Note: This is a guest post since presently I am overseas. This is by Scott Sullivan. Scott is a slave to Christ and husband to his wife, Angie. He is an artist and writer, living in the beautiful countryside of Lancaster, PA. He can be found at: SullysBrain.com
Humility
Ok. I have a little bit of a problem. I like being right. Often, too much. While it sounds like like a lofty goal to strive for a high level of accuracy and help people understand advanced topics, I have to admit, far too often, it is simply for puffing up my own pride. It took the hard truth of scripture and a recent journey to discover my biological family that helped me truly understand this, and it all happened with God’s perfect timing.
Prior to that adventure, I had jumped into the deep end into biblical studies, including taking private lessons with a professor for four years to study Greek. I loved (and still love) to dive into word studies. One of my favorite studies before finding my biological family happened while I was working on my own translation of John’s gospel from the Byzantine textform1. I was looking into John’s use in 1:14 of how Christ tabernacled, or pitched his tent, among us. It is a phrase with incredible depth.
But God has a way of speaking to us through scripture in multiple ways and being a catalyst for change. Reading Philippians 2:3-4 was one memorable case: “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.”
As I meditated on that, it hurt. Those words cut me like a knife, deep to my core.
Pride
That specific spring, I had been debating several individuals on social media on the existence of hell and the inevitable judgement we will face during Christ’s return. They didn’t quite believe in hell, nor that any will be convicted of their sins. But reading the second chapter of Paul’s letter to those in Philippi, I realized I was not trying to help those in my conversation understand the final judgement. I was trying to win an argument so I could be right and puff up my pride, being seen as someone with intellectual superiority.
It was at this time that God used a stark contrast for me to see my fallen behavior. When I met my biological mother and sisters, their humility and love towards me more clearly reflected to me a pride and arrogance that I had towards others. It was an arrogance that until that time, I had chosen to suppress.
According to Max Anders in the HNTC commentary, looking out for ourselves comes easy and this is why “we are instructed to look out for the interests of others. We are to keep an eye out to discover ways we can help others even when they do not see they need such help.”2
My weakness, which even as I write this, is still hard to admit. In wanting to look intelligent, I am looking out for my interests and not the interests of others. I am showing, not helping, so I may be more significant than others, the opposite of Philippians 2:3.
Failing to trust God
Using pride to point out the flaws of others also illustrates my own failure to fully trust the gospel. Intellectually, I know God can save even the most broken sinner. Paul himself was a perfect example of someone actively fighting against the spread of the gospel until Christ used him to become such a powerful vehicle for the gospel to be spread throughout the land. He expresses his thanks to God in his first letter to Timothy that he is saved despite that “formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief.”3
But by calling out their flaws and not my own, I was implying that I was saved and they were not. I had taken the moral higher ground and was judging them. How arrogant of me!
Returning to Anders, “the apostle stated in Galatians 6:2: ‘Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.’4 I was not carrying it, but rather adding more to their burden.
My biological family had so perfectly helped carry the burdens of others and even carried my own in some deeply personal ways shortly after meeting them. If they could so easily carry my burdens, why was I guilty of not doing the same for others?
It was as if I was unable to allow God to forgive them. Like I was trying to prove to them, and God, how smart I was. Simultaneously, this implied my sins were forgivable, but theirs were not.
Gordon Fee eloquently states that we are to care for others to the level of placing our own needs below theirs.5 He continues, “Others in the community are not necessarily ‘better’ than I am, but their needs and concerns ‘surpass’ my own.” This is extremely difficult for me. I hold onto my own self interests tightly. If I am to humble myself, it cannot be superficial nor for my own puffing up of my ego. It must be out of true caring for others.
Reading God’s word daily helps remind me of this. It helps me flush my own pride from my mind. Then, maybe, I can begin my trek to understanding how to better humble myself and be a brighter light to the world, to the praise of God’s glorious grace.
