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Sin doesn’t always announce itself boldly. Sometimes—actually, frequently—sin pulls us into its grasp so gradually that we can barely see what is happening. It only takes a few instances of surfing Instagram before opening the Bible in the morning, or looking at Facebook just before bed, until one can begin to look forward more to distraction and diversion than to the concentrated focus of digesting God’s word. But when the heart forgets that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, drift is inevitable (Prov. 1:7).
Finding True Refreshment in Seeking God
Do I crave the screen or satisfying the deepest needs of my soul as a human? There is something to be said for learning to cultivate an ability to take refreshment from seeing God’s blessings in things others might consider work—reading, writing, hospitality, and even things commanded, such as sitting in the Lord’s house.
After all, Jesus himself emphasized that the Sabbath was created for humankind, and who would know better the needs of our souls than our Creator? The more we dedicate ourselves to a disciplined pursuit of God, the more we realize that we are created expressly for fellowship with him, and that all the leisurely pursuits along the way are meant to point to the greatest and deepest joys of knowing and glorifying Christ.
While there is no need to ban the beach fire or regulate cookie-making, it is important to note that small instances of pleasure can’t come anywhere close to meeting our deepest needs for nourishment and refreshment. We should never underestimate the danger of allowing “taking a break” to eclipse—even unintentionally—a breathless, wholehearted pursuit of God.
Staying in Fighting Condition
I don’t imagine this ought to, or even can, look the same for everyone, but I am becoming more and more convinced that each believer has areas of sacrifice in their lives required of them if they are to stay in “fighting condition” (Mark 8:34; Eph. 4:19-24; 1 Tim. 6:11-12).
Paul pointed out how on one hand, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,” (Eph. 6:12) as he speaks about the spiritual enemies in this life, but this fact does not mean our flesh and our blood then become insignificant in the battle. Paul also speaks about the battle that we must wage against our own sinful desires—the flesh (Gal. 5:16-17; cf. 1 Pet. 2:11). No, every time I catch myself minimizing the importance of dying to my flesh as it wars continually with the Spirit, I’ve usually made several choices already to undermine my own personal holiness.
Safe in His Everlasting Arms
If I am not sitting before him, expectantly offering up these pieces of my life—even the good things that must sometimes be given up to cultivate the best things—I am soon found unfaithful with the goods I have been given.
In the absence of offering, of sacrifice, of denial, my heart grows proud. It grows selfish. It grows jealous. No amount of sleep, laughter, leisure, food, or wasted concentration is worth drifting from my Lord (James 4:8-10). God has given us all the good things we experience, and he is the source of all good. Should we not seek him out zealously?
Thankfully, God is merciful and keeps his promises to us even as we stumble and fall. I know that the everlasting arms hold me—that my heart will not wander into eternal lostness. I am firmly assured of my salvation (Deut. 33:27; John 10:28).
Pressing On in God’s Ever-Refreshing Shade
Yet, I ask the question of my heart: In light of the severity of loss, agony, and separation endured by my Lord for me, how can I not be abandoned to the wholehearted love of that Savior? He thirsted that I should never thirst again. How then could I wander from that well for the sake of my own imagined comfort? And as I strive to seek after my heavenly Father, may I constantly be reminded that my righteous standing before God has already been secured by Jesus Christ running the race perfectly for me and that my race is not to merit anything from God. Instead, it is a race of both thanksgiving for such a wonderful salvation and drawing nearer to my Father in heaven.
When my Father promises to be a shade to me in the heat of the day, let me seek out that shade and refreshment, leaving all behind that would seek to draw me away from a full enjoyment of it (Ps. 121:5).
This article was originally published on October 3, 2017.
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Most everybody likes a good romance. And I'm not talking about a wishy-washy teen romance, but a good hearty love story where the characters have substance, face serious obstacles, mature, and come together in the end after much tribulation. Why is the love genre, or just a love story in a larger narrative, so captivating? Could it be because we were created to love, and we are longing to know and experience that perfect love that we so often only see shadows of?
True love is lived out by God himself for his people.
True love is understood and seen when we look at God's love. This love is lived out by God himself for his people. One of the most beautiful images in the Scriptures is Christ Jesus, the groom, and the church as Christ's bride.
