Over the next weeks I want to focus on the concept of humility, with the goal of helping to better understand and demonstrate God’s call for us to be humble. The text I am using for my introduction to humility is James 4:6-10, NIV: “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble’. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up”. Pastor John MacArthur articulates that within these verses are ten commands all focused on a call to salvation (MacArthur, 1998). Note that we are to humble ourselves before the Lord, in brokenness, sorrow and mourning over our sinfulness. Do we come before God with a humble spirit, or even regularly acknowledge our sinfulness before God, let alone come before Him in ongoing brokenness, grieving, mourning, and repentance for our sins?
The reality is that we are all sinners (see Romans 3:23, NIV: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God) and therefore we are all eternally doomed to be separated from God, who is holy, but with one exception, by faith through God’s grace and mercy. I think that Christian or not, we forget, minimize, or even ignore that all of humanity has been and continues to be corrupted by sin, and this includes ourselves. And that without God’s grace and mercy, through the death and resurrection of Christ our Lord as a substitution for our sins, our righteous acts would still be seen like filthy rages compared to his holiness (Isaiah 64:6 NIV, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away”).
Ralph Venning (1622-1674), an English Puritan and nonconformist minister highlighted in his book “The Sinfulness of Sin” (1669), the depravity of humankind because of sin. The book’s title provides a window into the focus of the author’s extensive writing. Venning brings attention to how “prodigiously vile, how deadly mischievous, and therefore how monstrously ugly and odious” is this thing called sin. Venning goes on to say that “Sin is therefore exceedingly sinful and wicked. It is most immeasurably spiteful, poisonous and pernicious, because it kills men”. The primary focus of his book is to help us to understand the vileness of sin and how sin is in such opposition to and is so offensive to God. Additionally, the author brings attention to the fact that although sin permeates all aspects of our humanity, in contrast, God’s Holiness is demonstrated through his patience, graciousness and mercy to offer us forgiveness for our sins. However, let us not forget that if we are not repentant, God will also judge us for our sins. Hopefully, through contemplating “the sinfulness of sin” it will provide us an opportunity to continue on our path to humble ourselves before the Lord (see Micah 6:8, NIV: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”).
In describing sin, Venning notes how sin makes us haters of God (Romans 1:30), resisters of God (Acts 7:51), fighters against God (Acts 5:39), and even blasphemers of God (Psalm 14:1). Venning notes that although we do not intentionally commit all these sins, these are the qualities of sin and therefore these aspects of sin are in the heart of all sinners (Matthew 15:19). In other words, these aspects of sin would be a part of all of us “if God did not restrain some of us by his power and constrain others to obedience by his love and power” (Matthew 15:19). That is the wickedness of sin. The author continues by contrasting the holiness of God with sin through stating “God is holy, all holy, only holy, altogether holy, and always holy, so sin is sinful, all sinful, only sinful, altogether sinful, and always sinful (Genesis 6.5). In my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing (Romans 7.18). As in God there is no evil, so in sin there is no good. God is the chiefest of goods and sin is the chiefest of evils”. I so appreciate the contrast between God’s Holiness and Sin’s evilness because it puts me and my sinfulness in its place compared to God and his holiness. How can these words not humble us to examine the chasm between God’s holiness and our sinfulness? But if we are honest, many times we try to convince ourselves that we are not really all that sinful, and besides, we know in our heart that we are good and therefore, we really do not need to examine the depth of our sinfulness. The problem with this thinking is that we are born with a sinful nature that can only be overcome through the Spirit of God (see Romans 8:5-14), and the heart is deceitful and our intentions are only known by God (see Jeremiah 17:9).
Conclusion:
In a fallen world so focused on self-esteem, accomplishments and awards, pridefulness, narcissism, arrogance, and intersectionality, think about how we all fall trap to defining who we are by our accomplishments or possessions, our expertise, our heritage or family, our talents, or sometimes we even define ourselves by our faults, oppressions, shortcomings, or fears and anxieties. But the reality is that everything we are is tainted by our sin, and only through finding our identity in Christ can we begin to humbly approach the throne of grace (Galatians 2:20, NIV: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me). The following song, “Jesus Paid it all”, written in 1865 by Elvina Hall, gives meaning to the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, and to our need for salvation. And I would encourage you to listen to “Jesus Paid it All” sung by Fernando Ortega (see resources), and take time to acknowledge our sinfulness and the need for repentance.
“Jesus Paid it All”
- I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small, Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”
Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
2. Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow’r and Thine alone, Can change the leper’s spots And melt the heart of stone.
Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
3. For nothing good have I Where-by Thy grace to claim; I’ll wash my garments white In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.
Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
4. And when, before the throne, I stand in Him complete, “Jesus died my soul to save, “My lips shall still repeat”.
Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
*So, next week I will continue to explore our sinfulness and the need for humility, as Venning continues to elaborate on the contrast between sin and God.
Resources:
MacArthur, John (1998). The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: James.
Ortega, Fernando (Written by Elvina M. Hall, 1865). Jesus Paid it all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5DyeCx8H4U&list=RDD5DyeCx8H4U&start_radio=1&rv=D5DyeCx8H4U&t=29
Venning, Ralph (1669). The Sinfulness of Sin. https://www.apuritansmind.com/wp-content/uploads/FREEEBOOKS/TheSinfulnessofSin-RalphVenning.pdf