Latest / Reformed Thinking / Love That Bends Low: The Humility of True Charity | Jonathan Edwards

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Love That Bends Low: The Humility of True Charity | Jonathan Edwards · Reformed Thinking

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You know, usually when we talk about a medical diagnosis, there
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is this expectation of precision.
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Right, like you expect a very clear answer.
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Yeah, you think of it almost like engineering.
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I mean, you fall off a ladder, your arm hurts and you go to the
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hospital. And they run the tests.
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Right. The technician takes an X-ray
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and, you know, a few minutes later, the doctor puts that
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image up on the screen. They look at the bones.
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They point to that jagged white line fracturing the radius, and
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they say there it is. It is entirely binary.
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The bone is either broken or it is not broken.
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The visual evidence is just right there in front of you.
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Yeah, and there is something incredibly comforting about
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that, right? We humans really like things to
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be visible. Oh, absolutely.
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We like things to be categorized, measured, and, you
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know, put into neat little boxes.
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But then you step into the world of human character, and
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specifically the concept of pride and humility.
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And suddenly that X-ray machine is just broken.
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Right. We are looking at a diagnostic
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landscape that is entirely murky.
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I mean, we cannot take a scan of the human ego.
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We cannot measure self righteousness with a blood test.
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No, we cannot. It is the absolute definition of
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diagnostic. Muddy Waters.
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Yeah, When you ask a person if they are humble, well, their
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answer is almost always compromised by their own ego.
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Right. The very act of claiming to be
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humble often proves that a person is not.
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Spot on. Yeah, we just lack a reliable
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instrument to measure the human soul.
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Well, welcome to Reformed thinking.
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I am so glad you decided to join us today.
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If you are listening to this, you are probably like us,
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someone who wants to look past the surface of things.
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Someone who wants to understand the actual mechanics of the
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human heart without settling for.
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Easy cliches, yeah. So what if we could calibrate
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that broken X-ray machine? What if there was a reliable way
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to measure the human soul with absolute precision?
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That is a fascinating question. Today, we are putting human
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humility under the microscope. Our mission in this deep dive is
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to understand the true nature of humility.
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We are going to strip away all those modern misconceptions we
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all carry around about what it means to be humble.
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And we are going to see how true Christian love organically
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produces a humble heart. Right, To do that we are
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analyzing some really remarkable source material.
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Today we are unpacking excerpts from Jonathan Edwards classic
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work Charity and Its Fruits. Yes, specifically, we are
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focusing on a series of thoughts he delivered regarding the idea
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that the spirit of charity is an humble spirit.
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And for some context, Edwards delivered these thoughts
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originally as a series of lectures in 1738.
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He was focusing intensely on the Apostle Pauls definition of love
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in the 13th chapter of First Corinthians.
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Right, the famous love chapter. OK, let's untact this.
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Edward starts by connecting humility directly to that famous
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passage. You know, the one almost
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everyone hears at weddings. Yeah, First Corinthians 13.
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Right. The Apostle Paul writes that
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charity or Christian love vaunteth not itself, is not
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puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly.
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Which is such a specific phrasing?
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It really is, and Edwards draws a Direct Line between this kind
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of love and the prevention of envy.
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But he does it in a way that feels like a psychological
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master class. He really does.
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He argues that charity acts as a two way shield.
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A. Two way shield.
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That is a really great way to frame it.
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Yeah, Edwards looks at the text and notices that charity
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protects both the person feeling it and the people around them.
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OK, how so? Well, on one side, it stops us
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from envying the prosperity of others.
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If you possess genuine love for your neighbor, you do not
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experience bitterness when they succeed.
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Right, because love desires their good.
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Exactly. I mean spot on.
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You rejoice in their success, but on the other side it stops
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us from gloating over our own prosperity.
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Oh, interesting. Yeah, Edwards points out this
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really fascinating social dynamic.
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When we succeed and we become puffed up or we vaunt ourselves,
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that behavior is what actually provokes envy in the people
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around us. So if I am constantly bragging
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about my new promotion or, you know, making sure everyone knows
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how smart my kids are, I am actively creating an environment
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where envy thrives. Yes, you are tossing gasoline on
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the insecurities of your neighbors.
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Wow, that is so true. Charity makes a person behave
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suitably in whatever condition they find themselves, right?
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If you are below others in status, wealth, or natural
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talents, Love keeps you from resenting those who have more.
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And if you are above others in those same categories.
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Love keeps you from being a braggart.
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It neutralizes the toxic social hierarchy that Pride constantly
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tries to enforce. It is a brilliant social
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mechanism. It just smooths out the friction
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in society. It really does.
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So if we want to understand how charity prevents us from being
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puffed up, we have to define the mindset that keeps us grounded,
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right? Right, we have to look at the
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internal engine driving this behavior.
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And that leads to Edwards definition of humility, which
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which brings us to the first major concept we need to look
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into, the infinite gap. The infinite gap.
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Yeah, Edwards uses a word here that might throw modern readers
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off. He defines humility as a habit
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of mind corresponding to our comparative meanness in God's
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sight. Yes, meanness.