This bride was one in need of redemption—she was a slave to sin. She was dirty—in need of cleansing. She was guilty—in need of righteousness. She was impure—in need of holiness. She was dressed in filthy rags—in need of a glorious wedding gown. None of these things that she needed could she manufacture in her own strength, and there was nothing about her that made her lovable.
Jesus willingly laid down his life so that his bride would be purified and united to him.
Yet, God the Father sent his Son to lay down his life for this bride, the church, a group of sinners who were at war with their God, guilty, and burdened under sin. And Jesus willingly shed his blood so that his bride, this group of sinners, might be brought into the love and favor of God, have eternal glorious life, and be united to Christ himself:
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us. (1 John 3:16a)
Even now, Christ by his Holy Spirit continues to purify the church, each and every believer, sanctifying them, building them up, and loving them:
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Rom. 5:5)
Christ’s love for the church is the most wonderful love story ever.
So if you are looking for a wonderful love story, look no further than to your Savior Jesus Christ and his love for you, a member of the church, his bride. For he loves you more than you know and will do so for all eternity:
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Rev. 21:2)
This article was originally published at Beautiful Christian Life on February 14, 2022.
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In 2016 the Australian demographer and social commentator Bernard Salt stirred up a cyclone over smashed avocado.
He observed that many young Australians, instead of saving money for a home deposit, spend their money on expensive café luxuries like “Smashed Avo on Toast.”
This is opting for the immediate gratification of a tangible though fleeting luxury over restraint and self-denial for the sake of an intangible but substantial long-term benefit.
Peter’s letters show how aware he is of the fierce rivalry and struggle between the visible, passing pleasures of this world—many of which are immoral—and the invisible but permanent good of forgiveness, freedom, and eternal life with Jesus Christ.
This is the daily conflict that every Christian since the first generation of eyewitness disciples faces. We have not seen, and do not now see Jesus (1 Pet. 1:8). The full enjoyment of his Kingdom lies in the future. Until then we face persecution, alienation, and fierce inward threats to our faith.
But we do easily see the pleasures of this world, pleasures to indulge in right now, pleasures in which there seems no real harm. We are told to “live your best life now.”
Dodgy pastors tap into this conflict with half-truths and obscuration, not because they really want people to believe certain (false) doctrines but because they’ve worked out a way to make a comfortable life and living from the church by teaching a feel-good evisceration of the Christian message. This preaching accentuates self-affirmation and easy-going positivity and downplays self-condemnation—the “blood, toil, sweat, and tears” that true faith demands.
We can hear them now: “Yes, Jesus said that he was about to return. Yes, he said that we must give up the passing pleasures of the world and be keenly watching and waiting for his arrival. But he hasn’t come and won’t come in our lifetime. And didn’t Paul say that we are justified by faith alone? Relax! Enjoy the pleasures of this world!”
The result? Too many utterly ineffectual Christians and churches, “waterless springs and mists driven by a storm” (2 Pet. 2:17). This is the woeful state of affairs that Peter tackles: a worldly, lazy, self-indulgent, and ineffective church. He tackles it head-to-head.
Remember that you have been saved to godliness.
[You] have obtained a faith of equal standing (privilege) with ours. (2 Peter 1:1)
The Greek verb for “obtained” (λαγχανω, lanchanō) means “to obtain by lot” and emphasizes that faith is God’s gracious gift (cf. Eph 2:8).
The Greek adjective for “equal standing” (ἰσοτιμος, isotimos) refers to someone who is “equal in value, equal in privilege, status or rank in civil life.”[1] Perhaps you thought that the first generation of Christians, who saw Jesus face-to-face, was the hard-core, sacrificial, persecuted church which gave everything for Christ; but that we who haven’t seen Jesus—“who hasn’t yet returned and doesn’t look like he’s going to”—can relax and settle in to a life of compromise.
Not at all. You have the same privileged standing as the first disciples, and you share the same responsibilities.
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3a)
The Greek word for “godliness” (εὐσεβεια, eusebeia) is a rich word encompassing “awesome respect accorded to God, devoutness, piety, godliness.”[2]
The power of God is just as available for the church today as it was for the first disciples, granting the same spiritual life and capacity for godliness.
