Why Christians need to be gentle yet strong
A depiction of Jesus carrying His cross at the Los Pasos' procession in Avila, Spain. Photo EPA, Raul Sanchidrian
Christian Life
Growing up in post-communist Romania, a country where the Christian population still fears the government, I believed that Christians were kind but lacked the backbone to stand up for themselves. But that soon changed after studying our history.
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During my childhood, Christ was preached from the pulpit, but often, He was portrayed as a skewed Christ. Even though the Bible presents Christ as the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah, the first image was much more emphasised from the pulpit than the latter. Jesus was often portrayed as a pushover, a person who could easily be taken advantage of.
However, after reading biographies and autobiographies of various Christian social reformers, I realised that the characteristic of a Christian is not to be weak, fearful, and cowardly, but quite the opposite: strong. Yet, they are loving, kind, and merciful.
Merciful
Now, I don’t judge my parents’ generation. They had no idea that the most significant social reformers in history were Christians who were not only radicals for their own time, often going against the grain, but also dedicated to Christ in mind, body, and spirit.
“A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increases strength,” Solomon said 3000 years ago. At first glance, this appears to conflict with Christ’s radical teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, which He calls the meek blessed. Nevertheless, this is a contradiction only if one does not consider the Bible as a whole and does not view Christ in all His fullness.
In Christ’s character, there is a perfect balance between gentleness, kindness, and optimism on the one hand and assertiveness, sincerity and realism on the other. We can see Him healing the sick, welcoming children, and suffering unjustly on the cross. At the same time, we can also see Him telling people to repent, correcting and confronting the Scribes and Pharisees, and cleaning up His Father’s Temple. He perfectly embodied everything excellent and superlative.
Genuine Christians who want to live like Christ are not pushovers – people you can step over or fool easily. Not even close. Though their actions embody superlative love, they are also bold and tough-minded in a certain way.
The Apostle Paul, the greatest of all the apostles, was not a weak Christian. In 2nd Timothy 1:7 (MEV), he boldly claims that “[…] God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and self-control.” In unambiguous terms, Paul clarifies that Christians are not weak and cowards but strong and courageous.
Paul does not stop at power and for good enough reason. Misguided power can be dangerous, and Paul is aware of this. So, he makes sure to point out that the spirit of the Christian is not only assertive and courageous but also loving and merciful, having self-control. And that’s because to be a Christian is to be a wise person.
Relationships
This perfect balance is what I love most about the Scriptures. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul maintains this ideal balance in many passages, especially when discussing relationships between spouses, parents and children, and masters and slaves.
The power that Paul talks about is neither brute force nor violence. Instead, it is about having the strength to live like Christ, no matter how difficult or how many people might hate you for living a godly life. It is the ability to face adversity in your life, to withstand and meet the challenges that come with living a righteous life.
When Christians do what is righteous and disobey unjust laws, they will not be afraid to do so. Still, they will do it righteously and lovingly, guilt-free of malicious behaviour. They are not troublemakers, far from it.
Being able to suffer and even die for Christ is something extraordinary. And that is what Paul did. He suffered beatings, indefinite imprisonment, and persecution because of Christ. When he was treated unjustly, he acted like Christ.
Radical
To show love and kindness and give a glass of water to your enemy that hates and despises you is what true power looks like (Romans 12:20). Being kind to those who are kind to you (Matthew 5:46, 47) or being evil to those who are hostile to you is easy. Everyone can do that. But having the strength to show love, even to your enemies, is something radical in and of itself.
In Christ, there was no change in behaviour (James 1:17). Christ’s behaviour shows self-control and fairness, regardless of the circumstances. A Christian who follows in Christ’s footsteps and is godly in their conduct lives with integrity no matter the cost.
Walking this fine line requires effort, and Christians can only do this by living closely to the Word of God. God inspires the Scriptures and is beneficial for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that we may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Therefore, studying the Bible is essential.
Golden image
In practice, the strength Solomon refers to is the courage of Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego, who calmly refused to kneel before Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. It is also demonstrated by Joseph, who rose to power in Egypt and still chose to forgive his brothers when he had the power to execute them.
Another example is Esther, whose courage put her life on the line to save the Israelites in a crisis. Last but not least, Jeremiah suffered for speaking the truth as God’s prophet. All of these people reveal different aspects of what it means to be a gentle yet strong person.
True strength is not about brute force or violence but rather living a life rooted in love, humility, and righteousness. Christ’s radical teachings call us to love those who oppose us, act with integrity, and exhibit the kind of strength that seeks justice, mercy, and peace.
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