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I could pause on that word. To modern ears, meanness sounds
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like cruelty or malice, right? We think of like a middle school
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bully stealing lunch money. Yeah, it has a very negative
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connotation today. Is he saying we're supposed to
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feel like malicious, cruel people?
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Not at all. In the 18th century, Edwards is
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not using meanness to denote cruelty or a bad temper, OK.
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He is using it to mean littleness.
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Commonness or nothingness, I see, is a measure of scale, not
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a measure of malice. He's talking about the vast
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infinite distance between a created being and the Creator.
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So humility in its most basic sense is simply possessing an
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accurate assessment of that scale.
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Spot on. It is just measuring correctly.
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I want to make sure we nail down this concept of scale because it
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feels like the hinge for everything else, Edwards says.
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It really is. If we think of a single grain of
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sand trying to compare itself to the entire Sahara desert, we get
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a sense of size difference. Right, that is a huge gap.
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But even that feels insufficient because a grain of sand is still
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made of the same material as the desert, it is just smaller.
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Yeah, that analogy falls a bit short.
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Is it more like a 2 dimensional stick figure drawn on a piece of
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paper trying to comprehend a massive 3 dimensional universe?
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I mean, it is not just a matter of being physically smaller, it
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is an entirely different plane of existence.
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The two-dimensional drawing analogy captures the essence
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much better. Edwards is talking about the
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ontological difference between the creator and the creature.
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Ontological difference. Right.
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God is infinite, eternal and self existent.
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We are finite, temporal, and entirely dependent on Him for
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our existence second by second. Wow.
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So meanness means a complete lack of comparative substance.
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When you measure a finite object against an infinite standard,
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the mathematical result is always 0.
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Zero. That is striking.
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Yeah, humility is a habit of mind that recognizes this zero
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state. It shifts our whole perspective.
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I want you to think about this as you're listening.
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Humility is not about beating yourself up.
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No, not at all. It is not walking around with
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your head hung low. Pretend me you have no skills or
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intelligence. That is a false, modest thing.
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Right, that is just playing a part.
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True humility is about accurate measurement.
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If you measure yourself against the infinite, you naturally get
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a realistic view of your own size.
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Edwards points out something that shocks a lot of people when
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they first read it. Oh, what is that?
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He notes that even unfallen, perfectly holy beings possess
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this humility. The angels in heaven who have
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never sinned are incredibly humble.
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Wait, really? Yes, and the human nature of
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Jesus Christ was entirely humble.
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That is a massive paradigm shift.
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We usually associate humility with apologizing for our
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mistakes or, you know, admitting our flaws.
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Right, we link it to guilt. But if sinless angels are
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humble, then humility fundamentally has nothing to do
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with sin. You have hit on the core issue
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because even without sin, a created being is finite.
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They recognize their finite nature against an infinite
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creator. They know they are not the
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source of all things. Exactly.
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I mean God cannot be humble because God cannot have
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comparative meanness. He is the highest, the self
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existent one, right? But every created intelligence
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must possess humility to function properly in reality.
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The angels see reality clearly. They know they are the
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two-dimensional drawing, and they know God is the
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three-dimensional universe. Edwards brings up a great
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example from the book of Genesis here.
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He cites Abraham in chapter 18. Oh yes, the negotiation for
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Sodom. Yeah, Abraham is standing before
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the Lord, negotiating for the city of Sodom.
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And Abraham says, Behold, now I have taken upon me to speak unto
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the Lord, which am but dust and ashes.
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Dust and ashes. Right, Abraham rightly
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recognized his material creaturely state he was quite
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literally made from the dust of the ground.
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And there is no true humility. Without this specific awareness,
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you might feel small compared to a billionaire, or you might feel
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intellectually inferior to a brilliant scientist.
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But if you do not feel your nothingness compared to God, you
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lack the core ingredient of true humility.
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Because human to human comparisons always fail.
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Right, because you were comparing 2 finite things, you
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were just comparing 2 grains of sand.
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True measurement only happens when the creature looks at the
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creator. But having established that even
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perfect angels are little compared to God, we have to deal
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with the reality of the human condition.
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Right, things get worse for us. Yeah, we are not just finite
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creatures like the angels. We have a different problem
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entirely, which introduces a severe complication to the X-ray
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machine we talked about. We might call this the tenfold
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drop. The tenfold drop.
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Yeah, we are moving from littleness to vileness.
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Edwards distinguishes between natural meanness and moral
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meanness. OK, break that down.
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Natural meanness is what we just discussed, our littleness as a
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creature. It is the fact that our
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knowledge is small, our strength is limited, and we depend on God
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for our next breath. Unfallen man Adam, before his
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rebellion, possessed this natural meanness.
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He was infinitely distant from God in attributes like wisdom
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and majesty, and he joyfully recognized that fact.
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But something broke. Yes, the fall.
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Since the fall of humanity into sin, our natural faculties are
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impaired. We are no longer just small.