Through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. (2 Peter 1:3b)
In fact, we have an advantage over the first generation of Christians. Though Peter, James, and John saw the transfigured Jesus (Mat 17), subsequent generations have “the prophetic word more fully confirmed” in the Holy Spirit-given, permanent, stable, and unquestioned truth of the Scripture (2 Pet. 1:19-21).
…he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you might become partakers of the divine nature. (2 Peter 1:4a)
Here is the great purpose of God’s long-prepared and long-promised salvation: that we come to reflect certain of the very attributes of God. Not, of course, his incommunicable attributes of self-existence, unchangeableness, omnipresence, and omnipotence; but definitely his communicable attributes of love, sacrifice, faithfulness, and service. The sixteen-century Protestant reformer John Calvin writes, “This thought alone ought to give us abundant cause to renounce the world entirely and be borne aloft to heaven.”[3]
Having escaped from the corruption (rottenness) that is in the world because of sinful desire. (2 Peter 1:4b)
Just as the Lord freed Israel from Egyptian idolatry and slavery to obedience and pure worship, he has rescued us from the punishment and corruption of sin to joyful obedience lived in the coram Deo, the presence of God.
Therefore, pursue godliness.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith. (2 Peter 1:5a)
The prosaic “supplement” translates the poetic Greek word ἐπιχορηγεω(epichorēgeō). In the ancient world it described gifts given by rich patrons of the arts. It means to supply generously and lavishly.[4]
Peter uses the Greek word for earnestness (σπουδη, spoudē)to convey the idea of both earnest commitment, eagerness, and diligence; and haste and swiftness.[5] The whole phrase “make every effort” conveys the idea of lavishly and urgently employing “every ounce of determination we can muster.”[6]
We want to “make every effort” to strive forward in a life of faith, to build the eight Christian qualities that Peter describes in 1 Peter 1:5-7.
You would never fly to Paris and sit in the Charles de Gaulle airport. You would never, after twelve years of schoolwork, be accepted into your chosen university and then not proceed with the course of instruction.
Having been saved from corruption to new life with God, we would never be content with bare faith and belief in Jesus. We want to “make every effort” to strive forward in a life of faith, to build the eight Christian qualities that Peter is about to describe: “a chain of deep, internal, and experiential changes that will meet our hunger for God’s reality.”[7]
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)
The way Peter repeats each quality shows that he means them to be understood as building one upon the other. They are not really steps, because you don’t leave each quality behind. Instead, just as a master craftsman accumulates habits and abilities over a lifetime that enable him to create ever more useful, complex, and beautiful things, the Christian will strive over a lifetime to accumulate the habits and abilities of godliness.
If faith is a seed, we will never be content to remain inert under the dark soil. We will strive to the light, to grow from seed to sprout, from sprout to sapling, from sapling to adult maturity, and from maturity to fruitfulness.
Let us consider these qualities one at a time.
1. Faith (πιστις, pistis)
Faith is “confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead” (Rom. 10:9). Faith is building our life upon Jesus the solid rock, it is placing ourselves like helpless sheep into his loving arms, it is reaching out to touch him as our Healer, it is calling upon his name for rescue.
Christian life begins with faith and is lived by faith. We are saved by faith alone, but we are not saved by a faith that is alone. We “make every effort” to build on that faith.
2. Virtue (ἀρετη, aretē)
This word refers to that which is good and excellent: “uncommon character worthy of praise.”[8] In Greek mythology it described the praiseworthy characteristics of a hero or god: their military, athletic, or artistic accomplishments.[9]
In fact, Peter uses this word to describe God’s own characteristics:
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Pet. 2:9; emphasis added)
[God has called us to] “his own glory and excellence.” (2 Pet. 1:3; emphasis added)
If we are to become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4), then we will strive to display the divine attributes of Jesus: love, mercy, patience, toil, and self-sacrificial service.
3. Knowledge (γνωσις, gnosis)
As children, many of us sang: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Yes, but is this knowledge sufficient to answer the hard questions posed by the world and the devil? And by our own minds? How does Jesus love me when I am hurting? When I’m tempted to sin? When my body is in the grave?
