Christian Perfection

How Do You Achieve Humility?

Ken

Imitate Christ. 

Be like Jesus. 

Do like He did. 

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV). 

No, you and I are certainly not God. Far from it. 

But, an inferiority complex is not humility. 

Humility is humbling yourself for the greater good of God and all existence. 

How could Jesus humble Himself to become a lowly human being unless it was for the greater good of all existence? 

What’s this business of the greater good of all existence? 

Even Jesus as God humbles Himself, or assumes a more lowly position than what He is or deserves, it is to achieve the greatest good for all. 

Humility is an act of the will, since we are to humble ourselves, like Jesus humbling Himself. 

But, Jesus had to do the humbling of Himself, because there is no one greater that could have required Him to do so. 

Since God is greater than all, our submission to God is a humbling of ourselves, which amounts to God humbling us. Think about it. If you don’t see the need of submitting to God in any particular situation, then God is not humbling you. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1Peter 5:6). Submission to God’s humbling of ourselves is when we achieve humility. However, humility is not a destination but a journey. We must always be becoming more like Jesus. 

What’s the difference between humbling and humiliation? Christ humbled himself, but He was not actually humiliated. Whenever we have been caught unawares in the besetting sin of pride, we are humiliated. Pride must be repented of. On the other hand, when God is humbling us, we are actively participating in a difficult, character building time, where we are putting off character traits, which limit our reflection of Christ. It all depends on our heart attitude, whether we are being humbled or humiliated. “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4). 

Humiliation is when you are not seeing the need of submitting to God, when things are going so wrong, you can’t explain how that it could be happening. We fail to deliver or strike out trying. When we are humiliated, we can respond in anger or frustration, or we can immediately submit to God’s humbling for our good, and the greater good. Either we accept God’s humiliating of us or descend further in the condition of pride. And, pride is simply thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think (Romans 12:3).  

How do we achieve humility? 

First, humility is something achievable, or we would not be commanded, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5, 8). 

Second, humility must be becoming more like Jesus, or why would we be called to follow in the steps of Christ? “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1Peter 2:21). 

Third, if pride is not the opposite of humility, then why would Scripture inform us, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6)? 

Fourth, humility must not be simply ridding ourselves of the pride within us, or Jesus could not humble Himself, since He did not possess the sin of pride. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). 

Fifth, humility must be primarily submitting to God, as well as surrendering to the needs of one another equal to our own needs. “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). 

Sixth, humility must be pursued by God’s Spirit revealing (Philippians 3:15) to us continually all the things, which must be  changed, set aside, adjusted — for this is growth (2Peter 4:18), and not repentance (sackcloth, Jonah 3:8)  — or else we will be humiliated in a condition of pride (Pilate, John 18), requiring our repentance. God positively humbling us may simply be putting us in the difficult circumstance of having to point out to others their sin. “Lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced” (2Corinthians 12:21).

Seventh, humility must be a perfection in keeping with Christ’s command, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48), or why would Paul in the same passage as maintaining his lack of reaching a final destination of perfection — “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:12) — maintain he was already perfect in his journey of humility? “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you” (Philippians 3:15 KJV).

May God bless Himself with a people, who do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with their God. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen and amen. 

Born At The Right Time

Ken

You and I were born “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14 KJV). Our various backgrounds demand we take what we know and work toward where God is directing us. What do we know? “That He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Would we seek Him, if we did not think Him to be good? What has God done? (1) God has spoken to us in the Old Covenant “unto the fathers by the prophets” (Hebrews 1:1). (2) God has further “spoken unto us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:2) in the New Covenant. (3) Christ has “purged our sins” (Hebrews 1:3), which we accept by faith. (4) “But unto the Son He [the Father] saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever” (Hebrews 1:8), establishing Christ’s preeminence over us. (5) God has made and will “make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 13:21). LORD, we thank You for Your wisdom in placing us in our circumstances. May we magnify You as we respond with understanding to our responsibilities and opportunities. May we embrace You as our perfection that ultimately “shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Thessalonians 4:17). In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Blindness of the Church (Part 2)

Ken

The most profound but simple truths are like Christ’s Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, while the more complicated truths are like Paul’s explanation for Israel’s blindness. “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (Romans 11:25 KJV). God is not finished with Israel, but His primary focus is presently on the Church, until the Church has been raptured. Doctrinal blindness separates the Church, such as the “doctrine of baptisms” (Hebrews 6:2). Some Church of Christ identify the necessity of water baptism for salvation in a First Principles studies in preparation for discipleship. “1 Therefore leaving the principles [literally, first principles] of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God: 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment” (6:1-2). 

