The Weapons of God for the Glory of God

You’ve probably noticed, this being the month of June, that contemporary society has taken to aggressively promoting the sin of pride. Governments, mass media, and major corporations all line up to celebrate pride (only provided it is pride in one of the currently socially favored identities, ethnicities, or lifestyles). By contrast, Paul in 2 Corinthians gives us a portrait of humility, as do several of the hymns in this morning’s service. Twice we pick up on Paul’s admonition, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” In How Deep The Father’s Love For Us, we declare that we “will not boast in anything,” save the resurrection of Christ. When I Survey The Wondrous Cross goes even further, saying that in light of Jesus’ death we must “pour contempt on all [our] pride.” After confessing our pride in our own flesh and strength, we respond from Psalm 51 that we are “broken, humbled in the dust.” In Calm Content, we ask the Lord to teach us “by humble means” to be content with His provision, and we declare in How Great Thou Art that we will bow in “humble adoration.” Our humble position is driven home in the final hymn, Jesus, Lover Of My Soul, in which we confess that we are “false and full of sin,” and that our “helpless soul” clings only to Christ. In a world consumed with pride, the Christian is called to humility. And as Paul puts it in another letter to the Corinthians, “God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.” —Henry C. Haffner