As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
Read Part 1.
Why the “fear and trembling” in Philippians 2:12? In the three verses that come before, it says,
Therefore, God also highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Php 2:9-11, LSB)
In Philippians 2, there is an overarching theme of unity the church with the more specific application of obedience that points toward our need for humility. But humility is a slippery thing. When you say you have it, you do not.
In this article, I want to turn our attention to our need to follow the model the Lord Jesus Christ laid out. We need to be humble, and this is shown when we humble ourselves in obedience before the Lord Jesus. Concerning this and the danger of false humility, Charles Spurgeon has written:
“The lack of vocal opposition by the (American) Senate to the nomination of multiple candidates whose lifestyle fits the definition of moral turpitude is an apt reflection of what Alasdair MacIntyre has described in his book After Virtue.” - Mere Orthodoxy
“Last month, the National Institutes of Health found one of its top neuroscientists guilty of scientific misconduct.” - Breakpoint
“in the three presidential election cycles since 2012, when Gallup first measured presidential qualities this way, the candidate with the higher honest/trustworthy score has won.” - Gallup
“These changes are consistent with… overall favorable ratings. Biden’s most recent favorable rating, 41%, is down eight points from the end of the 2020 campaign, while Trump’s 42% is statistically similar to the 45% 2020 reading.” - Gallup
“Charles Spurgeon said, ‘By perseverance, the snail reached the ark.’ This beautiful art illustrating Spurgeon’s words was created by Eden Kell” - Randy Alcorn
A scandal remembered: The sad lessons of the Clinton impeachment, 25 years later - WORLD
“Jesus reminds you that you can only be one person. You can’t hide behind manicured pictures, or a new product, or a more edgy tone…. ask God to help you cultivate digital integrity. How do you do that?” - Ref21
“I have often heard it said that character is who you are when no one is looking…. But as I considered the character of an elder, I also found myself challenged with this: Character is who you are when only your family is looking.” - Challies
Discussion