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We are corrupt. And Edward says this creates A
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tenfold meanness. Can we breakdown what that
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actually means for our psychology?
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Because when we talk about the fall and impaired natural
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faculties, it can sound like academic jargon.
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Sure. Think of it this way.
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Your natural faculties are your mind, your will, and your
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affections. OK, In a healthy, unfallen
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state, your mind understands God is the greatest good, your will
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chooses to obey Him, and your affections love Him above all
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else. Everything works properly.
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Right. The fall was essentially A
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catastrophic rebellion that inverted all of those faculties.
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Turn them upside down. Yeah, now the human mind
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suppresses the truth about God. The human will constantly
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chooses its own autonomy over God's rule, and the human
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affections love created things more than the Creator.
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The machinery is entirely backwards.
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So it is no longer just a lack of size, it is a pollution
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before an infinitely holy God. Edwards describes moral meanness
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as our vileness and filthiness as a Sinner.
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A truly humble person sees 2 distinct things right?
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Right, they see they are a tiny creature, and they see they are
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a polluted creature standing in the presence of absolute purity.
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Edwards brings up the prophet Isaiah to illustrate this
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reaction. That is such a vivid passage.
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It really is. In the 6th chapter of Isaiah,
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the prophet receives a vision of God's throne room.
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The Seraphim are calling out Holy Holy.
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Holy is the Lord of hosts. And Isaiah's immediate reaction
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is not well, look at the architecture or what an
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incredible spiritual experience I am having.
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No, not at all. His reaction is absolute terror.
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He cries out. Woe is me, for I am undone
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because I am a man of unclean lips.
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And we say the exact same thing in the book of Job.
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Yes, at the end of the book. After God speaks to Job out of
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the whirlwind, revealing His sovereign strength over
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creation, Job says, Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust
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and ashes. Those are the reactions of men
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who suddenly had the cosmic X-ray machine turned on.
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They saw the reality of their moral state exposed in the
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blazing light of God's absolute holiness.
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They realized their absolute dependence on God for
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everything. Right.
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Not just for their daily bread, but for mercy.
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They realized that if God treated them according to their
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moral purity, they would be consumed.
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So what does this actually mean for you?
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Listening right now, going about your daily life?
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How does knowing about your moral ruin actually help you?
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It is a fair question. I think realizing our absolute
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dependence on God for everything actually eliminates the illusion
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of self-sufficiency, and that illusion causes so much modern
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anxiety. Oh absolutely.
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We walk around terrified because we think we have to hold our own
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universe together. We think our success or failure
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rests entirely on our own shoulders.
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It is an exhausting way to. It is admitting our natural and
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moral littleness gives us permission to stop pretending we
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are in control. It pops the exhausting bubble of
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the ego. If we connect this to the
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broader theological framework, this realization of moral ruin
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requires total reliance on God's grace, right?
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It aligns perfectly with the concept of being poor in spirit
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from the Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus says blessed are the
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poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven, he's
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describing this exact state. Let's expand on that phrase poor
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in spirit. It is one of those phrases
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people here in church and just assume it means being sad or
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maybe lacking financial wealth. Yeah, that is a common
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misconception. A person who is poor in spirit
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knows their spiritual bank account is entirely bankrupt.
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Bankrupt, right? They bring absolutely nothing to
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the table to negotiate with God. They have no moral currency.
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They recognize their tenfold meanness.
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And paradoxically, that posture of total bankruptcy is the only
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posture that can receive grace. You cannot fill a cup that is
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already full of itself. Spot on.
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But there's a massive paradox here.
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If simply realizing God is bigger than us makes us humble,
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and realizing His Holiness exposes our flaws, then
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shouldn't the demons be the most humble creatures in existence?
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That is a brilliant question. I mean, they know exactly how
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powerful God is. They have experienced his
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judgement first hand. Why are they consumed by pride
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instead? It is a puzzle.
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This forces a crucial distinction in the text.
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Here's where it gets really interesting, and I think it is
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the most surprising theological nugget in Edward's whole
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argument. It is a stunning observation and
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it completely dismantles how most people think about
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religious belief. So how does Edwards explain it?
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He points out that demons and damn spirits are keenly aware of
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God's majesty. They know his wisdom, they know
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his omnipotence far better than any human theologian.
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Right, they have seen it. In fact, God's dealings with
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them and their own sufferings make them feel this gap
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intensely. They know how much God is above
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them, the book of James says. The devils also believe and
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tremble. They shudder at his power.
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Yes, and yet they possess absolutely 0 humility.
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They are completely filled with pride, malice and rebellion.
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How is that logically possible? If humility is recognizing the
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gap between the creature and the creator, and demons clearly
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recognize the gap, why aren't they humble?
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Because of the missing ingredient, which is loveliness.
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Loveliness. Yeah, the devil see God's
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massive scale, but they are entirely blind to his beauty and
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excellence. Oh wow.
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Edwards argues that true humility only blossoms when a
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creature feels their distance from God and greatness and is
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simultaneously captivated by his loveliness.
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That changes everything. It does.
