeful, or competitive? What inner strengths and gifts can you call on to quit hiding behind your “dedication” and move on?

In the book, “The Practice of Presence,” Patty de Llosa writes, “Finally, my dedication to ‘keeping the family together’ led to illness, depression, and a lot of suffering before I could separate from my husband and begin life again.” She goes on to describe what she learned about the myth of marriage and family from psychologist James Hillman, that keeping the marriage and family together is not always the best option, and possibly detrimental to the psychic health of children. The excuse keeps the troubled person from talking about problems and dreams. The resentment leads to a breakdown of the relationship which doesn’t keep the family together anyway.

So, what we learn here is not just the defining “dedication,” but is that dedication for your good or for your harm? Master Therapist Thomas M. Skovholt dedicated his book to those who —graciously gave of their time for this research project. —have helped so many suffering from emotional pain. —inspired other therapists and counselors to reach higher in their professional development. In other words, they took some of “their” time and spent it on others.

Psychologist Ciarán Dalton shares an interesting look at how we conceptualize our future selves and how that relates to habits of procrastination. In a sense, we think about ourselves in the future the same way we think about others. We see this concept unfold when we look at the level of dedication and hard work some athletes put into their off-season workouts. The fit, dedicated, and persistent players are the ones who relate more closely to their future selves. Whereas the unfit, procrastinating players imagine themselves during the season as if it were someone else. Which athlete are you? Here we see that dedication is the antitheses of procrastination.

This is why dedication must be linked to a “purpose.” The Association for Psychological Science tells us that dedication buffers people against boredom. They say that based on research and studies, managers and executives should consider designing jobs in a way that minimizes monotony while cultivating dedication.

In Behavioral Psychology, Michael Schreiner says that when people want to change some aspect of their lives and actually there is a lot of fluidity between the behavioral and the existential. Sometimes you can’t have that ‘aha!’ moment until you feel the difference in your life. But, Schreiner thinks the existential realization that change is needed is more powerful. Without this dedication, feeling it in your bones that the new behavior is essential, no regimen will last that long because you can always come up with rationalizations that sound really good to the parts of yourself that don’t want to do the hard work that change entails.

Schreiner goes on to say that You can try dedication with any challenging activity in your life where successful outcomes are not guaranteed even though you are trying your hardest, and where you feel tempted to give up, slack off, or lose concentration. You want success to be possible but not a given, and for there to always be the possibility of doing even better.

However, unhealthy obsession and healthy dedication look similar in terms of manifest behavior so we have to isolate the underlying intentions if we want to figure out which is which. Our inside thoughts and outside behavior can appear quite similar in instances of dedication and instances of obsession even though existentially speaking these two life orientations are worlds apart. So, talking about the difference between obsession and dedication actually helps us highlight what we see as the inherent deficiency in the underlying theoretical structure of behavioral psychology. In our existential view, the main difference between obsession and dedication is that with an obsession you can’t stop thinking about it even if you want to and your behavior is compelled, it’s outside of your conscious control, whereas with dedication you think about it all the time because you want to and your behavior is determined by your own freely willed choice to pursue that path.

But the one we want to look at is dedication being used to define a person’s self-sacrifice, devotion, and loyalty to God and His kingdom. While all of these others are excellent points, the most important is how dedicated are we to our spiritual life and God? There is no better place to start than here: How blessed are those who reject the advice of the wicked, don’t stand on the way of sinners or sit where scoffers sit! Their delight is in Adonai’s Torah; on his Torah, they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams — they bear their fruit in season, their leaves never wither, everything they do succeeds.[1]

And Moses gave the Israelite this message: Nothing that a person dedicates to the Lord of all they have, of man or animal or their own land, will be sold or bought. Everything that has been dedicated is most holy to the Lord.[2] This is another way of saying that whatever we dedicate to the Lord should be used for no other purpose than to praise, please, and honor Him.

