Brooks Szewczyk

Connecting People To The Truth Of Christ

Brooks Szewczyk

Theology for Beginners: What Christians Should Believe

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Christians love to talk about theology. There is an uncountable number of books, blog posts, and podcasts that are made just for you to learn theology. But they often fail to give you the biblical foundation you need before you dig into more complicated topics.

What should Christians believe? Christians believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ: the sinfulness of mankind, the incarnation, atonement, and resurrection. They believe in the inerrancy and authority of the Bible. And they believe in the holiness, love, and power of the Triune God.

As time goes on, Christians should mature in their understanding of who God is. That is the meaning of theology.

Hebrews 4:11-14 establishes that some Christians need milk and not solid food. Meaning that you have to get the basics down before you try moving on to more weighty topics.

The goal is to be mature enough to eat solid food. In this article, I want to go over the basics of Christian theology so that you can have what you need to move on to more advanced study.

I’ll also include a list of some common theological vocabulary you might need to know.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the foundation for Christian theology.

When delivering the gospel, the apostle Paul writes:

For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

While the gospel is foundational, it is also something that no Christian ever grows out of. The gospel should be your hope in every moment of every day.

So what is the gospel?

The Sinfulness of Mankind

The fundamental problem addressed by the gospel is the sinfulness of mankind.

The first man created by God, Adam, sinned by disobeying God.

As God had warned would happen, this plunged creation into a curse of sin.

Romans 5:12 says it this way: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.”

All of humanity stands before God as guilty.

There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one.

Romans 3:10-12

We are inclined to disobey God.

Our propensity isn’t toward good works and righteousness, it is toward disobedience and unrighteousness.

Theologians usually call this total depravity.

The Incarnation

God became man. This is the essence of the incarnation.

The word refers to the “becoming of flesh”. And it biblically refers to Jesus Christ, who is God, taking on humanity.

This is summarized in John 1:14: “The Word became flesh.”

Jesus is truly and fully human. He is not half human. He does not just look like a human. He is fully man.

Jesus is also truly and fully God. He is not half God. He did not lose the fullness of his deity. He is fully God.

Colossians 2:9 says it this way: “the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ.”

The Life of Jesus

Jesus humbled himself by becoming man. And he lived on earth among men.

He was born through the miracle of the virgin birth to his mother Mary.

He lived and taught in 1st century Israel.

But most importantly: he lived a perfect and sinless life.

While we all fall short of the glory of God, Jesus did not. He did not deserve the wrath of God.

Unlike us, he did not deserve to be separated from God.

His earthly life and teachings are recorded in the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

He performed miracles, preached sermons, and ultimately died in our place.

The Atonement

Jesus was crucified for our sins.

Jesus died in our place, taking our punishment, and removing the wrath of God for our sins.

Theologians sometimes refer to this as the penal substitutionary atonement.

God is just and does not allow wickedness and evil to go without consequence.

In fact, God hates sin. He despises wickedness and evil. And it is right for him to do so.

Jesus died as a sacrifice on our behalf.

He removed the wrath of God. This is sometimes called propitiation.

But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:5-6

To put it another way, 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that “He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

The Resurrection

Jesus rose from the dead.

The Bible foretold that Jesus would be raised from the dead on the third day.

In fact, even Jesus foretold this about himself.

Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.” … But he was speaking about the temple of his body. So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the statement Jesus had made.

John 2:19-22

Jesus bodily, physically, literally rose from the dead on the third day.

This is one of the most fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith.

1 Corinthians 15:14 says, “If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.”

Jesus appeared to over 500 people after his resurrection and the apostles carried their witness of the resurrected Christ until their martyrdom.

The Great Commission

The Great Commission refers to the words of Jesus before he ascended.

All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Matthew 28:18-20

There are two important statements worth memorizing here.

First, Jesus commands us to make disciples. A disciple is a follower of Christ.

This means proclaiming the gospel and teaching people to obey the Lord.

Second, Jesus promised to be with us.

This is one of the most comforting promises in all of the Bible. Jesus will never leave us. And he is always with us.

