Paul names the two ways we get trapped by pride and one way we find freedom in humility.
He tells his friends in Corinth, “With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.” The first way we get trapped by pride is through other people's opinions about us. It’s easy to give a lot of weight and attention to how we're perceived and valued by our parents, children, boss, colleagues, spouse, and social media followers. It's the court of popular opinion. But what is that a trap? Well, it's a trap because everyone's opinion and expectations for us change from person to person and from day to day. It's a fragile way to go through life. And so, Paul says I don't care what anyone thinks about me.
Now, this response resonates for many of us who live in Chicago, doesn’t it? We've even got a response to this identity trap, don’t we? I set my own standards and expectations. As long as I know who I am, what my own standards are, what I think about myself matters most of all. But that's a trap, too. You see, our own standards and opinions of ourselves are just as fragile as everyone else’s. If we're honest, we not only don't meet our own expectations of ourselves, but our standards shift, too. And so, Paul not only says, I don't care what anyone thinks about me, but also I don't care what I think about me. I don't even judge myself.
Those are the two traps–what others think about us and what we think about ourselves. Both lead to the bondage of pride. How do we find freedom? How do we live with humility?
Well, Paul goes on, “It is the Lord who judges me.” I don't care what you think about me. I don't care what I think about me. I only care what God thinks about me. That’s the key. The only way to live with the freedom of self-forgetting and a life of humility ... it's complete and total security in God. The reason you and I reach for pride through others’ or our own opinion of who we are and how we're doing is that we aren't secure. In other words, the reason I'm scared to forget myself is that I'm worried no one else will remember me. If I forget myself, then I'll cease to exist.
Only the gospel makes us humble, because only the gospel gives us a secure identity in Christ.
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Written by Jason C. Helveston
Adapted from the sermon, The Humble Will Be Exalted.
Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 4:3–4 — "With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself... It is the Lord who judges me."
Check out The Freedom of Self-Forgetting, Tim Keller.
