Gemilut hasadim are the good acts.
''Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by [your] good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.''(1Pet 2:12)
In Greek the words ''honest'' and ''good'' is “kalos”. How can we translate “kalos”?
1) beautiful, handsome,
excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable,
commendable, admirable
1a) beautiful to look at, shapely, magnificent
1b) good, excellent in its nature and characteristics, and therefore well
adapted to its ends etc.
(http://www.apostolic-churches.net/bible/strongs/ref/?stgh=greek&stnm=2570)
What are good works?
- To show our faith people would know us
''Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: [Forasmuch as ye are] manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.'' (2Cor 3:2-3)
- To love
- to bless
- to do good
- to pray
''But I say unto you,
Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;'' (Mat 5:44)
- hesed. In Tanakh a word ''hesed'' is used more 200 times. It means both mercy, charity, kindness and devotion, faith(fulness). In Hebrew there is another word which often means mercy, charity and compassion. This word is rahamim. It is used more 40 times in Tanakh.
In Brit Hadasha we can read about mercy many times too.
Messiah Yeshua said: ''Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.'' (Mat 5:7)
"Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." (Luk 6:36)
''And by chance there
came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the
other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked [on
him], and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he
journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on
him], And went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and
wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of
him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave [them]
to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest
more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest
thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that
shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.'' (Luk
10:31-37)
''Blessed [be]
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant
mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead,'' (1Pet 1:3)
''Now I say that Jesus
Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the
promises [made] unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify
God for [his] mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to
thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.'' (Rom 15:8-9)
The Jewish tradition
"There are three characteristics which distinguish the Jewish people — they are merciful, they are bashful and they are performers of acts of kindness." (Yevamot 79a) (http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/3194)
- bikur cholim ("visiting the sick'')
- hospitality (e.g. hospitality of Abraham)
- to reconcile
people
Yeshua said: ''Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.'' (Matt 5:9)
- to comfort
fainthearted people
''... comfort the
feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all [men].'' (1Th
5:14)
- to feed the
hungry people, to help to poor people
''[Is it] not to deal thy bread to the
hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou
seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine
own flesh?'' (Isaiah 58:7)
Messiah Yeshua did gemilut hasadim (good acts)! We need do them too!