The Doctrine of the Bible

The Bible is the word of God.

It is inspired by God, meaning that they were the words of God. It was written by apostles and prophets used by God to compose the Bible.

The Bible contains 66 books and is divided into two testaments. There are 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament.

The greatest discipline every Christian should be always developing is to read and understand the Bible.

The Inerrancy of the Bible

Inerrancy simply means that the Bible does not contain any errors.

Everything it says is true. The Bible is completely trustworthy because it is given by a perfect, all-knowing God who cannot lie.

The Bible is not only free of errors, it also cannot make errors.

I know this is a nuance, but it is important to know and believe that the Bible is both inerrant and infallible.

To be infallible means that the Bible can not make errors.

The Sufficiency of the Bible

The Bible is all we need to be able to know God, to understand humanity, and to live a godly life of faith.

The sufficiency of the Bible does not mean that the Bible contains every answer to every question.

The Bible won’t tell you how to change your tire, for example.

But the Bible tells us everything we need to know about God.

The Bible is a gift from God that God intended to be complete. God didn’t intend that the Bible would lack necessary information.

All Scripture is inspired by God… so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Scripture is able to make us complete in our faith and equip us to live a life of godliness.

The Authority of the Bible

God wrote the Bible and he is the Lord.

The Bible is not just advice. It is authoritative. It has power.

When you received the word of God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the word of God, which also works effectively in you who believe.

1 Thessalonians 2:13

Jesus Christ is Lord. Every tongue will confess this. Every knee will bow to him.

His word is not to be taken lazily. Hebrews 5:11 tells us the folly of “being too lazy to understand“.

The commands of the Bible should be obeyed. The truth of the Bible should be revered. And the Author of the Bible should be worshiped.

The Accessibility of the Bible

The great reformer Martin Luther commented that, “the Holy Spirit is the plainest writer and speaker in heaven and earth.”

The books of the Bible contains many different types of literature. From epistles and narratives to prophecy and apocalypse.

But that doesn’t mean the Bible is hard to understand.

And we have the Holy Spirit to illuminate and apply his word.

It might take study. It might mean looking into the text. But the Bible is easily understood.

The Bible is not written to be tricky. It’s not meant to be complicated.

It is meant to be written so that all people everywhere have a testament of God and the gospel.

The Doctrine of God

The New City Catechism asks the question “What is God?” Their answer is this:

God is the creator and sustainer of everyone and everything. He is eternal, infinite, and unchangeable in his power and perfection, goodness and glory, wisdom, justice, and truth. Nothing happens except through him and by his will.

The theologian A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

The study of the attributes of God is often called theology proper.

I’ll go over what I believe are some of the most foundational characteristics of God.

The Holiness of God

The only attribute of God mentioned three times in a row is his holiness.

Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God, the Almighty,
who was, who is, and who is to come

Revelation 4:8

This is sung by angels surrounding the throne of God day and night.

The holiness of God means that he is completely perfect.

He is perfect in his actions, his intentions, his character, his wisdom, and all of his attributes.

It means that he is other than us. His perfection is above any other perfection.

His goodness are beyond the human capacity for goodness.

His love and power are infinitely beyond our greatest ideas of them.

God is holy.

The Love of God

God is infinite in his love.

The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:8

God’s love is his goodness being acted out on his creatures.

It is his benevolence and care in action.

It is the love of God that he died for us, cares for us, and makes us holy.

It is the love of God that undeserving sinners wake up every day and have the opportunity to repent.

God’s love is an extension of his goodness and kindness.

The Power of God

God has all authority over his creation.

He has all power to do whatever he chooses.

Our God is in heaven and does whatever he pleases.

Psalm 115:3

There is nothing outside of the control of God. There is nothing that surprises him.

There is nothing that has ever happened that has frustrated the plan of God.

The complete power and authority of God over all things is usually referred to as his sovereignty.

The Trinity

God is Trinity.

God is three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

God is one being with one nature and one substance. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal in power and glory.

The idea of the Trinity might seem a little confusing at first, but it is a very foundational idea.

