There is a
pride that shows itself in the Church. It is a pride over imagined spiritual
maturity, based either on the amount of time a person has followed the Lord or
on what they think to be spiritual depth (this is usually much greater in
attitude than in reality!). They subtly – and sometimes not-so-subtly – make
sure you (and everyone else) know how much more superior they are and how
relatively immature you are compared to them. They do this to have a stronger
voice in the group. They do this to build themselves up in their own minds (and
in the minds of everyone around them). They do this to keep you in your place
(below them). I know this is discouraging, especially when you’d like to “shock
and awe” them into submission publicly and memorably. But this wouldn’t help
them spiritually, would weaken the Church (even more than they themselves are),
and most of all would not be beneficial to your own growth in the faith.
This is a
foundational flaw to the sinful human being. You are not being hurt by anything
novel or unique to your own experience. You aren’t even the offended party. God
is. Their boastful pride is an affront to the God Who created them and saved
them. You are collateral damage.
- “Now the serpent was more
crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he
said to the woman, ‘Indeed, has God said, “You shall not eat from any tree
of the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘From the fruit of the
trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in
the middle of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat from it or
touch it, or you will die.”’ The serpent said to the woman, ‘You surely
will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will
be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the
woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to
the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she
took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her,
and he ate”
(Genesis 3:1-6).
- “Do not love the world nor the
things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is
not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the
lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father,
but is from the world” (1 John 2:15,16).
After the
Exodus generation died in the wilderness for their rebellion, Moses renewed
God’s covenant with the next generation. This generation had been raised in the
wilderness and were now about to conquer the Promised Land. An offering of
first fruits was commanded, with a liturgy built into it to give glory to the
gracefully giving God and to keep spiritual pride at bay: “Then it shall be,
when you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance,
and you possess it and live in it, that you shall take some of the first of all
the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the LORD your
God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place
where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name. You shall go to the
priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare this day to the
LORD my God that I have entered the land which the LORD swore to our fathers to
give us.’ Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set
it down before the altar of the LORD your God. You shall answer and say before
the LORD your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down
to Egypt
and sojourned there, few in number; but there he became a great, mighty and
populous nation. And the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, and
imposed hard labor on us. Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers,
and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our
oppression; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an
outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders; and He has
brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with
milk and honey. Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the
ground which You, O LORD have given me.’ And you shall set it down
before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God; and you and the
Levite and the alien who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the
LORD your God has given you and your household” (Deuteronomy
26:1-11). Notice the language of the liturgy. All that the worshiper has is
“given” from God, not from the worshiper or from the worshiper’s heritage. In
fact, the patriarchs are purposefully minimized in this liturgy: “My father
was a wandering Aramean.” Israel
(Jacob) is not to be the source of pride to the people. God is their boasting.
They later
needed to be reminded of their humble origins: “Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem, ‘Your
origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite, your father was an
Amorite and your mother a Hittite. As for your birth, on the day you were
born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing;
you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths. No eye looked with
pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you.
Rather you were thrown out into the open field, for you were abhorred on the
day you were born. When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I
said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you while you
were in your blood, ‘Live!’” (Ezekiel 16:3-6). The people needed to be
reminded that they have just as much in common with the ungodly pagans of the
land as they do with the faithful wanderers who were their fathers. This is
true for us, as well. We still have much of the old humanity dwelling in us
(Romans 6:6; Ephesians 4:22; Colossians 3:9), though we have put on Christ by
faith (Romans 13:14; Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10) and are
in union in Him. The problem here is that some – God forbid it is us – have
much more of the ungodly character inward, masked by a mask of mature
Christianity. They can spout Scripture, have mastered the voice and language of
a deep disciple (sometimes they do a good imitation of spiritual humility), but their motivation and words have a thread of serpent in
them. Boastful pride of life, built on putting you down. And keeping you there. Sadly, other believers will buy their act.
This is not
the attitude of true believers. If anyone would have reason to boast, it would have
been Paul. He wrote significant portions of the New Testament! Top that! What
was Paul’s character? Boastful? “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, Who has
strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service,
even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent
aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and
the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are
found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full
acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I
am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the
foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for
those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal,
immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen”
(1 Timothy 1:12-17).
Jesus
taught that this attitude is the heart of what it means to be God’s faithful servant:
“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ And the Lord said, ‘If
you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, “Be
uprooted and be planted in the sea”; and it would obey you. Which of you,
having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in
from the field, “Come immediately and sit down to eat”? But will he not say to
him, “Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve
me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink”? He does not
thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? So you
too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, “We are unworthy
slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done”’” (Luke
17:5-10). Notice that Jesus taught this to the disciples in response to their
request to grow in faith. A deep faith doesn’t seek honor or glory for service
to God. This is deep faith: a faith that obeys God without expectation of
reward, blessing, or honor.
May those
who are boastful in their spiritual pedigree, imagined maturity, or history of
service take heed to the warning of John the Baptist: “But when he saw many
of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood
of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit
in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves,
“We have Abraham for our father”; for I say to you that from these stones God
is able to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is already laid at the root of
the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire. As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but
He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His
sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork
is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will
gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
fire’” (Matthew 3:7-12). God creates His children. They do not earn this
badge through their own efforts. They do not keep this label through their own
efforts. He creates us, as it were, from mere rocks. He will not permit it that
we boast in our own spiritual self-creation.
Pray for
them. It doesn’t work out well for those who are taking pride in their
spiritual standing. Eve. The Jerusalemites to whom Ezekiel was speaking. The
scribes and Pharisees to whom John the Baptist was railing. We don’t wish this
upon people, even those who are hurtful and damaging to other believers. We
don’t desire to see them fall away, but pray that their eyes are opened to
their pride: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does
not fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Remember that God takes stumbling blocks
in the midst of His people exceedingly serious (Matthew 18:1-10).
Use their
example of pride as a warning and continual opportunity to take stock of the
remaining pride in your own life. You have pride. I know you are being hurt and
oppressed by those boastful souls who are being prideful, but this doesn’t make
you a pure innocent. Prayerfully dig deep. It’s there.
Stay
focused. These boastful ones have got it into their minds that we are gathered
by God as the Church for their self-esteem and their social agenda. Trying to
put them in their place or continually trying to counter their barbs,
attitudes, and sneaking whisperings will only distract the Body from its
calling. When these try to push the Church off-track, consider doubling down on
the Commission of the Church to pursue missions, evangelism, church planting,
and discipleship. These who are doing the work of the accuser of the brethren
(Revelation 12:10) must be opposed by weapons – but not physical weapons. Get
on-mission even more than you are. Encourage other believers. Pray. Stay in the
Word and under its faithful teaching. Get out there with “the whole message
of this Life” (Acts 5:20), even if “out there” is your own household. How far
can you go for the proclamation of Christ?
Give God
praise for all that He has done in saving you and adopting you as His child
through Christ. Give Him thanks for His Spirit and the Bible. Through the words
of your mouth and meditation of your heart get the focus where it needs to be –
on your great God. This is the needful discipline for you in this moment of
trial. His Church will prevail and grow stronger, but only if the true
disciples in its midst live in simple, faithful obedience to His Word, by the
power of the Spirit, through the lordship of the Son, to the glory of the
Father.
