Deurpost

This is excellent! I love Matt Chandler…

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25)

Well, we are down to the last aspect or expression of the fruit of the Spirit: love. You could say that the fruit of the Spirit is love, and that Paul has been so kind to detail eight expressions of love. The fruit of the (Holy) Spirit is the work which His presence within us accomplishes, and in all that it accomplishes it is love that should be the outflow, “for out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Mat 12:34b)

The word ‘love’ here translates as ‘agapē’. There are four distinct words for love in the Greek. There is ‘eros’, which is romantic or passionate love. There is ‘philia’, which is the love we have for those near and dear to us. There is ’storge’, which is the love that shows itself in affection and care. And then there is ‘agapē’, the love that is more a decision than of a spontaneous heart; it’s more a matter of the mind; it’s a deliberate choice to love regardless; it’s not simply an emotion, but a principle by which we live. It’s loving people who aren’t easy to love; loving people you don’t like. It can only be done with the help of God – never to seek anything but the best even for those who seek the worst for us; It means that no matter what a man may do to you (by way of insult, injury or humiliation), you will never seek anything else but his highest good.

To discuss something like the topic of love, where do you begin? Love is the major theme of the Bible, it is the quitescential aspect of God, of His mission, of our mission. What better way to address this topic than to look at 1 John 4:7-21, which all deals specifically on the fact that God is love, how that is expressed, and how we should respond.

We are Called to Love
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)
The Greek begins by saying “those who are loved, let us love”. And so love is a response. We love one another because we are loved by God, and have received that love, and live in light of it. If love is of God, then those who claim to be born of God, and claim to know God, must be able to love one another in the body of Christ. Interestingly, the specific Greek word for knows (ginosko) is the word for a knowledge by experience. John is saying that when we really experience God it will show by our love for one another.

What Does Love Mean, and How Do We Apply It?
“By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:9-11)
Love is not only defined by the sacrifice of Jesus; it is also defined by the giving of the Father. We need to appreciate and receive the Fatherly love God has to give us. The love of the Father was not only in the sending of the Son, but also in what that sending accomplishes for us. It brings life to all who trust in Jesus and His work on their behalf; There was nothing better God the Father could give to lost humanity than the gift of the Son of God Himself. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15). Real love, agapē love, is not defined by our love for God, but by His love for us. His love for us initiates our relationship of love with Him, our love only responds to His love for us. We can’t love God the way we should unless we are receiving and living in His love.

The Evidence of Love Shows Us God
“No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.” (1 John 4:12)
If we really walk in God’s love towards us, it will be evident in our love for one another. The true measure of maturity is the abiding presence of God’s love in our lives, given out to others.

The Work of the Trinity is Assured In Us
“By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:13-15)
We can know by experience that we live in God, if His love has been perfected in us. And we know that His love has been perfected in us if we love one another. This goes beyond hope (hope for salvation, hope for heaven); It is the Spirit of God in us that is the abiding presence of Jesus. It is the testimony of the Holy Spirit within us that makes it possible for us to know that we abide in Him. “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). It is not enough to know the facts about who Jesus is; we must confess the truth. We must be in agreement with God about who Jesus is, and we find out what God says about Jesus through the Word of God.

How Should We Respond to God and His Love
“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16)
We are called to take the love and grace God gives, to know it by experience and to believe it. This is what fellowship with God is all about. If we come to know and have believed the love which God has for us, can we ever stop believing this? Paul says in Romans 8:35-39, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘for your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.“

How to Perfect Love Now and Forever
“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” (1 John 4:17-18)
John doesn’t just use the Greek word teleioo (which has the idea of ‘maturity’ and ‘completeness’); he writes teleioo teleioo – speaking of love that is ‘perfectly perfected’ or ‘completely complete.’ How can we have such confidence? “By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” (1 John 4:13) So our identity is bound up in Jesus, thus we can have the same confidence that He has. How is Jesus now? He is glorified, justified, forever righteous and bold, sitting at the right hand of God the Father. Spiritually, we can have that same standing now, while we are in the world, because as He is, so are we in the world. The completeness of love means we don’t have to fear before God (dreading His judgment).

Why We Should Love Jesus
“We love, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
C.H. Spurgeon said it best: “There is no exception to this rule; if a man loves not God, neither is he born of God. Show me a fire without heat, then show me regeneration that does not produce love to God.” Do we dare to say that we love God, love Jesus? “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Do we really believe that God loves us? “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)

The Commandment to Love
“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.” (1 John 4:20-21)
It’s easy to say that we love God, but if we don’t back this up by visible action, than we are liars. We can know the Word, dutifully attend church, demonstrate the gifts of the Spirit, yet love is a fruit of the Spirit. Though love comes from our abiding relationship with God and comes from our being born of Him, there is also an essential aspect of our will involved. Being born of God and abiding with Him give us the ability to love; but it is a choice of our will to draw upon that resource and give it out to others.

We Can Overcome the World
“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.” (1 John 5:3-4)
A Christian who does not love God or keep His commandments is of little effective use in the body of Christ. Simply, love for God will show itself in obedience. His commandments are not burdensome, when we see how wise and good the commandments of God are. They are gifts from Him to show us the best and most fulfilling life possible. Because when we are born again, we are given new hearts – hearts which by instinct wish to please God. Instead of keeping hundreds of little rules and regulations, Jesus simply says to us, ‘Love Me and love my people, and you will walk in obedience.’. When we love God, we will want to obey Him and please Him. If we are born of God, we will overcome the world. Since believing in Him is the key to being born of God (1 John 5:1), the key to victory is faith. The life of abiding faith and trust in Jesus Christ is the life that overcomes the pressures and temptations of the world.

