These two themes run from Genesis to Revelation: Pride and Humility. Pride is first seen in Genesis at the Garden of Eden, through the proud words of the Serpent. Humility, too, is first seen in Genesis, through God giving Adam and Eve animal skins to cover their shame after they bought into the lie of the Serpent. Pride is last seen as Satan goes out to deceive the nations one last time near the end of Revelation. Humility is last seen in Revelation as God brings about a new heaven and new earth where humanity and God can dwell together in perfect harmony.
God was never required to act in humility. But Him extending “grace” is an act of humility. And humility is an attribute of love. God, being the creator of all things, sets the rules. He is not “required” to do us any favors. But through gracious humility, He “gives” us good things. We all know that the greatest gift of humility ever given was God’s own Son. Jesus Christ demonstrated humility in everything He did and in everything He said. Even in the Temple as He overturned the money changers’ tables and when He would call the Pharisees “whitewashed tombs.” Jesus humbly submitted to His Father and acted and spoke according to the desires of His Father. So whether He was dealing with a leper or a Pharisee, He consistently handled every situation like His Father would. This is “humility” (expressed as submission).
According to The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia, PRIDE is: “An attitude of self-exaltation which, in its conceit of superiority, arrogantly tramples on others, and, in its independence of spirit, self-sufficiently rebels against God.” I would like to add to this definition that pride speaks and acts as though itself is God, acting “autonomously” without giving glory to its Creator. Whereas HUMILITY is:
“A Christian characteristic, epitomized in Rom 12:3: “For I say … to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.” Humility (Gr. tapeinophrosynē, 1 Pet 5:5) is a mental attitude of lowliness (Eph 4:2; Phil 2:3), the opposite of pride (q.v.). It is that specific grace developed in the Christian by the Spirit of God wherein the believer frankly acknowledges that all he has and is he owes to the Triune God who is dynamically operative in his behalf. He then willingly submits himself under the hand of God (Jas 4:6–10; 1 Pet 5:5–7).”
So why did I begin a post titled A Divine Mystery: Strength in Weakness by giving examples of, and defining, PRIDE and HUMILITY? Because the entire Bible, from beginning to end, contrasts these two. And because the Bible explains that one of these God “hates” and one He “honors.” And because one will “destroy and bring death” to a Child of God, and one will “give life, peace, and favor” to a child of God. Also, because I personally HATE (meaning I despise!) pride, but love (meaning I pursue) humility. DON’T get me wrong here! I didn’t say I’m always “humble” or think that I’ve mastered humility! But I am saying that I recognize that if I want God’s favor, I must become humble. And finally, because “to boast in my weakness” = humility. And “to boast in my strength” = pride. But “when” I put on Christ’s strength in place of my weakness, I become “humbly strong.”
So what does “strength in weakness” look like practically? Let me begin by stating that in America, it is common and even praised to boast about our strengths. We praise those who are “self-successful.” We praise over-achievers. We praise those who have accomplished their personal goals whether in sports or business; those who have climbed the ladder of success in their career or who have graduated with honors. We praise those who have fought hard (in their own strength) and won. For instance, we praise strong men who have fought battles of war through the means of their own wisdom, their own courage, born with the right genes to produce the right physique, through the means of their own testosterone, and relying on their own physical weapons. No, I am not “anti-war.” I am anti-self-reliance. Anyway, we praise these kinds of accomplishments. However, the individual who struggles to accomplish anything, due to a mental or physical disability, but manages to get a job at McDonald’s cleaning toilets through the power of relying on Christ’s strength and does their job therefore to the glory of God. THIS kind of individual may never be recognized by anyone. But by Christ and the Spirit, they are highly honored. It is because they recognize their “strength in weakness.” And in their dependence on the LORD, they are praised. Along these lines, the Apostle Paul said that “Christ [is] the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers (and sisters): not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1 Cor 1:24-29, emphasis mine). We see here that true strength/power and wisdom come through the humility of the cross. This is a perfect example of “success and accomplishment” according to Christ. Of course if we are looking for the praise of “man” in place of the praise and blessings of God, then none of these things matter. But for the individual who recognizes that this world and all the praise that comes from it is worthless and fading away, they are content in their weakness and even rejoice in living lives of Christ-reliance instead of self-reliance.
King David, in Psalm 18 writes, “For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down … For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall” (Ps 18:27-29). Notice that He recognizes his victory comes from the LORD, not through his own wisdom or power. Also, Paul writes, “For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers (and sisters), of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Cor 1:8-9). Notice that Paul and his companions were intentionally placed in a situation by God which was beyond their own strength “so that” they would learn not to rely on themselves but on God. There are many other passages both in the Old and New Testament that contrast the person, or nation, which relies on themselves vs the one that relies on God. It seems like the Lord is trying to teach us something, but we have difficulty learning it. For instance, if you have been raised in America, you come with baggage attached. The baggage is our history of traditions and ideas centered around self-sufficiency. It’s like America took the ethics of the Bible and implemented them apart from the heart of the Bible. The gospel is all about exchanging “self” for “Christ.” Not only the gospel, but the entire Word of God demonstrates this from Genesis to Revelation. God’s “goal” is that humanity humble itself and exchange its “own” glory for the glory of “Christ.” I trust you remember the “self-esteem” movement. We have all been raised in a society that has been wrapped up in itself for a long time now. I trust you also recognize this in what I’ll call, “popular Christianity” vs “unpopular Christianity.” Popular Christianity “feels good” all the time. But the unpopular kind looks like this: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (2 Tim 3:12). However, testing and trials will divide these two.
I pray that we all, Christians in America, will eventually come to terms with our own weakness. That we will be quick to acknowledge just how “needy” we are continually. I am not saying you do not already know this. I am just saying I notice how many children of God have been influenced, whether through education or home life, to believe that “they” are to rely on themselves. And this is supposedly called being “responsible.” When in truth, the most “responsible” thing we can do is transfer ALL responsibility to Christ, since we (our entire spirit, soul, and body) belong to Him.
Aletheia: Truth in the Darkness 