A simple knowledge may suffice for simple trials, but will it cope with “the shocks of life”? Won’t it rather be knocked flat in the face of piercing suffering, a clever university lecturer, or the godless atmosphere in which we live and breathe?
We must know exactly who this Jesus who loves me is: that he is Immanuel, Christ, Savior, the Bread and Light of Life, the Alpha and Omega; that he is truly man and truly God; that he regenerates, adopts, and redeems his own; that he gave his life as a sacrifice and propitiation; that he is resurrected, ascended, and seated at God’s right hand.
God sends us into the battle of faith and life not with pen-knife slogans but with the mighty sword of all 1,189 chapters of Scripture.
Note how virtue is the prerequisite for useful knowledge.
4. Self-control (ἐγκρατεια, engkrateia)
This refers to the “restraint of one’s impulses and desires,” to “holding oneself in.”[10] Advertisers and psychologists tell us to indulge: “Don’t repress or deny your feelings and desires.” Yet, we admire athletes who sacrifice self-comfort for sporting success. And we depend on people who have sacrificed time and leisure to diligently accumulate the skills upon which our lives may be enhanced, ennobled, and even saved, such as teachers, mechanics, governors, doctors, nurses, playwrights, and musicians.
For our sake Jesus denied himself food and water for forty days. He “made himself nothing” and “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:7-8). An old commentator wisely suggested that Christians ought “to look on the prosperities of life with some measure of alarm.”[11] We should receive the “outward comforts” of this world, of food and drink and material things, with moderation and thanks and an entire willingness to pass them on to others, knowing that “their worth and usefulness are vastly inferior to spiritual mercies.”[12] Self-control and self-denial are essential for growing in godliness.
Note how knowledge is a prerequisite for self-control.
5. Steadfastness (ὑπομονη, hypomonē)
Picture a Roman legionary standing in the ranks, shield and gladius at the ready. Hordes of fierce Gaulish barbarians are rushing down upon him. He has one duty: to resist the powerful tendency to throw down his weapons, turn, and run. He must stand firm, side-by-side with his brothers-in-arms, knowing that they have his side and his back. In fact, Roman legionaries literally took a firm grip of the belt of the soldier in front of them, holding him upright in the onslaught.
This is our great duty as Christians, to stand under the lies, deceits, and other assaults of the devil (Eph. 6:10-18). Let us, like Paul, stand when we’re tired and wrung-out: “by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger” (2 Cor. 6:5).
Note that self-control is a prerequisite for this steadfastness.
6. Godliness (εὐσεβεια, eusebeia)
We have already seen that eusebeia is “awesome respect” for God. It is having a great love for God and exuding the qualities of God.
Calvin observes that godliness is “the soul of life,” the living fruit of the salvation life which God imparts.[13] Godliness—not talent, charisma, cleverness, and likability—is the sine qua non of Christian leadership, and true Christian faith in general.
We must respond to hate and anger with kindness and peace. We must counter self-esteem with loving self-sacrifice. We must counter lies and deceit with wisdom and truth.
Note that steadfastness is a prerequisite for godliness.
7. Brotherly affection (φιλαδελφια, philadelphia)
This refers especially to the tender affection that Christian brothers and sisters ought to display to one another, to
all our fellow-Christians, who are children of the same Father, servants of the same Master, members of the same family, travellers to the same country, and heirs of the same inheritance, and who therefore are to be loved with a pure heart fervently…as those who are peculiarly near and dear to us, in whom we take particular delight.[14]
We know that love is not a mere expression of feeling; it is a commitment to deny oneself for the good of the other. Yet we must also demonstrate our affection, to “greet one another with a holy kiss” as Paul says more than once.
Our host church in France taught us la bise—the affectionate greeting kiss on both cheeks. In fact, they insisted on it! May your Christian brothers and sisters experience your warmth and affection and love, may they feel that you are truly delighted to see them, to serve and worship the Lord alongside of them.
Note that godliness is a prerequisite for affection.
8. Love (ἀγαπη, agapē)
This is the crowning habit, quality, and attribute that every true Christian strives for. “God is love,” and so we will love one another.
