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"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." John 1:1-4
The Reward for Humility
Proverbs 16:19, “It is better to be humble and stay poor than to be one of the arrogant and get a share of their loot.”
There are two diametrically opposed traits which predominantly influence human relationship with God: Humility and arrogance. While humility builds up and strengthens such a relationship, pride, however, makes the existence of it impossible. Human fallenness is the result of pride. Proverbs 18:12 says, “Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.” The haughtiness of the heart of man is what led to the fall of man. When man in the Garden sought to elevate himself to be like God his Creator the consequence was disobedience. Man had a high view of himself and wanted to be like God from whom his existence depends. In his desire to be like God, man brought upon himself curse. As the result the entire human race is in bondage to sin and death.
The pride of our first parents alienated the entire human race from God. God hates pride because man in his pride does not seek after God; he elevates himself above God and acts independently from God and in disobedience to God. Pride in the Scripture is likened to idolatry. “Rebellion (says 1 Samuel 15:23), is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.” Therefore, those who raise themselves up bring about their own ruin and destruction. For thus declares the Lord in Isaiah 13:11, “I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” Isaiah 2:11, “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.”
A humble heart seeks God and exalts Him; he does not consider himself equal to God nor does he seek to be equal to Him. A humble person submits himself to God, serves and obeys Him. By contrast to the proud who exalts himself, it is God who exalts the humble and rewards him with life. It is written, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (James 4:6). Proverbs 22:4 says, “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.”
Just like the broad road and the narrow gate, which each leads to a distinctive destination, the fate of the humble and poor in spirit is distinct from the fate of the arrogant. The reward for the humble and poor in spirit is life, honor and riches in heaven. Thus declares the Lord in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Verse 5, the Lord says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Spiritual poverty and humility are fundamental to building a relationship with God, to knowing God in an intimate way. The Lord Jesus Christ died to save those who are willing to lay down their pride, those who recognize their sinful condition and spiritual brokenness. Christ gave his life to redeem those who acknowledge their inability to rescue themselves from the wrath that is to come, those who admit that they possess no merit, no righteousness of their own; they acknowledge that their works cannot save them, and in humility they turn to Christ in repentance and faith.
The acknowledgement of our spiritual bankruptcy, the renouncement to our natural pride, to our self-righteousness and to any attempt to achieve salvation by our own doing demands humility. And humility leads us to repentance and faith in Christ the Saviour. Unless we acknowledge our sinful condition and humble ourselves before the Lord in repentance and faith, our sins cannot be forgiven nor can we have access to God’s salvific grace. Those who are puffed up with pride cannot have life, which is the reward for humility and is granted by God graciously to those who put their trust in his Beloved Son, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Those who humble themselves, repent of their sins and put their faith in Christ are crowned with everlasting life.
But the wage of the proud is destruction and eternity in hell. Thus declare the Lord in Luke 14:11, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Eternal damnation is the destiny of the proud, of those who beat their chest and shake their fists in the face of God, of those who act independently from the Lord and refuse to lay down their arrogance, of those who refuse to repent of their sins and to seek God’s mercies. Those who wear pride like a necklace cut themselves off from God; they turn down his tender mercies and his saving grace. They store up for themselves wrath for the Day of Judgement. For it is written, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5).
Anyone who follows the ways of the pride will share in their loot; they will share in their reward, which is eternal damnation. If you have not turned to Christ yet, I urge you today to lay down your pride. Recognize your sinful condition, your spiritual poverty and turn to the Lord in repentance and faith. He is the only one who can rescue you from your depravity and from the wrath to come. Repent of your sins today and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That’s who He is – Christ is the Redeemer, the Way to everlasting glory, the means by which the sins of those who humble themselves and seek his mercy are forgiven. Christ willingly laid down his life “so that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life.” (cf. John 3:16).
Christ died for the meek, for the poor in spirit, not for arrogant, self-righteous people. Run to Christ! Otherwise you will be consumed with the proud by God’s holy and righteous wrath on the day He unleashes his wrath upon the sons of disobedience. As 1 Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves, then, under God’s mighty hand, so that He will lift you in his own good time.”