Keep Yourselves in the Love of God
“But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, ‘In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.’ These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” (Jude 1:17-21)
We are to be different. We are to remember what Jesus and the apostles said. To keep yourselves in the love of God means to keep yourself in harmony with God’s ever-present love. Three ways of keeping ourselves in the love of God: 1) holy faith: we need to keep growing spiritually. It means that we cannot wait for spiritual growth to just happen, or expect others to make us grow; 2) praying: the battle against wrong living and wrong teaching is a spiritual battle, requiring prayer in the Holy Spirit. “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26); 3) waiting anxiously: as we keep the blessed hope of Jesus’ soon return alive in our hearts, this effectively keeps us in the love of God, and helps us to not give away our faith.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25)

Would you not like to be self-controlled? To be in control of one’s self. I know I would! But what does it really mean to be self-controlled? The Bible talks about four aspects of self-control:

The first is “egkrateia“. This is what is talked about here in the fruit of the Spirit. It is the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites. This type of self-control is also spoken of in 2 Peter 1:5-7 “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love,” which talks about growing in Christian virtue. Evident here is that you need knowledge (understanding) in order to practice self-control; and that self-control leads to perseverance which ultimately leads to godliness and (agapē) love.

The second is “egkrateuomai“. This is drawn from athletes, who in preparing themselves for the games abstained from unwholesome food, wine, and sexual indulgence. The best Scripture to illustrate this is 1 Corinthians 9:24-26, which says: “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.” Meaning that we should be self-controlled for the purpose of winning. Winning a prize which is eternal, not temporal. And so in order to do this we have to run with purpose in every step, making everything we do intentional.

The third is “egkratēs“, which means being strong, robust; having power over, possessed of (a thing); mastering, controlling, restraining. This type of self-control is mentioned in context of an overseer (Titus 1:7-9). It’s being self-controlled for the sake of others, to be an example, to lead your family well, to lead and correct the flock.

And, lastly, the fourth is “sōphronismos“. This is more an admonishing or calling to soundness of mind, to moderation and self-control. “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

So self-control goes hand-in-hand with putting up a good fight, working hard. “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” (Colossians 1:28-29). The Greek word for striving here is “agōnizomai”, which means to contend with adversaries, fight; to struggle, with difficulties and dangers. We must strive according to His power to be made complete in Christ.

Self-control, then, is being in control of one’s self; in the context of the Scriptures, the control of self so as to be in harmony with the will of God. You say no by faith in the superior power and pleasure of Christ. The self-control that is the fruit of the Spirit is actually Christ-control.

We can and have to choose not to sin! “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:5-7). Because “do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). We no longer have to choose to sin. We are being freed from the power of sin in our lives. We have the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome sin, so we should live according to the Spirit, and set our mind on the Spirit. For “those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit” (Romans 8:5).

Let me give you a quote from John Piper: “And how does the Spirit produce this fruit of self-control in us? By instructing us in the superior preciousness of grace, and enabling us to see and savor (that is, “trust”) all that God is for us in Jesus. When we really see and believe what God is for us by grace through Jesus Christ, the power of wrong desires is broken. Therefore the fight for self-control is a fight of faith.” “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2:11-13).

We should “apply your heart to discipline, and your ears to words of knowledge” (Proverbs 23:12). We should “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7b). But how can we apply our heart to discipline? How can we correct our heart? How do we create stamina, like an athlete, with regards to training the heart? I believe we need to really fully understand the love that God has for us, and realize that the same Holy Spirit that descended on Jesus Christ for His earthly ministry is the same Holy Spirit that is available to you and me today for our earthly ministry, so that we can strive according to His power, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin, so that we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, so that we can bring salvation to all men, so that we can live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, for “a person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls” (Proverbs 25:28). Without self-control there is no defense, and are food for our adversary, the devil, who “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8b).

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25)

There is something strange with the word “faithfulness” in this Scripture. The Greek word used here is “pistis” and means “faith” (not faithfulness, which is “pistos”). Every other instance of this Greek word in the New Testament (like Hebrews 11:1, Romans 10:17, 1 Corinthians 13:13, Ephesians 2:8, and 2 Timothy 2:22) is in the context of faith (not faithfulness). All the translations use the word “faithfulness”, expect the King James Version (as it is the most literal translation, regardless of context). And yet the context here is “faithfulness”. It implies an action.

I was listening to a teaching by dr. John Piper a while ago, called “How I Distinguish Between the Gospel and False Gospels” and in one section he explained the difference between faith and faithfulness, and the importance thereof. He said: “The accomplishment of the cross is offered freely to be received by faith alone apart from works of the law, meaning, any work of the heart or hand at all, anything other than faith. The … way ‘faith alone’ is being obscured is that faith itself is pressed as a virtue in and of itself, and is virtually synonymous with ‘faithfulness’ and thus is and includes other virtuous acts of the soul. So the reception of the offer of the gospel happens not by faith alone in the traditional sense but by faithfulness, or by the virtue of faith and its expression in life of obedience. …Whatever holiness there is in [faith], it is not this, but the obedience of Christ, that constitutes our justifying righteousness. Whatever other properties the magnet may possess, it is as pointing invariably to the north that it guides the mariner; and whatever other properties faith may possess, it is as receiving Christ, and bringing us into union with him, that it justifies. …Thus it is that justification is ascribed to faith, because it is by faith that we receive Christ; and thus it is by faith only, and not by any other grace. Faith is peculiarly a receiving grace which none other is. Were we said to be justified by repentance, by love, or by any other grace, it would convey to us the idea of something good in us being the consideration on which the blessing was bestowed; but justification by faith conveys no such idea. On the contrary, it leads the mind directly to Christ…”

Our God is a faithful God. He is “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4). “For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness” (Psalm 33:4). “The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). And even “if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). These are all very reassuring verses, and if we understand how much it hurts God is we are unfaithful to Him (read about the prophet Hosea for instance) then we can and should only respond by being faithful to Him. It’s an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, a form of love, to be faithful (not only towards God but also towards others). And like all other aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, it’s not achieved by working, but it birthed by abiding in Him. And so there is an interaction: He is always faithful to us (covenant), but the more we are faithful to Him, the more we abide in Him, the more we are faithful to Him…

And such gifts are the results of our responds of faithfulness! “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 28:20). And “trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3), which is a reference to when the Israelites returned from exile. A great reminder! And lastly, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master’” (Matthew 25:21).

