Lessons #347 and 348
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Believer’s freedom in Christ (1 Cor 10:23-11.1)
23 “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive. 24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. 25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”27 If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience’ sake— 29 the other man’s conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another’s conscience? 30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. 11 1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
The message is 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 that we stated in our last study is this: Use your freedom in Christ in such a way to advance the spiritual needs of others. We indicated we will expound on this message based on three responsibilities you have as a believer pertaining to the concept of freedom you have in Christ given in the passage we are studying. The first responsibility you have as a believer derived from our passage, we started to consider in our last study is that You should understand that not everything you have right to do, helps others spiritually but you are required to seek the good of others. We also indicated that this responsibility involves two parts or elements. The first part is understanding that not everything you have the right to do, helps others spiritually. This first part is derived from verse 23 but there is a second part to this responsibility given in verse 24. It is with this we begin our study today.
The second part or element to the first responsibility is that you are required to seek the good of others. This element of the first responsibility is based on the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul as we read in 1 Corinthians 10:24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. Literally, the Greek reads No one let seek his own thing but the thing of the other (person). The literal Greek reading that we have given reveals that the word “good” does not appear in the Greek but an interpretative translation that is found in many of our English versions while others do not use the word. We will deal with this later.
The action required in the second element of the first responsibility is found in the word “seek” that is translated from a Greek verb (zēteō) that may mean “to seek, look for” in order to find. It may mean “to strive for, aim (at), try to obtain, desire, wish (for).” The word may mean “to request, demand, ask for” as it is used by Apostle Paul to justify his threat of punishing the offenders in Corinth during his visit to them in 2 Corinthians 13:3:
since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 10:24, it is used with the meaning “to seek” in the sense of “to strive for one’s own advantage” or “to try to reach something one desires.” The Greek reveals that the action of seeking, as we have explained, is something that is to be repeated. In effect, what the believer is instructed not to do in the sentence Nobody should seek his own good is one that is to be repeated. It is not something one does once and is done with. No! We are to repeat the instruction again and again so long as we are on this planet. We cannot take a break from the action of not seeking what is forbidden to us.
What is the believer not to seek? The answer in the NIV and many of our English versions is given in the phrase his own good. A more literal translation of the Greek is the of himself. The issue is how to translate the Greek phrase to make sense in the English. The translators of the NIV translated a similar Greek phrase with the phrase his own interests in Philippians 2:21:
For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
It is probably because the Greek phrase may be interpreted with the meaning “interest” that some of our English versions, such as the TEV and the REB, used the phrase to your own interests in their translation of our passage of study, that is, 1 Corinthians 10:24. The NRSV and the CEB used the phrase your own advantage in their translation of our verse of study. The various ways other English versions translated the Greek phrase that literally reads the of himself imply that the word “good” used in the NIV is a good one that captures the various words used to translate the Greek phrase that we are considering.
It is true that the Greek phrase that literally reads the of himself should be understood as referring to one’s good or interest that we are instructed not to seek but the literal phrase the of himself reminds us of the kind of things human seek for self that we should understand to obey the instruction of 1 Corinthians 10:24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. All humans seek material things for their benefit as the Lord Jesus implied in His Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew 6:32:
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
The sentence the pagans run after all these things is more literally the pagans seek after all these things. Pagans refer to unbelievers but that does not mean that believers do not seek what is described in the phrase all these things. For if believers are not capable of seeking the same things unbelievers seek, the Lord would not have given the command not to do so. That aside, what humans seek after in the context are material things that are necessary for our existence and comfort on this planet as defined in the preceding verse, that is, Matthew 6:31:
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
All humans whether we recognize it or not seek honor or glory or praise for ourselves. I am saying that we all have the tendency to seek human approval in one form or another although sometimes that may be unconsciously sought. It is because we humans are prone to seeking approval or praise from others that the Lord Jesus conveyed that during His earthly ministry, He did not seek His own glory, but the Father did as we read in John 8:50:
I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.
The sentence I am not seeking glory for myself, according to the UBS handbook, may be translated “I am not trying to cause myself to be praised” or “I am not seeking to have people praise me.” Thus, the Lord Jesus while on this planet stated He was not looking for human praise implying that we humans seek praise or honor. Apostle Paul made similar statement of the Lord Jesus in his epistle to the Thessalonians as we read in 1 Thessalonians 2:6:
We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you.
It is easy for any of us as believers to claim that we do not seek human praise or approval so let me put it in a way that would help us to recognize that we either consciously or unconsciously seek human praise or approval. The way we know this, is our reluctance to go against popular view or opinion that is not based on the Scripture. Whenever we are afraid to go against the culture when it is contrary to the Scripture, it is often because we want human praise or approval. Let me illustrate this from the Scripture from what happened in the time of the Lord Jesus. The Scripture tells us that some of the Jewish leaders believed in Christ but because of love for human praise they would not confess their faith in Him as we read in John 12:42–43:
42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.
