|
SEEING OURSELVES CORRECTLY
How shall a follower of the Lamb properly
view himself? Human nature tends toward sinful pride. The Bible has much to
say about sinful pride. It is written,
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall,”
(Proverbs 16:18). Furthermore we are told,
“The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the
pride of all glory...” (Isaiah 23:9).
Paul's problem church was at Corinth. In
dealing with their pride the Holy Spirit moved Paul to ask them the
following three questions: “For who maketh
thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?
now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not
received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).
The first question asks who it is that
makes you different from others. If you are a true follower of the Lamb, who
brought you to that place? Who granted repentance and faith to you? Dare you
boast that you are better or wiser than your friends and relatives who are
yet in their sins? The answer must be that it is God who has made you to be
different. The Bible says, “For it is God
which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure,”
(Philippians 2:13).
The second question asks what is it that
you have that was not bestowed upon you. Your gifts - physical abilities,
mental prowess, oratorical skills, musical or artistic talents – even the
ability to make money all were bequeathed to you before your birth. God
spoke of forming babies saying, “Before I
formed thee in the belly...” (Jeremiah
1:5). You may have improved upon your native abilities, but it is God who
gave you your abilities. So it is if you have eternal life: spiritual life.
Jesus said, “And I give unto them eternal
life...” (John 10:28).
The third question says that since your
talents and abilities were bequeathed to you – freely given without any act
upon you part - why do you boast as if they were not gifts? Paul's point and
that of the Holy Spirit in this verse is to show us that we cannot boast in
natural gifts and neither can we boast in spiritual matters. Paul wrote,
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his,”
(Romans 8:9). Jesus said the new birth is accomplished by the Holy Spirit
and likens the Spirit to the uncontrolled wind saying,
“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou
hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither
it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit,”
(John 3:8). He also said, “...Ye must be
born again,” (John 3:7). Spiritual life is
absolutely necessary else you will perish – and it is bestowed as gift. |
