PRIDE IS CHIEF AMONGST AND OVER THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS. It was this sin that led to Lucifer’s court martial in heaven, and the casting down of both him and a third of the angels to lower realms. His appearance in the Garden of Eden led to his temptation and the subsequent fall of Adam and Eve. Bound by and to their original sin, you and I and all mankind have had to deal with the sin nature that accompanies us every step of our life journey.
That burden is both a curse and a blessing. The curse is the ever-present wound of separation from the presence of God. Our Father has “set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecc. 3:11) The blessing is that this same driving force sets us on the path of the spiritual seeker. What must we do to end the separation between us and God?
Our Christian belief is that God has resolved the human condition of sin through Jesus. His perfected sacrifice on the cross, followed by his death and resurrection, provide the open hand of God beckoning us to the message of the Gospel (c.f. John 3:16, John 3:5-7). Our first step away from sin and towards God comes through a repentant heart that believes and receives this grace (c.f. Rom. 10:9-11) In one sense, this is the only step we need to take. But in a very real way, it is only the first in a pathway that leads endlessly beyond chronos to kairos. The first step is God’s gift, the rest of them require our will and intention.
Since pride is such an archetypal issue, how are we to understand and process how and why to avoid it and its dividing consequences? Jesus, who says “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5), also says “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
The Father says this: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isa. 57:15b) The Father’s prophet adds, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
Biblical meekness is a quality very misunderstood in today’s culture, especially so in western first-world countries. Here, meekness is equated with weakness; the meek are seen as low in self-esteem, and without the pride or capability to stand up for themselves and obtain a better way of life, usually defined in the context of having better and more things. The meek are pushed aside by those driven to succeed; might makes right, and only the strong survive.
Humility is the strongest aspect characteristic of meekness. Strong’s defines *‘meek’ as “that disposition of spirit in which we accept God’s dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting.” Further, that “meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over the situation.” Additionally, “meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time.” Finally, “The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will.”
Ultimately, a meek person is one who is absent of vanity, someone who lacks false pride. This is not to be confused with weakness; instead, the meek person has a Holy-Spirit instructed soul. The meek person has a kingdom of heaven sense of moral and ethical clarity that is enabled by his or her relationship with not just our creator, but our heavenly Father. It is through this that we can properly relate to our fellow man, devoid of the posturing of pride. (c.f. Matt. 22:37-39)
It is in Jesus that we find this quality perfected, and through him that we too begin our own training in humility. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:29-30) The meek are keenly aware of the leading of the Holy Spirit in relationship to the trials of life, and find great value and contentment in being lowly. Paul tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal. 5:22-23) Meekness produces within us, trial by trial, the clear-eyed vision to assess each circumstance we encounter and respond appropriately in discernment, wisdom, and strength of character.
When we seek the Father, we walk a different pathway than those who are driven by temporal desires. This not only as it should be, but in fact is the only pathway that pleases the One who calls us into relationship. This is utterly consistent with the will of the Father, of whom the prophet says “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” (Isa. 66:2b)
Q. What right do I have to boast about anything that I have or have become?
*Strong’s #4239
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