If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:17-18)
The eight qualities to which Peter refers are essential.
These eight qualities do not merely enhance our effectiveness as Christians; they are necessary for effectiveness.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so short-sighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. (2 Peter 1:8-9)
True Christians are open-eyed to their own faults and weaknesses and are frustrated and grieved for their lack of progress and growth (Matt. 5:3-6; James 4:9-10; Rev. 2:4-5). Those who are short-sighted and blind to their faults are complacent and do not pursue holiness as Peter commands.
Similarly, these qualities are a necessary sign of a true and living faith in Christ.
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:10-11)
Remember Jesus’ warning:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21-23)
We are saved by faith, and saving faith is proved genuine not by the perfection of these eight qualities but by their growth.
Let us trust in Christ and pursue them with all our heart.
[1] Cleon Rogers Jr and Cleon Rogers III, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998), 581; hereafter cited as NLEKGNT.
[2] Frederick W. Danker and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 412; hereafter cited as BDAG.
[3] John Calvin, The Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews and The First and Second Letters of St Peter, trans. William B. Johnston, 12 vols., Calvin's New Testament Commentaries, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1963), 330.
[4] Dick Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude (The Bible Speaks Today) (Leicester: IVP, 1995), 57.
[5] BDAG, 393.
[6] NLEKGNT, 581.
[7] Lucas and Green, 2 Peter & Jude, 56.
[8] BDAG, 130.
[9] NLEKGNT, 582.
[10] NLEKGNT, 582.
[11] Lucas and Green, 2 Peter & Jude, 59.
[12] Mathew Henry, Mathew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible , 6 vols. (1708-10; repr., Peabody: Hendrickson, 1991), 6:837.
[13] Calvin, Hebrews, 1&2 Peter, 329.
[14] Henry, Commentary, 6:837.
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Think you are a pretty good person? After all, you try hard to do the right thing. Sure, you’re not perfect, but who is? Maybe you think that—if there is a God—he (or she or it) is going to look at your heart, see that you made an honest effort, and let you enter heaven. If there is a hell, you’re not going there because that’s the place for the really bad people.
Take a moment and imagine that you are driving on a freeway. You look around and see people in their cars in front, behind, and beside you. Now consider that each person around you has a belief system regarding what will happen when he or she dies. All of these people base their life choices on this belief system. Will life after death turn out to be exactly what each person has believed it to be? Can they all be right, even though their views may be wildly different?
This is impossible since the most common views of the afterlife are mutually exclusive. For example, Christianity teaches that "it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Heb. 9:27), while Hinduism holds the belief of reincarnation. Furthermore, it is unrealistic to think that we can imagine into reality what happens after we leave this earth.
What will happen if you are wrong?
Now let’s get back to the thinking that your good efforts will be good enough for God to let you into heaven. Here are two questions to consider:
Why do you think you are correct?
What is going to happen if you are wrong?
According to the Bible, there was once a way to enter to heaven based on our own good efforts, but it crumbled when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2–3). Because of humankind’s rebellion against God, we are all inherently sinful and unable to stand before a holy God (Rom. 3:23).
God must uphold his attributes of holiness, goodness, justice, and righteousness. Thus, we must keep God’s laws perfectly because his nature requires it, but none of us is able to do it. Without God’s intervention, we are all under condemnation (John 3:18). Yet, this is not the end of the story!
God in his love and mercy sent his Son to earth for us.
Because we are no longer able to climb up to heaven due to our own tainted nature and works, God in his love and mercy sent his Son to earth for us. Jesus humbled himself by taking on human flesh, “becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). He lived the perfect life we should have lived (but failed to do) and he redeemed us (something we couldn’t do for ourselves) by offering himself up as the perfect sacrifice for our sins (Matt. 5:17; Rom. 10:4; Heb. 10:14).
It is by God’s grace alone—through faith in Christ alone—that we have peace with God and enter into his presence. If Jesus, the Son of God, humbled himself to serve us, why should we think our pride-filled works could ever grant us access to God?
We need to humble ourselves before our almighty God.