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1 Robinson, Maurice. Pierpont, William. “The New Testament in the Original Greek” (VTR Publications, 2018)
2 Anders, M. (1999). Galatians-Colossians (Vol. 8, p. 225). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
3 1 Timothy 1:13 (English Standard Version)
4 Anders, M. (1999). Galatians-Colossians (Vol. 8, p. 225). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
5 Fee, G. D. (1999). Philippians (Vol. 11, p. 88). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Reblogged this on BibleProphecyWatch.
Hi Scott, that was a enlightening post covering a subject where many of us, have had God’s Holy Spirit convict us of, in the past, and even more so in the present. Our fallen nature goes deep and hidden motives is probably central to a lot more than we suspect. It’s interesting that in the Old Testament sacrifices, a significant portion of them were dedicated to unintentional or unknown sin. It’s also interesting to note that we can quite easily see this fault in others but have a lot of difficulty seeing it within ourselves. I also was adopted and had half sisters but unfortunately they were not interested in developing any kind of a relationship. My birth mother was different and there was a basic bond but the history was absent, which proved to be problematic, especially when communication between us was over a long distance. You can’t get back what you’ve never had, even if you want it. I don’t know, while we are in these bodies, if we will ever fully eradicate the pride tendency from our being. I suspect that we won’t but God’s grace can definitely minimize pride within us if we truly seek God’s presence. I thank you for your candor and wish you well my friend. Grace and blessings.
Thank you Bruce. That’s a great point about the unintended sins. I’m so sorry to hear about your family. Lord willing, He is using this experience to help your half sisters through something in their lives. I’m always amazed how He uses timing and interactions with us all to further His glory, often in ways we may never know until He brings us home. Many blessings, and thank you again, Bruce.
It was hard for me to stop trying to win arguments when debating theological topics. Part of our ‘sin hangover’ I guess. I needed to realize that the only viewpoint that matters is God’s and he’ll open hearts to see it and believe it. So while it’s perfectly fine to talk about what I believe it, God is the arbiter of truth. And instead of asserting MY view is the truth, I can use what I call ‘the Columbo (short rumpled detective) technique and just ask questions. Great post!
So beautifully said, Dan. (I loved Columbo by the way! “Just one more thing…”) Thank you!
Good stuff, Scott. Sadly I have been guilty of wanting to win arguments rather that truly a dance the Kingdom.
Thanks, Wally. Yes, this was so hard for me to come to grips with. I LOVE your analogy of a dance. So elegant an analogy!
Thanks Scott. Well, any analogy was actually accidental LOL. I actually meant o say advance the Kingdom. That is what I get for typing on my phone early in the morning in bed when I can’t sleep!
Ouch! Thanks for the insight. I resemble that remark. 🙂
Thank you, Michael. “Ouch.” Yes! I know! That’s exactly how I felt.
[…] Let me know what you think! You can read it here. […]
….this Jesus….you crucified and killed….
….You foolish Galatians who has bewitched you
In many ways it is not possible to boldly defend the faith without attacking those in error.
What determines the difference between being full of pride and our duty to study to show yourself approved to defend the truth?
Excellent points. Forgive me if my writing may have implied we are not to correct those who are in error. Without a doubt, I see our commands in scripture to correct false teachings. For me though, it wasn’t so much about whether or not to correct false teachings, but my own desire simply to appear right (for my sake) rather than appearing foolish for God’s sake. Thanks for the insights!
Thanks for these words of Wisdom, Scott.
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Amen. 🙂
Wow! The winning an argument bit especially when it comes to the truth of the word! Guilty here. Oftentimes it spurs from a place of passion. However passion without self control can be destructive. Thanks for this post Scott
Efua, thank you. That’s a great point, that it comes from a place of passion. I wish I had more of that self control to better use that passion. Lord willing, He will continue using us all for His glory. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you, Scott. The two-edged sword hurts when the Lord uses it for our correction. Decades ago (and still learning) the thought that we tend to use it on others without the proper training became a reality. Humbling is part of our training but necessary and worth the pain. Blessings.