To right is an artificial palm tree. Things are not always what they seem to appear at first glance.
Col. 2:18 “Let no man beguile (umpire) you of your reward in a voluntary humility (self-abasement) and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind…” Appearance of godliness, 2 Tim. 3:5. Menpleasers, eyeservice, Eph. 6:6; Col. 3:22.
Beguile also means “to be an umpire towards”. Voluntary humility is very different from the humility of Christ.
Phil. 2:5-8
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
The mind of Christ, 1 Cor. 2:16.
Col. 3:10, renewed in the knowledge of the Creator according to the original pattern.
Gal. 1:12, the revelation of Christ in us. The revealing of Him and of His “mind” in us.
2 Pet. 3:18, growing and maturing in this knowledge and grace of Him.
“Voluntary humility” in other scripture translations is also called false humility, self-denial (performed by self and not Christ), asceticism, self-abasement, and “doing his own will in humility”.
Galatians 2:13 gives a great example of this “voluntary humility”. Personally, I call it dead religion, works, another gospel (Gal. 1:16), non-inspiring, lifeless, Pseudo-Christianity, deception, and absolutely undesirable. For the longest time, I thought this was true Christianity. I would try and try and try…I and fall, and fall, and fall…I would become more and more frustrated and hopeless trying to fulfill this walk by voluntary humility, self-denial, and so on hoping Jesus would look down because I thought He or the Father didn’t notice me unless I was tap dancing or hopping one foot for Jesus with my W.W.J.D. hat (I never wore a W.W.J.D. hat and pray to God I never will.) W.W.J.D. hat’s mean “What would Jesus do?” This is based on human presumption and intellect possibly mixed with Truth at best. In turn, the results of decisions based on W.W.J.D. are similar to Las Vegas casinos because God is a gambler you know (just a joke.) If one is wearing such a hat though that is what I am led to believe that God is part of the mob and watches C.S.I. Las Vegas. That His will is arbitrary. This leads to what doctrine the individual is basing their walk on?
Paul says in Romans 6:17, “but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” The form (or pattern/blueprint) of doctrine is sound doctrine. Sound doctrine firmly establishes, roots, and grounds the believer to be immovable IN Christ because you are more convinced of the revelation of Him than you are of the air you breathe. This sound doctrine germinates the humility of Christ. Otherwise, it is something else as previously described. So, true, authentic, sincere, real humility is Christ in you. Jesus did Phil. 2:5-8 on the basis of God’s love. Paul says, “the love of God compels us.” The revelation of Him is His love. John says in 1 John 4:19, “We love him, because he first loved us.” I started this journey of knowing Him and His love on a Capital Metro bus 20 years ago. On the bus, I asked Him, “If you are who people say you are show me?” I began to cry uncontrollably and knew I was different and never to be the same. This was the germination of Him in me. Peter, Paul, and elsewhere throughout the Word He is spoken of as the incorruptible seed. The seed must be watered with sound doctrine. From the incorruptible seed will grow a real tree.
Psalms 1:3
“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
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