Jesus’ humility was both the means and the model for our own humility before God. In the book of Luke, Jesus taught about the necessity of a penitent heart:
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9–14)
We don’t have to look very far to see that something is wrong with the world—terribly, terribly wrong. While there are various explanations for the presence of evil, the Bible says that rebellion against God is at the root of it all. We can never clean ourselves up enough—or do enough good works—to reach heaven on our own efforts. One day each of us will stand before God to answer for how we lived on this earth.
The only thing that will matter is how God views you.
On that day we can humbly rest upon the perfect work of Christ done on our behalf, which we receive by faith alone, or we can proudly proclaim to God a list of our own self-perceived accomplishments, which are nothing more than filthy rags (Isa. 64:6; Phil. 3:4–9). Thankfully, the Bible contains many verses that happily assure us that all who trust in Christ are no longer under God’s condemnation but instead are cleansed from all unrighteousness (John 3:17–18; Rom. 8:1; 1 John 1:9).
In the end, it won’t matter how you view yourself. The only thing that will matter is how God views you. Christ came to earth the first time in humility to serve, but the next time he will come in glory to rule. If you haven’t done so already, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and receive Christ as your savior. Wanting something to be true doesn’t make it so. As Jesus reminds us, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Stop thinking that you can sovereignly determine what happens to you after you die, and seek the truth while it can be found.
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Becoming a skilled interpreter of Scripture is not a complicated task. It is hard, but it isn’t complicated. God does not hide the riches of his Word from the simple; he hides them from the proud and ungodly. Right interpretation, then, is first a matter of personal character and piety, and then a matter of methodology. Here are ten basic tips. There is much more to say, of course, but you must start here.
1. Pursue holiness and humility by faith in Christ.
Our character is of first importance in our endeavor to understand and teach the Bible. Without humility and fear of the Lord, we cannot grow in genuine knowledge of God’s Word (Prov. 1:7). God only guides the humble in rightly interpreting and applying his Word (Ps. 25:9); but he will oppose the proud, self-reliant student (James 4:6; cf. John 5:44). And without holiness, we will not have the spiritual capacity to be able to see what’s really in the Scripture (Matt. 5:8; Titus 1:13-14). To rightly pursue holiness and humility, however, we must be born again through faith in Christ (John 3:3), so genuine conversion is a necessary prerequisite to correctly interpreting God’s Word (see 1 Cor. 2:10-16).
2. Pray diligently that God would enable you to understand and believe his Word.
Because of our sin, our finitude, and the fact that Scripture is God’s Word, we need his help to rightly understand it (1 Cor. 2:10-16). Prayerlessness during Bible study is nothing less than arrogant presumption, for it signals that we don’t need God’s help to understand his Word (John 15:5). Those who love the Scripture pray diligently that God would unlock its treasures (see Ps. 119: 12, 26, 27, 29, 33, 64, 66, 68, 100).
3. Be willing to bring your thinking, feeling, and practice into compliance with the Word of God.
That is, be willing to change where Scripture requires you to change and repent where Scripture requires you to repent, no matter the cost (to your theological system, your ego, your wallet, your daily habits, relationships, work ethic, priorities, etc.). As Jesus reminds us, our interpretive abilities are enhanced or hindered to the degree we are willing or unwilling to do God’s will (John 7:17). The psalmist rejoiced that his obedience to God’s Word enabled his growth in the knowledge of God’s Word (Ps. 119:100). As David Gibson wisely observes, “Reinterpreting the Bible to mean something different is always a moral exercise before it is ever an intellectual one” (Living Life Backwards).
4. Discipline yourself to read through the entire Bible on a regular basis.
In order to understand the various features of the Bible and how the diversity of Scripture fits together into a coherent unity, we need to constantly get a feel of the whole landscape of the Bible. Robert Plummer comments:
In order to understand the Bible, one must read the whole. Thus, it is essential for any faithful interpreter of the Bible to have read the entire Bible and to continue to read through the Bible regularly. Can you imagine a teacher of Milton who admitted to having read only portions of Paradise Lost? How foolish it is for a minister of the gospel to seek faithfulness in expounding God’s Word while remaining ignorant of the contents of that revelation. (40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible)
5. Work hard! Spend a lot of time with the biblical text before you visit commentaries and other resources.
It is easy, once we’ve engaged the text, to drift toward secondary literature in order to get answers to the tough questions posed by the text. But this is a kind of slothfulness that will not often be rewarded with greater insight into God’s Word. We must spend time with the text and labor to see what’s really there before we move to hearing what other people have seen in Scripture. Disciplining ourselves to spend time with the text will also give us a better handle on the text when we teach it.