And so, are you the good and faithful slave, who can be trusted with much? Do you want to be? I know I want to be! I want to enter into the joy of my master. I want to abound with blessings. Then I need to cultivate faithfulness, abide in Him. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). “How lovely are Your dwelling places, o LORD of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2)

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25)

This word has the basic sense of “excellent,” or “useful.” Nuances include “orderly,” “healthy” (of food), “propitious” (offerings), “serious” (a wound or bite), “good” (experiences). It means moral goodness or integrity. It signifies not merely goodness as a quality, rather it is goodness in action, goodness expressing itself in deeds. It’s a kindly activity on their behalf. The word also has the idea of being teachable, not having a superior attitude, not demanding one’s rights.

We have a gentle God, who says “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29), who “like a shepherd will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes” (Isaiah 40:11), and who “also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me; and Your gentleness makes me great” (Psalm 18:35).

We should “as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12), for “a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).

“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom” (James 3:13). “Let your gentle spirit be known to all men” (Philippians 4:5a)

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25)

Goodness means uprightness of heart and life. It’s the quality or moral excellence of the good person. It’s a kindly disposition towards others. Other words for good are: morally excellent, virtuous, righteous, of high quality, excellent, right, proper, well-behaved, kind, honorable, worthy, educated and refined, genuine, reliable, dependable, not spoiled or tainted, cheerful, optimistic, free of distress, agreeable, pleasant, warm, sufficient, competent, skillfully, socially proper, loyal

God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval. “And Jesus said to him, why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:19). Only God is good, none other. He is our stronghold in the day of trouble, as said in Nahum 1:7 “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him“, and “O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).

All that God gives in good for it is said that “every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). We receive goodness from Him when we walk uprightly, for “no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11b). We receive goodness from Him when we ask Him, for “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11). And we receive His goodness when we are disciplined by Him, for “He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).

We should imitate God’s goodness by doing good ourselves, doing what God approves. “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians 6:10). We should “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27b), and “do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it” (Proverbs 3:27).

We are strengthened by Paul’s words to the Romans when he says that “concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another” (Romans 15:14). We have goodness in us through the grace of Jesus Christ.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25)

The dictionary definition of the kind says: “of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person; indulgent, considerate, or helpful; mild; gentle; clement”. The Bible also talkes about kindness. The Greek word for “kind” or “kindness” is “chrestos” or “chrestotes” and can be defined as the virtue of the man whose neighbor’s good is as dear to him as his own. It also means fit, useful, pleasant, and manageable. It is used of wine which has grown mellow with age and lost its harshness. The same word is also used in Matthew 11:30, “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light“.

The Bible is all about relationship. Kindness is an expression of relationship. “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32), “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). Each one of the qualities talked about in these passages express themselves in relationship. A significant measure of the Christian life is found simply in how we treat people and the quality of our relationship with them.

“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love” (2 Peter 1:5-7). Here Peter talks about becoming “partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2 Peter 1:4). This doesn’t just happen; we have to be diligent (constant in our effort). We begin with faith which progesses ultimately into love. I think it’s interesting that brotherly kindness is second to last on this list, right before love.

So how do we extent kindness towards people? The Bible gives us many examples. “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” (Isaiah 58:7), “How blessed is he who considers the helpless; the LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble” (Psalm 41:1), “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:34).

One of the most famous examples of kindness is the story about the Good Samaritan. “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.” (Luke 10:33-34). This parable is told by Jesus in order to illustrate that compassion should be for all people, and that fulfilling the spirit of the Law is just as important as fulfilling the letter of the Law. Jesus puts the definition of neighbor into an enlarged context, beyond what people usually thought of as a neighbor. People, who were expected to help, didn’t, while someone, whom the victim (and Jesus’ audience) despised, did. The priest may have had an “excuse” not to help since touching a dying or badly wounded person for someone so “holy”, while not forbidden, would be, in our modern vernacular, distasteful due to all the necessary cleansing rituals prescribed by Mosaic Law. The priest therefore decided that being ritually clean and “priestly” was more important than saving someone else’s life. Jesus’ unspoken challenge to all seems to be: would we help only if it’s convenient, or are we willing to go out of our way to show compassion to a stranger?

How can we extent kindness more to people? Carry someone’s yoke, lighten someone’s burden. We can, but we first have to realize that we are “partakers of the divine nature”, and be constant in our efforts.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25)

Who has patience nowadays? Who does not start zapping during the commercial break and patiently waits until it’s over? Who, as a pedestrian, still patiently waits for a red light? Who still practices patience when you are in a traffic jam or have to wait for public transport? Nonetheless, patience is something to strive for. It is a discipline that can be mastered. It’s a fruit of the Spirit. Patience is honored by God, for it says in Lamentations 3:25 “The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him“. We should “rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7a).

When we start something (anything — watching a movie on television, going to a specific place, either walking or by car or by public transport —) we should aim to finish it, because “finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride” (Ecclesiastes 7:8). It is like the farmer talked about in James 5:7-8 “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near“. We should be patient so we can reap the full potential of our produce.

