“Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.”—1 Peter 5:5, 6.
The word humble in the latter verse signifies to make self low. In Prov. 6:3 the word has yet a deeper signification, which is to trample on self. Taking these two texts we have a very important thought before us.
It suggests to our minds the proper and scriptural position of self. Many other references of scripture could be added, but these, I believe, are sufficient.
It is not the carnal nature or sinful self that is here spoken of; for this has the death sentence pronounced upon it. This must be crucified and cast off, the process of which, of course, requires also a deep humiliation and abandonment of our will to God in sanctification; but what is to be made low, and trampled upon, and placed under the mighty hand of God, is our individual, soul, life, including body and all. The God-life cannot be perfectly manifested through us to the world until the self-life is brought into the depths of humility and kept in its true position of subjection. It is a necessary part of us in our existence, and also a necessary part of us in the service of God. In its proper place it is the vehicle to convey the God-life to our surroundings, sustaining the same relation to God as our feet to our body. It is therefore not to be destroyed nor considered as useless, but in meek submission to the will of God it can be used of him to his own honor and glory.
Our every attitude toward God must be in this utmost submission. Always ready and willing to glorify him, without the least desire for any glory to ourselves. Always seeking to represent him to this world, without the least desire of self-representation. Always seeking, as Jesus did, “not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” Like the branch laden with a delicious fruit of the vine, it is never spoken of for the good fruit borne, but the vine receives the praise. So we are to be so meekly and humbly the branches to bear the precious fruit of Christ—always to honor him in every step, willing to be hid away out a sight that he may always be manifest.
It is evident from the language of this text that this yielding ourselves into this humility is within our own power. Of course it is all through the grace of God, but there is an essential part required of us. “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God” is the command. There are scriptural instances where God had to humble his people, that he might be glorified and they benefited, and other instances where the people humbled themselves. The self-humiliation is much more to the glory of God and to the good of his people. In the one case it is by compulsion, in the other it is an acceptable service and will be proportionately productive of greater blessings to God’s glory and our good. In the one case it may be necessary in many instances, secure the salvation of the individual, without any profitable service and fruit for God in the salvation of others, while in the other case the whole life is one of continual fruit–bearing for God.
O beloved, let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. In these evil days there is no other place of safety against the awful powers of the Devil, who is walking about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. The mighty hand of God is our sure defense; but it cannot so be if we do not put ourselves under his power.
Through the depths of humility we enter and abide under this glorious defense where that wicked one cannot touch us. In this condition alone can we resist him steadfast in the faith, and discern his wily schemes that would over come us.
The apostolic faith can never be attained without the apostolic humility. This was shown me by the Holy Spirit in a dream. I dreamed I was in company with some saints praying for the sick, and casting out devils. The battle was on. We were in the depths of earnestness, when suddenly I began to feel myself sinking. The earth beneath me gave way, and I saw we were all going down. We were not alarmed, and held still. We began going down very rapidly into immense depths, when at last we reached a beautiful plane of open country; but all around were multitudes of people with all manner of sicknesses, and those possessed with devils. The sight of this so inspired us that we again laid hold on God for the faith to claim deliverance for these people. While thus looking to the Lord, the people began to gather around us in throngs; and some cried out for help, others possessed with devils tried to flee from us, but we called out to all around us that in the name of Jesus they could all be delivered. We began to touch those within our reach, and the experience of Acts 5:16 was repeated. I awoke with a conviction for apostolic humility. The dear Lord had been doing much for us, and we were sinking deeper; but, oh, there are such great depths yet to attain! We all desire to rise to a higher plane, but this desire will only be realized as we sink deeper into humility.
The dear Lord is revealing to me that I have failed both in example and precept, to hold up definitely this doctrine to the Bible standard as much as I should have done, at all times, and I hereby humbly confess my lack, and request prayers of the saints that I may redeem the time. The lack has been upon worldly conformity, permitting individuals to continue in unscriptural adornments, such as wearing of gold and fashionable apparel, without insisting as much as I should have done against it—depending too much upon the individuals being led into this light by the Holy Spirit.
