By Rev. A. BEATON, Gairloch.
Delivered in London, August, 1948.
IN the preceding verse, the Apostle asks a question: “Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?” No word of Scripture can be in vain. The quotation here seems to be not so much from a particular passage as one gathered by James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, from the general tenor of certain passages in both the Old and New Testaments. This is the “spirit” that dwelleth in us, but let it not have the mastery over us. It is said to lust, to envy, envy against one another. You envy your neighbour who has what you have not, and so the spirit of envy leads you on to “fight” (verse 1). But God rather “giveth more grace”—increase of grace; the farther ye depart from envy. The quotation in this verse, the sixth, appears to be from Psalm cxxxviii. 6. The same God who gives ever-increasing “grace” to His people “resisteth the proud” or setteth Himself in battle array against them. Pride is the mother of envy and is in a particular manner satanic. Pride makes a man lift himself above his fellows and so lifts himself against God. The humble folk are not envious, or ambitious, which is of grace, and their God increases their grace—He “giveth grace unto the humble.” We will confine ourselves this evening to speak, as we may be enabled, on humility, which is a gift of God.
1. There are counterfeit graces, you will admit, and there is a counterfeit humility.
By counterfeit humility we mean a humility which is false. This false humility, in a manner, goes sometimes lower than God would have it. When a man says that he is lower than the reach of free grace and that God cannot pardon him, this is a humility which is false, since God says the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin. Again false humility rises higher than ever God allows it. This takes place when a man seeks for some qualifications in himself to recommend him before he dare think of seeking Christ for his soul. They say they would go to Christ if they could get a certain kind of heart in them, a broken heart, an heart full of love to Christ. But it is not for our qualifications that we can hope to be received, but on account of the qualifications of our substitute. We are to come “without money and without price.”
2. But there is the true humility which has the promise of increase.
(1) True humility agrees with God, in all the sins that God charges the sinner with, and to all the characters which are assigned to him.
When the sinner is put among the dogs like the woman of Canaan, he will say: “Truth, Lord, I grant I am an unworthy one.” True humility was very evident in the publican who called himself a “sinner.” He had the spirit of the Psalmist in the 51st Psalm, a guilty sinner at the bar of God. God does not charge a sinner to put him away, but to quicken his desire, and bring him near to Himself in the exercise of that humility which is His own grace.
(2) True humility agrees with God in all He says of the corruption of the heart.
This is because the believer feels the corruption of which God speaks and cannot but humbly agree, and his agreement, in itself, is a virtual confession. God says to yourself you have an evil heart, and you are not improving, for all the pains taken to improve you. You agree—yea, humbly and shamefully agree. This is true humility. Sin is within, and it is rising in the heart and proposing unto the mind and affections that which is evil, to see how far it may carry them on, though it do not prevail. Temptations and occasions to sin put nothing into a man but only draw out what was there before. The enemy is within: “I find,” says the Apostle Paul, “another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind.” There are two laws in every believer: the law of the flesh, or of sin, and the law of the mind or of grace. But blessed be God that sovereign power is in the hand of the law of grace, so the Apostle declares: “I delight in the law of God after the inward man”—God hath made His own law internal; He has written it in the heart. But there is the other inbred law which assaults grace in the soul and which is part of oneself and this brings shame and humility into exercise in the believer. The consolation is that grace will have the victory and sin will be cast out.
(3) True humility agrees with God as to the remedy, both for the pardon of sin, and for help against the power of sin.
The believer is not too proud to submit to the righteousness of God. He confesses that he is a slave to many a lust, yea, a fool, but he will grant more; he will acknowledge Christ is made “wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption” to him. My heart faints and fails; it is indeed true; “but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever” (Ps. lxxiii. 26). There is no way of destroying corruption but by abiding in Christ, and of this the believer is firmly convinced, and the believer will abide in Christ as the branch in the vine—not by his own independent perseverance, but by the ever-increasing grace of his covenant God.
(4) True humility takes things according as they are promised by God.
The promise of God is the sinners’ warrant to believe. If He will give yourself and myself a word that will save us, let us then humbly accept of salvation in the promises.
(5) The advantage of true humility.
Those who have true humility, their condition is most promising for growth in grace; for He “giveth grace to the humble.” He will give more grace to the man that will not strive with Him, but is taking and waiting for more. When the Lord is giving out portions to His people, the humble folk are the most likely to get something. He will notice even the desire of the humble. “To this man will I look, even to him that is of a humble and contrite heart,” is the encouraging promise.
The humble folk have an advantage in having a promise to be guided by when in darkness and difficulties. The Psalmist says, “The meek He will guide in judgment, and the meek He will teach His way.” He will guide them so that the waters of affliction will not alienate their affections from their God and Saviour.
In conclusion
(1) By this Scripture the humble folk are encouraged. We are not saying that the humble folk will see themselves flourishing in the grace of humility. Ah! no, far from it. But their soul is bowed down to the dust; and their belly cleaveth unto the earth.
(2) This Scripture also rebukes the proud. There is no promise to the proud, but on the contrary the fearful threatening of the Most High. Pride is a great sin—a satanic sin that will not go free from punishment.
(3) By this Scripture, we are exhorted, not only to beware of pride, but of false humility which is a form of pride, or of the essence of pride, and to seek the true humility. Come, then, as a broken-hearted sinner to your covenant God in Christ, and cleave to Him, seeking and waiting for more grace.