Think about Job. Everything that he had was taken away from him, except his wife. Even his health was taken away. Then, three of his friends came and constantly rebuked him for his wickedness, which, in their eyes, was surely the cause of his devastation. Still, Job said “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity? In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:10b). o Job patiently endured through his suffering, and in the end, God rebukes Job’s friends. Yet, despite all of the things that Job’s friends said about him, Job prayed for his friends and accepted them when they came to make offerings for forgiveness. Then the Bible says that, “The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all the Job had twofold” (Job 42:10)

Patience should also be practiced when it’s not clear if we will witness the finish. It should be independent of it. The prophets were often given messages about Christ, and Peter says that they desired to know who and when this person would come. However, God revealed that this message was not for them. Yet, in patience, they continued to prophecy, knowing that they would never see the fulfillment of their prophecies. Also, the prophets suffered a lot of persecution from the people. Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5:12 that the prophets were persecuted. Not only that. God often made the prophets do crazy things. Just take Ezekiel for example! He had to lay on his left side in the middle of the city for 390 days, bearing the iniquity of the house of Israel! (Ezekiel 4:4-5)

One of the great examples of patience without witnessing the finish is found in Abraham. “And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise” (Hebrews 6:15). Abram was 75 years old when he received the promise from God that He would make Abram into “a great nation” (see Genesis 12:1-4, 7). In Genesis 15, Abram is specifically promised a son, and God makes a covenant with him to give the land of Canaan to his descendents. Abram was probably between 85 and 90 years old at this point (see Genesis 16:3 – Abram had already dwelt in the land of Canaan for 10 years). When Abram was 99 years old, God again appeared to Abram and promised to make him “the father of a multitude of nations” (see Genesis 17:5). God also gives him the covenant of circumcision and again promises the birth of a son – to be named Isaac – from his wife, Sarai, who is 90 years old at this point (Genesis 17:17). God also changes their names to Abraham and Sarah in this meeting. In Genesis 18, the Lord again appears to Abraham and promises that his wife Sarah will have a son (see verse 10). It does not say how old they were at this point, it only mentions that “Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing” (Gen 18:11). In Genesis 21 is the record of the birth of Isaac. The Bible records that “Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him” (Gen 21:5). So, Abraham was patient for at least 10-15 after receiving the promise of a son (Genesis 15) and for 25 years after receiving the promise to be made into a nation, while he was continuing to grow older and older! However, the promise mentioned in Hebrews 6:15 refers to a promise that the Lord made to Abraham on the mountain where he was going to sacrifice Isaac (see Genesis 22:15-18). The promise, in essence, is that God would bless Abraham and would multiply him greatly, and that Abraham’s descendants would possess the land of their enemies. (Also that all nations would be blessed through Abraham). We could say, that Abraham never saw the fulfillment of this promise, thereby showing great patience and trust in the Lord! While Abraham did find a wife for Isaac, he never saw Isaac’s children.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25)

Our God is a God of peace
It’s difficult when talking about peace not to put it in a context of world peace. No war. Although very noble and necessary to strive for this, I believe that it is naive to think that world peace is achievable. I even dare to say that world peace is not biblical. But I have to be careful saying this and support this with some arguments.

There was world peace in the beginning, harmony with God, before sin entered the world. Humankind decided to rebel against God. Sin entered the world. And sin always leads to death. Yes, there will be world peace again, but this will be at the end when there will be a new heaven and a new earth. In between there will always be sin, war and death.

And although God is a God of peace, which is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:23a (“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely;” and “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33a), He is waging war right now. Yet we can find peace in Him. He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14a). He is the source of peace. Without Him it is impossible to have peace, because even if there would be world peace yet we do not worship God, we are at war with Him.

But we have a God of peace who is with us. We are completely made holy in Him. His peace equips us in every good thing to do His will (Ephesians 2:14), and so in order to strive for peace we first have to make peace with God (be justified – Romans 5:1), after which we can start the process of santification where we should learn to understand His peace, seek His peace, preserve His peace, and bring His peace.

We have peace promised to us
On several occassions God promises peace to us. As written in Ezekiel 37:26-27 He actually made a covenant of peace with us, which means that it’s unconditional! “I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them and I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.“

The peace that God promises us is a peace unlike any peace we can experience apart from Him. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you” (John 14:27). It surpasses all comprehesion, as mentioned by Paul in Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus“.

We have a duty of seeking and preserving peace
The Bible is quite clear about our duty to seek and preserve peace. We should “pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14), “so then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another” (Romans 14:19). But in order to do this we should “yield now and be at peace with Him; thereby good will come to you” (Job 22:21).

We must bring peace
Once we understand that peace comes from God, that we must seek and preserve it, then we must also bring the peace to other around us. We must announce this peace like it’s said in Isaiah 52:7 “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, your God reigns!” Only the Good News of salvation is what ultimately brings peace. We can be at peace with one another, for it is said in Proverbs 16:7 that “when a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him“.

But world peace? No, we’ll have to wait for Jesus’ return (read: Revelation 19:11-16), which is maybe a topic for a future post.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25)

We must understand that joy comes from God
“You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11). True joy can only be found in God. Not only can we fully experience this, but with help of the Spirit we can also draw strength from it or grow strong in it, for it is said “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10b). Secondly, we should experience joy through His salvation, because God is the embodiment of salvation, and we can joyously draw His living water from the springs of salvation. Isaiah 12:2-3 says “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation” (Isaiah 12:2-3).

I find these verses very reassuring, and one of the first question that becomes to mind is if I really turn to God for my joy. If that was the case, if I really turn to God for my joy, then I wouldn’t try to find joy in other places than God, which also means that I don’t have idols. I don’t worship something else. I must admit that it is not the case. I do turn to other places for joy, like my wife, my daughter, good music, company of friends, etc. Not that any of these are wrong, but losing any or all of the above should not affect my joy, as none of these are the source of my joy. I like the verse from Isaiah. The fact that it is a spring of salvation implies that it is alive and active (like Jesus and His word). We should joyously drink from this living water, always.

We should actively pursue joy
Sin or an unwilling spirit causes us to not fully experience and understand the joy of the Lord that is ours. It is an action on our part to pursue this true joy. Like the psalmist asks in Psalm 51:12, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit“, we should ask God for a willing spirit. The combination of a willing spirit and the restoration of our joy also prepairs us much better when facing trials. Because we should “consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (James 1:2-3). Like Jesus facing the cross with joy (Hebrews 12:1-2) we too should pursue joy through our trials.

We must abide in joy
Once we understand that joy comes from the Lord, and that we have pursued joy, we must abide in it. We should because “a joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22), and “a joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken” (Proverbs 15:13), and so joy restores us, but also because we love Him and believe in Him, like is said in 1 Peter 1:8, “And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory“.

