humility

Unalloyed Humility

by Ben Zornes · Sep 9, 2024

Everyone esteems the idea of humility. But no one wants to be humble. None of us would dare say that we have fully learned how to be humble in all circumstances. If you think you’ve mastered the virtue of humility you have only signaled that you are still in preschool when it comes to this grace. As the old quip goes, “If you won a trophy for humility would you put it on your shelf?”

This meal reminds us and testifies to the only perfected humility the world has ever seen. Here is pure, unalloyed humility. This meal shows the Lord’s death until He comes. That death is, in holy irony, the pinnacle of lowliness. The Most High and everliving God the Son became a man, and then went down in the depths of death.

The Highest went the lowest. The holiest became accursed. The Word of Life and Light went down into death and darkness. He did this, with eyes wide open, with full knowledge of what He was undertaking. He did all this for the most mysterious of reasons: to bring man out of the slums of sin and into the exalted presence of God’s glory.

Now, you are invited here to a feast in celebration of humility. The virtue which eludes us, but is perfectly demonstrated in Christ, is now the bread we eat and the wine we drink. You are beckoned to humble yourself and receive all of grace, all that God has to give, all His promises and blessings. Receive it all with simple faith, not in your righteousness or merit, but in the great humiliation of Christ. Would you be holy? Well then, humble yourself and feed upon this loaf and drink this cup of the pure humility of Christ. Those whom God humbles are the same whom He raises up.

So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ…

A Feast of Humility

by Ben Zornes · Mar 7, 2024

It is possible to eat & drink the elements on this table and not partake of the spiritual reality they point to. This table is laden with incarnate humility. Christ humbled himself to death, and invites you into the glory He obtained in His humiliation. But to do so, you must humble yourself. If you haven’t noticed, however, that’s not something we generally like to do.

The ungodly hate the thought of humbling themselves. History is littered with examples of hubris and pride of man. Think of the tower of Babel. Or of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue of…wait for it…himself. Another example which isn’t recorded in the NT, but took place in the days of the early church is worth bearing in mind: Nero once set up a 12 story statue of…you guessed it…himself. That man makes Narcissus look positively unassuming.

But this meal is not a mirror for you to fondly gaze upon yourself. It is sign of God’s oath to bind you unto Himself through the humiliation of Christ. Set before you, by the kindness and love of God, is the glory of humility. Here is the flesh and blood of the Lord of glory, who became the man of sorrows.

How is it that the vanity of man’s empires are brought low, while Christ’s empire marches on to universal conquest? It is all due to the great humiliation of God the Son. And He invites you to join in the glory of lowliness of mind. The glory of service. The splendor of being spilled out. As Jonathan Edwards put it, “Humility is a most essential and distinguishing trait in all true piety!”

The meek of the earth gather here at the Lord’s table to feast upon the humble God who descended into the depths, in order to raise you up into His glory.

So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ…

Confined by Fear

by Ben Zornes · Feb 26, 2024

One of the most important spiritual vital signs is whether you have a low-grade fever of fear. Do you wince easily? Is your mind tangled up with nightmares of all the scenarios of things going wrong? Have you been fretting over all the bad things in the headlines, and letting your emotional state be dictated by oil prices in Saudi Arabia? This sort of fear is rightly described in Scripture as having torment.

Fear will sap your strength and will. It will rob your joy. Your voice will quaver in timidity instead of being raised in praise. Letting fear wander the hallways of your life unchecked will make it certain that you only do the safest of things. You won’t stand up against evil. You won’t venture out of your comfort zone. You’ll be confined to the small chamber of safety, as defined by all your fears.

But where God’s Spirit dwells, there His love dwells too. This love, we are told, casts out our fears. If you know that God has manifested His love to You through Christ, and your sins are forgiven and abundant and everlasting life is your birthright you can walk fearless.

Whereas fear confines you, God’s love is deep and wide and long. This is why the attribute which defined the early church was that of boldness. It is how Acts describes the early Christians, and it is what Paul asks the church to pray that he would have, even in his imprisonment. Now, this boldness doesn’t mean being a loud-mouth. Rather, this boldness is the straightforward declaration of the Gospel, and the fruit of a life assured of this Gospel. The security of knowing that God’s love is upon you and dwells in you, wherever you go makes you fearless regardless of any persecution, famine, distress, or peril you might encounter.