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The demons see the greatness, but they hate the one who holds
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it. Therefore, their awareness of
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the gap only produces terror and a hardened rebellious pride.
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Think about this in a human psychological context.
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It is like the difference between working for a tyrannical
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boss and learning from a highly respected mentor.
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That is a great analogy. An employee might cower before
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the tyrannical boss. They know the boss has the
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authority to fire them, ruin their career and make their
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daily life miserable. The power dynamic is very clear.
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Right. The employee feels the gap in
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power intensely, but they do not humble them themselves.
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Inwardly, they do not admire the boss.
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They just harbor deep resentment, fear, and a desire
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to overthrow the boss if they ever get the chance.
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That analogy perfectly illustrates the dynamic.
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The employee complies out of self preservation, not out of
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humility. But take that same employee and
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put them in a room with a mentor they highly respect.
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This is someone whose character they admire, someone who has
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demonstrated genuine care for them.
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They find this mentor in Edwards terminology, lovely.
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That employee will willingly humble themselves.
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They will eagerly sit and listen.
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They will accept sharp correction without getting
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defensive because they admire the mentor's character.
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The submission is a joy, not a burden.
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The devil's cower before the tyrant in their distorted view
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of God. They shudder at his raw power,
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but they do not bow in their hearts.
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Because they lack that admiration.
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Exactly. A terrifying awareness of God's
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judgement without an appreciation for His mercy,
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grace and beauty only produces rebellious pride, never true
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contrition. And the angels.
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The angels and the ransom human spirits in heaven, on the other
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hand, see both. They see how much greater God
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is, and they see how much more lovely he is.
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And that combination is the key. It is that specific combination
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creates the joyful, willing submission that characterizes
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genuine humility. It changes everything about how
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we approach religion. If you only focus on God's
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wrath, His size, and His rules, you might become compliant out
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of sheer terror. Yes, you might modify your
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behavior to avoid punishment. But your heart will remain proud
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and resentful. You will never become truly
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humble. You have to see the beauty of
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His grace. You have to see that the
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infinite Creator actually cares for the 2 dimensional stick
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figure. Because true humility involves
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seeing both God's infinite greatness and His captivating
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loveliness, it naturally provokes a specific behavioral
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response directed back at Him, Right.
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This leads us to the upward posture.
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Internal fight always produces external action.
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So how does this humility actually act toward God?
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Edwards outlines 4 distinct ways this humility manifests in our
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relationship with the Creator. First, it freely acknowledges
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1's nothingness. The keyword there is freely.
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Yes, the humble soul does this willingly, even with delight.
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They do not have to be dragged into the courtroom and forced to
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admit they are unworthy of mercy under cross examination.
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They gladly confess their total dependence because they love the
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one they're depending on. Right.
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Second, humility, distrust self and relies solely on God.
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I want to analyze this one closely because it runs contrary
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to every message we receive in modern society.
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It really does. We are bombarded with the mantra
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to believe in yourself, trust your truth and look within for
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the answers. Constant messaging.
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And Edwards is saying the exact opposite.
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He is saying no. Distrust yourself entirely and
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look outside yourself to God. The modern self esteem movement
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assumes that the human heart is fundamentally good and reliable
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right? But Reformed theology, echoing
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the biblical witness, argues that the human heart is
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deceitful the proud person assumes their own wisdom, logic,
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or emotional intuition is sufficient to guide their life
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and. The humble person.
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The humble person is deeply suspicious of their own heart.
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They know their faculties are impaired by the fall.
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Therefore, they lean entirely on God's revealed Word as their
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refuge and compass. The third way humility acts
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toward God is by renouncing all glory.
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If there is any good done, any success achieved, the humble
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person does not vaunt themselves.
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No, they ascribe it all to God. Edwards quote Psalm 115 verse
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one. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
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us, but into thy name give glory for thy mercy, and for thy
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truth's sake. It is an act of renunciation.
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You are actively taking the crown off your own head and
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handing it back to the one it belongs.
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To and 4th. They wholly subject themselves
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to God's will and Providence. Their heart is not opposed to
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God giving them laws, and they are equally disposed to submit
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to His daily Providence. They recognize God's absolute
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sovereignty over every detail of the universe, including their
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own lives. Exactly.
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I want to push back on that last point, or at least ask a hard
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question for the sake of anyone listening who is going through a
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dark season. OK, let's hear it, Edwards says.
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True humility means looking at afflictions or low circumstances
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and not murmuring. The humble soul recognizes that
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they deserve far worse, making them able to say with Job,
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though He slain me, yet will I trust in Him?
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Right. But how is a listener supposed
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to apply this when facing genuine, agonizing hardship?
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If someone loses a child or receives a terminal cancer
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diagnosis, isn't it human nature to demand answers from God?
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It is completely natural to feel that way.
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Is Edwards saying we just have to act like unfeeling robots and
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suppress our grief? Edwards is not advocating for a
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cold stoicism at all. Crying out to God in intense
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pain is thoroughly biblical. We see it in the Psalms.
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We see it all through the Psalms Lament.