We must bring joy to others
All of the understanding, pursuing and abiding in should lead to wanting to express that joy, share that joy with people around us. Once our joy has been restored (Psalm 51:12), it should becomes infectious and we should be led to teach others, described in the next verse Psalm 51:13, “Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You“. The Gospel is the good news of Jesus, which should be brought with joy like the angel who announced the birth of Jesus to Mary in Luke 2:10, “But the angel said to them, do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people“.

But joy should not only be brought to unbelievers. We should also share the joy amongst brothers and sisters in the faith, to encourage each other, as described in Acts 15:3 “Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren“, and by Paul when writing to the church in Philippi “But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me“.

We must understand that true joy can only be found in God. We must ask God for a willing spirit in order for that true joy to be restored. This involves actions on our behalf. We must actively engage in this process and pursue it, so we experience it and abide in it. I believe that once we understand and experience this true joy that comes from God, our joy becomes so infectious that we cannot stop sharing this good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus with people around us who do not believe in this. I am looking forward pursuing this as I am very curious, to say the least, to experience what this Godly joy feels like.

Recently I was contemplating on the effects of not seeing your close friends for a while. I thought about this when our weekly home group didn’t meet for a couple of times, but it’s been brought to my attention as well as good friends of mine recently left for the United Kingdom, and also I started trying to re-ignite my friendship with some guys I used to go to a lot of music concerts with, and concluded this is easier said than done.

I realized that connecting on a heart level with other Christians is not optional. It is a must! It is of practical importance to our spiritual health and growth. For it says in 1 Corinthians 12:21 “And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you; or again the head to the feet, I have no need of you“. We all need each other, we need to connect on a heart level with one another on a frequent basis in order to not only maintain our friendship or fellowship, but also to encourage one another.

“Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). What are youthful lusts? They are sexual temptation, illicit pleasures of the flesh, longing for fame and glory, etc. We need to flee from them. This means don’t entertain thoughts about them, don’t challenge them, don’t try them. The thing is we always pursue something. And so if we flee from (stop pursuing) these things this automatically means that we are running towards (or pursuing) something else. This goes hand in hand.

So what should we pursue? We should pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace. Let’s zoom in a bit on righteousness. “And the work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever” (Isaiah 32:17). So if we pursue righteousness we will find peace, quietness and confidence. “For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul” (Proverbs 2:6-10). We should pursue wisdom (ask God) and walk in integrity, then we will be able to discern righteousness and have knowledge that’s pleasant to the soul.

Now we should pursue righteousness with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. We must be around Christians who will seriously encourage us. “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called Today; lest anyone of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). To encourage one another daily takes responsibility. “Let us hold fast  the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, and not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:23-25).

How do we pursue righteousness? How seriously do we take up this responsibility? What actions does the Apostle Paul encourage us to take? What will play a critical role in reaching our spiritual goals? What do we need to be mindful of as we encourage and sharpen one another in our faith? How do these verses change our perspective on the purpose and importance of friendships?

We have been given the command to connect. Connect on a level so deep that we can really encourage and stimulate one another to love and good deeds. I feel challenged to seriously examine my friendships and starting seeing them in light of these verses.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25)

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:1-11)

When I think about the fruit of the Spirit I immediately think about John 15 where Jesus talkes about being the true vine and God being the vinedresser, and that we have to remain in Jesus in order to bear much fruit and prove to be His disciples. If Jesus is the vine then we are the branches, and as the branches draw their life from the vine, so we draw our life directly from Jesus. Jesus will release His life (His character, His nature, His love) into us through the Holy Spirit. The fruit is nurtured and cultivated by God, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:7, “So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth”

The fruit of the (Holy) Spirit is the work which His presence within us accomplishes. They are not individual fruits from which we pick and choose, but it is one nine-fold fruit that characterizes all who truly walk in the Holy Spirit. Paul is very careful to use the plural in describing the life after the flesh, but using the singular for the fruit. You could say that the Spirit has one work to do in us all. These are not the gifts of the Spirit, which are distributed on an individual basis by the will of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is something for every Christian.

You could say that the fruit of the Spirit is love, and that Paul has been kind enough to detail eight expressions of love for us. This is reflected in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, where Paul talkes about the excellence of love: “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails“. You could match the different expressions of love listed in the fruit of the Spirit against the excellence of love.

“Fruit of the Spirit” versus “The Excellence of Love”
Joy: “love rejoices with the truth”
Peace: “love is not provoked”
Patience: “love is patient”
Kindness: “love is kind”
Goodness: “love does not take into account a wrong suffered”
Faithfulness: “love never fails”
Gentleness: “love does not brag and is not arrogant”
Self-control: “love does not act unbecomingly”

In closing, Dallas Willard writes in his book “The Great Omission” the following about the fruit of the Spirit with regards to Christian spiritual formation (the forming or maturing of the Spirit within us): “The fruit of the spirit is simply the inner character of Jesus Himself that is brought about in us through the process of Christian spiritual formation. It is the outcome of spiritual formation. It is “Christ formed in us.” It is called fruit because, like the fruit of trees or vines, it is an outgrowth of what we have become, not the result of a special effort to bear fruit. And we have become “fruitful” in this way because we have received the presence of Christ’s Spirit through the process of spiritual formation, and now that Spirit, interacting with us, fills us with love, joy, peace, … Clearly, as the fruit of the Spirit increases within us it becomes a dynamic element in its own right, in the ongoing process of spiritual formation. To be possessed of love, joy, peace … is to have rich resources for sustaining and enhancing a faith-full life and for growth in all dimensions of inward and outward grace. The fruit of the Spirit and spiritual formation become mutually supportive as spiritual formation progresses in the individual.”

“Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” (2 Tim 2:3-4)

Paul is instructing Timothy here to have the attitude of a soldier, and suffer hardship with him. A good soldier doesn’t give up when hardship comes his way. He endures, because he is disciplined and perfected for what he has been trained to do. Paul doesn’t instruct Timothy to be a common or ordinary soldier, but to be a good soldier. There are men who are just soldiers and that’s it. With just enough temptation they give in and become useless for their task. But the good soldier is brave and courageous all the time, and does his duty with heart and earnestness.

