Humility and Submission
(3) Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory;
but in lowliness of mind
let each esteem other better than themselves.
(4) Look not every man on his own things,
but every man also on the things of others.
-Philippians 2:3-4
The Mystery of God's Will spills over into the Mystery of Fellowship as we realize that our relationship with God and others is not about us. It is about God's will and our call to become great in the eyes of God (like David or Job) by serving as He specifically prescribes. "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." (Matthew 23:11-12)
(5) Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus:
(6) Who, being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery
to be equal with God:
(7) But made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men:
(8) And being found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.
-Philippians 2:5-9
Yes, this is a fellowship of service based on the specific will of God.
How did Christ humble Himself?
Did He dress in rags, put on a sad face, and go everywhere saying, "I am nothing, I am nothing?"
Did He become every man's slave?
Did He dress in rags, put on a sad face, and go everywhere saying, "I am nothing, I am nothing?"
Did He become every man's slave?
No, He never stopped bolding proclaiming that He was the Creator of the Universe and very Son of the living God. He was not bragging, but stating a fact. He neither hid nor apologized for His calling or His gifts.
His humility was not about making Himself acceptable to the people so they would like Him and what He had to say, decide to "get saved," buy His Book, and join His Church. It was a genuine response of obedience to the specific will of God and His willingness to give His life for those the Father had already called before the foundation of the earth. (Ephesians 1:3-5)--as God specified in and through His Word.
His humility was not a passive superficial act, but a result of genuinely yielding his will to the specifics of the Father's (not anyone else's) will. When Peter rebuked Jesus in Matthew 16, telling Him that He shouldn't talk about dying, Jesus said to him, "Get behind me Satan." Jesus knew the specific will of God. It was written in His Holy Word.
In the garden the night before He died, it was from His humanity that He prayed that the cup would pass from Him. He was really asking the Father if death on the cross was the only way mankind could be redeemed. Wasn't there any other option, any other solution God could come up with?
He already knew the answer to this question. But as He prayed alone that night, He was engaged in the process of preparing the human side of His nature for the excruciating physical, mental, and emotional pain associated with the unimaginable burden He was about to endure on the cross as He assumed upon Himself the wretched filth and sin of those the Father was calling out of the world.
No, there was not any other way to pay the penalty for our sin. The specifics of God's will were prescribed and prophesied from the beginning. Only the blood of the sinless Son of God had the power to wash away the sins of those the Father was drawing to Himself.
So Jesus yielded His will to the Father's will, humbling Himself and becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
How does God want us to humble ourselves then?
While we are told by the Scriptures to "submit ourselves one to the other," we are also told to only "humble ourselves before God."
The word, "humble" also is used in the Scriptures to describe the physical condition of the poor and afflicted. But in the spiritual application, we are to humble ourselves only before God.
On the other hand, when the word, "humble," is used in the context of being humbled by someone other than God, it is always referring to a person sinning against us by demanding something that they are not entitled to. For example, rape or any other means of demanding or forcing someone to yield to someone else's control, is a biblical example of sinful humbling. Love does not demand one person to humble himself before another person. This is idolatry.
(8) But be not ye called Rabbi:
for one is your Master, even Christ;
and all ye are brethren.
(9) And call no man your father upon the earth:
for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
(10) Neither be ye called masters:
for one is your Master, even Christ.
(11) But he that is greatest among you
shall be your servant.
(12) And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased;
and he that shall humble himself
[before God only]
shall be exalted.
-Matthew 23:8-12
Therefore, we are to humble ourselves before God only and do His will as opposed to humbling ourselves before others so as not to offend them by going against their will. God warns us to be careful not to come under peer pressure, elevate anyone else to the position of spiritual authority, or humble ourselves before them desiring to do their will, instead of being careful to only obey God's will.
Serving others does not involve blindly becoming their slave and fulfilling their every wish. The specifics regarding how we are to serve others does not come from a church, a denomination, a governmental dictatorship, our husband, or any other hierarchy. It must come from God alone.
In marriage a husband is to lead--that means that he is to be the first to take the responsibility regarding discovering God's will for the family and attending to the needs of the family, not demanding and dragging his wife into something she does not believe is God's will. They must work together as fellow believers, seeking God's will from the Scriptures until they find unity in their decisions. Real love yields to God's will first and allows others to do the same.
False doctrine and wrong interpretations of the picture of marriage God gives us regarding Christ and His Bride, have brought confusion into many churches today.
Therefore, we need to go back to the Bible and examine Christ's attitude and behavior toward His Church--His Bride. Is this what we are getting from the pulpit? Is this what we are really seeing in Christian marriages today?
Those who abuse their position, ultimately lose their position.
Serving in one particular manner at one specific time, may not be necessary at another time. The details and timing concerning our service must always come from God. Often serving will take the form of sharing the Word of God. If we humble ourselves before God, we are going to respectfully, while sometimes even boldly, stand on the truth of the Word of God when challenged by false doctrine. Standing boldly for what is right takes humility before God.
Do not let the devil's agents accuse you of lacking humility because you boldly stand on the truth of God's Word. It is their desire that you humble yourself before them so they can ensnare you and control you themselves. They are the ones who really lack humility before God and are not serving anyone but themselves and the devil.
On the other hand, "submitting" refers to "obeying." When children are told to submit to parents, or spouses and believers are told to "submit one to the other," they are being told also to obey one another--but always "in the Lord." This means that neither children, spouses, nor believers are to submit to nor obey commands that are not "in the Lord," or are not in agreement with God and His Word.
No comments:
Post a Comment