No More Mr. Nice Guy

You might be surprised to learn that the word *nice *never appears in the Bible. My dictionary says it derives from the Latin *nescius *("ignorant" or "foolish"). Nice used to mean "wanton," "coy," or "finicky," although in modern times it's come to mean "pleasing," "virtuous," "respectable," or "polite."

But nowhere does God's Word tell us to "be nice." The early Christians greeted each other with expressions like "Grace and peace to you" and "Maranatha" ("Come, O Lord"), but I haven't found a single biblical example where anyone greeted a friend by saying, "Have a nice day!"

Not that I'm against friendly expressions of goodwill. It's just that sometimes we avoid the hard work of real love by dealing with each other on a superficial level. "Have a nice day" doesn't satisfy a person who lacks hope or battles with unspoken loneliness. Contrary to popular opinion, being "nice" doesn't qualify anyone for Heaven. Nor is "niceness" listed among the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, or the fruit of the Spirit. The symbols of our faith are a cross and an empty tomb, not one of those round yellow "smiley faces."

Now, don't misunderstand. Obviously, God has given us a lot to smile about. But genuine faith requires far more than bland, insipid "niceness."

Instead, Scripture calls us to wade into the deeper waters of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; to discover what it means to be poor in spirit, meek, and merciful; to let our love for God overflow in reverent worship and concern for our neighbors' needs. If you want to call that being "nice," go ahead—but don't water down the demands of genuine Christian compassion.

We cheapen the glory of God if we see him merely as a Nice Guy who went around spouting feel-good platitudes. Filled with compassion, Jesus dared to touch and heal a man with leprosy (Mark 1:41). He met the spiritual needs of the multitudes who were "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). He deliberately built relationships with lost, unpopular, broken people (Luke 7:36-50; 19:1-10). He intervened to help those who were sick, hungry, and disabled (Matthew 14:14; 15:32; John 5:1-6). His heart was deeply moved by the tears of a grieving widow, and he restored her little family's hope again by raising her son from the dead (Luke 7:11-15).

Nice? No, Jesus was far more than nice. He was tough enough to speak hard truth, but tender enough to listen and care and touch. He was bold enough to confront sin, but gracious enough to forgive it. "The Lord," the book of James reminds us, "is full of compassion and mercy" (5:11).

James also shows how to put faith into action, and his definition of true religion may surprise you. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (1:27).

Is it hard to avoid soul-pollution in times like these? Yes. But it's a noble goal. Are the needs of orphans and widows different in our culture than they were in biblical Israel? Perhaps. But there are still plenty of lonely children around, and plenty of people who grieve because of the death of a spouse. When is the last time you put a smile on their faces?

Have a compassionate day.