Likewise, if a believer is not willing to endure hardship, they will not accomplish much for Jesus Christ. They will give up as soon as something hard is required of them. We need to train hard, be disciplined, so that we will be perfected in unity with Jesus Christ (John 17:23), perfected in holiness (2 Corinthians 7:1), perfected in patience (1 Timothy 1:16), perfected in faith (James 2:22), and perfected in love (1 John 4:12), “for I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6)

A good soldier detaches himself from everyday life, leaves all behind what needs to be left behind, to serve the greater purpose or goal, what he believes in. Jesus said in Matthew 16:14 that “if anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” A good soldier has to be willing to give up many things. Some of them bad (pride, self-will), but also some of them good (his home, his family). This is required of him. He must give up anything that comes in the way of being a good soldier, and serve his commanding officer. A faithful soldier doesn’t have the right to do anything that will entangle him as it will makes him a less effective soldier.

Choosing Christ means that we have to give up our self-will and clothe ourselves with the will of Christ, our commanding officer. He is our drill sergeant, our general. He’s the one that disciplines us, shapes us into the good soldier he needs us to be, to serve for His kingdom, fight for His kingdom. It should be our higher purpose to please Him. To be totally obedient to Him.

Yesterday I went to see “John Rambo” in the cinema, the latest and supposedly last movie in the series. Now John Rambo has lost faith in the greater purpose and prefers not to fight anymore, so in that sense he does not serve as a good example (because we should never lose faith or give up the fight). But what is evident is that he is a trained fighting machine, no matter what. It has become second nature to him. He has been disciplined and perfected to be what he was trained to be. In the movie he says that we should “live for nothing, or die for something”. In this he does serve as an example as it echoes Paul who says “for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21). We should be willing to give our lives.

I must say that this is challenging. I do like the whole analogy of the good soldier, to be a soldier in Jesus’ army. I think I need to see Jesus more as my drill sergeant, let Him push me more, train me more, mold me more, shape me more into a loving “fighting machine”, so I can serve in His army and fight to advance the kingdom, regain land that has been lost. But in order to do that I also have to let go more of everyday life, disentangle myself from everything that holds me back from giving my complete focus to be good soldier.

Jesus has enlisted me into His army. It’s time to be a soldier in active service!

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7)

To be timid means to be lacking in self-assurance or courage, to be shy, or to be easily alarmed. But God has given us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind. I would say that I can be timid a lot of times. I am an introvert and I am shy, and there are a lot of situations where I am lacking in self-assurance (speaking in front of others, praying out loud, doing something for the first time). I assume everybody has to deal with situations where they feel timid and afraid.

I think it’s important to understand that such fears are not from God! And I do think I realize this. The problem I face is more how to overcome this. Is it an issue of personality, of weakness of the flesh? Is there something that I need to ask forgiveness for, or repent of? How do I deal with such fears? How can I fully embrace that God has given me a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.

What does it mean to have a spirit of power? It reminds me of Paul in his letter to the church in Corinth when he says: “I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:3-5). I find it’s comforting to know that even the great Apostle Paul felt weak and afraid, but it shows that when we are doing God’s work and proclaiming His glorious word and being ambassadors of His kingdom that we have all His power at our disposal, and that it is our weakness that is demonstrating the power of God in us and through us.

Many songs are written about the power of love (Celine Dion, Huey Lewis and the News, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, 10CC, Jennifer Rush), but all of these are talking about love between two people. Jesus’ love is expressed in serving others. He gave up His life for us! I am more and more beginning to understand and embrace this. I was actually telling me wife this weekend how wonderful it is to serve her. I love doing this. Doing these, mostly small and simple tasks to serve her really expresses my love for her.

God has given us a sound mind. The Greek word here has the idea of being calm and self-controlled, in contrast to the panic and confusion that rushes in when we are in a fearful situation. I can really recognize this. I am usually quite calm and self-controlled, but when I am in a fearful situation then inwardly all of that goes out the window. I start getting cold and sleepy, and words usually don’t come out the way they sounded in my head. It’s quite annoying!

I think it’s important to realize that we don’t need to accept the spirit of fear as it’s not from God. We need to humbly receive and walk in the spirit that God has given us. Fear and timidity will keep us from using the gifts that God has given us. He wants us to fully embrace His power, His love and His calm thinking so we can be His ambassadors in this world. We’ve got to be bold, for “on the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul” (Psalm 138:3).

“But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Tim 5:8)

As a husband and a father this verse really stands out to me. It’s one of those verses that should be memorized and fully understood, just in case. Why? Because being called worse than an unbeliever does not sound like a pleasant situation at all.

I see to provide for your own, especially for your own household, as a more specific way of saying “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). And like Jesus said, there is no greater command than this (along with “and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).

The Greek word used here for neighbor is “plesion”, which translates best as “near”, and so we could say: love those near to us as ourselves. In the context of a household this means your spouse and your children. As God has appointed the man to be the head of the family, it’s the man’s responsibility to provide for his wife and his children, his household. And so providing for them means loving them unconditionally, to deny oneself and give oneself up for them (just like Christ gave Himself up for the church).

How do we do that? Well, it will probably be a livelong journey to figure out, but it is my prayer that every day as I mature more in Christ-likeness I understand better what it means to love unconditionally. Why? Because I don’t want to be somebody who’s worse than an unbeliever, as “they profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” (Titus 1:16). I want to really know God, and be obedient so that God can do good deeds through me.

“But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;” (1 Tim 4:7)

A fable can be considered a story not founded on fact, an untruth. When I think about stories not founded on fact the first thing that comes to mind is the story of creation. I am always surprised how people can believe that first there was nothing and then there was something. How can nothing create something? I don’t know… It’s a story not founded on fact. And although I don’t think it’s necessary that science has to proof the existence of God, it is interesting to see that more and more scientists (men such as the great scientist Stephen Hawking, an atheist) come to the conclusion that the universe is created by someone, and did not evolve out of nothingness. The beauty is that so many intricacies that only now with modern technology science can conclude, have been described and explained in God’s Word, the Bible, over 2000 years ago!! (If you desire to study “biblical science”, please have a look at the studies of Koinonia House).