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We see Jesus weeping at the tomb of Lazarus.
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God welcomes our tears, our sorrow, and our honest grief.
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OK, So what is the difference? There is a massive difference
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between crying out in pain and demanding that God answer to our
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personal standards of justice. I see.
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Demanding that God justify his actions to us is the height of
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pride. It assumes our finite impaired
21:55
minds have the right and the intellectual capacity to judge
21:59
the infinite mind. We want to put God in the
22:01
witness box and cross examine Him until we are satisfied with
22:05
His management of the universe. Right humility yields to his
22:08
authority. It trusts that the infinite mind
22:11
knows best, even when the finite mind is completely in the dark
22:15
and experiencing deep sorrow. That is a hard place to be.
22:18
It is. It is the ability to say I am
22:21
hurting. I do not understand this at all,
22:23
but I know you are entirely good and I yield to your sovereign
22:27
right to govern my life. It relies on that concept of
22:30
Providence, that God is wholly wise and powerful, preserving
22:34
and governing all His creatures and all their actions.
22:36
It is the ultimate letting go. It requires incredible amount of
22:39
trust in that love loveliness we talked about earlier.
22:41
It really does. If God is just great, you resent
22:43
the suffering. If God is great and lovely, you
22:46
can trust him through the suffering.
22:47
And if a person genuinely holds this internal upward posture
22:51
toward God, it is impossible for it not to spill over into their
22:55
daily horizontal interactions with other humans, right?
22:58
Humility toward the Creator guarantees a specific posture
23:02
toward the creature. This brings us to the horizontal
23:04
proof. Edwards gives us a very
23:06
practical, systematic breakdown of seven social behaviors that
23:09
true humility prevents. This is where the theology hits
23:12
the pavement. Yeah, if you want to know if
23:14
your internal posture toward God is correct, you do not look at
23:17
how high you raise your hands during a worship song.
23:20
You look at how you treat your coworkers, your spouse, your
23:23
neighbors, and the cashier at the grocery restore.
23:26
These seven behaviors operate in a chain reaction when the ego is
23:30
neutralized by a vision of God's greatness.
23:33
It fundamentally alters how a person seeks validation in
23:36
society. OK, let's go through them.
23:38
What is the first one? The first behavior Edwards notes
23:41
that humility prevents is ambitious behavior.
23:44
A person under the influence of an humble spirit is content with
23:47
the situation God has allotted to them.
23:49
So they aren't trying to conquer the world.
23:52
Right. They are not greedy for honor or
23:53
worldly power. They heed the prophet Jeremiah's
23:56
words to Brooke. Seekest thou great things for
23:59
thyself? Seek them not.
24:01
Yes, this flies directly in the face of modern hustle culture.
24:06
We are constantly told to climb the corporate ladder, to build
24:09
our personal brand, to maximize our influence, to make sure
24:12
everyone knows our name. It is the air we breathe.
24:15
Edwards is saying that a relentless drive for personal
24:18
exultation is a glaring symptom of pride.
24:22
But to clarify, he's not saying you should avoid hard work or
24:26
refuse to use your talents. Right.
24:28
A humble person can be a brilliant surgeon or a highly
24:31
effective CEO. Absolutely, but he is targeting
24:34
the internal motive. Are you working to be useful to
24:37
society and honoring to God, or are you working to be seen as
24:40
superior to your peers? It all comes down to the motive.
24:43
Yes, and if you are not ambitious for your own glory,
24:46
you naturally lose the desire to display your perceived
24:49
greatness. Which leads to the second point.
24:51
Exactly. This means humility eliminates
24:54
ostentatious behavior. Ostentatious behavior.
24:57
If a humble man possesses an advantage, whether it is natural
25:01
abilities, significant wealth, or even profound spiritual
25:04
experiences, he will not make a show of it.
25:07
He will not parade his gifts so that others recognize his
25:11
superiority. This is the 18th century
25:13
diagnosis of the social media humble brag.
25:16
Oh, that is a perfect modern equivalent.
25:18
You know the posts. Someone posts A beautifully
25:21
filtered picture of their incredibly expensive European
25:24
vacation that the caption is a long paragraph about how
25:27
exhausted they are or how blessed they feel to simply
25:31
pause and reflect. Right, the focus isn't really on
25:34
being tired. No, they desperately want you to
25:37
notice their wealth and superiority, but they try to
25:39
dress it up in the language of gratitude.
25:41
Or in religious circles, it is the person who always manages to
25:44
bring up how early they woke up to pray, or casually mentions
25:48
how much money they gave to a specific charity.
25:51
They want the applause of the crowd.
25:52
And Edward says humility prevents that entirely.
25:55
It does. The humble person is completely
25:58
content that the Great Being who sees in secret beholds and
26:03
approves of their actions. They do not need human
26:05
validation because they already have divine approval.
26:08
And if you do not feel the need to be ostentatious, you lose the
26:12
arrogance that ruins so many relationships.
26:15
That is the third behavior. Arrogant or assuming behavior, a
26:19
humble person does not carry themselves as if they expect
26:22
everyone to bow to their opinions.