God’s people throughout history have been marked by their fearlessness. They have rebuked kings, faced down armies singlehandedly, put the enemy to flight, and preached righteousness to a stiff-necked people. They have done this because they feared not man, while reverently fearing God Almighty. When we get this backward it cripples our witness, confines our lives, and kills our joy. May God forgive us for trembling before the threats and worries of this world, instead of standing steadfast and certain in His love. And may He grant unto us a true evangelical boldness to live and declare His truth in this dark age we live.

The Empty Shell of Originality

by Ben Zornes · Feb 20, 2024

There is a nefarious lust within us as humans. It’s a craving for uniqueness, originality, and innovation. This is seen clearly in how insistent modern man is on society’s unquestioned acceptance of every person’s supposedly unique identity. It also shows up the erasure of great men and women from history. We don’t want to be reminded of the glories of past generations because that would cast a shade on our lame livestream.

No matter how dearly we believe in our individuality and uniqueness, there’s a truth that haunts at every turn: absolutely everything you are and do is imitative. Peter tells us that we receive a “vain tradition” from our forefathers; a tradition of conformity to sin (1 Pt. 1:14,18). Solomon tells us there’s nothing new under the sun (Ecc. 1:9). Generations rise and fall, but they invariably follow each other’s footsteps of folly.

This craving for uniqueness is a race to escape the reality of our human nature. You were made to mirror God’s glory as a free creature of a Sovereign God. To despise this truth is to despise your humanity, and to succumb to beast-hood; descending into the thoughtlessness of a herd creature.

Every glory of art, science, literature, music, and mathematics accomplished by mankind is a borrowed glory. It is a grain of sand on the shore of the brilliance of God’s creative decrees. Our sub-creations borrow every molecule from the Mouth which spoke it into being. Our symphonies are mere echoes of the vibrations of the Spirit over the waters. Our inventions are more accurately described as unveilings of God’s infinite innovation.

So then, to be truly human is to be humble before the Triune God. Acknowledge Him as Lord over all, and so make and be and do in the light of His splendor. Content in Him we find true goodness.

It was pride which drug Lucifer from his height, and so too our first parents were deluded with the notion of partaking of “god-ness” without first humbling themselves before God. Our cultural obsession with being unique and standing out and being different are all irritating notes that are too flat or sharp; this song of our arrogance carries no melody and will abide no harmonies. May God forgive us for rejoicing in the dimness of our own light, when everything we are and have and do come from the light of His glory. May we be humble, that we might be raised up in the glory of our union with Jesus, the true image of the invisible God.

By humbling yourself before God, confessing your sins to Him, you do not lose yourself, instead you find glory. Scripture makes it plain that the path to glory comes first through humility before God.

How Not to Prosper

by Ben Zornes · Mar 6, 2023

The only way to live under God’s blessing is to have your sins covered. Too many Christians, however, think that it’s enough to nod in the general direction of “sin”, use plenty of “nobody’s perfect” type platitudes, and then launch into a praise chorus about God’s wonderful grace.

The Word of God tells us that, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper (Pro 28:13).” Many people cover their sins with empty promises to do better. Or they assume that the grape soda of traditional values is a decent substitute for the new wine of the glorious Gospel of God’s grace. They cover their sins by comparing themselves to death-row murderers, drug cartel king-pins, or–worst of all–US Senators. Compared to those guys, I’m doing ok. But this isn’t how God calls you to cover your sins.

God will not be satisfied with lame excuses about how your sin wasn’t as bad as that guys. Or that you have discerned that your sin should actually be called childhood trauma, a brief misstep, a poorly timed joke, or a white lie. But covering your own sins, either by hiding them, lying about them, renaming them, or ignoring them has this assurance from God: it will not prosper. You won’t rest under God’s blessing.

God desires to cover your sin, not by evading the truth, but by bringing you to confess about your sin what God says about your sin. The second half of that earlier verse promises this: “but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Peel the bandaid off. Tell the truth about your sin. Confess it to God, and to those you’ve sinned against. In this alone is how we receive mercy & dwell under God’s blessing. Not by the stubbornness of pride, but by humble faith in His mercy.

