THE EMPTYING

John Dickson defines humility as “the noble choice to forgo your status, deploy your resources, or use your influence for the good of others before yourself.”1 This definition might feel a bit anti-Western thinking. You know, we are told we “deserve” the best, get all we can before others do, look out for number one because no one else will, and I could go on and on. Scripture is filled with admonitions to act in humility.

“The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Matthew 23:11-12

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.  Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
Ephesians 5:1-2

Love each other with genuine affection,  and take delight in honoring each other.
Romans 12:10

He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
John 3:30

Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.
1 Peter 3:8

Again, I could go on and on with Scriptures that speak of living the humble life, loving others the way Jesus loved, and serving from a grateful, humble heart. Dickson says, “Humility is more about how I treat others than how I think about myself.”2 I totally agree. I have heard it said that if I think I am humble, I probably am not, as I am now thinking about self, therefore, I have not put Christ first.

So I want to spend some time looking at how Jesus modeled humility for us. Let’s look at Philippians 2:1-11:

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

There is much to unpack in this passage of Scripture. We are mandated to walk in unity with other believers, to love them, and to be tender and compassionate. If we were to live that way, how different would our world be? We would truly bring light to a dark world.

More importantly, we are to have the attitude of Christ … think thoughts as he would think them … act as if we are truly his representatives. Again, a world-changing movement if we could just grasp the truth of that statement. Frank Thielman states, “An attitude, however, is abstract and remains unknown until it is expressed in some concrete way.”3 Attitudes lead to actions. The attitude of Christ was one of emptying, and of self-sacrifice. Let’s dig a little deeper into that line of thinking.

Jesus “gave up his divine privileges.” He literally emptied himself. The word used is kenoo, which figuratively means, according to Thielman, “nullifying something; making it of no account.”4 Jesus made a choice to step into our world. Through his incarnation, he made a way for all who follow him to live in eternal fellowship with God! What a gift! And how humbling that should be for us. Without Christ’s sacrifice, his choice, we would never have the hope of heaven.

But Jesus went even further. He took on the humble position of a slave. I think we might be far removed from the understanding of the circumstances of the life of a slave in biblical times. Some translations render the Greek word doulos as “servant”, but the word actually means “slave”. The slave in Greco-Roman society was not even allowed the most basic human rights afforded to others. Christ subjected himself to the depravations of the lowest people in society … by choice. I wonder how many of us would be willing to do that for another person. Oh, maybe we might do that for our spouse, our families, and even a good friend. But how many of us would give up all rights and privileges for a stranger, or even an enemy? Wow! What a gift God has given us. I am not sure we can even begin to understand the magnitude of that act.

As if that were not enough, Jesus endured the cross, just for us. Crucifixion was the most cruel, inhumane way of death. Crucifixion was reserved for the lowest in society, for slaves, or those convicted of treason. Yet, Jesus chose to endure the pain and humiliation of the cross. For us. For you. For me. He humbled himself. For me. When I contemplate that fact, I am humbled beyond words. I just begin to realize what it means to take on the attitude of Christ, and incarnational demeanor. My attitude drives my actions. My attitude determines how I will treat others. My attitude determines how I will interact with Christ, and how I allow Christ to interact with me.

Our society places great value on wealth, glamour, fame, and accumulation. A humble heart can give power to none of those. Instead, Dickson says, “the humble person is marked by a willingness to hold power in service of others.”5 So, this brings us back to the great power struggle between good and evil. Sadly, many churches have the same values as the culture. Instead of acting toward others in humility, Christians, including church leaders, will often dominate others in an attempt to get them to come in line with our desires. I have walked in those Christian circles, and, sadly, have exhibited that type of behavior.

But God … In his infinite grace and mercy, God continues to draw me to himself. God continues to show me the way to humble, incarnational living. God continues to bring me people to love, provided I choose to stop being full of myself and embrace humility as a way of life. What about you? How are you doing developing a humble, incarnational attitude? How are you doing loving the people God has given you to love? How are you doing becoming more like Jesus in your thoughts and attitudes?

I leave you with the words of Jesus for the  “how to” for living a life that engages in the humility revolution:

“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11:29-30

This post originally appeared at: The Emptying — The Bonhoeffer Project

1 John Dickson, Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan), 2011.
2 Ibid.
3 Frank Thielman, The NIV Application Commentary: Philippians (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan), 1995.
4 Ibid.
5 John Dickson, Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan), 2011.