Our priority should be on God’s Word, not on the words of men. It’s so easy to get caught up in the thoughts and ideas of the world that it can be difficult to see what God has to say about this. Yet His word is truth, as God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). But this requires study of the Word, dig into Scripture, and this takes discipline. We have to discipline or exercise ourselves towards godliness. “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” (Hebrews 12:11). So discipline leads to peace, righteousness which ultimately leads to love (2 Peter 1:5-7).

We have to always go for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us God!

“And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.” (1 Tim 3:7)

In the third chapter of Paul’s first letter to Timothy he primarily focuses on the qualifications of elders (overseers) and deacons. An elder should be the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money, not be a new convert, manage his household well, keep his children under control, and be above reproach. It’s quite a list, but what it ultimately comes down to is that an elder is in terms of character a mature man of Christ who’s preferably married with children. Whether he is an elder depends on if he’s called and appointed to be an elder. Whether or not you’re an elder or aspire to be an elder, we all should aim to mature in Christ, and so most of these qualifications are generic for any Christian. We can summarize this list to only one item: we should be above reproach. We should be above reproach towards God, towards our wife (or husband), towards our children, and towards our community.

As Christians we have been given the task by Jesus to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:20), and in my view this is a two-step process. It is first our character towards those outside the church. The more we mature in Christ, the more we show Christ-likeness, the more we show the character of God to others, the more it becomes apparent to those outside the church that we are different. This should provoke questions and discussion, which leads to the second step. And that is that we then should fully embrace the opportunity to speak about Christ, “for out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Mat 12:34b). Showing God’s character only through our character is not enough, as “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17). – Just to be sure, I am not saying that we should only start talking about Christ when we are mature Christians. The moment that we give ourselves to Christ is the moment we receive the Holy Spirit, which enables us share to the Gospel. I am only saying that the message we speak through our character is just as important as the message we speak through our words, and that our character should also lead to spreading the Gospel through our words. -

And so our character, or reputation, towards those outside the church should be above approach. Like most people I spend 40 hours of my week at work, being surrounded by unbelievers. You could say that this is an excellent place for mission, and it is (although it could be much more). At work I feel I am constantly tested on my character (not as much by my colleagues, but by myself – or I should say the Holy Spirit who’s convincting me). It’s so easy to get sucked into the world’s way of thinking, of acting, engaging in conversations that you shouldn’t, laughing at jokes that are actually not funny at all, etc. It’s a daily challenge. And I must admit I am often failing more than I would like to or like to admit. And whereas the Holy Spirit convicts me, He also helps me by providing Scripture to either stay focused or refocus. And so I leave you with two verses that I find very encouraging in this aspect: “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.” (Philippians 2:14-16), and “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

In today’s world of relativism and spirituality, most people think that many roads lead to God, if followed sincerly or with a good heart. “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). God is quite specific about this, and there is only one way that leads to God, and that is through Jesus Christ, who in John 14:6 said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me“. No one!

Why is God so specific about this? Because we are sinful (Romans 3:23) and God is holy, we have no right on our own to enter into His presence. We need a mediator to come between us and God to bring us into God’s presence. Jesus Christ is our mediational high priest (Hebrews 7:26-27), and opened up the way to God when He died and the veil of the temple was torn in two (Hebrews 10:19-21, Matthew 27:50-51). He has gained for us boldness, confidence and access to enter into the holy place and into the holy of holies, the very presence of God Himself!

So our mediator is the man Jesus Christ. This points us to the human form of the Son of God, the Word who became flesh, our Redeemer. It also reminds us that Jesus is still human, even as He is enthroned in heaven right now. His humanity was not only a temporary phase. After His resurrection He said to the disciples in Luke 24:39, “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And in Revelation 5:6, when John is shown the throne room of God, he said, “And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.” When God the Son added humanity to His deity, He added it forever – not only for 33 years!

“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:13-14). What does it mean to ask in His name? To come in the name of someone means that another person has authorized us to come on his authority. Praying Jesus’ name is therefore prayer made on his authorization.

So one could say that through the human person Jesus Christ, we now have access to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. And we can address either part of the trinity directly, yet as long as we do this by the authority of the man Jesus Christ.

“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.” (1 Timothy 1:5-7)

We all have something to say. We all want to be heard. We all think we know best. In this Scripture the Apostle Paul instructs young Timothy (who’s pastoring the young church in Ephesus) not only the goal of teaching, but also the method of teaching.

The goal of our instruction (or in other words, the purpose of the commandment) is that the heart is transformed. If spending time in God’s word isn’t producing love from a pure heart, a good conscience, or sincere faith in us, something is wrong. Instead of showing love, we are harsh and judgmental. Instead of having a good conscience, we always feel condemned knowing we don’t measure up. Instead of sincere faith we practically trust in our own ability to please God. These characteristics of love, conscience and sincere faith should be shown in the person who’s teaching, in order for him to be used by God as a conduit to instruct others.

If we stray away from showing love from a pure heart and having a good conscience and a sincere faith, we end up with fruitless discussion. I love this phrase “fruitless discussion”. It echoes the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). A fruitless discussion does not bring forth love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness or self-control. It also echoes John 15:5 where Jesus says: “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Our discussions should not be fruitless but bear much fruit, only then God the Father will be glorified and we prove to be His disciples (John 15:8).

If we stray away from showing love from a pure heart and having a good conscience and a sincere faith, we end up just wanting to be teachers only, instead of wanting to be learners (disciples) of the Word also. A dangerous position to be in, for every Christian is first and foremost a disciple of God and God is our teacher (Job 36:22) and the goal of a disciple is to be like his teacher, not above him (Matthew 10:24)

Much can be said about the gift of teaching. 1 Corinthians 12:28-30 says that “God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?” And so Scripture says that not everybody is gifted to be a teacher, or should aspire to be a teacher. James mentions “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment” (James 3:1). And so being a teacher of the Word comes with great responsibility.

