"Charity [Love] vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up." — I Cor. 13:4c
The third quality of the Love which God is, and which He enjoins upon the believer, may be defined in the single word, humility. Humility is the opposite of vanity, and suggests a spirit which is not preoccupied with self. That which "vaunteth itself" seeks to draw attention to itself and is "puffed up" or possessed with an exaggerated sense of its own importance; conceited.
This spirit, the opposite of Love, accounts for many of the sins that plague our society today. Attempting to attract attention and win applause—from a world that has no clear discernment of true values—gives rise to many forms of deceit and degenerate behavior, as our "entertainment" culture indicates. It was the spirit of Satan when he said, "I will be like the most High," and which so infected Adam that he bought into the same dishonorable franchise. Reflecting on that, however, it is important to note that neither Satan nor Adam aspired to be like God in character, but only in position and power.
The quality under consideration is, as all virtues, supremely illustrated in Christ 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 [Phil. 6-8]." Neither time, space nor purpose will allow us to expand upon this astonishing passage, except to note the contrast. Satan, who was not God, jealously aspired to be like God; Christ Jesus, who was God in His own right, did not jealously guard His position, possessions or reputation; He did not 'vaunt Himself,' but voluntarily took the lowest position— "made Himself of no reputation"— out of Loving obedience to God the Father, and out of Love for those the Father longs to save. It is that spirit God seeks to inculcate in us who are born again.
We begin life in this world spiritually bankrupt, destitute, "lost;" the word of God puts it, "dead in trespasses and sins." We "brought nothing into this world." When we are born again, we take nothing of any merit into that new relationship as the children of God. Eternal life is a gift. And all that is involved in the cultivation and expression of that life is also bestowed as gifts from the God Who redeemed us. The apostle rightly asks, "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 I Cor. 4:7]?"
If our purpose is to advance our own person, position or performance— even in the church— we betray a tragic lack of that Love without which we are "nothing" in the eyes of God. The natural man is infatuated with his own image and glory. The true man of God has but one passion, and that is to glorify God, whether it captures the world's fancy or wins him a cross. Like the Savior before him, his quest is simply to do the Father's will. And that will radically alter how he views and relates to everyone else around him.
The apostle Paul had it right when he said, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world [Gal. 6:14]." And his Spirit directed injunction to the saints is, "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith [Rom. 12:3]."
If this love were operational in the lives of believers, it would destroy the ground upon which all our strife and contention stands, putting us in competition not for the advancement of our own agenda, but for the welfare of others and the glory of God, and that not as we perceive it, but as His Word proclaims it. "Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD [Jer. 9:23,24]". That is the divine formula. Only Love can make it work!
For our greatest good,
"Pastor" Frasier
The third quality of the Love which God is, and which He enjoins upon the believer, may be defined in the single word, humility. Humility is the opposite of vanity, and suggests a spirit which is not preoccupied with self. That which "vaunteth itself" seeks to draw attention to itself and is "puffed up" or possessed with an exaggerated sense of its own importance; conceited.
This spirit, the opposite of Love, accounts for many of the sins that plague our society today. Attempting to attract attention and win applause—from a world that has no clear discernment of true values—gives rise to many forms of deceit and degenerate behavior, as our "entertainment" culture indicates. It was the spirit of Satan when he said, "I will be like the most High," and which so infected Adam that he bought into the same dishonorable franchise. Reflecting on that, however, it is important to note that neither Satan nor Adam aspired to be like God in character, but only in position and power.
The quality under consideration is, as all virtues, supremely illustrated in Christ 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 [Phil. 6-8]." Neither time, space nor purpose will allow us to expand upon this astonishing passage, except to note the contrast. Satan, who was not God, jealously aspired to be like God; Christ Jesus, who was God in His own right, did not jealously guard His position, possessions or reputation; He did not 'vaunt Himself,' but voluntarily took the lowest position— "made Himself of no reputation"— out of Loving obedience to God the Father, and out of Love for those the Father longs to save. It is that spirit God seeks to inculcate in us who are born again.
We begin life in this world spiritually bankrupt, destitute, "lost;" the word of God puts it, "dead in trespasses and sins." We "brought nothing into this world." When we are born again, we take nothing of any merit into that new relationship as the children of God. Eternal life is a gift. And all that is involved in the cultivation and expression of that life is also bestowed as gifts from the God Who redeemed us. The apostle rightly asks, "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 I Cor. 4:7]?"
If our purpose is to advance our own person, position or performance— even in the church— we betray a tragic lack of that Love without which we are "nothing" in the eyes of God. The natural man is infatuated with his own image and glory. The true man of God has but one passion, and that is to glorify God, whether it captures the world's fancy or wins him a cross. Like the Savior before him, his quest is simply to do the Father's will. And that will radically alter how he views and relates to everyone else around him.
The apostle Paul had it right when he said, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world [Gal. 6:14]." And his Spirit directed injunction to the saints is, "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith [Rom. 12:3]."
If this love were operational in the lives of believers, it would destroy the ground upon which all our strife and contention stands, putting us in competition not for the advancement of our own agenda, but for the welfare of others and the glory of God, and that not as we perceive it, but as His Word proclaims it. "Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD [Jer. 9:23,24]". That is the divine formula. Only Love can make it work!
For our greatest good,
"Pastor" Frasier
