But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
Summary: Gentleness is not the same as weakness.
The concept of gentleness is a tough one to translate from Greek. Paul used the word “praotēs,” which implies humility.* What is a bit confusing is that earlier Paul was telling Timothy to “command certain people” and “command and teach these things.”
How is he supposed to “command” people on one hand, and be “humble” on the other?
One of the amazing things about the Bible is that there are so many examples like this one, where two seeming contradictory things are both true.
On the one hand, commanding people doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be rude. It is entirely possible to be firm and at the same time meek.
On the other hand, being gentle doesn’t equate to being milquetoast. A gentle person can still be firm.
Gentleness, then, is not weakness. It doesn’t mean we stand down when things don’t go God’s way.
Jesus is a good example.
People like to point to Jesus clearing the temple courtyard with a whip as a picture of “angry Jesus.” But the Bible does not say he was angry. After clearing the temple courts, John writes:
“His disciples remembered that it is written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’” (John 2:17)
Jesus was zealous for his Father’s house.
Was he gentle?
By God’s standards, yes. He could have had the ground open up as in the days of Korah† and swallow all the vendors and money changers, but he didn’t.
Compared to what he could have done, he was being very gentle.
Application: Remember, when looking to Jesus as an example, we are not God.
Food for Thought: How does gentleness affect conflict in the church?
*”G4236 – praotēs – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NIV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 27 Jul, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4236/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.
† Numbers 16
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