Unity, Pride and Humility

Unity, Pride and Humility
1 July, 2003

"¹If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." -- Philippians 2:1-4

Unity for God's People is a noble, if not lofty goal. Jesus prayed for it (John 17:23), Paul encouraged, even stressed it (1 Cor. 1:10). Yet today we see divisions over all kinds of doctrines. What it all boils down to though, it Pride. People say they separate over matters of worship and doctrine, but what is behind that? A person's pride. They are too proud to see that they could be misunderstanding or misinterpreting something. Their pride has them thinking that they are correct and everyone else is wrong. Unfortunately this sort of pride is running rampant in the church today. It is pride that is the biggest obstacle to unity in the churc.

Self Exaltation is Detrimental

The very people who claim they are in fact correct and have the sole truth, the people who discount what anyone else has to say if it goes against their doctrine, the people who raise themselves up as the fountains of knowledge,these people are responsible in large part to the divisions in the church today. However they are the people who will be brought down by God. Whoever exalts himself, will be humbled:

"Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares the LORD." -- Obediah 4

"He who loves a quarrel loves sin; he who builds a high gate invites destruction." -- Proberbs 17:19

"¹¹The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." -- Matthew 23:12

People who edify themselves do nothing for the church. They sow division and strife by claiming anyone who disagrees with them to be a false teacher. We know God will bring them down, but what can we do?

We MUST be Humble

We must set an example for the rest of the church. We must not let ourselves be drawn into their foolish arguments:

"²³Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." -- 2 Timothy 2:23-24

They will try to bait us, but we must stay away. We must raise ourselves above having to be right. We must put on humility:

"He has showed you, O man, 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
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." -- James 4:10
"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." -- Romans 12:3

We should ALWAYS defend the truth, and stand on the Truth, Jesus Christ, but this can be done better by living like Jesus and by being humble before the Church, then by getting involved in foolish arguments. If we reflect Jesus in our actions, we can have a much greater impact.

We Should Raise Others Above ourselves...

Part of reflecting Jesus includes putting others ahead our ourselves. In the above passage, Paul tells us, "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Jesus gives us the perfect example, when he gets down and washes his disciples' feet:

"²The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. ³Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." -- John 13:2-5

He then tells them:

"¹³You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. ¹⁵I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." -- John 13:13-17

Part of reflecting Jesus is following His example. We should serve others, putting them ahead of ourselves. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul exhorts us:

"Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others." -- 1 Corinthians 10:24

"⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth." -- 1 Corinthians 13:4-6

In order to truly reflect Jesus, we must follow His example. We need to serve others, like He did. We must be Humble, like He was.

CONCLUSION:

Pride is the biggest obstacle to unity in the church, but we can overcome that pride with our own humility. Instead of getting involved in foolish arguments, we can reflect Jesus. When we live the truth, we will have a much greater impact on people. We must be humble, before God and before man. We should serve others, and raise them above ourselves. By putting aside our own interests and looking to those of others, we can reflect Jesus. Then the pride and folly of those who sow division and strife in the church will be exposed. "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." - Provebs 11:2

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