Thomas Boston Meekness Towards Man Analysis

‘Three Compositions of Meekness Towards Man’ Thomas Boston suggested three elements of the meekness towards man in his famous book ‘The Beatitudes’. He claimed that meekness has the ‘bearing of injuries’, ‘forgiving of injuries’, and ‘recompensing good for evil’. Boston presented ‘bearing of injuries’ with four oppositions of the meekness, which are ‘hastiness of spirit’, ‘malice’, ‘revenge’, and ‘evil-speaking’. In the next level (‘forgiving of injuries), he mentioned that “A meek spirit is a forgiving spirit” and argued that the forgiveness has to be ‘really’, ‘fully’, and ‘often’ like God forgives sinners. Finally, Boston in ‘recompensing good for evil’ expressed this third point as “miracle of meekness” and it happens when “He is full …show more content…
Paul explained the worth of Sanctification; “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, … meekness and patience. … And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, … Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.” [Colossians 3:12,15, and 16] Thomas Boston put emphasis upon the reason why Christians should be meek; “3. This is the way to be like God. God is meek towards them that provoke him. … Hereby we bear a kind of likeness to God. It is not profession makes us like God, but imitation. Where meekness is wanting, we are not like men. Where it is present, we are like God.” According to his opinion, three components of meekness toward man, which is a variation of the fruit of Holy Spirit, is the face of the nature of God. In other words, God is “love, joy, peace, patience, kinds, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” [Galatians 5:22&23] because God is meek. Therefore, meekness is hugely important for Christian because it is the gateway of bearing fruits of Holy Spirit and it is true practicing the word of God with clothing the heavenly disposition of …show more content…
There are three reasons why the meekness is necessary to the Christian. The meekness is the virtue which unbelievers cannot have because it is a gracious gift of Holy Spirit in the blood of Christ to freely given Christians. On the other hand, this meekness could be distinct into two. The meekness towards God proves that Christian should be meek because the substance of meekness itself is to obey God’s commandment faithfully based on the absolute belief in God. Also, the meekness towards man presents that it is the foundation of Christian to bear other graces of Holy Spirit and it is necessary character to seek the nature of God in