It is with this subject just as with every other; the light usually comes through the preaching or reading of the Word. If it were not for the false teaching upon these matters, the Holy Spirit would easily lead every one into the clear scriptural light of non-conformity in dress; but as it is, the doctrines of error must be boldly withstood by the faithful preaching of God’s word, so that every honest soul may have the opportunity of reaching the Bible standard of humility in every respect. Many dear souls reach the glorious experience of entire sanctification, who, of course, do not at the time comprehend the depths of meaning in “Thy will be done,” but who would very soon, as the “Thy will” keeps unfolding, find, if they were left alone under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that God’s word is his will, and would be led naturally to measure up to every precept of the Word as fast as light and knowledge is by the Spirit imparted.
The fact that many false doctrines are everywhere advocated, teaching that there are many non-essentials in God’s word, and therefore it matters not about their observance, thus leading many honest souls into the delusion that they are just as acceptable to God by conforming to the vain fashions and customs of the world, makes it more and more an incumbent duty of the ministry in the evening light to cry aloud and spare not, to show a deluded and proud religious world their sins, and also to keep back nothing that is profitable to the church of God, that every one who has a willing and obedient heart may measure up to the standard of Bible humility. Dearly beloved, I mean by the grace of God to lift up this standard more definitely.
Promises to the Humble
“Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear.” –Psalms 10:17. “My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.” –Psalms 34:2.
“A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.” –Prov. 29:23.
“For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” –1 Peter 5:5. “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” –James 4:6.
“And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” –Matthew 23:12.
The advantage of a life of humility is herein plainly set forth. The rich blessings and deep things of the secrets of the Lord cannot be found anywhere else. It is here where God prepares the heart to respond to every whisper of His will, and plants His own holy desires there so He can ever incline His ear to the whispers of that heart. This is a blessed life. The ear of the humble soul is always open to the voice of God, and the ear of God is always open to the prayers and whispers of that soul. I Peter 3:12. This makes life delightful; for it is one of continual communion and harmony with God.
Many a dear child of God has had seasons of such a blissful life in the past. Perhaps this perfect communion has gradually become less perfect, and the voice of God that had been so distinct and clear has grown indistinct and dim; and yet there has been a loss to know just what has caused this. In many cases this condition is brought on through a lack of humility. By a careful self-examination there will be found a time or place in the past, where there was a glance or look upon something else than the perfect will of God. Instead of an immediate turning away from it, the soul has taken counsel with itself and thereby lost the perfect communion.
There are many little things that can come in our way, which must be at once ignored, else they will surely prove to our hurt in this respect. The same is true with reference to additional light that comes to us through the Word of God. The perfect communion can only be maintained by an immediate obedience and measuring up to every ray of light as it flashes upon us, humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God. This is where the glorious harmony will continue to increase and the riches of God’s grace continue to flow in an unbroken stream, until our life becomes like a watered garden, bountifully bearing the delightful fruits of the Spirit.
The humble soul that learns how to let God have His own way in everything, will reach the blessed state of harmony where God will let him have his way in everything. God will honor him who loses his own honor under the mighty hand of God; not with the vain honor of this world, but with that which is from heaven. “He giveth grace to the humble,” and everything in the context warrants us in the assertion that the more humility, the more grace. The proud have no promise but utter resistance. The humble have all the grace.
No wonder there is such a barrenness of the grace of God in the professing religious world. In sectism, everywhere, the cry is heard from such as have yet a spark of life remaining, “We need an old fashioned revival.” The cause of this is, “God resisteth the proud.” Grace and pride can never dwell together. They are as opposite as day and night. Humility always precedes grace, and the two are inseparable. Pride and sin are alike in harmony with each other.
O beloved, let us seek deeper humility! May it so illuminate our lives that we may shine like a brilliant star in the midst of this dark vain world of pride, pomp, and show. May the exceeding riches of grace, through the necessary channel of Bible humility, become so manifest in the Church of God that she may be indeed a crown of glory, and a royal diadem in his hand.
“God Dwells with the Humble.”
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”–Isaiah 57:15.
Wonderful grace! That almighty God, whom the heavens cannot contain, would take up His abode in the heart of him who has humbled himself under that mighty hand! Who would imagine an unclean thing in God’s dwelling place in heaven! The holy God will have a holy dwelling place, whether in heaven or in earth. His earthly abode our hearts, must correspond with heaven; the dwelling place with its occupant. For this purpose God has given us the perfect revelation of His holy will—to instruct us in the complete preparation for His incoming and indwelling. This instructs us in every possible respect, even to the outward adornment of our bodies, which altogether, if faithfully observed, will obtain all the promised graces of His presence.
