Integrity- People of God

Jesus came to redeem that which was lost, mankind’s character of humility and fellowship with the Father. Humility is the root character of God. Pride is rooted in the spiritual wickedness of Satan, which has its satanic origin in when he rebelled in heaven. All humanity is now born into a fallen state of pride and rebellion against God. This is a terrible state of spiritual evilness that consumes the natural man. As long as we are blind to the bondage and wickedness of pride, we will never feel the need to be delivered and redeemed. It is not until we realize the terrible strength pride has over us that we recognize the need for deliverance. It is when our eyes are open to the hopelessness and despair of us never being able to conquer pride on our own, that we look to the power of Christ who is able to redeem us from this curse.

Only the humility of Jesus as the Lamb of God can redeem fallen mankind so the Spirit of God may live within us. Every form of evilness has its foundation in pride for it will degrade the highest of virtues. In the beginning mankind’s identity was rooted in the character of God’s humility. Then their nature was changed when they disobeyed God and took on the nature of Satan, which is pride.

Psalm113: The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people.

The first Adam sent all humanity spiraling down into spiritual depravity severed from God the Creator of all life. How much more Jesus, the second Adam, the Son of God, is able to redeem us to live a life of true humility? Those who are truly born of Christ will reveal His likeness with humility and love of God in their lives. When we are rooted in Him, His life and power gives us an abiding and overmastering life of humility, because from the root grows the increase, the fruit, of the nature of the tree. The tree is either good or not and the fruit will reflect the true nature of the tree. This is why Jesus tells us you will know them by their fruit. It is not by their conversation or their vocation but it is the product, result, and yield of their lives that you will know them. It is the soil that the trees or plants are rooted in which cause it to grow and gives it the ability to thrive.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

The life of the tree is in seed form and has the potential to grow into a great tree, so is the seed of God, the Holy Spirit, in mankind. The Holy Spirit enables us to live a life of humility, which is total dependence upon God, as we are rooted and grounded in His word. God humbled Himself to stoop and consider the earth and mankind even in their rebellion.

Matthew 12:33- 35 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

We as believers should study the humility of Jesus which is the secret hidden root of our redemption. Our salvation consists solely in being saved from ourselves, our natural fallen state of selfish pride. Jesus gave us the secret to a life lived in the supernatural power of God; to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Him. The cross is a picture of dying daily to self and living for the love of God in humility.

Luke 9:23-24 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. NIV

Self is the totality of the fallen nature of mankind and self-denial is our capacity of living like Christ. Pride and self-centeredness is the root of the evil and fallen state and bears the fruit of its kind. Humility is the core of our Saviour and humility is the root of the tree from which His branches bear fruit. Pride and humility are the two master powers. The greatest struggle for eternal life is between pride and humility and the kingdoms of darkness and kingdom of light in the fight for the eternal possession of the soul of mankind.

The virtue of humility in one’s life displays the kingdom of God on earth. The idol of self-elevation is from the nature of fallen man through the first Adam and it is only put to death by the power of the Holy Spirit which gives us the supernatural ability to live in humility. It is our trust in the completed work of Christ and His divine humility that dwells in us and works within and through us to redeem us back for what the Father created us to be; a reflection of His image in the earth.