It impacts every other area of theology.

The Athanasian Creed was written in the first few hundred years of the church and is one of the oldest standards for understanding the Trinity. It says this:

We worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence. For the person of the Father is a distinct person, the person of the Son is another, and that of the Holy Spirit still another. But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty coeternal.

God is not three parts. He is not three gods.

God is also not one person who manifests in three different ways.

If this seems confusing now, you’ll more easily understand it as you continue to study.

Resources for Beginners

If you’re looking for books to help you jump-start your theological journey, we’ve created this video just for you.

Common Vocabulary

Holiness – the holiness of God means that he is completely other than us and is perfect in his actions, his intentions, his character, his wisdom, and all of his attributes.

Incarnation – the incarnation is that the Son of God became man and took on flesh

Inerrancy – inerrancy means that the Bible does not contain any errors or imperfections.

Infallibility – infallibility means that the Bible is not able to make errors because it is the word of the perfect God.

Passion – the passion refers to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross as the atonement for our sins.

Penal Substitutionary Atonement – this is the doctrine that Jesus died in our place, taking our punishment, and removing the wrath of God for our sins.

Propitiation –propitiation is the removal of the wrath of God through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Sin – sin is disobedience to God or his law, it is wickedness or evil.

Sovereignty – sovereignty is the complete power and authority of God over all things.

Theology Proper – theology proper is the study of the attributes of God

Total Depravity – total depravity refers to the completely fallen nature of humanity in which we are inclined toward evil and unrighteousness.

Trinity – Trinity refers to the triune nature of God as three divine persons with one essence, nature, and being.

Summary

Teaching complex doctrines without laying the proper foundation leads to deep theological issues and confusion.

We have to understand the gospel, our justification and redemption.

We have to know the Bible is our only authority.

And we have to know who God is and how to worship him.

When we have the right foundation, we can mature and move on to solid food.

While we never outgrow or become too mature for the foundational doctrines, we cannot grow without their foundation.

Brooks Szewczyk

Pastoral Resident, Cornerstone Community Church

Master of Divinity, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies, Spurgeon College; Certificate in Bible & Missions, Bethany Global University. Former Editor-in-Chief at Just Disciple; published in Cornfield Theology and various other publications.

    What Ephesians Says about Your Depression

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    Depression is universally recognized as a monumental issue in our society. People are plagued by not only constant discouragement but also constant disappointment. They feel sadness even through the happiest times in their life.

    While there is no shortage of people who want to help, there are very few answers to depression that address the problems that exist in the soul. The book of Ephesians provides a great foundation for a counseling plan with someone presenting depression in the counseling room. As a foundation, the approach to biblical counseling should be God-centered even in cases of depression… actually, especially in cases of depression. God must be seen as sovereign, as near, and as the answer to our problems.

    This is why the first act in the counseling room should be to establish reliance on prayer. We see that Paul often prays for the Ephesian church because he believes that God can do “above and beyond” what we can even think to ask of him (Eph. 3:20). We struggle to understand our own hearts, but God knows our hearts. We struggle to change ourselves, but God is sovereign even over us. Therefore, it is necessary to be in constant prayer while seeking healing from our heart issues. Paul even encourages the church to pray at all times with every request (Eph. 6:18).

    We struggle to understand our own hearts, but God knows our hearts. We struggle to change ourselves, but God is sovereign even over us.

    Moreover, we should recognize that God is truly able to help us. Ephesians places an overarching emphasis on the sovereignty of God in all things (Eph. 1:9, 1:22, 3:13). Pray knowing that God hears, cares, and is powerful to answer.

    We also see the importance of the body of Christ in our lives, especially in our struggles. Every person in Christ has been gifted for the good of the church (Eph. 4:16). We were not created nor intended to live alone.

    In fact, isolation is an enemy to healing. We need each other. The counselee should be encouraged to seek out Christian community to help them bear the burden of depression. Their gifts are essential to the body, but the body is essential to the individual. The counselee must be willing to be transparent with themselves, their community, and with God about their struggle.