26:24
They do not treat themselves as the most valuable person in the
26:26
room. Right.
26:27
They give genuine deference to the judgement of others.
26:30
We see the opposite of this constantly in professional
26:32
environments. It is the person in the meeting
26:35
who talks over everyone else who assumes their idea is obviously
26:39
the only intelligent option. The one who acts like everyone
26:42
else is just there to execute their brilliant vision.
26:44
Yes, it drains the life out of a room.
26:47
Humility prevents that suffocating arrogance.
26:50
It allows you to genuinely listen to other people, to ask
26:53
questions, and to change your mind because you do not assume
26:56
you have a monopoly on wisdom. Which leads right into the
26:58
prevention of scornful behavior, which is number 4, right?
27:02
If you do not think you are the smartest person in the room, you
27:05
cannot look down on the people around you.
27:09
Edwards describes scorn as treating others with contempt or
27:12
ridicule, looking down on those below you with a haughty,
27:16
supercilious air. He says the proud person treats
27:19
others as though they were scarcely worthy of their regard.
27:22
I instantly think of Internet troll culture and the outrage
27:26
machine of modern social media. Oh, that is the perfect example.
27:29
The entire system runs on scorn. We build our social in groups by
27:33
mocking out groups. We sit around and relate what
27:36
others have said or done just to make sport of.
27:38
It it's so common. It is a massive social currency
27:42
right now to be witty, sarcastic and cutting at someone else's
27:45
expense. We elevate our own status by
27:47
tearing someone else down. Edwards counters that toxic
27:50
culture with the biblical alternative humility disposes a
27:54
person to condescend to men of low estate.
27:56
Condescend in a good way. Yes, not in a patronizing way.
27:59
It means treating inferiors, whether they're younger, less
28:03
educated, or working in a lower socioeconomic position, with
28:06
genuine courtesy and affability. A humble person realizes that it
28:11
is God alone who makes them to differ from anyone else.
28:14
If you have an advantage in intelligence, health or wealth,
28:18
it is an unearned gift from a sovereign God, not a reason to
28:22
mock those who lack. It and when you stop mocking
28:24
people, you realize you don't always have to win every
28:26
disagreement. This eliminates stubborn or
28:29
willful behavior. Our fifth point.
28:31
Right. A humble person will not set up
28:34
their own will and insist that everything must go according to
28:37
their specific plan. They do not make everyone around
28:40
them uneasy just because they didn't get their way.
28:43
But this raises an important question.
28:45
What is that? Does this mean a humble person
28:47
is just a passive pushover? Does it mean they never stand
28:50
their ground or fight for what is right?
28:52
That is a great question. Edwards addresses this
28:55
carefully. He states that a humble man is
28:58
inflexible only in the cause of his Lord and Master, which is
29:01
the cause of truth and virtue. OK, so there is a time to stand
29:04
firm. Yes, when conscience and God's
29:07
moral law require it, the humble person is absolutely unbending.
29:12
But in all private matters, things that only concern their
29:15
own personal interests or preferences, they are highly
29:18
apartment to yield to others for the sake of peace.
29:21
Think about the arguments that tear apart extended families or
29:24
even cause massive chirp splits. No, it is tragic.
29:28
Usually it is not over massive theological truth like the
29:31
resurrection or the Trinity. It is over preferences.
29:35
Like the carpet color? Yes, it is over who was offended
29:38
at Thanksgiving dinner, or what color the new carpet in the
29:41
lobby should be, or what style of music the band is playing.
29:44
Petty things. We dig our heels in over things
29:47
that fundamentally, mentally, do not matter because our pride
29:50
cannot handle the perceived indignity of yielding.
29:52
We want to win the argument. It is all about ego.
29:55
Humility says I will lose this argument about where we go to
29:58
dinner or what color the walls are because the peace of this
30:01
community is infinitely more valuable than my personal
30:03
preference. Because a humble person yields
30:06
their preferences, they are not threatened by the success or
30:09
authority of others. This prevents what Edwards calls
30:12
leveling behavior. Number six, I really want to
30:16
look into the psychology of this term.
30:18
Leveling behavior sounds incredibly relevant to our
30:20
current cultural moment. Leveling behavior is the
30:24
tendency to tear down superiors to your own level while
30:27
simultaneously refusing to lift inferiors up to your level.
30:31
That is a fascinating dynamic. It is a fundamental refusal to
30:34
render honor where honor is due. A person who exhibits leveling
30:38
behavior cannot stand the idea that anyone is above them and
30:42
authority, talent OR public honor.
30:44
They constantly criticize, nitpick and diminish those in
30:47
leadership or high positions. It is what they call tall poppy
30:51
syndrome in Australia and New Zealand, right?
30:53
Exactly. If a poppy grows taller than the
30:55
rest of the field, you cut it down so the field looks even.
30:57
We see this constantly in our media cycles.