Many Churches, in dedicating infants to the Lord, follow the example of Joseph and Mary when they brought Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to dedicate Him.[3] And the Apostle Peter touches on this in his instructions: Dedicate your minds for good use. Keep awake. Set your hope now and forever on the loving-favor to be given you when Jesus Christ comes again.[4]

And the Apostle Paul cautions believers to remember that your body is a dedicated house of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone defiles and spoils God’s house, God will destroy them. For God’s house is holy and clean, and you are that house.[5] Then he lays out his idea of dedication to God’s service: Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to dedicate your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to dedicate yourselves to Him.[6]

So, what can we say about our dedication to God, His service, His Word, and calling? Is it more of an obsession than dedication? Is it done out of habit or, like God’s blessings, new every morning?[7] Can we truthfully say that our dedication to some present activity is real, or are we using it as an excuse not to move forward and let God use us in another part of His vineyard? Also, when we say we are dedicating something we do for God, are we taking some of “our” time and giving it to God, or are we using time when we have nothing else to do? You can only fool yourself, and perhaps others, but you cannot fool God, no matter how dedicated you may be. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

[1] Psalm 1:1-3 – Complete Jewish Bible

[2] Leviticus 27:28

[3] Luke 2:22

[4] 1 Peter 1:13

[5] 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

[6] Romans 12:1-2

[7] Lamentations 3:22-23

SOMETIMES, GOOD THINGS COME IN OLD BOXES

Jeannie Joseph worked as a neonatal nurse at Swedish/American hospital in Rockford, Illinois, for ten years. She was in the special care nursery one day when she noticed a young teenager in a hooded sweatshirt holding a shoebox and crying. His terrified face told her something was very wrong.

Inside the shoebox was a 3-pound infant wrapped in a dishtowel. The baby boy was born six weeks premature. Jeannie grabbed the baby, and the medical staff immediately went to work. They treated him for hypothermia, dehydration, and an infection from the household scissors used to cut his umbilical cord.

“We were sad, of course, but we had to work very fast with this baby,” Jeannie said. Despite the harrowing conditions, God used Jeannie to help work all things out for the baby’s good! Although the tiny lad’s condition was grave, it was a miracle he was alive at all. Premature babies need warmth immediately and often are not developed enough to breathe on their own. And yet, despite the terrible circumstances, this little one was breathing and fighting for his life. “This is one of the cases I won’t forget,” said the doctor who treated the shoebox baby. “There was someone from up above looking down on him.”

As hospital staff did everything to save the newborn, his teenage father waited outside, sobbing uncontrollably. Jeannie kept him posted on his baby’s progress. Once the infant’s condition stabilized, she explained to the young, terrified dad that if he gave up his baby that day, he’d no longer be able to receive updates on his health. She reminded him he could take his time in exploring options rather than make an impulsive decision.

The teenage boy took the parental bracelets Jeannie offered him so that he and the baby’s mother could come back to visit him. The young couple came the next day, and every day after for several weeks. As it turns out, the shoebox baby’s mother was 15-year-old Cherish Coates. She knew all too well the difficulties of teenage pregnancies. Her own mother had her at fifteen and left her to be raised by her grandparents, although her mom visited regularly.

Growing up, family members often warned Cherish about getting pregnant. They encouraged her to be the first in her family to finish high school and go on to college. Everyone was rooting for her. So, when she found herself pregnant by the boyfriend she’d been dating for two years, she was completely distraught. Cherish felt like she’d let everyone down, and was too afraid to share the news with anyone. Cherish barely gained any weight, so it wasn’t hard to hide her tiny bump. She hid her morning sickness and attended school and work as usual.

But time flew by quickly. One day Cherish began experiencing severe stomach cramps at the end of the school day. She locked herself in her bedroom and quietly whimpered as she delivered her baby all alone. She found a pair of scissors and cut the umbilical cord. Terror mixed with an undeniable love for the child she held. “I remember just looking at how beautiful he was, and how tiny he was,” Cherish recalled. She’d never held a baby before. “I was scared that I was going to break him.”

She frantically called the baby’s father. The two decided to would walk eight miles to the nearest hospital and leave the baby boy there with a note inside, where he would be cared for. The note Cherish wrote read: “We love you, we are just not able to raise you. We want your name to be Allen Corey, and we hope to be able to see you again. God will be watching over you.”

Jeannie first saw the terrified mother the day after baby Allen was stabilized. The girl walked into the nursery, holding her head down in shame. She wanted to see the little one before relinquishing him under the state’s “Safe Haven” law. Jeannie’s heart immediately went out to her. “She looked like such a frightened little girl,” Jeannie recalled. “She came in and sat down at the bedside. And you could tell that she was sad, embarrassed, and scared.”

