Clergy/Leaders’ Mail-list No. 0-200 (Theology)

Living Words of the New Testament, by Rev Dr Leon Morris

Lowliness was a despised quality in the ancient world generally. The Greeks had an aristocratic mentality and held that all people in subordinate places were inferior. To call anyone humble was to say that he came from the lower classes and therefore that he was inferior, a base and worthless person. They understood by ‘to humble’ what we mean by ‘to humiliate’; when they called someone ‘a humble person’ they meant that he was what we would call ‘a servile person’ or ‘an obsequious person’.

This whole word group was given a new meaning as a result of Christ’s coming into the world. The great and central thing about the Christian faith is that Christ left his throne in glory and came to earth for our salvation. He willingly took the lowly place in order to bring blessing to others (read Phil. 2:5-8). He lived in lowliness (Matt. 11:29) and finally died on the cross to put away our sins. We cannot earn our own salvation. It is the gift of God (look up Eph. 2:8-9). This leaves no room for pride; before God there are no aristocratic, superior people. We are all sinners and therefore pride is stupid.

God does not accept the aristocratic view. He puts down mighty people and exalts lowly ones (Luke 1:52). He gives grace to the humble (Jas. 4:6; see also Prov. 3:34), which means a whole new attitude to pride and gives dignity to lowly service (see Matt. 23:12; Luke 14:11;18:14). The new attitude to pride makes a difference in all of life.

Christians do not boast about themselves, nor seek praise from others. Paul spoke of ‘serving the Lord with all humility’ (Acts 20:19) and urged believers to live in much the same way (Eph. 4:2). Christians do not go round blowing their own trumpet and assuming that they are superior to others. Because they have been saved by Christ and not by any merit of their own they are genuinely lowly people and seek to serve God in a spirit of lowliness (see Col. 3:12). Peter uses a picturesque expression, that means literally ‘Put on the slave’s apron of humility’ (1 Pet. 5:5). We must be genuinely humble.

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Rev Dr Leon Morris was an internationally recognised New Testament scholar, theologian and author, from Melbourne Australia.

This feature series of ‘Living Words of the New Testament’ appeared in ‘Daily Notes’, published by Scripture Union.