31:00
We really do. We love to build heroes up,
31:02
whether they are athletes, politicians or artists, and then
31:05
we ruthlessly tear them down to prove they are no better than we
31:08
are. We comb through their past to
31:10
find a flaw so we can drag them back down to the mud with the
31:12
rest of us. It is a defense mechanism for
31:15
the fragile ego. But Edward says a humble person
31:19
is content with the divine arrangement that there are
31:22
gradations in society. They're willing to obey civil
31:25
magistrates, render tribute where tribute is due, and give
31:29
honor where honor is due. They're not threatened by
31:31
someone else having authority over them because their ultimate
31:35
identity is secure in their relationship with God, not in
31:39
their social rank. Finally, we reached the last
31:42
behavior. Humility prevents number 7, and
31:45
it might be the most difficult one of all to conquer self
31:47
justifying behavior. That is a tough one.
31:50
When a humble person falls into a fault, makes a mistake, or
31:54
injuries another person, they are willing to acknowledge it
31:57
and take the shame to themselves.
31:59
They do not fight a bitter war to defend themselves when they
32:02
know they're in the wrong. It is agonizing for proud people
32:05
to admit fault. The human mind will deploy
32:08
incredible amounts of mental gymnastics to explain why our
32:12
bad behavior was actually justified, or why it was
32:15
fundamentally someone else's fault.
32:17
We say things like I wouldn't have yelled at you if you hadn't
32:20
forgotten to pay the bill. Right, shifting the blame.
32:22
Or I know I lied, but the system is rigged against me anyway.
32:26
That is pure self justification. We act as our own defense
32:29
attorney. Edwards highlights the command
32:31
in James 5.11. Confess your faults one to
32:34
another. He notes that a humble person
32:37
actually prizes reproof. Reprise it.
32:39
Yes. When a neighbor, a spouse, or a
32:42
friend offers Christian admonition, the proud person
32:45
becomes intensely angry and bitter.
32:47
They attack the messenger. And the humble.
32:49
Person, the humble person treats that correction as an excellent
32:52
oil. As the psalmist describes it,
32:55
they see correction as a profound mark of kindness
32:57
because they know their own heart is deceitful and they know
33:00
they are often blind to their own glaring faults.
33:03
I want to challenge you as you're listening to this, to run
33:06
your own workplace dynamics or your family interactions through
33:10
this checklist. We just covered a lot of ground.
33:11
It is a very convicting list. Ask yourself honestly, are you
33:15
ambitious for your own glory? Are you ostentatious with your
33:18
achievements on social media? Do you assume everyone should
33:22
listen to your opinions? Do you scorn and mock those who
33:25
disagree with you? Are you stubborn over petty
33:28
private preferences? Do you actively resent those in
33:31
authority over you? Do you violently defend yourself
33:34
when someone offers a mild criticism?
33:36
It is a brutal mirror to look into.
33:38
But it is a necessary diagnostic tool.
33:41
Having laid out that rigorous behavioral checklist, Edwards
33:44
acknowledges a trap, which leads us to a necessary diagnostic
33:47
test. OK, what is the trap?
33:49
Human beings are incredibly clever and people can fake these
33:52
outward behaviors. You can act yielding or avoid
33:55
ostentatious displays for entirely selfish and
33:58
manipulative reasons. Oh, that makes sense.
34:00
So how do we know if our humility is authentic or a
34:03
counterfeit production of the ego?
34:05
Right, you might act quiet and unassuming just because you want
34:09
people to praise you for being so quiet and unassuming.
34:12
You are using the appearance of humility to feed your ambition
34:16
for praise. It is a psychological hall of
34:19
mirrors. Edwards details several
34:21
imitations to help us spot the counterfeit.
34:24
The first is affected humility, which is basically play acting.
34:28
Like putting on a show. Right.
34:31
It is adopting A pious tone of voice or wearing shabby clothes
34:34
to signal to everyone how detached you are from the world.
34:37
What is the second one? The second counterfeit is
34:40
natural low spiritedness. This is a crucial distinction.
34:44
Some people are just naturally timid, or lack physical courage,
34:48
or have a melancholy temperament.
34:50
They might seem humble because they never speak up in a meeting
34:52
and never assert themselves, but their silence is born of fear,
34:56
social anxiety or clinical depression, not a spiritual
34:59
apprehension of God's infinite greatness.
35:02
I think this is a massive point of confusion In modern church
35:05
culture. We often confuse introversion or
35:08
shyness with spiritual humility. We do, but being shy or lacking
35:11
confidence is not the same as having a joyful submission to
35:15
God's vastness. A shy person might still be
35:18
incredibly proud, sitting in the corner, internally boiling with
35:22
resentment that they aren't being recognized by the crowd.
35:25
Right. Their focus is still entirely on
35:27
themselves, they are just afraid of failure.
35:28
Interesting. Edwards also mentions temporary
35:31
depression. Under a guilty conscience, a
35:34
person might act very abased and broken when they are caught in a
35:37
public scandal or when they are facing severe legal or financial
35:41
adversity. They are just sorry they got
35:43
caught. Exactly.
35:44
They weep, they apologize, they look completely humbled.
