May_June 2006 Syllabus Introduction & Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 6 Lesson 7 Lesson 8
Lesson 5
GENTLENESS
I - Gentleness: The Greek word for this fruit of the Spirit is PRAUTES or PRAOTES. It denotes meekness. It is an inwrought grace of the soul and the actions of it are first and chiefly directed towards God. It is the attitude in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. It is closely linked with the Greek word TAPEINOPHROSUNE (humility)....
This meekness, however, is first of all a meekness before God. It is also meek in the face of men, even of evil men, out of a sense that these men, with the insults and injuries which they may inflict, are permitted to do so and are employed by God for the chastening and purifying of His elect. In Gal.5:23 it is associated with enkrateia, (self-control).
The true meaning of PRAUTES is not easily expressed in English, for the terms meekness and mildness, commonly used, suggest weakness, whereas PRAUTES does not suggest that at all. Nevertheless, it is difficult to find a translation less open to objection than "meekness". Gentleness has been suggested. However, gentleness would describe the actions, but not the attitude of one who possessed this fruit.
It must be clearly understood, therefore, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power. The common assumption is that when a man is meek it is because he cannot help himself. However, the Lord was had the infinite resources of God at His command, yet He was meek.
Described negatively, meekness (gentleness) (PRAUTES) is the opposite of self-assertiveness and self-interest; it is calmness of spirit that is neither elated nor cast down, simply because it is not occupied with self at all.*
An example of Christ’s meekness (PRAUTES) was when He allowed Himself to be hung on the cross. He had the power to save Himself, but gave Himself up to be crucified first of all because it was the Father’s will and secondly because it was beneficial to us. He was meek at the hand of evil men because it was God’s desire to use their evil work to bring salvation to all mankind.
Therefore, in studying the word, gentleness, we will find it interchanging with meekness and humility in the verses we will consider.
A. Christ is our great example of gentleness(meekness). Please tell about each act of gentleness by our Savior:
1. Matt.26:39;42
2. Matt.ll:29
3. Matt.21:5
4. 2 Cor.10:1
5. 1 Pet.2:23
6. Luke 23:34
B. Christians are gentle (meek) people:
7. According to Zep.2:3, how will humility help us?
8. How are to treat people who mistreat us? (Luke 6:29)
9. What is to be our attitude when restoring the erring? (Gal. 6:1)
10. How about those who believe false doctrine? (2 Tim. 2:25)
11. How should we receive the teachings from God’s Word?
A. James 1:21
B. Ps.147:6
C. Ps.149:4
12. What is very precious in the sight of the Lord? (1 Pet.3:4)
The words of a beautiful song express the concept of PRAUTES:
Have Thine Own Way
Adelaide Pollard
]George C.Stebbins
Have thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me After thy Will,
While I am waiting , Yielded and still.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, Wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me!
Have you yielded yourself as clay in the Potter’’s Hand?
13. The precious sons of Zion, Valuable as fine gold, How they are regarded as ______ _________, The work of the hands of the ___________! (Lam.4:2)
14. But, now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the _____, and You our _________; And all we are the work of Your hand. (Isa. 64:8)
15. _________ yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:10)
16. Be clothed with ___________. (1 Pet.5:5)
17. God resists the _______, But gives grace to the ________. (1 Pet. 5:5)
18. Therefore ________ yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may _________ you in due time. (1 Pet.5:6)
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SELF- CONTROL
II - SELF CONTROL: ENKRATEIA is translated as "temperance" or "self control".
"Self control" is the preferable rendering.....In II Pet.1:6, it follows "knowledge" suggesting that what is learnt requires to be put into practice.*
A. From the following passages, identify and name some areas where Christians exercise self-control :
19. Prov. 20:1, Pr.23:31, Is.28:7, Ep.5:18
20. Ho.4:11
21. Pr.23:20-21
22.Ps. 34:13
23. Rom. 1:27
24.Ps.101:5, Pr.10:18, Ti.2:3
25. Prov. 25:24; Prov.27:15,16;
26. Rom. 1:29,30
27. Pro. 23:2
28. Pro. 14:23
29. Pro. 11:13; Pro.17:9;Pro.20:19
30. Eph.4:25
31. Eph.5:4
32. Eph.5:3,5
33. Eph. 4:28
'B. In Christ’s sermon on the mount He teaches some lessons on self control. See Matt.5:21-22, 27-28.
34. List them.
Let’s examine our lives and be sure that we bear the fruit of self-control. We should ask ourselves, "Is there some habit I need to stop, such as: smoking, nagging, gossiping, stewing, taking the Lord’s name in vain or using other fowl language, overeating.........."
*Vines Expository Dictionary Of New Testament Words