He promises in this text to dwell with him who is of an humble spirit, and also to revive the spirit of the humble. Is not this glorious? A continual revival. It must be so. His dwelling place must necessarily correspond with Himself with respect to life. The God-life is there, and the spirit of the humble receives continual sustenance.
Humility a Reasonable Requirement
“He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” –Micah 6:8. The Hebrew rendering of this last sentence reads: “humble thyself to walk with thy God.” We have the same admonition from apostles James and Peter. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” –James 4:10. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” –1 Pet. 5:6.
This implies implicit obedience to all the requirements of God—a perfect agreement with Him. There is a striking difference between the omnipotent sovereignty of God and humility. A walk with God at once suggests an exalted and lofty position, quite opposite from one of humiliation. This is all clear when we see that humiliation is the requirement necessary for exaltation. It is a sinking before a rising. A humiliation of all that pertains to self, that there may be in us the exaltation of God in all His perfect will. This is what exalts us. It is God working “in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” This is the most exalted and honored position that redeemed mortals on earth could ever desire.
Enoch must have enjoyed a life similar in many respects to this; for he had this testimony, that he pleased God. He humbled himself to walk with his God. His exaltation was so great and his walk so perfect and the harmony so complete, that it would seem that God could not do without him, and “took him.” A wonderful exaltation, and yet no greater in the part of his life on earth with God than ours should be.
All this divine requirement is for our highest good. It is also a most reasonable demand. Every earthly king demands as much of his subjects. Who could reasonably expect a promoted position for life with a king, without a complete submission to all his sovereign will? Thus we through true humility may rise into the glorious life interests with God. A few more Scriptures will emphasize this thought, that humility precedes honor.
“The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.”–Proverbs 15:33.
“Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.”–Proverbs 18:12.
“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.”–Proverbs 22:4.
“A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.”–Proverbs 29:23.
Examples and Benefits of Self-humiliation
“And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days.”–1 Kings 21:27–29.
“Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.”–2 Kings 22:19.
“If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”–2 Chron. 7:13, 14.
“And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well.”–2 and Chron. 12:7, 12.
“And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”–2 Chron. 20:3.
“And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplication, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation and he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.”–Daniel 9:3, 21, 22.
Examples of Compulsory Humiliation
“And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end.”–Deut. 8:3, 16.
Ahab was one of the most wicked kings of Israel. His proud heart had almost entirely forgotten that the people over which he ruled had ever been true worshipers of the God of heaven. He persisted in the most extreme idolatry, despite all the warnings and judgments of God upon him and the kingdom. He considered Elijah, the prophet of God, as his enemy and a troubler of Israel. In the language of the prophet concerning him, we have his condition in a few words: “Thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord”; and the sentence of Jehovah against him was, that he and all his posterity should be “cut off forever” for his provocation of God and causing Israel to sin. But what wonderful mercy we see in God toward erring man! When Ahab heard the sentence of death pronounced upon himself, he humbled himself in the deepest repentance. The wrath of God was turned from him in a measure, and the sentence revoked. Even in the rigid dispensation of Sinai there was mercy for those who sought God in the valley of humiliation.
Josiah, king of Judah, had a tender heart toward God. He did all he could to repair the house of God that had been made desolate by the sins of his fathers, but the book of the law had been lost. When this was found and read to the king, he humbled himself before the Lord, and obtained mercy and favor, and his eyes did not see the judgments God had pronounced upon that place. He not only humbled himself, but gathered all the prophets, priests, men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem together and read the book of the law in their ears. He made a solemn covenant with God to keep all His commandments with all his heart and soul. All the people stood to the covenant. This is where God’s approval was found, and it teaches us the lesson with emphasis, that “God giveth grace to the humble.”
At the dedication of Solomon’s temple, God marvelously witnessed His acceptance of the sacrifices and the building of the house for the earthly dwelling place of His name among men in that dispensation. He appeared to Solomon and made a covenant with him to always keep His eyes and ears open toward that place, to see and hear all who humbled themselves before Him. King Rehoboam also found mercy in humiliation when otherwise he would have been destroyed by the heathen king. God’s compassion was extended toward him and all Israel when they humbled themselves.
