Walking Worthy: Characteristics Pt 1

There are several people that have impacted my life because they were humble and gentle. Three are godly men from the church I attended in my high school and young adult years. All three had their doctorates from seminary, two were professors at the nearby seminary, and the third was the senior pastor at my church. Yet, if you were to have met these men, you would never have known their education and abilities. They were humble, gentle, lovers of God who loved and served God’s people. All three, along with their wives, welcomed my family into their homes. Granted, I did not witness every moment of their lives, but in what I did, I never witnessed pride or harshness. Because of their humility and gentleness, they forever impacted my life.

Last week, we looked at the call to walk worthy. Today we will look at the first two characteristics of walking worthy: humility and gentleness.

 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.^[1]

Ephesians 4:1-6 (emphasis added)

Humility and gentleness are closely tied. In fact, I’m not sure how you could be truly gentle apart from a humble attitude first.

Walking worthy is characterized with all humility and gentleness. All emphasizes how essential humility and gentleness are to walking worthy.

Neither Greeks nor Romans had a term for humility. The whole idea of humility was loathsome to them. It was considered a weakness. The Greeks and Romans had other derogatory words they used in relation to the idea of humility such as ignoble and cowardly. It is thought that the word humility was created by Christians. In the first few centuries, humility began to be used by pagan writers in a degrading way, often referring to Christians.

The Greek and Roman view of humility is far from the Biblical view. Humility understands that all we have, are, and do are a result of God’s grace towards us (1 Corinthians 4:7). Humility recognizes one’s own unworthiness, being the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). Humility understands that Jesus alone is perfectly righteous, and every other being falls short of the glory of God (Luke 5:8). Humility knows that God is holy, holy, holy and glorious (Isaiah 6:1-7). Before God, we are undone by our sin (Job 42:6). It is only by God’s mercy and grace that we are saved (vs 2:4-10). Humility allows us to see ourselves as we truly are before a holy God.

God’s grace is not as precious to us if we don’t understand our sin and who we once were apart from Christ (vs 2:1-3). In a similar way, we don’t value humility as we should until we comprehend God’s thoughts about humility’s opposite: pride.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

James 4:6 (see also 1 Peter 5:5; Proverbs 15:25)

Pride brings disgrace (Proverbs 11:2) and leads to conflict (Proverbs 13:10). Pride is from this world not from God (1 John 2:16). Jesus included pride in the list of things from within that defile a person (Mark 7:20-23). Pride fueled Lucifer to rebel against God. Pride tempted Adam and Eve to sin in the garden. They wanted to be like God (Genesis 3:1-6). Every other sin since is pride raising its head in different forms.

The Bible lists many consequences of pride, but the truth we should take to heart is from the verse in James. God opposes the proud. As we learned from the first three chapters of Ephesians, we have nothing to boast in except God and what God has done. Pride is about self not about God. Pride usurps all the glory and praise that God alone deserves which is why God opposes the proud. Pride is an attitude set against God, saying, “I don’t need you.”

In contrast, God gives grace to the humble. Humility is commanded. “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” (Micah 6:8). It is better for us to choose humility than for God to humble us (1 Peter 5:6; Matthew 23:12).

A key passage on humility begins with a command for humility: “Do nothing from selfish ambition 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” (Philippians 2:3-4). We learn from these verses that not only are we humble before God, but we are humble with others. Humility counts others as more significant than ourselves and looks to others interests not only our own. Humility is not self-focused (pride), but rather seeks to glorify God first and then encourage and build others up second.

But Paul didn’t stop with the command in Philippians 2. He gave us the supreme example of humility: “who, though he [Jesus] 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” (Philippians 2:6-8). Jesus could have grasped His equality with the Father. He could have remained in heaven, never taking on flesh and the daily humility of being fully man. Jesus’ humility didn’t stop there. He humbled Himself to die a shameful death on the cross, beaten, naked, mocked, and crucified.

Jesus, the Son of God, willingly humbled Himself to the point of death to bring glory to the Father and to save us. Jesus said of Himself that he came not to be served but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45; Matthew 20:28). Humility is a servant mindset.

Humility is necessary for God’s work in us to be accomplished. Salvation and sanctification require us to confess our dependence on and need for what only God can do. As pride is the root for other sins, humility is the root for all other virtues. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus began with: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:2). We cannot be gentle, patient, bear with one another in love, or maintain the unity of the Spirit if we don’t first abandon all self-reliance and cast ourselves in utter dependence on God.

Gentleness is also an attitude that is seen as weakness by the world, but it is the opposite. The Greek word for gentleness or meekness (praotēs) originally referred to a wild animal that had been tamed. The animal still possessed its strength and spirit, but they were under the control of the animal’s master. In Biblical usage, gentleness is power under God’s control. David, when Saul sought to kill him, had opportunities to take Saul’s life, but he restrained himself. He had the power and the opportunity, but he placed his power under God’s control, leaving Saul’s fate in God’s hands.

An even more vivid example is Jesus during his arrest. Jesus, being fully God as well as fully man, had all power. One word would have felled all those who came to arrest Him, but His power was under God’s control. He was submitting to God’s greater plan of redemption.

Gentle was the word Jesus used to describe Himself: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). Jesus never compromised truth, but He spoke truth with compassion, kindness, and soft encouragement. Even when speaking to the Pharisees or turning over tables in the Temple courtyard, His power was under control.

Paul wrote to Timothy stating: “the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:24-25, emphasis added). Correction should be done with gentleness.

Gentleness is essential when restoring someone caught in any transgression (Galatians 6:1). If we connect this back to an attitude of humility, we will be able to be gentle with a brother or sister caught in sin. We know that we have the same standing as they before God. We can show them grace because we have received grace.

Can you see how gentleness must come from humility? Pride wants to exercise one’s own power and isn’t self-controlled. Pride does not submit to the control of another. Gentleness willingly responds to God and His Word. Gentleness responds to others in a Christ-like way. Humility and gentleness characterize walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called.

Reflection

1.    Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector. The Pharisee was proud, thanking God that he was not like sinners and extolling his self-righteousness. The tax collector stood far off, wouldn’t lift his eyes to heaven, and beat his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:10-13). The tax collector knew he had nothing to commend himself to God and everything to condemn him. Where does pride rear its head in your life (abilities, gifts, education, possessions, job, position, image, appearance, church involvement, Biblical knowledge)? What specific ways can you cultivate an attitude of humility?

2.    In your own words, how would a humble attitude help you be gentle, patient, bear with others in love, maintain the unity of the Spirit, and serve others?

3.    What is a current situation where you could respond with gentleness (power under God’s control)? What would it look like for you to respond with gentleness in that situation?

4.    If someone were to try to correct or restore you, describe the difference it might make if that person did it with gentleness?   

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 4:1–6.