Jesus, the Kindness of God
In Jesus, God’s goodness and loving kindness put on our humanity.
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4-5).
As a child, I learned so many titles for Jesus. He is Savior. He is Lord. He is King. He is the friend of sinners. He is the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah. He is the new and better Adam. And that is just to name a few. Jesus holds so many titles, each of which emphasizes some aspect of His infinite goodness.
Scripture is full of other, more subtle, equally rich descriptions of Jesus. He is the living Word. He is the wisdom of God. And here in Titus, we see that Jesus is “the goodness and loving kindness of God.” It’s not just that Jesus was good like God or that He exemplified God’s love or spoke of God’s love—although he did all these things. Jesus himself embodied the reality of God’s goodness and love. When John 1:14 tells us that Jesus “took on flesh,” it means that God’s goodness and loving kindness became human.
Attributes can be nebulous and invisible. We can wonder if someone loves us or question if they are kind and good. But there is no questioning the reality of a living person; Jesus solidified and made undeniable the goodness of God. When he appeared, there was no more room for questioning how much God loved the world or how good God is — God so loved the world that he sent His only begotten embodiment of goodness and love to save sinners like you and me.
So, if we ever begin to wonder if God loves us or doubt his goodness, all we must do is look to Jesus. In him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell (Col. 1:19)—all love, all goodness, all power, and all glory. He is all the evidence we need of God’s infinite goodness and great love for us.