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Demonstrating God's Character through Empathy and Kindness

God's character is profoundly demonstrated through empathy and kindness, qualities that believers are called to emulate in their own lives [1, 3]. The Bible frequently highlights God's "loving-kindness" (Hebrew: hesed), a term that encompasses steadfast love, mercy, and faithfulness [2, 4, 13]. This divine attribute is described as great, excellent, good, marvelous, multitudinous, and everlasting [5].

The goodness of God is a core aspect of His character, expressed towards His creation in various ways. It manifests as benevolence generally, as mercy and compassion in the face of suffering, and as long-suffering patience towards impenitent sinners. When God bestows favor upon the undeserving, His goodness is called grace [8]. The Psalms often invite believers to acknowledge God's loving-kindness and His wonderful works [2, 4]. This divine loving-kindness is understood to be mediated through Christ [5].

Believers are exhorted to reflect these divine characteristics. Ephesians 4:32 instructs, "Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you" [1]. This kindness involves being good, affable, and courteous, expressed through pleasant looks, kind words, and helpful actions [12]. Tenderheartedness, in this context, stands in opposition to being hard-hearted, cruel, severe, or rigidly censorious towards those in distress, those subject to one's authority, or those who have erred [12]. Colossians 3:12 similarly urges believers to "put on as the elect of God, holy and beloved, tender feelings of compassions, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering" [3].

Empathy, or compassion, is a crucial aspect of this demonstration of God's character. Christ Himself set an example of empathy, as seen in His weeping over Jerusalem [6]. Believers are encouraged to show empathy towards the afflicted, the chastened, enemies, the poor, the weak, and fellow saints [6]. This practice is inseparable from love for God [6]. Jesus emphasized mercy as a cardinal virtue, defining it as showing kindness to those in distress [14]. Those who are merciful can expect to receive God's mercy in return [14]. Acts of love, such as giving to the poor, are seen as outward expressions of inner righteousness [11].

The demonstration of kindness and empathy is not merely an internal disposition but an active practice. Mercy is enjoined upon believers, to be engraved on the heart and shown with cheerfulness [9]. This includes showing mercy to brethren, those in distress, the poor, backsliders, and even animals [9]. A simple act of Christian kindness can lead a hostile person to repentance and restore fellowship [10]. Humility, meekness, and long-suffering are also integral to this demonstration [3, 15]. Humility is necessary for serving God and is exemplified by Christ Himself [7]. Those who are humble are regarded, heard, and delivered by God, and they receive more grace [7].

The call to demonstrate God's character through empathy and kindness is a pervasive theme throughout Scripture, urging believers to mirror the divine attributes of love, mercy, and compassion in their interactions with the world [8, 9].

