The Crowning Virtue of the Cross of Christ

“Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” [Isaiah 66:1-2 ESV]

“Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew 19:14 ESV]

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew 18:1-4 ESV]

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [Philippians 2:3-11 ESV]

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Who has not gazed at the night sky, mouth slightly agape? The experience is so common, its effects so uniform, that a standard vocabulary has evolved to describe it. Invariably we speak of the profound humility we feel before the enormity of the universe. We are as bits of dust in a spectacle whose scope beggars the imagination, whose secrets make a mockery of reason.
— Edwin Dobb, Harper’s, February 1995

Introduction

The above quote is from a secular publication and as such, proves that non-Christians recognize their seeming insignificance in such a vast cosmos. The writer perceives a feeling of marked humility in light of the night sky and, indeed, assumes this inescapable conclusion for all mankind. Yet, is this true humility? When man turns their gaze away from these stellar wonders that surpass all of humanity’s intellect and even mocks at reason, they make brash statements that there is no Creator of these wonders, no other creature on earth as intelligent as us. Our track record proves just the opposite. We make war when we think our might is greater than our adversary’s; we hate when we think our race is superior to another’s; we make haste to fall prostrate at the feet of almighty science to explain away the truths of God’s Word; we make haste to the brazen altar of self-love; and ultimately die as mere mammals without our God-given dignity:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools.” [Romans 1:18-22 ESV]

So, if this clearly is not true humility, what is? I’d like to discuss how Jesus, in all things, gave us the blueprint for true humility, and that the utmost proof of this exquisite humility is seen in the cross of Christ.

Part I: The Pitfalls of False Humility

First, I think a little talk about what true humility is not is in order. Some of us, maybe most of us even, tend to gravitate to the idea of self-deprecation as a model to follow. For example, we often don’t take compliments well. We tend to dislike taking credit for our talents, perhaps because we are afraid we may seem proud. Instead of saying a simple thank you, or explaining the effort that went into the final product, we come up with things like, “Oh, it’s not really that good, ” or “Oh, but it’s not as good as [insert better person here]. I can even imagine hearing myself say, “Well, it’s not as good as my mom’s cooking,” as if her superior skills negate my own (especially if I KNOW she can’t even cook instant oatmeal!). That would actually be lying!

Now, I had a novel thought the other day (it does happen every now and then! See my self-inflicted sarcasm?). We can spiritually self-deprecate by not praying in public. Yes! I have been guilty of this. Because what are we thinking? “I’m not good enough to pray out loud?” “I’m not eloquent enough?” “What if I make a mistake?” Good enough or eloquent enough for who? Who is our audience, then? Hmm. I think we need to focus on the Hearer of Prayer more than the prayers who hear! If He accepts our prayers, who cares what others think?

I am currently in a bible study where many are reticent to close in prayer, and I had this image flash into my mind of the early saints in the bible, whose prayers miraculously loosed Peter from jail, looking around at each other, hesitating and wondering who would begin to pray. Just not happening! Beloved, prayer is only beautiful because our Abba is listening–condescending to us mere mortals like a loving father does with his own precious children. If God were not listening, prayer would be a futile exercise of the tongue, nothing more than talking to ourselves or each other and somehow feeling holy under the guise of hand-folding and head-bowing.

I guess my point in all this is to say that true humility does not go around like a moody Eeyore constantly putting oneself down. Jesus did not do this. As a matter of fact, He claimed to be God, even in the face of the Pharisees (who were so offended by His candor they wanted to kill Him). Yet, He was merely stating the truth–He always spoke the truth even if it seemed socially inappropriate to do so. We can do the same as long as we are being truthful. Can you imagine Ernest Hemingway saying, “No, no, it was just another one of those tall tales about the big fish that almost got away. My wife made me write it down.” I realize, because of our sometimes faulty self-perception, we have limitations, though. It reminds me of the joke where there is a patient in a mental hospital talking with a doctor and claiming to be the Pope. And the doctor asks him, “Who told you this?” He replies, smugly, “God!” And the fella in the next bed overhears the convo and says, “No, I didn’t!” We do need to be in touch with reality AND realize whom we are comparing ourselves to.

Part II: Where We Go Wrong

So, now let’s talk about what true humility is. Simply put, we have the perfect example in Jesus of how it looks. Humility is always seen in imitating the Father:

“So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” [John 5:19 ESV]

Therefore, scripture exhorts us to “be imitators of God, as beloved children.” [Ephesians 5:1 ESV]

Doing the will of God is the most humble of all things: humility is the embryo of everything good, even salvation, because one has to recognize their complete destitution in contrast to Jesus’ perfect life, which was required to satisfy the Law and the Lawgiver. Only perfect obedience can lay claim to a heavenly home, which none of us can do. That’s why Jesus tells the Jews who ask Him what work they must do to be doing the works of God: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” [John 6:29 ESV] The first and last work of God for salvation is not any religious rite or even doing good deeds, but rather belief in the Son. But Christ, seeing our weakness, lived to fulfill every jot and tittle of the Law, died the death we deserve to satisfy God’s judgment, and now sits on His throne as a merciful and gracious King and Priest for those who trust in Jesus’ name:

“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” [John 6:40 ESV]

And so, humility is the beginning of true life.