35:47
But as soon as the pressure is off, as soon as the threat of
35:50
punishment fades, their native pride returns with full force.
35:53
That is so common. He even mentions A counterfeit
35:56
humility wrought by the delusions of Satan, designed to
35:59
make a person focus so much on their own worthlessness that
36:03
they despair of God's grace entirely.
36:05
So how does true humility look different from timidity?
36:08
A truly humble person can actually be incredibly bold.
36:12
Look at the apostles in the New Testament.
36:15
Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin, the religious elite,
36:18
the very men who had the political authority to execute
36:21
them. They boldly defied orders to
36:24
stop preaching. They were certainly not timid.
36:26
No, they were not low spirited. They didn't cower in the corner,
36:30
But they were incredibly humble because their confidence rested
36:33
entirely on God's strength, not their own.
36:37
They knew they were just two-dimensional stick figures,
36:39
but they knew the three-dimensional God had
36:41
commanded them to speak. Edwards concludes this analysis
36:45
with a severe, sobering warning to the prideful.
36:48
He highlights that pride is the specific defining sin of devils.
36:53
The sin of devils, yes. When human being refuses to
36:56
submit to God, disregard His sovereignty, and trust in their
36:59
own strength and wisdom, they are imitating the exact posture
37:02
of Satan. The Apostle Paul warns Timothy
37:05
not to ordain a novice unless being lifted up with pride, he
37:08
fall into the condemnation of the devil.
37:10
It is not just a minor character flaw, it is aligning yourself
37:14
with the cosmic rebellion. Edwards points out that God sets
37:17
himself in battle array against the proud.
37:19
He lists biblical examples of terrible judgments falling on
37:22
those who exalted themselves. Like Pharaoh?
37:25
Yes, Pharaoh, who stubbornly refused to let Israel go, asking
37:30
Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice?
37:32
And Belshazzar. Belshazzar, who arrogantly drank
37:36
wine from the sacred vessels of the temple while praising gods
37:39
of gold and silver, and Herod, who accepted the worship of the
37:43
crowd, allowing them to call his voice the voice of a God and was
37:47
immediately struck down. God actively, vehemently opposed
37:51
His pride because it is a direct assault on His reality and His
37:55
sovereign throne. It is a sobering thought to end
37:58
our textual analysis on. We have covered a massive amount
38:01
of conceptual ground today. We really have.
38:03
If we pull all these threads together.
38:05
It comes down to this true humility is not feeling bad
38:08
about yourself. It is not walking around with a
38:10
manufactured sense of sadness. No, it starts with an accurate
38:13
measurement. It is measuring our finite
38:15
fallen selves against God's infinite greatness and His
38:19
captivating, beautiful grace. When we see that reality
38:22
clearly, it totally reworks our relationship with heaven and
38:25
earth. We stop demanding that God
38:27
answer to us, and we stop demanding worship and validation
38:31
from our neighbors. The practical application for
38:33
the listener is to actively seek this spirit.
38:37
We cannot manufacture it through sheer willpower, but we can put
38:41
ourselves in a posture to receive it.
38:43
How do we do that? We must consistently confess our
38:46
comparative nothingness, aggressively distrust our own
38:49
self-sufficiency, and actively fight against those arrogant,
38:52
scornful and self justifying habits Edwards outlined.
38:56
As the psalmist notes, a broken and contrite heart is the most
38:59
acceptable sacrifice we can offer to God.
39:02
It is the only soil where genuine charity can grow.
39:05
I want to leave you with a final thought to chew on something
39:08
that builds on everything we have discussed today.
39:10
We live in a society that equates relentless self
39:12
promotion with basic survival. Without a doubt.
39:15
Whether you are in a high stakes job interview, setting up a
39:18
dating app profile or networking at an industry conference, the
39:22
universally accepted rule is to amplify your strengths, hide
39:26
your weaknesses and project an aura of absolute confidence.
39:31
We are told to build a brand out of our own ego.
39:33
It is exhausting. But what if the exact opposite
39:36
is true? Is it possible that radical
39:39
Edwards style humility is actually the most magnetic and
39:42
countercultural trait a human being can possess today?
39:45
That is a brilliant way to frame it.
39:47
Think about how refreshing it is to meet someone who doesn't need
39:50
to prove they are the smartest person in the room.
39:53
Think about how attractive it is to be around someone who is
39:55
entirely secure in God's love so they don't need to harvest
39:58
praise from you. What if aiming for nothingness
40:01
before God is the only way to actually become whole?
40:04
It completely flips the script on what the modern world values
40:07
as success and strength. It really does.
40:09
It fixes that broken X-ray machine.
40:11
It clears up the Muddy Waters of our own self deception and shows
40:15
us what a healthy, properly calibrated human soul actually
40:18
looks like. Thank you for joining us on this
40:21
deep dive into the source material.
40:22
We hope this is challenge your thinking, expose some of the
40:25
pride we all carry, and giving you a new framework for looking
40:27
at your own heart. Until next time, keep looking
40:30
past the surface. Take care.