Sources

  1. Ephesians “Ephesians 4:32 (BSB) — Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.”
  2. Psalms “Psalms 107:31 (Geneva1599) — Let them therfore confesse before the Lord his louing kindnesse, and his wonderfull woorkes before the sonnes of men.”
  3. Colossians “Colossians 3:12 (LITV) — Then put on as the elect of God, holy and beloved, tender feelings of compassions, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering,”
  4. Psalms “Psalms 107:8 (Geneva1599) — Let them therefore confesse before ye Lord his louing kindnesse, and his wonderfull woorkes before the sonnes of men.”
  5. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Loving-Kindness of God, The — Is through Christ -- Eph 2:7; Tit 3:4-6. Described as Great. -- Ne 9:17. Excellent. -- Ps 36:7. Good. -- Ps 69:16. Marvellous. -- Ps 17:7; 31:21. Multitudinous. -- Isa 63:7. Everlasting. -- Isa 54:8. Merciful. -- Ps 117:2. Better than life. -- Ps 63:3. Consideration of the dealings of God gives a knowledge of -- Ps 107:43. Saints Betrothed in. -- Ho 2:19. Drawn by. -- Jer 31:3. Preserved by. -- Ps 40:11. Quickened after. -- Ps 119:88. Comforted by. -- Ps 119:76. Look for mercy through. -- Ps 51:1. Receive mercy through. -- Isa 54:8. Are ”
  6. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Communion With God — Christ set an example of -- Lu 19:41,42. Exhortation to -- Ro 12:15; 1Pe 3:8. Exercise towards The afflicted. -- Job 6:14; Heb 13:3. The chastened. -- Isa 22:4; Jer 9:1. Enemies. -- Ps 35:13. The poor. -- Pr 19:17. The weak. -- 2Co 11:29; Ga 6:2. Saints. -- 1Co 12:25,26. Inseparable from love to God -- 1Jo 3:17; Joh 4:20. Motives to The compassion of God. -- Mt 13:27,33. The sense of our infirmities. -- Heb 5:2. The wicked made to feel, for saints -- Ps 106:46. Promise to those who show -- Pr 19:17; Mt 10:42. Illustrated -- Lu 10:33; 15:20. Exemp”
  7. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Humility — Necessary to the service of God -- Mic 6:8. Christ an example of -- Mt 11:29; Joh 13:14,15; Php 2:5-8. A characteristic of saints -- Ps 34:2. The who have Regarded by God. -- Ps 138:6; Isa 66:2. Heard by God. -- Ps 9:12; Isa 10:17. Enjoy the presence of God. -- Isa 57:15. Delivered by God. -- Job 22:29. Lifted up by God. -- Jas 4:10. Exalted by God. -- Lu 14:11; 18:14. Are greatest in Christ's kingdom. -- Mt 18:4; 20:26-28. Receive more grace. -- Pr 3:34; Jas 4:6. Upheld by honour. -- Pr 18:12; 29:23. Is before honour -- Pr 15:33. Leads to riches, honour, ”
  8. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Goodness of God — A perfection of his character which he exercises towards his creatures according to their various circumstances and relations (Ps. 145:8, 9; 103:8; 1 John 4:8). Viewed generally, it is benevolence; as exercised with respect to the miseries of his creatures it is mercy, pity, compassion, and in the case of impenitent sinners, long-suffering patience; as exercised in communicating favour on the unworthy it is grace. "Goodness and justice are the several aspects of one unchangeable, infinitely wise, and sovereign moral perfection. God is not sometimes ”
  9. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Mercy — After the example of God -- Lu 6:36. Enjoined -- 2Ki 6:21-23; Ho 12:6; Ro 12:20,21; Col 3:12. To be engraved on the heart -- Pr 3:3. Characteristic of saints -- Ps 37:26; Isa 57:1. Should be shown With cheerfulness. -- Ro 12:8. To our brethren. -- Zec 7:9. to those that are in distress. -- Lu 10:37. To the poor. -- Pr 14:31; Da 4:27. To backsliders. -- Lu 15:18-20; 2Co 2:6-8. To animals. -- Pr 12:10. Upholds the throne of kings -- Pr 20:28. Beneficial to those who exercise -- Pr 11:17. Blessedness of showing -- Pr 14:21; Mt 5:7. Hypocrites devoid of -- Mt 23:”
  10. Romans (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Romans 12:20: 12:20-21 A simple act of Christian kindness can often bring a hostile person to repentance before God and restore fellowship between people.”
  11. Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 11:41: 11:41 by giving gifts to the poor: Acts of love reveal internal righteousness.”
  12. Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 4:29: And be ye kind one to another,.... Good, affable, courteous; which appears in looks, words, and actions; by looking pleasantly on each other, speaking kindly to one another, and mutually doing every good office that lies in their way, and in their power: tender hearted: which is opposed to a being hard hearted to them that are in distress, and close at hand to the needy; to cruelty and severity to such who are subject to them, or have injured them; and to a rigid and censorious spirit to them that are fallen: forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake”
  13. Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 25:6: Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses,.... Not the providential mercy and kindness of God, in the care of him in his mother's womb, at the time of his birth, in his nurture and education, and in the preservation of him to the present time; but the special mercy, grace, and love of God in Christ: the sense of the petition is the same with that of Psa 106:4; which are expressed in the plural number, because of the largeness and abundance of it, and because of the various acts and instances of it; the Lord is rich and plenteous in mercy, abundant”
  14. Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 5:7: 5:7 Jesus made a cardinal virtue of being merciful, that is, showing kindness to those in distress (see 6:12, 14-15; 9:13; 12:7; 18:23-35; 23:23; 25:31-46). Those who are merciful now will find God’s mercy in the final judgment.”
  15. Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 4:2: With all lowliness and meekness,..... In the exercise of humility, which shows itself in believers, in entertaining and expressing the meanest thoughts of themselves, and the best of others; in not envying the gifts and graces of others, but rejoicing at them, and at every increase of them; in a willingness to receive instruction from the meanest saints; in submission to the will of God in all adverse dispensations of Providence; and in ascribing all they have, and are, to the grace of God: and so to behave, is to walk agreeably to their calling of God; and what the”
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