6. Be willing to learn from other excellent Bible interpreters via their commentaries and other resources.
We must be careful that we do not isolate ourselves from the wisdom of other excellent teachers! To do so would actually be unbiblical, for God has given us godly men and good books for the sake of better understanding his Word (Eph. 4:12). If you are unwilling to learn from other teachers, you are probably more proud than you are skilled at studying the Bible.
7. Write for the sake of your own clarity and learning.
You have to know yourself, but I’ve found that writing forces me to clarify my thoughts, solidify my arguments, develop ideas, and see connections in Scripture. I encourage you to make writing part of your Bible study and reading so that you can train your mind to think more carefully and, thus, see more truth in the Bible.
8. Regularly read good books on theology, Christian living, church history, and Christian biography.
Develop the habit of filling your spare time with good reading rather than aimless entertainment. By reading the works of others, you will become a better Bible interpreter and teacher as you are exposed to their interpretations of Scripture and the illustrations these writers use to better understand the Bible. Reading good Christian books will also broaden your understanding of theology which will help you better answer the theological questions posed by the biblical text.
9. Keep yourself firmly planted in the local church.
We are bound to drift into error if we don’t keep ourselves grounded in the local church and within a community of Spirit-filled interpreters (Prov. 18:1). We need the accountability and wisdom of other capable teachers and Bible readers, as well as the correction and rebuke of our friends in order to remain humble, teachable, and holy (see Heb. 3:12-15; 10:24-25).
Practically, this means that we should welcome feedback and criticism regarding our interpretations of Scripture. If we are unwilling to hear criticism about our private and public teaching, we not only will remain stagnant in our capacity to teach the Bible to others, we run the risk of leading ourselves and our students astray (Prov. 10:17).
Thisarticlewas originally published atfromthestudy.comand was first featured at Beautiful Christian Life on April 12, 2018.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.
Charles H. Spurgeon once stated, “Humility is to make a right estimation of one’s self.” Here are twelve good reasons to grow in humility.
1. Humility enables you to rejoice in and submit to your sovereign Creator.
A humble heart willingly and joyfully submits to God in all things because he is the Creator and we are his creation:
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. (Prov. 19:31)
Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. (Eccles. 5:2)
All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. (Isa. 66:2)
All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” (Dan. 4:35)
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44)
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Heb. 11:3)
2. Humility enables you to respect others.
A humble heart keeps you from thinking that you are better than your neighbor and reminds you that everyone has immeasurable value, as all people are God’s image-bearers:
Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. (Rom. 13:7)
Do nothing from rivalry 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. (Phil. 2:3-4)
Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (1 Pet. 2:17)
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Pet. 5:5)
3. Humility enables you to recognize your sinfulness.
A humble heart is acutely aware of the truth that we all fall short of God’s holy standard:
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” [Isa. 6:5)
[Peter] fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (Luke 5:8)
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 3:23-24)
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10)
4. Humility enables you to forgive others.
A humble heart helps you to always be mindful of God’s forgiveness to you in Christ and your subsequent duty to forgive others who have sinned against you:
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matt. 6:12)
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. (Matt. 18:21-22)
“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph. 4:32)
Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Col. 3:13)
5. Humility enables you to learn well and become wise.
A humble heart reminds you that, in order to make sound decisions and judgments and counsel others, you must listen to and receive what God wants to teach you:
He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. (Ps. 25:9)
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. (Prov. 11:2)
The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. (Prov. 15:33)
Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. (Prov. 19:20)
6. Humility enables you to walk in God’s ways.
A humble heart is focused on doing all that is pleasing in God’s sight:
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Mic. 6:8)
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. (James 3:13)