King Asa found great grace when he was very humble. A very short prayer, though full of faith and confidence, caused the Lord to turn the battle against the Ethiopians, and gave victory to His people, verifying His promise to the king and all who live before Him in deep humility. “The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you, but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.”–2 Chron. 15:2. What wonderful depths of meaning in these words, teaching us the importance of clinging unto the Lord through perfect obedience!
The gracious deliverance wrought in Jerusalem under King Jehoshaphat, was granted because of the humble attitude of the king and the people. Daniel received answer to his prayer through his humiliation before God. God gave Nebuchadnezzar great honor and a mighty kingdom, but when his heart was lifted up and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his throne and compelled to go through the most severe humiliation. His son Belshazzar came to his sad end because he did not humble his heart before God.
King Saul was exalted to be head of the tribes of Israel when he was little in his own sight, but his deplorable experience of being dethroned, and at last his disgraceful death, stands out in history like a danger signal to us all, warning us to keep far off from the rock of self-exaltation, upon which thousands have been wrecked in the past.
To secure the safety of vessels along the Pacific coast and near the entrance of harbors, where there are hidden rocks lying near the surface, there is placed near each of these dangerous spots a buoy. Some of these are so constructed that the motion—of the waves rings a large bell. Others blow a loud whistle, keeping up their doleful sound day and night constantly. In passing one of these, away out in the ocean, a thought of sadness comes to the heart, that perhaps there has some time been a wreck and some poor sailor has gone to the bottom. Then a thought of gratitude takes its place; for were it not for this danger signal, our ship might strike this same rock and we might also sink into a watery grave.
O my dear brethren, we need not look around us very far to see some of these sad wrecks! A poor perplexed soul who once enjoyed the experience of sanctification and was called to the ministry, but who lost his experience, then tried to follow the ministry by joining one of the popular sects, fell into utter darkness. He came to ask advice, and then told his sad experience. In the conversation he said, “I see holiness wrecks all over this country.” After he left I was solemnly impressed with his case, but the term “holiness wrecks” conveyed a more solemn thought to me than anything else. As I meditated in silent reflection upon the subject, I could see all around, some sad living wrecks—living, yet dead; for all they have in resemblance of life is a profession. Zealous in work, but, like the church at Sardis, possessing a name to live, but dead.
From my early Christian life I have noticed cases of hopeful, bright, thoroughly saved, useful, men and women, who were indeed greatly used of God and whose lights shone with heavenly brilliance all about them; but suddenly a perceptible dimness began to grow over them like when a fog arises from the sea and obscures the bright rays from the sun, and gradually in some instances and suddenly in others, the light has gone out. Many a young convert of superior natural ability and a great measure of grace, who in his early period of divine experience had unusual power of the Holy Spirit, has suddenly dropped out of usefulness and simply remained a nominal professor. In some sad instances they came to a disgraceful end, leaving a stigma upon his own character, and a reproach upon the precious cause of Christ.
Many of the most prominent men in the ministry in the last quarter-century, and some who have in this very evening light reformation caused many to turn to righteousness, are today among the fallen, and may appropriately be called “holiness wrecks.” The fact is indeed a most alarming one, and every saint of the most high God should be awakened to prayerful diligence in self-examination of his own heart; then with open heart and upturned face to God cry out in the language of the Psalmist: “Search me O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”–Psa. 139:23, 24.
But what is the cause of these failures? Ah! the answer has already been given in the experiences of men in Bible times. The tap root of all the trouble is self-exaltation. It is the hidden rock that has broken in pieces many a beautiful bark on life’s ocean, and caused its precious cargo to sink and be lost; where, if true humility had been maintained and practiced, there would have been a successful voyage over the waters and a triumphant entrance into the glorious haven of rest, where a crown of life awaits the faithful.
The apostle Paul to Timothy speaks of some who made shipwreck, and in the same epistle tells how men became drowned in destruction and perdition. The only place of absolute safety is in deep humility—“under the mighty hand of God.” He knows just how to guide us past the dangerous places where others have made shipwreck. One of the most astounding facts is that the greatest danger of self-exaltation lies nearest the most glorious victories. The enemy knows this, and it is necessary that we know it, too.