    The counselee should also seek to be identified in the way that the Bible would identify them. Does their depression bear on their identity? No, they are first and foremost inheritors of the gospel of peace (Eph. 2:17). They are in Christ.

    It is easy to be defeated before the battle begins, but the counselee should be encouraged to let go of the idea that their presented depression is beyond cure. The overarching identity of the believer in Ephesians is that they are in Christ. They are a part of the body of the Lord, and the Lord is the bringer of peace. They are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, who is elsewhere called the comforter.

    Finally, they should be encouraged to continually thank God. Even when they do not see a reason to, there is always a reason to give thanks (Eph. 5:20). The counselee should be encouraged toward optimism, which is a more Christian position. While trials may come and go, our God remains forever. Our struggling is purposeful and God is still in control.

    In summary, Ephesians urges those struggling with depression to:

    • Establish a reliance on prayer.
    • Trust in the loving care of God.
    • Pursue Christian community.
    • Identify yourself biblically.
    • And always search for reasons to thank God.

    God has been infinitely gracious to each of us. We have reason to be hopeful even in the midst of hardship. We have reason to be thankful in every circumstance. The counselee should be encouraged to seek out reasons to constantly thank God and glorify him.

    Brooks Szewczyk

    Brooks is currently pursuing an M.Div. with an emphasis in Biblical Counseling from Midwestern Seminary. He is a Pastoral Intern at Redemption Hill Church and the Marketing Manager at Bethany Global University.

    How and Why Did God Create Us?

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    New City Catechism Q4: “God created us male and female in his own image to know him, love him, live with him, and glorify him. And it is right that we who were created by God should live to his glory.”

    God Created Us

    God doesn’t act without purpose.

    We are created beings. Nothing originated from man. Wisdom, intellect, consciousness, and humanity are all ideas from God. And this is a rarely disputed fact. That God created us is not a belief that is unique to Christianity. In fact, almost all people from all times and in all places assume our creation.

    Why do people all throughout history believe that we are created? Romans 1 gives us the answer, “[God’s] invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made.”

    God has partially revealed himself through creation. The skies, animals, humans, and everything else all point to an intelligent, creator God.

    And we all know that God doesn’t act without purpose. Unlike us, he is not capricious. God created us with a reason, and his intentions will surely be met.

    Male and Female

    The first thing mentioned by the answer from the catechism is that we were created male and female. This may seem obvious to some, but there is actually deeper truth to be found here that can impact the way that we live our lives.

    The first person created was a man name Adam. It wasn’t long after Adam’s creation that God saw that it was not good for him to be alone.So, he created a helpmate for him: a woman named Eve.

    We were created male and female because we are meant to complement each other. Man and woman are meant for each other, and are better together. This is God’s good creative order.

    Click here to continue reading at RedemptionHillDSM.org.

    How Many Persons Are There in God?

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    This post is regarding Question 3 of the New City Catechism.

    Question: How Many Persons Are There in God?

    Answer: There are three persons in the one true and living God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are the same in substance, equal in power and glory.

    Importance of The Doctrines of the Trinity

    The doctrine of the Trinity has been one of the most foundational, essential beliefs of the Christian church throughout our history. This doctrine was taught by the apostles and by God himself through his word. And specific beliefs regarding the Trinity were clarified by councils and creeds of the early church.

    Nature, Persons, Substance, and Essence

    One necessary distinction that is made is that between persons and being. God is three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But, he is one being, meaning that he has one nature, substance, and essence.

    We do not have three individual gods; Christianity is a monotheistic religion. As stated by the Shema from Deuteronomy 6, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Nevertheless, our unified God exists in three distinct persons.

    Following is an explanation of the divinity of each of the three persons of the Trinity.

    Click here to continue reading at RedemptionHillDSM.org.

    Pride Will Kill You – 10 Practical Ways to Kill it First

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    Pride says to God, “I’m more important than you.” Pride would have its own way, rather than the Lord’s. God alone is worthy to receive honor, glory, and praise. But pride tries to hijack it for ourselves.

