LEARNING HUMILITY, THE MOTHER OF ALL VIRTUES

 

 

In Learning Humility, Richard Foster quoted an anonymous author who seems to have a deep understanding of humility and its antithesis—pride:

 

·       “Self-knowledge is the only way to get and keep the virtue of humility…Don’t flinch in the face of the tremendous work involved. Get to know yourself. Yes, it is backbreaking labor. Embrace it. Through it, you’ll experience God as he is. I don’t mean you’ll know God completely…But when you get to know yourself better as the mortal human you are, your soul grows in humility, and you’ll know God as fully as possible on earth.”

 

Self-knowledge is key. Seeing ourselves as we truly are is deeply humbling. Why? We enjoy thinking well of ourselves and feel more comfortable with others when we do, even though pride eventually undermines our relationships.

 

Consequently, we do not go to the psychologist because we want to know ourselves better but because we want to feel better. Nor do psychologists advertise, “Come to me and learn the truth about yourself.”

 

However, when we accept ourselves as we truly are, we can be authentic, transparent, and non- coercive. Why? When we accept ourselves, we can also accept others. When we are enabled to see and understand ourselves, we can also understand others and their world. When we live behind our mask, we are unable to see ourselves or others, since we are the lens through which we see all else!

 

How then can we learn humility? According to Foster’s anonymous author, knowing the love of God is essential:

 

·       “The best way to grow in humility is not through reflecting on our weaknesses but by remembering God’s goodness and love. . . . ‘Perfect’ humility comes when you experience God’s goodness and superabundant love.”

 

I could not face or accept myself despite my five highly recommended psychologists. Instead, they simply reinforced my dysfunctional lies that I was a good person, even superior to others.

 

Only with Christ’s assurances that He loved me beyond anything I could comprehend (Ephesians 3:19-20), along with His painfully humbling me, could I begin to face the truth about myself:

 

·       Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:6-7, 10)

 

Beware, humility grows as a newly planted fruit tree. It will only bear its fruit later, and it requires continual pruning.

 

DO NOT GO BEYOND WHAT IS WRITTEN

We are in the Lord’s army. This requires us to not deviate from the commands of our God. By boasting about their gifts, believers had been contradicting the Biblical teachings about maintaining their unity and humility:

 

·       1 Corinthians 4:6–7 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

 

Isaiah provided another example of going beyond the Word. When we do so, we are not shedding the Lord’s truth and light:

 

·       Isaiah 8:19–20 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.

 

This is because Scripture gives us everything we need—all of the necessary commands of God—although it does not teach us how to repair our car or to bake a cake, things that are not in competition with His Word:

 

·       2 Timothy 3:16–17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

 

This agrees with Jesus’ promised:

 

·       Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

 

How would His Words be protected for future generations? Jesus commissioned His Apostles to teach them, both orally and written:

 

·       John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

 

His Words would serve as the foundation of His Church:

 

·       Ephesians 2:20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

 

Consequently, these Words became the one foundation for His Church, and all our ministry had to precisely fit upon the foundation of Jesus’ Words (the entire Bible):

 

·       1 Corinthians 3:10–14 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

 

Sadly, many teachers are building on our foundation with materials that do not fit, agree, and even corrode this foundation. One popular example is the teaching of Universalism—the belief that all will be saved in the end. If this is so, the entire Christian faith is undermined. Evangelism, Bible study, obedience, faith, confession, and repentance all become unnecessary. Instead, eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you will be saved!

Perfectionism

 

 

Are we commanded to be perfect? Is perfection even possible in this life?

First of all, there are no excuses for sin. Instead, we are commanded to be perfect:

·       1 Peter 1:15–16 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

 

We find this same requirement throughout the Bible:

·       Deuteronomy11:8 You shall therefore keep the whole commandment that I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and take possession of the land that you are going over to possess.

 

Never does the Bible inform us that we are permitted to violate God’s commands. Instead, any sin can damn us, as Jesus taught:

·       Matthew 5:21–22 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (James 2:10)

 

Consequently, none will ever reach perfection in this life (1 John 3:5). This fact highlights our continual need for the mercy of God, which is always available to those who confess their sins and decide to sincerely turn from them:

 

·       1 John 1:8–9 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

God abhors sin, but He loves mercy more than He hates sin (James 2:13). Jesus informs us that even the angels celebrate when one sinner repents:

·       Luke 15:10 “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

 

·       Ezekiel 33:11 "Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.

HAS GOD RELINQUISHED HIS POWER AND AUTHORITY TO US?

 

 

The cults are expert marketers. They know how to give us what we want. They appeal to our pride by exalting us at the expense of demoting God.

