“Walk … with all humility”1 Ephesians 4:2
A legitimate issue, often left out of discussions is the addressing of side issues “instead of the central issue, which is pride.” In fact, the vast majority of secular socultions never touch on the major issue of pride at all! The do indeed only deal with the preiferal issues, the manifestations of pride and seek to "solve the problems" by addressing those periferal matters instead of taking on the problem "head on" so to speak. The main reason, I believe, for this is that the world sees pride, not as a negative, detrimetal problem, but as virtue.
Surely, they understand that it can be taken to "a fault" and that one can go "too far" with and be consummed with pride. But by and large they see pride, a positive self image or whatever way you wish to state the concept, as a good and desireable quality.
As I watched the football games this past weekends I was over come with the sheer arrogance of the players. They all acted as if they were God's gift to the game. The strutted and blew their own horn, calling attention to themselves after each time they did anything at all. I couldn't help but remember the "old days" when men, often far better, did things in a far quieter way!
It is simply a truth that the issues which face us cannot be addressed adequately unless we address the root problem. That problem is our view of self, our pride. Just as one cannot redo one's basement and expect it to be a ceterpiece for one's home until one takes care of the water seeping in from all sides, so one must address root issues!
“…a basic ingredient for all spiritual blessing.” The problem is that, once again, no one has told us what it is and they certainly don't want to get all involved with defining for us what it involves and asking to be it and coform to it as a prime and foundational aspect of our lives. What we are told is all of the various aspects or manifestations of pride, and urged to forsake them, but we are never, as we have said already, in this modern time, told of the of pride in self per se! If they are not warned concerning the true issue, then how can they be properly urged concerning the opposite - humlity? If that basic ingredient is missing, then then entire process is flawed, undermined and doomed to failure.
“When pride comes, then comes dishonor” "Dishonor" is shame or disgrace namely a state of dishonor and ignominy (infamy) and so have low status and public disgrace, with associated feelings of shame. It can also refer to an insult, in other words, a verbal communication of scorn and slander. Note that there is a one-to-one relationship here. Where there is pride there is dishonor or shame. Likewise, where there is humility, there is wisodom. It is good to note that this is all from Solomon, someone who, without need for saying, knows wisdom when he sees it!
“…but with the humble is wisdom…” "Humble" is a Hebrew word meaning modest, i.e., pertaining to a lack of pretentiousness. Translated that means a lack of focus on or concern with self. Note also the contrative "but that separates the two phrases. That makes these two adversative. It sets them against one another. They cannot coexist. Either one is prideful, reaping shame; or one is humble and reaps wisdom. Proverbs 15:33 backs this idea up.
“Too often we forget how important humility is.” I think it true that for many, they never really knew, especially in this day and age when self and self-image is put forth as the highest good. If indeed that is true, then humility MUST be almost an evil! It must then be useless and even harmful in everyday life. For the Biblical believer, concerned with what God thinks about issues, this is unacceptable.
“Did you know that pride was the first sin ever committed?” We might also note that it the root of every subsequent sin. Pride, or the love of self, lies at the root of all sin that is committed. We sin because love self and want to please our own flesh more than we want to please the Father; at least some portion of the time.
“I will make myself…” These two words summarizse the attitude of the prideful person. There is first the objective of the thing, that is the self. Then there is the "making" or accomplishment of the thing. The two together focus the entire attention of the phrase on the doer and NOT on God.
"Make myself like" - is a combination of a verb and a preposition. The preposition is one that indiccates direction toward a thing or object. The verb means to resemble, compare or be like; to copy. The intention of Satan was to make himself a "copy" of God. That intention is repeated in all men who exercise sin as well. They seek to exercise for themselves the authority that is God's alone. This is the province of God and God alone - thus the charge of foolishness and sin.
“…all sin is defiance of God.” And that means ALL. Even inadvertant sin is defiance of God. It may not be deliberate defiance, but it is defiance nevertheless. The sooner that we come to grips with this truth, the better off we'll be be and the better able we'll be to diagnose the problems of our sin-life and follow after Christ in obedience. It is only when we call things what they truly are that we can move ahead and be what God wants us to be.
“It is impossible to be saved without humility.” This is a startling statement! But it is just another way of saying that anyone who wishes to become a child of God must submit themselves to what the Word says about they, their sinful nature, their destiny, and their need for a Savior and their inability to save themselves. All of that flies in the face of pride, destroys it utterly, is something they cannot make themselves, and requires humility.
_______________________________
[1] This year I am often using MacArthur’s devotional “Strength for Today” as a starting point for my comments. Quotes from MacArthur’s Devotional are in boldface.
No comments:
Post a Comment