Likewise, we can say that the fear of the Lord has humility at its core, for the sin most common to man is fear of man. Yet the bible is clear:

“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” [Proverbs 29:25 ESV]

The best example I can think of this is when Saul gave in to the desires of the people when he was commanded to devote the Amalekites to destruction:

“And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.” Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.” [1 Samuel 15:22-24 ESV]

David is the antithesis of Saul: “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” [Psalm 118:6 ESV]

“Jesus said, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” [Luke 12:4-7 ESV]

It seems that a lot of preaching these days is in fact motivated by the fear of man, for some church leaders make their sermons only about the love of God and the assurance of heaven, yet avoid the topic of hell or sin because they do not want to offend their audiences or sound, as our society often accuses, like they’re being judgmental. Yet there are more noble Christians in other parts of the world who suffer much more than being labeled unloving or judgmental. They suffer literal violence for the sake of preaching the true gospel message.

Many church leaders and megachurches in this country want to focus only on the attractive features of Christianity, like love, acceptance, and everlasting life. But the bible is balanced, and Jesus was also truthful saying that in this world we will have tribulation. It is not just a possibility, it is a promise:

“Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.” [Mark 10:29-30 ESV]

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” [John 16:33 ESV]

Paul had taught the whole counsel of God to the Thessalonians when he had preached the gospel to them beforehand, and reminded them of this:

“We sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.” [1 Thessalonians 3:2-4 ESV]

The gospel message lacks credibility when we are silent about any of these things. It’s like spinning a news story to get the most readers. We are not trying to please God when we do this. We are trying to please the crowd and, ultimately, ourselves by avoiding the discomfort of a negative response. Note in this last verse in Luke chapter 12 above, that Jesus calls those in His audience friends? We would do well to tell our friends the truth about the way to salvation as well as God’s judgment of hell for those who refuse such a gracious gift. Out of love, we tell our children not to do many things because of the serious possibility of losing their lives. Should we not, with the same type of love and concern, warn people of a coming judgment? This also is true humility in action.

Another area where we seem to go awry is anger. We fear displaying it or at times feeling it, but there is such a thing as righteous anger. Jesus modeled this many times when speaking to the religious leaders of His day, calling them a brood of vipers, whitewashed tombs, and children of the devil (Matthew 23:33; Matthew 23: 27-38; John 8:44). The reason for this anger was not because they made life hard for him but rather that they resisted the truth He always spoke and led other people into the same sin and consequent eternal judgement, and we have not only a right to be angry but also a mandate to resist anyone who disses or messes with the gospel of Jesus Christ to the point of eternally harming the lost:

“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. … Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” [Matthew 23:12-13, 15 ESV]

I want to say this again: we have a mandate to protect the sheep, those already believers, and the potential sheep, those not yet believers, from these wolves in sheep’s clothing. We shouldn’t even be thankful for anything they get right because it is mixed with damnable lies that lead people straight to hell. These people do not make any contributions to the cause of Christ, rather, they draw people away from Christ with either their hypocrisy or their ignorance. We should not care how many doctorates or PhD’s or accolades belong to these men or women. They are false teachers:

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. … These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.” [2 Peter 2:1-3, 17 ESV]

Jesus was not one bit thankful for any contribution of the Pharisees, lawyers, and scribes of his day, but rather incensed at their obscurification of truth:

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” [Luke 11:23 ESV]

Paul, likewise, was not thankful for any contributions of the Judaizers infiltrating the early church, who were telling believers they could not be saved unless they were circumcised and followed the Mosaic Law, adding works to salvation and polluting the purity and power of the gospel:

“Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.” [Philippians 3:2 ESV]

He actually called these Judaizers dogs, which in Jewish society then were considered curs and disgusting vermin. Their modern counterpart would be New York City rats! Was Paul just a wee bit angry here? Now, we need to be prayerful and careful about these things first, because we could go to the opposite side of the ditch in extreme zeal and create loss due to “friendly fire.” In all things, by all means, pray for wisdom!

Jesus also displayed righteous anger when he overturned the money tables in the temple and drove out all the people who were buying and selling with a whip:

“Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant….” [Matthew 21:12-15 NKJV]

Note that it was the blind and the lame who came to Him after this, but the religious leaders who were indignant. Jesus welcomed these humble ones, but His face was set against the sham worship going on in the temple. This is a precedent we can imitate–exposing false teachers and false religion. We don’t have the legal authority to go into a church and clear out the riffraff leaders of megachurches like Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Texas or Bill Johnson’s Bethel Church in California or even the Pope’s Vatican in Rome (no matter how satisfying it would be to see Jesus expose these charlatans and grifters in the same way!). But we can follow the examples of the apostles and early church who consistently taught the truth and obeyed God despite the displeasure and persecution of man:

“We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” [Acts 5:28-29 ESV]

The apostle Paul said, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel–not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” [Galatians 1:6-10 ESV]

Part III: What Comes First…Humility or Love?