The more there is to be done for God the more need there is of true Bible humility. We are all seeking to be more useful in the hands of God, and oftimes we fail to find this place, because it is down so low in the path of humility that to take such a path seems to lead us into complete uselessness, and the qualifications we have sought seem to prove to us to be disqualifications. Now we must learn to become disqualified. This is what God wants to teach us. He only can work perfectly in us when we are wholly abandoned to Him.
We have never been over this way before, and know not the dangers in the way. Our wily enemy knows our ignorance and utter helplessness when left to our own judgment and wisdom; therefore, it is no wonder that man totally fails when taking counsel with his own soul, and it is no wonder that our loving Father demands of us such perfect obedience and humility to Him. He wants to do for us. He wants to protect us from these dangers and glorify His name in us, and will most certainly do so when we have properly humbled ourselves under His hand. The potter cannot shape the clay until all the hardness has been taken out; then he can accomplish his design. So it is with us in the hand of God.
Let us seek the very best qualification, and upon which every other one depends—Bible humility—then our loving Father can have perfect right of way in us, and by sinking us out of sight to all human usefulness, can exalt us under His own mighty hand.
The Humility of Jesus
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.”–Phil. 2:5–9.
Jesus was a perfect pattern in every phase of humanity. His example of humility is the standard for us. We see His example to us corresponds with God’s requirement of us. The Father could not have fulfilled His design in the Son, had He not kept under His mighty hand every moment. Jesus acknowledged that He could of Himself do nothing. It was the Father that dwelt in Him who did the work; but that work could never have been done through Him, had He not humbled Himself to every precept of the Father’s will.
Notice in the text, we are told what He did with Himself. God did not humble Him nor compel Him to take this lowly position. He did it himself, of his own free will. He “made himself of no reputation,” and “humbled himself.” From the highest reputation in heaven He descended to the lowest plane of no reputation on earth. From the exalted position of equality with God in heaven, He descended to the plane of the most humble servant on earth. He truly counted all things of honor and advantage but loss, for the blessed privilege of doing the Father’s will, to redeem us unto God.
Now there is no question about this being a great humiliation to Him. His servant life on earth was one of continual self-denial and hardship. Think of it, the Son of God, the most honored of heaven, taking a place on earth as a homeless mortal, even below the foxes and birds, not having a place to lay his head. When He had accomplished His mission on earth in going about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, He humbled Himself yet more, and took the place of the most dishonored of earth, being numbered with the transgressors, and died on the cross. Greater humiliation cannot be comprehended.
But, thank God, we see the exaltation of Jesus was in proportion with His humiliation. He humbled Himself under the mighty hand of God, and was exalted in due time. Now He speaks through His apostle Peter to us, with the command to humble ourselves likewise, and, as in the text, we are admonished to let this same mind be in us—this same humility that can cheerfully follow the footsteps of Jesus into every detail of our Father’s will. As He came to do the will of God, so we must do the same. We may never be called to die as cruel or shameful a death as He did and it is impossible that God’s purpose in our death could ever be what it was in that of our Redeemer. But is very clearly set forth in His will concerning us, that our life should be completely yielded up to Him for service or sacrifice, just as He may be the most glorified thereby.
The very least that we possibly can do for Jesus, to be consistent with His great love wherewith He loved us, and our profession of love to Him, is to yield ourselves up to the will of God, as freely for Him as He did for us—to humble ourselves as willingly under the mighty hand of God for Jesus’ sake as He did for our sakes. If we can share with Him in His humility, we may also share with Him proportionately in His exaltation. In His prayer (John 17:24) he says, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me.” First, the humiliation, then the exaltation. The one we must do ourselves through grace. The other God does for us.
Oh, let us follow our blessed Example, the meek and lowly One, that we may be able to perfectly represent Him in this sinful world!
The Experience of Paul
“Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.”–Eph. 3:7, 8. “Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons. Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews.”–Acts 20:18, 19. All over the civilized world Paul is spoken of as the “great apostle.” In his own words when compelled to speak of his apostleship and calling, in comparison with some who had assumed to be apostles of Christ, he said, “I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles”; yet in his own estimation of himself he considered himself “less than the least of all saints.”