7. Humility enables you to love and serve others.
A humble heart helps you focus on others, loving them, serving them, praying for them:
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matt. 6:2)
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Rom. 12:10)
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant. (1 Cor. 13:4)
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph. 4:1-3)
Do nothing from rivalry 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. (Phil. 2:3-4)
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. (1 Pet. 4:10)
8. Humility enables you to be served.
A humble heart allows others to care for us in our time of need:
“‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’” (Matt. 25:25-26)
“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” (John 13:14-16)
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Rom. 12:13)
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal. 6:2)
9. Humility enables you to be heard by God.
A humble heart shows that you are truly repentant before God:
Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. (2 Chron. 34:27)
For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down. (Ps. 18:27)
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isa. 57:15)
10. Humility enables you to be exalted by God.
A humble heart doesn’t seek honor but rather waits for the Lord to do the exalting:
The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground. (Ps. 147:6)
One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. (Prov. 29:23)
“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:4)
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matt. 23:12; see also Luke 14:11)
“He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” (Luke 1:52)
“But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:10-11)
“But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:13-14)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Pet. 5:6-7)
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:10)
11. Humility is rewarded by God.
A humble heart waits for God’s reward in his perfect timing:
But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. (Ps. 37:11)
The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. (Prov. 22:4)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:3)
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matt. 6:1-4)
12. Humility enables you to worship God with a full heart.
When we begin to understand the depth of our depravity and sin and recognize the wrath we justly deserve from God, we will be filled with gratitude, joy, and wonder at such a great salvation we have in Christ our Savior:
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! (Ps. 100:4)
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! (Ps. 118:28-29)
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe. (Heb. 12:28)
This article was originally published on March 12, 2020.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.
There is nothing I enjoy more than hiking in the mountains. I love being surrounded by towering trees, the musty smell of leaves under my feet, the sound of creatures scurrying in the brush. I enjoy the labor of a hike and the reward of an amazing view—the panorama of craggy mountain peaks and the sweeping valley below. It's quiet and majestic. God's handiwork on display.
We recently took a trip to Washington to see the mountains outside of Seattle. The iconic view of the mountains surrounding the city was blocked because of smoke from fires in the north. As we drove farther out of the city and into the mountains, we started to see the peaks rise before us. We hiked beautiful trails blanketed with wild flowers. One section of the trail had a magnificent view of Mount Rainier. We marveled at its snow-capped peak, knowing that what we saw would have been even more amazing had there not been a smoky haze in the sky.
Such experiences in creation remind us of an important truth: we are small.
We are small.
In our daily lives as humans, it's easy to think that we are bigger than we are, that we rule our own kingdoms. The power of man seems invincible. We walk among the Babels our world has created—every day knocking down the old to build the new and better—and often marvel at their immensity. We develop amazing technology at a rapid pace, and we can't even lift our heads to look at creation around us. Humanity boasts of its discoveries, theories, and systems and calls others to bow down in worship to those accomplishments.
With each check mark scratched on our daily lists, we can feel successful and accomplished. Some even look down on those who don't measure up or keep the pace or who aren't as "enlightened" as they are. Every day we read accounts in the news of some new development or invention, some even going so far as to play the role of God in the lives of others.
And in all of it, we forget that we are dust.
We are dust.
David wrote in Psalm 39:
O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah. Surely a man goes about as a shadow! (Ps. 39:4-6)
Moses reflected on the brevity of life and the eternity of God:
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. (Ps. 90:1-4)
Indeed, like the psalmists, we need to remember that we are dust. That we are not invincible. That we are the created and not the Creator. That we do not rule and reign over all things. That we are merely stewards of creation.
As it says in Isaiah:
Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. (Isa. 40:21-23)
Because we quickly forget, we need constant reminders. We need to be regular students of the Word, reading and studying to know more of our God and the splendor of his holiness. We need to get away from our carefully constructed lives and see the wonder of our Creator in the world he has made.
We are dependent creatures.
We need to develop a right view of ourselves, as humble dependents, embracing our smallness and responding in worship to the One who rules, reigns, sustains, and determines the length of our days. The very same God who entered our smallness by taking on human flesh,
Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil. 2:6-8)
We are small. That is the truth. It is an important truth. We are dependent creatures which exist solely by the grace of our Creator. May our heart's prayer echo that of Moses:
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Ps. 90:12)