If we want to be a teacher we must “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:2-4). I believe that we are in the times which Paul describes here. A lot of Christians are not interested in sound doctrine. They only hear what they want to hear and conveniently discard the rest. They let culture influence their doctrine, whilst culture should only influence our methodology. Our doctrine is based on Scripture, and Scripture alone. Doctrines, or principles, described in Scripture are not dependent on cultural settings, because God’s truths are from outside of our time domain.

And so being a teacher means we have to be willing and able to reprove, rebuke and exhort with great patience. Even if we speak the truth in love, chances are that we will offend someone (did Jesus ever offend anyone?), because if we do not reprove or rebuke we will offend God.

And so the question is: to teach or not to teach? And my answer would be that if God has gifted you to be a teacher then embrace this, but be aware never to leave your first love (Revelation 2:4) and always be a disciple first and a teacher second, and that it comes with great responsibility and, very likely, great persecution. On the other hand, if God did not lay it on your heart to be a teacher, to embrace what God has gifted you with. This doesn’t take away the fact that by simply being disciples of Jesus, and living out our faith, we are influencers to the world around us, and thus are teachers as well.

What about our position as Christians in the world? Where do we stand? Where should we stand? To answer these type of questions I will look at what the Bible has to say about this, because who better than God knows our position in the world.

John 17 recorded the longest prayer by Jesus in the Bible. In verses 13-21 He prays on our behalf when He says: “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

Jesus santifies us in the truth. What does that mean? Sanctification means to make holy or to make productive of or conducive to spiritual blessing. He sent us out into the world. He wanted us to be here. He made us holy and free from sin to be an example when He left.

But what does the world think of this? The world in this context can be described as the body of unbelievers. On several occassions (John 7:7, John 15:18-19, 1 John 3:13, 1 John 2:15-16, 2 Timothy 3:12-13, James 4:4) Jesus, James and Paul speak about the fact that the world will hate us, that the world will persecute us because we testify of Jesus, and that we should not love the world nor the things in it (just to be sure, it does not say not to love people, but not to indulge in the deeds of the world: the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life), because friendship with the world is hostility towards God, and makes himself an enemy of God.

So, does the world hate us? To answer this question we have to honestly look at the current state of our relationship with the world. What does that tell us about us following Christ? Are we being persecuted? If so, to what extent? There are definitely parts of the world where Christians are being persecuted for their faith, but in general we can say that the western world is not being persecuted. Yet we should.

If the world hates us, yet Jesus wanted us to stay in this world, what does Jesus “provide” us to stand against the persecution? The answer is a transformed state, a new heart, a new vision, and the Holy Spirit. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2), “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:1-3), “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.” (Philippians 2:14-16), “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” (Matthew 5:14-15)

Our refusal to conform to the world should do deeper than the level of behavior and customs. It must be firmly planted in our minds. Only when the Holy Spirit renews, reeducates, and redirects our minds are we truly transformed. Daily we must consciously choose to center our lives on God. Use the Bible to discover God’s guidelines, and then follow them. A transformed life is an effective witness to the power of God’s Word. If we live for Christ, we will glow like lights, showing others what Christ is like. We hide our lights by being quiet when we should speak, going along with the crowd, denying the light, letting sin dim our light, not explaining our light to others, and ignoring the needs of others.

The question we should ask ourselves here is how can our transformed state become apparent to everyone? Do we allow ourselves to be renewed, reeducated and redirected by the Holy Spirit? In what ways do, or should, people notice we are different?

One way is that we are able to speak God’s wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:12-16, 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, Proverbs 12:26), “for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) so that we “see to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority” (Colossians 2:8-10)

The Apostle Paul assures us that God’s mighty weapons (prayer, faith, hope, love, God’s Word, the Holy Spirit) are powerful and effective. ow do we speak the wisdom of God (or boast about God) to the natural man? Who are our neighbors? Would your neighbor say that you are a guide for him/her? How do we “destroy speculations” while still showing gentleness and love? (Speak the truth in love?) Our “job” is not to judge non-believers, but to speak and live the truth. How, then, do we share truth to non-believers who are believing lies about God?

When one thinks of humility, the book of James is not your most obvious choice to study out this theme. The general theme of James is “good works”. I would consider “good works” all about doing and humility is all about being, and so it seemed a challenge to read the book from this point of view. The dictionary defines humility or being humble as: modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance or rank; not proud or arrogant; modest; having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority or subservience; to destroy the independence, power, or will of.

I particularly like the latter as it seems that destroying the independence, power, or will of comes closest to what the Bible teaches us about being humble. When studying the book of James on the theme of humility my aim was to go through each verse and see if the character of humility was to be found in there. The main two distinctions is what character humility will produce, and what humility will give us.

Humility is being patient (Jam 1:4, Jam 5:7-8, Jam 5:11), being self-controlled (Jam 1:19-20, Jam 3:2), being content (Jam 4:1-3), being receptive to the Word (Jam 1:21), being repentant (Jam 4:8-9), being submissive (Jam 4:15), and being self-sacrificial (Jam 5:4-5).

Humility will give us glory (Jam 1:9-10, Jam 4:10), will give us grace (Jam 4:6), will give us rewards for work (Jam 1:25), and will give us spiritual healing (Jam 5:16).

For each of the above, we at least need to find the humility to ask God for wisdom (Jam 1:5, Jam 3:13).

So what conclusion can we draw from this? Being humble provides us with a set of character traits or attributes which will put us in a position in the world in which we can show the love of God through our good works and sincerity of heart. Secondly, being humble is not an end goal to be achieved, but a starting point to obtain from which all our transformation into Christ-likeness happens. This can also be deducted from the Beattitudes, where the first Beattitude says that “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3), which is also a reference to humility being a starting point to Christ-likeness.