 

The Word-of-Faith (WoF) movement also exalts man at the expense of God. Creflo Dollar taught that Jesus isn’t God but became God:

 

·       “Jesus didn’t come as God, He came as man, and He did not come perfect.” (Christian Research Journal, B. Hunter)

 

Consequently, the Word-of-Faith preachers exalt us to godhood. C. Dollar stated:

 

·       “I’m gonna say to you right now that you are gods, little ‘g.’ You are gods because you came from God and you are gods.” (CRJ)

 

R.C. Sproul claimed:

 

·       “[Kenneth] Copeland writes, ‘Every man who has been born again is an incarnation and Christianity is a miracle. The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth.’” (Michael Horton, The Agony of Deceit, 44).

 

Also: “You don’t have a god in you. You are one!” (92). “Jesus is no longer the only begotten Son of God.” (100)

 

Clearly, there is much that sets us apart from God. According to Jesus, the best of us are unworthy:

 

·       “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” (Luke 17:10)

 

Paul claimed that we are nothing, apart from God:

 

·       For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Galatians 6:3)

 

A powerful Roman centurion admitted that he was deserving of the Lord’s presence:

 

·       "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. (Matthew 8:8)

 

For his humble acceptance of the truth, Jesus had commended him. However, WoF preachers suggest that we shouldn’t regard ourselves as lowly. WoF TV evangelist, Copeland, offered an alleged prophecy from Jesus Christ Himself:

 

·       “Don’t be disturbed when people accuse you of thinking you are God…They criticized me [Jesus] for claiming that I was God. But I didn’t claim that I was God; I just claimed I walked with Him and that He was in me. Hallelujah, that’s what you’re doing.’” (101)

 

Do we presently have such great authority or must we await Jesus’ return? Elsewhere, Copeland claimed:

 

·       “He never made the assertion that He was the most High God. In fact, He told His disciples that the Father God was greater and mightier than He. Why didn’t Jesus openly proclaim Himself as God during His 33 years on earth? For one single reason. He hadn’t come to earth as God, He’d come as man.” (114)

 

However, Jesus had no problem in receiving the worship reserved for God alone:

 

·       And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28)

 

Although Jesus never explicitly said “I am God,” He often equated Himself with God and always received worship, even from demons.

 

However, deceased WoF evangelist, Kenneth Hagin, had claimed that we are not different from Jesus:

 

·       The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth. (Horton,112)

 

·       Even many in the great body of Full Gospel people do not know that the new birth is a real incarnation, they do not know that they are as much sons and daughters of God as Jesus…So He was in the flesh a divine-human being. I was first human, and so were you, but I was born of God, and so I became a human-divine being.” (Horton; R.C. Sproul quoting K. Hagin)

 

However, Hagin’s assertions are contradicted by Scripture:

 

·       Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is NOTHING, he deceives himself. (Galatians 6:1-3)

 

We are nothing, a mere speck of dust in the universe of billions of galaxies, apart from Christ. Apart from Jesus, we are helpless to do anything of any spiritual value:

 

·       Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)

 

In contrast, WoF offspring, Andrew Wommack, claims that we are loaded with healing power:

 

·       God has already placed His healing power within us, and it is now under our authority. It isn’t up to God to determine who receives healing; it’s up to us! (“Faith For Healing Is Based On Knowledge”)

 

This begs the question, “Who are we in Christ? Are we utterly dependent on Jesus, or are we powerful and independent? Wommack claims that we shouldn’t ask Christ to heal. Instead, by our vested authority, we should demand it:

 

·       The Lord never told us to pray for the sick in the sense that we ask Him to heal them. He told us to heal the sick,” and “Jesus told us to heal the sick, not pray for the sick. (http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/authority_releases),

 

·       When [people who do not claim such authority as theirs] see that some sickness, disease, tragedy comes into their life, instead of taking their authority and rebuking the devil and commanding him to leave, instead they go to God … and they beg God, “Oh God please change this situation. Oh God please get the devil off my back.’ And it’s not within God’s power and authority. He gave us that power and authority.” (“The Believer’s Authority,” part 3)

 

According to Wommack, God has surrendered His authority to us. Consequently, God is now unable to help us. He has dis-empowered Himself.

 

This is a different religion than the one we find in the Bible, where we encounter an all-powerful God who can work all things for our good, and in whom we can trust for all the needs of our life:

 

·       He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. (Psalm 62:6–8)

 

·       Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
 (Psalm 37:3–7)

 

The Gospel is about finding peace and joy through trusting in Him, not in ourselves:

 

·       do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7)

 

Consequently, love, joy, and peace are fruits of the Spirit and not of our own powers and authority. According to James, we lack such authority and, instead, are an insubstantial mist:

·       Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13–16)

 

Consequently, we cannot claim anything good as coming from ourselves:

 

·       Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. (2 Corinthians 3:5; James 1:17)

To believe otherwise is evil and arrogant.