    1 Peter 5:5 says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Which do you want from God: his opposition or his grace? If grace is what you want, it is vital that you lay aside pride.

    Pride is the root of every sin. It has the audacity to disobey the loving, wise God who has purchased you. Pride wreaks havoc on your spiritual life.

    We must declare war on pride lest we fall into sin and put enmity in between us and God.

    What is Pride?

    It’s essential to know our opponent in this war. We need to know what pride is and what it looks like. We must be able to identify pride from a mile away. Let’s take a look inside the camp of our enemy.

    Pride is that desire in you to receive more praise. It is the desire to be exalted rather than to glorify God. The proud person is confident in their own ability, and they do not rely on God’s grace.

    Here is a non-exhaustive list of indicators to be watchful of:

    • Frequently putting all of the attention on yourself
    • Struggling to empathize with the sorrows of others
    • Feeling self-pity when you’re not praised
    • Constantly considering what others think of you
    • Avoiding people who are better than you at something
    • Easily finding flaws in others

    Now that you can identify pride, you’ve got to know how to fight it. Here are 10 practical ways to be killing pride:

    1. Identify Lies You’re Believing

    If the truth was known and believed, pride would not exist. Your pride comes from lies that you are believing. Our adversary is a liar, and the father of lies.

    His first strategy is to get you believing something that is not true. Once you identify lies, you can replace them with the truth.

    Here are some lies that can lead to pride:

    • “God isn’t concerned with what I do.”
    • “I know what’s best for me better than God does.”
    • “Fruit in my life is from my own labor.”
    • “My sin is not that serious.”
    • “My comfort is more important than others.”
    • “I’m more deserving of grace than someone else.”
    • “I’m humble enough.”

    God’s truth gives a sharp contrast to these lies. For answers to these lies, keep reading.

    2. Understand God

    God is holy. His wisdom is infinite. His glory is never-ending. His goodness is unsearchable. He works all things according to the counsel of his will.

    There is no being in all of creation that compares to the Creator—especially not humans. We are the only beings in existence that are prideful enough to disobey God.

    “I am the Lord. That is my name, and I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols,” (Isaiah 42:8). He commands all worship, praise, adoration, honor, and glory. And, he will receive it.

    It is impossible to have a view of God that is too great. He is more majestic than our minds will ever be able to comprehend. Yet, he is intricately concerned with every aspect of our lives.

    Pride often comes from a view of God that is too low. We must fight to revere him if we want to be humble. This is what John says, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” (John 3:30).

    3. Understand Yourself

    Your position after Christ is all of grace. What you deserve is infinitely worse than what you’ve been given.

    Listen to what Ephesians 2 says about what we were before Christ:

    “You were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously lived, according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath,” (v. 1-3).

    We were helpless and hopeless. Living according to the world, following Satan, and living to satisfy our own desires. But, our hearts were changed. God made us alive so that he could display the riches of his grace in us. This leaves no room for pride.

    That passage also teaches us that even our good works were prepared ahead of time by God for us to do (v. 10). You never surprise God when you do good. He planned it. He gets the glory.

    What do you have to be prideful about? Pride often comes from either thinking yourself to be higher than you are or thinking God to be lower than he is.

    To claim that anything you’ve done is of yourself is to scorn the grace of God.

    4. Consider Others More Important

    This is the command that Paul gave in Philippians 2, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.“

    No one is more valuable than anyone else. You don’t deserve more grace than someone else. That is contradictory to the nature of grace; it is a gift that is given to those who don’t deserve it.

    How often do you go out of your way to serve your brothers and sisters? Do you carry one another’s burdens?

    5. Receive Compliments Well

    It’s difficult to figure out how to give and receive compliments. You want to encourage people in the gifts God has given them, but you want to also want to not cause them to stumble into pride. How do you give and receive compliments?

    Ted Hegre, a founder of Bethany Global University, used to say, “Receive compliments, but don’t swallow them.” His point was that it is good to recognize your abilities and use them for God’s glory. Allow people to edify you, but don’t allow them to convince you that you could’ve done it alone.