My opinion, the doctrinal chasm between mainline evangelicals and the Church of Christ lies in the social significance of baptism as His appointed means: (1) for the Body of Christ to identify those who claim loyalty to Christ, i.e., “no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” (1Corinthians 12:3), (2) for the new disciple to publicly claim his loyalty to Christ, i.e., “because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9 NET), and (3) for God’s supernatural-but-not-omniscient enemies to become informed, this disciple has switched loyalties to Christ, so ‘Keep your hands off,’ i.e., “Touch not Mine anointed, and do My prophets no harm” (1Chronicles 16:22; Psalm 105:15 KJV). The Father already knows who believes, but He requires us to be baptized before we can claim the Holy Spirit as our right of sonship, i.e., “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).

LORD, may the Body of Christ’s understanding allow us to get beyond the “doctrine of baptisms” (Hebrews 6:2) and “go on unto perfection” (6:2). Let us see our similarities in Jesus are more than our differences. Return quickly, in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Explanation: Name of Jesus

Ken

The name of Jesus is powerful because Jesus saves us from the sin separating us from God, whose holiness frees us from the sin separating us from Jesus. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 KJV). The adversary hates the name of Jesus both because he loses followers, and he can no longer be saved from his own sins. Jesus, meaning ‘Jehovah is salvation,’ seeks to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). OT Israel had a limited view of salvation for the gentile world, just as the NT church has a limited view of salvation as only delivering us from the penalty of sin, but not from the necessity of having to sin. “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Thessalonians 5:23). The “name of Jesus”: (1) is essential to “receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38), (2) was used for a lame man to “rise up and walk” (3:6), (3) was proclaimed, taught, spoken, and “preached boldly” by early disciples (4:10, 18; 5:40; 8:12; 9:27), and (4) was used to command a demon out of a fortune teller, “in the name of” (16:18). Why such critical importance for the “name of Jesus”?  Because Jesus is the tip of the spear, the point of the arrow, the edge of the knife that defeats our true “adversary the devil” (1Peter 5:8), who tempts us to sin. But, of more importance, Jesus has promised to save us from ourselves. “He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19). Either sin separates us from God or God separates us from sin. LORD, You are the God of Salvation, who is able to save “to the uttermost” them that come to You through the name of Jesus (Hebrews 7:25). We do not want to waste our time with gods many and lords many, but only You. “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). In Jesus name, we pray. Amen and amen. 

Subdue Our Iniquities

Ken

To subdue our iniquities before entering Heaven is a metaphysical feat worthy of God Only Wise. “He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19 KJV). Subduing means conquering or overpowering but not removing the capacity or ability to produce the iniquity. In other words, God does not remove our moral ability to choose or reject iniquity; rather, He divinely manages or shepherds us so as to cause us to reject iniquity. Why would the Almighty bother with such a delicate distinction, if He could overpower all of His creation and force His will upon all? Because He created us in His image, so He could commune with us. LORD, may we treasure You, as much as You treasure us. May we give our utmost to You in response to the utmost You have given to us. And, may we hate and reject iniquity as much as You do. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. 

Be Watchful and Strengthen (Revelation 3:1)

Ken

If the Church of Sardis could be compared to the stage of Church History known as the 16th century Protestant Reformation, which ended the Middle Ages, then Christ reproves even those Reformers. “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God” (Revelation 3:1-2 KJV). Sardis must repent of dead orthodoxy to be truly alive. “O LORD, revive Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2 KJV). Amen.