Tag Archive for 'humility'

Humility and the popes

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bcg
on 1 April 2008
in Bible, Church and Quotations
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Susie and I recently returned from a few days in Rome, courtesy of her great aunt.  I have wanted to visit the Eternal City for years, mostly to see the Roman ruins, which are, well, ruins, but still spectacular!  The best preserved is probably the Pantheon, which is incredible, but the Colosseum and Baths are not far behind.

We also visited the Vatican museums and St Peter's.  The Sistine chapel really is quite special, as are many other things in the museums.  However, St Peter's basilica provides much food for thought.  In huge letters the front reads:

IN HONOREM PRINCIPIS APOST PAVLVS V BVRGHESIVS ROMANVS PONT MAX AN MDCXII PONT VII

That is, translated, 'In honor of the prince of apostles by Paul V Borghese, a Roman, Supreme Pontiff, in the year 1612 and the seventh year of his pontificate.'

All very well and good, but what you actually see when you look at it is 'PAVLVS V BVRGHESIVS ROMANVS', because it's in the middle, on the central pediment!  This is the story throughout Rome: the most prominent place is always given to the name of the Pope.  Even on the side of the Colosseum pope Pius IX gets pride of place!

While there I read this verse:

The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honour.

Proverbs 15.33 (ESV)

And also this verse:

For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2.21 (ESV)

I couldn't help but think of all the popes who have sought their own interests, their own honour, before God's.  All it would take is 'SOLA DEO GLORIA' ('only for God's glory') as an inscription.

The challenge to us is how easy it was for the popes to behave like this - and we are no different.  I'm sure if I was the pope and built an enormous church I'd be tempted to stick my name on it somewhere for the generations to see.

Evangelical humility

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bcg
on 7 March 2008
in Bible, Quotations and Theology
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Evangelicals need to approach their theological formulae with more humility than in the past.  It is the scriptural word that is infallible, not our ever imperfect attempts to restate it in appropriate contemporary ways.

Ronald J. Sider, 'Evangelism, salvation and social justice: definitions and interrelationships,' International Review of Mission 64 (1975): 267.

Passing Judgement

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bcg
on 10 November 2007
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At the sermon I heard on Sunday the preacher told a story which effectively made two points:

  1. we should derive our sense of self-worth from the fact that God loves us, not from what other people think of us;
  2. judging others is often hurtful, and usually wrong - we should leave it up to God.

After the service I reflected that the reason we often allow other people's judgements to 'stick' to us, is because we actually deserve judgement. It is of course God's judgement that we deserve, however, not other people's - we have no right to judge each other simply because we all equally deserve judgement ourselves. In judging others we demonstrate our hypocrisy.

I would argue that the place of 'accountability', close friends/family telling you where you are going wrong, is not the same as 'passing judgement', because 'accountability' is only that if it works both ways. Passing judgement is a one-way street from one person to another.

That leaves two reasons why other people's judgements shouldn't stick to us:

  1. only God has the right to judge us - when others do (and when we judge others) it is hypocritical;
  2. God doesn't punish us when he judges others, because Jesus took that punishment on himself, and gave us his righteousness - so although we deserve judgement, actually we don't because Jesus has taken that judgement on himself.

So, given that, is it ever right for humans to pass judgement on other humans? Well, yes actually, in two situations I think:

  1. secular authority, law and order, criminal justic;
  2. Church discipline, where we sometimes have to deal with difficult and damaging situations here and now (as opposed to waiting for God's final perfect judgement).

But when we judge others in these situations, it should always be done with humility, acknowledging that the authority to judge comes only from God, and that ultimately we all deserve judgement. These two situations are God exercising his authority through us - which, again, calls for humility.