    You shouldn’t be constantly thinking about how people think of you. Don’t dwell unceasingly on the compliments you’ve received.

    What God says about you is what really matters. He delights in you, and he is pleased with you. “For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I still trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ,” (Galatians 1:10).

    The proper response to a compliment is to ask, “How can I best glorify God using the gifts that people testify that I have?” It is also proper to recognize that your ability is from God.

    God is more willing to use a humble man than a prideful man who has every ability in the world.

    6. Remind Yourself of Christ’s Example Often

    Christ set the ultimate example of humility. And scripture commands us to follow his example.

    Paul says this in Philippians 2:5-8,

    “Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death – even to death on a cross.“

    Jesus is equal with God, but he took on our likeness. He humbled himself by being obedient even unto death. Do we have that same level of obedience? Can you cry out “not my will, but yours be done,” as Christ did?

    If you can remind yourself just how much your Lord humbled himself, you can be encouraged to pursue it for yourself.

    7. Ask God to Humble You

    God’s will is for you be holy just as He is holy. His desire is your sanctification. And he is sovereign to bring that holiness to fruition.

    We are dependent on the Holy Spirit if we are going to live in humility. This grace must come from him.

    Jesus said this in Luke 11:13, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” All you have to do is ask.

    Your prayers reflect the desires of your heart. If you truly want to kill pride, you’ll ask God to kill it in you. And, God will have his way.

    8. Flee False Humility

    “You can have no greater sign of confirmed pride than when you think you are humble enough.” – William Law

    False humility is destructive. It allows you to live in pride without acknowledging that there is a problem. You’re living in sin without recognizing it. But, what is false humility?

    False humility is when you convey a life of humility while having a pride issue internally. It is a disparity between external appearances and internal sin. Here is a list of possible indicators of false humility:

    • Feeling the need to announce your achievements to others
    • Being unwilling to consider or accept godly rebuke
    • Correcting people in order to assert dominance rather than to edify them
    • Comparing yourself to others
    • Recognizing sin without turning from it

    We must flee from this false humility. It is the epitome of hypocrisy, refusing to admit imperfection in your life.

    “For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself,” (Galatians 6:3). If you have false humility, repent. There are forgiveness and freedom.

    9. Avoid Positions That Cause Pride

    If taking on a certain responsibility or position will cause you to be living in pride, it is best to avoid that position.

    Paul says that even the office of an overseer cannot be held by a new convert “or he might become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil,” (1 Timothy 3:6). Obviously, avoiding conceit is a valid reason to not accept a position.

    Everyone deals with pride in some way. Therefore, it is not reasonable to say that if there is pride in your heart at all, you shouldn’t be a pastor, manager, or leader. But, you cannot be living in this sin and holding one of those offices.

    In his book The Soul Winner, Charles Spurgeon pointed out that “Humility is one of the chief qualifications for usefulness.” This is an incontrovertible truth of ministry.

    10. Meditate on God’s Word

    This is the last step mentioned, but it is the most important. Meditating on the Bible is the most necessary part of becoming humble because it is the foundation upon which all of these other steps must be accomplished.

    Do you need to understand the truth about God? He tells you all that you need to know in the Bible.

    Do you need to know the truth about yourself? Scripture is the accurate mirror that will show you who you truly are.

    Do you need to see Christ’s example? It is recorded sufficiently in the scriptures.

    The Bible is not dead or inactive. When you read it and believe, you are being sanctified.

    God gave us the Bible so that we could be made into righteous, complete people. “All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work,” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

    One day, we will battle no more.

    Being prideful should not be pleasant to the believer. We hate it. And we seek freedom.

    The good news is that God is able to free us. The best news is that he promised he will. There will be a day when Christ brings history to its consummation and believers will be standing blameless before God. We will be given a body in the likeness of Christ’s glorified body. And we will dwell with him forever.

    We battle against pride knowing that Christ has won the war. His grace is enough. His righteousness is counted as our own.

    The reason that we are able to be in this battle is that the Holy Spirit is working in you and completing the work he began. Look to Christ with gratitude, adoration, and praise as you struggle against sin.