The compassionate nurse put a hand on her shoulder and led Cherish to her baby’s incubator. “You know that you saved his life, right?” she told the girl. “I don’t want you to hang your head. You gave him the best chance you could.” That moment of compassion changed everything. The two connected, and God used Jeannie to change baby Allen’s story drastically!

Jeannie’s kindness was a calming force in the chaotic situation Cherish faced. She found herself returning to the hospital every day to check on her baby and to have heart-to-heart chats with Jeannie. Even though Jeannie was a complete stranger, she was a shoulder to cry on, never showing an ounce of the condemnation Cherish felt sure she deserved. “Jeannie was not judgmental at all, very nurturing and motherly,” Cherish said. “She encouraged me to tell my grandparents, but she didn’t talk to me like I was just some stupid teenager. She talked to me like I was a person.”

Cherish wound up opening up to Jeannie about the entire ordeal, explaining how terrified she was to tell her grandparents and mother about her pregnancy. “As a mom, I was just like, ‘No, no! This is too big of a secret to keep from your family. You need their support. Whatever decision you decide to make, you need to talk to them,’” Jeannie said.

While Jeannie helped Cherish explore options like adoption, she reminded the girl her grandparents’ love for her was unconditional. And finally, Cherish decided to tell her family about her baby boy. Cherish decided to start with her mother, reasoning she’d be more understanding since she, too, got pregnant at fifteen. After a month at the hospital, it was almost time for baby Allen to be discharged. Terrified, Cherish brought her mother to the hospital without any explanation as to why.

Standing in front of Allen’s incubator, Cherish froze up, and her mother’s face paled. Jeannie stepped in and calmly explained how Allen had been born early. She detailed the wonderful care he’d been given and what a fighter he was. Cherish’s mom immediately wanted to hold her tiny grandson. Cherish’s grandmother had the same reaction a few hours later. Just as Jeannie predicted, their love for Cherish was unconditional. They never showed any anger and were heartbroken she’d kept her secret so long.

Cherish may only have been fifteen, but she loved her son as fiercely as any mother would. She’d explored many options, including open adoption, but knew in her heart she didn’t ever want to part from her baby boy. To her surprise, her family completely supported her decision. They loved little Allen just as much as she did! It was decided Allen would come home with Cherish to her grandparents’ house, where the family would help watch him so she could continue school. As they discharged Allen from the hospital, Jeannie hugged Cherish tightly, making the girl promised she’d stay in school.

Cherish kept her promise and stayed in school. After finishing high school, she moved on to Rock Valley College in Rockford. Inspired by her special angel, Jeannie, Cherish studied and became a certified nursing assistant. Later, she entered law school and hoped to become a mental health attorney.

Little Allen thrived in his loving home. He hit every milestone, and while he had a few delays in speech, they were quickly resolved in special education. By the fourth grade, he was in mainstream classes and already reading at a ninth-grade level. Today, he’s a normal, well-adjusted teen.

Sadly, Allen’s father is no longer involved in his life. Cherish, and Jeannie kept in touch for a while but eventually drifted apart as life rolled along. But Jeannie stopped to think of the young mom and her shoebox baby often. Then, one day, the nurse who still works for Swedish/American’s special care nursery, received a message on Facebook. It was from Cherish, now a 29-year-old mother of three who lives in Arizona, working as a law clerk. The two hadn’t spoken for many years. But neither had they forgotten each other. Cherish expressed her desire to rekindle their old friendship. And of course, Jeannie was more than delighted to oblige!

“It just makes me think, ‘Wow, every interaction you have with anybody is so important,’” Jeannie said. “To be able to be in this position where I’m part of someone’s story of their life – that’s such an honor.”

But it’s Cherish who feels honored. That’s what prompted her to reach out. “I just wanted to let her know how much of an impression she made,” Cherish said.

The ladies weren’t able to reunite face-to-face right away. They daily keep in touch online, both valuing the special bond God had given them. “It feels like such a blessing,” Cherish said. “We will always be connected because we share this unique story.” What a difference Jeannie made, all because she chose Christ-like compassion. It just goes to show the power of kindness and love! (This story is courtesy of the Chicago Tribune.)

While Jesus was on earth, He told His disciples, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Mt. 19:14). But Jesus is no longer physically here. Yet His invitation remains the same. So, whom should the little children be taken to? They are to be taken to those in whom Jesus lives. That’s you and me. Remember, each time someone in need comes to you, they are really coming to Jesus living in you. – Dr. Robert R Seyda