Now, in this last section, I’d like to talk about the humility that Jesus displayed when He died on the cross. The silent eloquence of the cross speaks louder than any scripture reference on humility I know. When one realizes that Jesus is truly God in the flesh; that He put aside heaven and His unimaginable and indescribable glory which no mortal can fully see and live; that He condescended to be born an infant, not in any palace but rather a humble manger; that He led by setting an example in serving others, washing the disciples’ feet; that He humbled Himself to the point of death–and not just any death, but rather the agonizing pain of the cross; that He, when you think one can’t condescend any lower than this, submitted to His Father’s will and bore all our sins; that He experienced the even more harrowing weight of being separated from the eternal communion He had with His Father to the point of feeling forsaken; all for us, those insignificant “bits of dust” who lived in utter rebellion to His divine love–we just might feebly grasp the exquisite and sublime meaning of true humility. Like the apostle John and Mark the evangelist, we can glimpse this simple truth:

“…Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” [John 13:1 ESV]

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” [Mark 10:45 ESV]

I had not so little a discussion with my better half about whether we should see humility as the crowning virtue in the cross of Christ, or love. Most of us see and feel the gravidity of superlative love in the cross, but do we see and feel the pristine humility? While both are vivid masterpieces of two abstract ideas, I lean toward humility as being the preeminent virtue. Why? From my vantage point, I ponder whether we can truly love without being humble first. Then again, can we show true humility without the impetus of divine love? Neither seems possible without the other, they are divine twins of virtue. Yet, I get an image in my mind of humility being the rock upon which love is built, the seed from which divine love sprouts and grows into a burgeoning field of holy fruit:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” [John 12:24 ESV]

You could also approach this question from a negative perspective: does most sin spring from pride or lovelessness? Doesn’t all that is loveless have its root in pride? Isn’t it the sin of pride we most have to guard our hearts from?

“One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.” [Proverbs 29:23 ESV]

“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” [Matthew 23:12 ESV]

“Haughty eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked, is sin.” [Proverbs 21:4 NASB95]

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” [Proverbs 16:18 ESV]

We can see from the above scriptures and many others that pride is a stepping stone to a whole host of evil, a root springing up and bringing forth all iniquity. Humility is the antidote and the vaccine against all the mutations of pride.

Conclusion (It’s About Time!)

So, what can we gather from all this as a whole, how can we apply it practically in our lives? The main idea I think is that Jesus is our example in all things–He displayed the virtue of humility so that we can imitate Him:

“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” [John 13:13-17 ESV]

I know that some churches actually practice foot washing. I am not suggesting we do this. I went to a church once that took part in such a ritual, I suppose for sake of demonstrating humility. Yet that same church accepted fornication and homosexuality as natural instead of warning its flock that those practicing it were deceived and not fit for the Kingdom of God:

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” [1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV]

Note that these believers in Corinth were practicing such things in the past, and Paul’s expectation was that they would refrain from them now that they were cleansed of their former sins. Churches that do such external rites and practices such as foot washing yet rebel against the Word of God lack true humility. It may make someone feel a bit holier, but the Lord is not impressed one bit when someone turns around and disobeys the command of God. It is much like Jesus warned the crowds in His day about claiming Jesus as Lord but denying His authority and power. You could loosely paraphrase it in modern language to sound something like this:

“Lord, Lord, did we not tithe our gross earnings (gross Lord, and not net), wash each others’ feet (this was also gross, Lord), say the rosary every single day, make long pilgrimages to holy places (we have the blisters to prove it), speak in tongues (a sure sign of salvation), hand out religious magazines, build huge church buildings (people were so impressed!), write hit worship songs (that made the Christian top ten), suffer for being called a cult–all in Your name?” And Jesus would reply, “Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness, because you do all these things and promptly turn around and disobey me and nullify my very Word. You do not truly love me, but yourselves.” (See Matthew 7:21-23)

I am, to be sure, using sarcasm to point out the bleak church life taking place in this country. However, please remember this deception is deadly and runs deep in the fabric of our society. We must repent (another act of humility)–in other words, acknowledge that these sins are wrong and turn from them–our very eternity is at stake!

Another takeaway would be to note the lack of humility on display in the United States these days. From politics to popular pulpits, from enterprise to entertainment, from leaders to the least, we need to see the pomp and pride seething from our pores. Therefore:

“Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.” [Zephaniah 2:3 ESV]

“You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.” [2 Samuel 22:28 ESV]

It is, as a bottom line, a call to repentance. Brothers and sisters, please do not get swept away by the tide of pride in our day. This is what the Lord says:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” [Micah 6:8 ESV]

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” [Isaiah 57:15 ESV]

So, then, let us seek humility. Let us repent:

“…Be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” [Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV]

“But he gives more grace. Therefore, it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” [James 4:6-10 ESV]

Amen.

Image by Karen T. via Pixabay