It would indeed be a fair and ordinary example of humility among men for one like our brother Paul to truly consider himself on a common level with the rest of us saints. But he says he is less than some of the Ephesian saints, and we would suppose that the saints in that city were on a common level with all the saints everywhere. The apostle is truly in his own estimation on a lower plane than some saints. His expression carries him to a still lower degree. He is not only less than the saints, but less than the least of the saints; and in order to make no room for anyone below him he takes the lowest place, and says he is “less than the least of all saints.”
There is no room for the shadow of a doubt as to his sincerity in this expression. It truly portrays his deep humility. All the advantages that he had as pertaining to the flesh, and those things he previously thought were gain to him, he counted loss for Christ. He willingly humbled himself continually under the mighty hand of God. He was graciously helped in this respect, and when through the abundance of revelations, because of his unusual humility God gave him abundant grace to keep in this condition, so that yet greater usefulness and efficiency might be realized. He could truly say, “When I am weak then am I strong”; for when self was in its proper place, God did most wonderfully manifest His power.
We all look with admiration upon the useful life of this apostle, and it would be natural that we all should desire to be used of God to the same extent as he; but would we be willing to go through the extreme humiliations with him? His life was one of continual hardships and sufferings. On every hand he met the deepest humiliations of affliction, reproach, and distress. It is evident that aside from His death on the cross for sin, Jesus suffered no greater afflictions than Paul, who himself testifies that he was “always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus”; and, “We which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you.” “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body’s sake, which is the church.”
These unusual trials doubtless were the “thorn in the flesh,” and all served the great purpose of keeping him living low down in the valley of humiliation, where the great grace was continually poured out upon him. When under the extreme pressure of all these things his human strength would yield, and his pitiful cry would be poured out into the heart of the blessed Master to remove this thorn, the answer came back, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” Praise God! There has never been a need but there has been on hand sufficient grace, for every humble child of God.
We may truthfully conclude that the secret of this apostle’s power was in his humility; for here only could Christ be magnified in his body.
Be Clothed with Humility
“Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.”–I Peter 5:5. “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.”–Colossians 3:12.
These texts teach that we can put on this beautiful garment of grace, by which we are made presentable in the hand of God to represent Christ before men. He provides the garment; we must put it on and wear it. When a citizen enlists to become a soldier, he is provided with a uniform, furnished by the government. If he will be a soldier, he must expect to wear a soldier’s uniform. God provides His soldiers, not with any particular shaped or colored literal garment, but with the garment of humility; that is the very best adapted to our needs. Nothing else can possibly cover the nakedness of the self, or soul life, and render us fully acceptable before Him. It is not only our most beautiful adornment in His sight, but when once we become perfectly adjusted to it, it becomes the most comfortable, convenient, delightful, and healthful article of apparel to our spiritual being that we ever wore, and above all it proves to be to us, in the time of battle, an impenetrable coat of mail. No sword, spear, nor missile of the enemy has ever pierced it. Therefore we all should be the more eager to put it on, and keep it on; for it is indispensable to our safety and protection.
I have seen some specimens of ancient coats of mail that were exceedingly bunglesome and heavy, which must have rendered the warrior very weak in everything but the defensive; but the beautiful garment of humility is easy and light (Matt. 11:29, 30), and is equally helpful in the offensive and defensive. Without it we are both helpless and useless in our Christian warfare. Let us remember that this Bible humility cannot be made by human effort. It is divine, and furnished us as freely as salvation. In his epistle to the Colossians the apostle speaks of a
Voluntary Humility,
which we are warned against. This is the counterfeit and has the appearance of the genuine in many respects. In the text (Col. 2:18) it will be noticed that this false humility is associated with the fleshly mind. Instead of it being a true humiliation, is a vain puffing up and exaltation. It has a form of will worship, but it is generated by a spirit of self-pride, and finds a productive soil in the hearts of the unsanctified. Some of the very proudest hearts are covered up with this false humility, making much of forms and exterior appearance, but lacking the true humility of heart.
Dear reader, let us be sure first that we have a clean heart; then put on the true Bible humility, which can only be found under the mighty hand of God.