God’s great love will truly cover our sins, because it is by His love alone that our sin is revealed by His Holy Law, and then cleansed away as we look to Christ. We must go to God alone for forgiveness for evading our shame and guilt, by not confessing our sin. Whether it be angry outbursts, worried depression, lustful longings, envious discontentment, grumbling bitterness, or loose tongued lies & slanders, give us grace to tell the truth about our sin. The Lord sees it, and we would be fools to try to hide it from Him. So we bring it out into the light of His Word, that we might taste no more the bitter taste of hidden sin, but the sweet honey of Christ’s mercy.

In confessing your sins you bring your sins to the Light of the World, and so you come to walk in the light and He is in the light. This then is the path of true blessing, and clearness of conscience and joy in Christ.

A Loaf & A Cup

by Ben Zornes · Oct 26, 2022

All the glory of heaven, all the blessing of God’s presence, all the joy contained within the Godhead, all the love which flows from Father, to Son, to Spirit is yours to enjoy. And the sign that the Lord chose to assure you that this is true is a loaf & cup.

Though Christ wears the crown, the sign He gives us of our union with the Triune God is a loaf & a cup. Though Christ is the Word, and from His mouth goes forth that conquering sword of His everlasting kingdom, the sign of our welcome as true citizens of that Kingdom is a loaf & a cup. Though Christ suffered the shame of the cross, the sign of partaking with Him is a loaf & a cup. Though Christ is seated upon heaven’s throne, the sign of His rule in our midst is this visible word in these tokens of a loaf & a cup.

Men have imagined many vain ways to ascend to heaven. They think wars of conquest, seeking out mystic knowledge, or the construction of glorious ziggurats will allow them to come boldly into the blazing glory of God’s holy presence. But Jesus shows us that to come to God, you must come and partake of Him by this loaf and this cup. Not by the wisdom or might of men, but by the humble faith which lays hold of Christ.

When you take this Supper, your hands lay hold of Christ’s body broken, and His blood shed. But it does you no good if you do not take hold of Him by humble faith. A humbled faith is content with this humble sign. True faith sees a loaf of bread and cup of wine and comprehends the mystery. By the Holy Spirit this loaf & cup state that all of Christ is given to You.

So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ…

Confused About Humility

by Ben Zornes · Apr 11, 2022

Christ’s humble entrance to Jerusalem isn’t the entrance of a mealy-mouthed push-over. Too often humility is conflated with having a boiled noodle for a spine. Humility isn’t timidity, shyness, or insecurity. Humility is thinking of yourself in accordance with what God says about you.

Christ came, in all humility, to win the lawful Lordship over all the earth. He suffered the indignity, in order to enjoy the dignity of receiving from His Father the Name above all names and being crowned Lord over all. His humility was not aimless insecurity. His humility was displayed in His obedience to the Father’s will. As the Apostle tells us in Hebrews, Christ endured the cross, despising the shame for the joy that was set before Him. The joy was the kingdom He would claim and the bride He would win. His humility was demonstrated in giving Himself entirely to His Father, in order to be given all things by His Father.

As the bride of Christ, we join with Jesus as He takes dominion in this world. We take dominion by imitating our Bridegroom. Joyfully we humble ourselves, not to what the world think we should be or do, but to be & do as our Head has commanded.

As you reflect on Christ’s humiliation this week, keep in mind what Aslan said at the end of the Narnia stories, “You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be.” Christ humbled Himself, in order to gain the joy. You’ve been brought into that joy. The joy of claiming what Christ rightfully died for is ours. The joy of suffering for the Gospel is ours. The joy of sharing in His shame is ours. Joy is the key signature. Joy is the bass line. Joy is the melody. And joy is the song.

The Lord Jesus has given us a great commission, to preach this Gospel in all the earth. Too often we draw back in timidity, instead of stretching forward in courageous faith. When we shrink back in false humility it is because we trust more in the strength of our enemies than in the power of our God. The gates of heaven are flung wide, inviting all the nations of the earth to stream in to worship at Christ’s throne; the gates of hell have been ripped off their hinges and carried away by Christ, the true Samson.

Yet we dawdle away our time on trifles, we nurture secret sins, we compromise with worldliness. All of this is a failure to acknowledge the Lord Jesus as the true King of all the earth. The simple Gospel gives us courage. Through Christ, you are no longer in your sin. God has chosen to set His favor on you. This is the good news that humbles us and fortifies us for the mission He’s given to us.