It is easy for us to read the clause for they loved praise from men more than praise from God and think that it does not apply to us. This may be true of some but not all believers. For the moment we do not stand firm to what we believe because of others, the implication is that we want human praise or approval rather than God’s. My point is that even as believers we may consciously or unconsciously seek human praise that without doubt all unbelievers seek. Another thing many humans seek is spiritual in the sense of having right relationship with God. It is because of this that we have so many religions on this planet in which people seek to live with God forever. Those who accept that there is something beyond the grave usually seek a right relationship with God. This is implied in what Apostle Paul stated in Galatians 2:17:
“If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!
To seek to be justified is to seek to be in a good standing with God. This is what most religious people do, only that they think they could obtain it without faith in Jesus Christ, something that is impossible.
The three things we identified we human seek that are material, praise/honor, and right relationship with God enable us to understand the instruction of 1 Corinthians 10:24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. On a surface reading, this instruction is difficult since it implies that you should not seek material things or spiritual things for yourself but of others. This could not be what the Holy Spirit meant to convey. The sense of the instruction is that we should not seek these things at the expense of others. In other words, you are not to seek things that are good for you while you ignore what is good for others. This sense of the instruction, in my opinion, is captured by The Passion Translation (TPT) that rendered 1 Corinthians 10:24 as So don’t always seek what is best for you at the expense of another. Anyway, our concern is really on how to carry out the instruction given in the verse we are studying.
We ask, how do we comply with the instruction of 1 Corinthians 10:24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others? In answering this question, we should recognize that we can satisfy a requirement of some kind either by what we do or what we avoid. This means that we can comply with this instruction both negatively and positively. So, we begin with how we can comply with this instruction negatively or by what we avoid.
Negatively, the first thing we should avoid, to comply with the instruction Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others is selfish ambition. We mean that if we are going to think of benefitting others or doing things that would be of help to them, we should avoid selfish ambition as the Holy Spirit instructs through Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:3:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
What is “selfish ambition?” To answer this question, we begin by noting that the expression “selfish ambition” is from a Greek word (eritheia) which means “selfish, selfish ambition.” The development of this word is an interesting one. The word was derived from a Greek word that means to conduct oneself as a hired laborer, then it came to mean the manner, attitude or disposition of the day laborer. Before New Testament times, this word was found only in Aristotle where it denotes a self-seeking pursuit of political office by unfair means. It is used to describe harlots or prostitutes who demean themselves with their only interest being to gain their own advantage. A major sense of this word is that there is emphasis on attitude or a desire to put oneself forward. Thus, “selfish-ambition” is a strong drive for personal success without moral inhibitions. We should be careful to understand the distinction between “selfish ambition” and “ambition” as a concept. Ambition is a strong desire to do or achieve something. A synonym for “ambition” is “aspiration” which is “a striving after something higher or better.” Thus, we should understand that “ambition” or “aspiration” is not wrong as a concept. This we can demonstrate by what the Holy Spirit states through Apostle Paul regarding the office of an overseer in a local church as we read in 1 Timothy 3:1:
Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.
The clause of the NIV If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer is translated in some of our English versions, such as the NASB and the NET, as If someone aspires to the office of overseer. Since “aspiration” is a synonym for “ambition,” there cannot be anything wrong with having ambition or aspiration. In fact, a person who does not aspire to be better in life would probably live an unenjoyable life. Hence, we are not saying that you should not aspire, but ambition or aspiration can become wrong under certain conditions. Recall that our Greek word (eritheia) translated “self-ambition” in Philippians 2:3 was used of a person who stops at nothing in gaining the individual’s objective. Hence, it is this characteristic of being willing to gain one’s goal without any concern for what is right that makes ambition wrong or selfish. We are saying that if you are willing to achieve your aspiration or goal with no regard to your spiritual life and with no regard to the word of God then you have become guilty of selfish ambition. Our assertion is supported by what the Holy Spirit gave through James in James 3:16
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
The point that we need to observe is that James says that selfish ambition leads to every evil practice. This means that one has neither morals nor standards in what the person does so long as the individual achieves the desired goals. Hence, such ambition is wrong or sinful.
We have considered what “selfish ambition” is and so you may wonder how its understanding helps in complying with the instruction of 1 Corinthians 10:24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others? Well, if you avoid selfish ambition, it will enable you to be concerned not only for your own welfare but that of others especially believers. In effect, if you are not so occupied with achieving your goal at the exclusion of the word of God, you will act in a way that will benefit others especially fellow believers. Anyway, the first thing you should avoid, to comply with the instruction Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others is selfish ambition.
The second thing you should avoid, to comply with the instruction Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others is being a stumbling block to any believer. The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul had previously commanded believers who consider themselves to be spiritually strong not to be stumbling block to weaker believers, as we had studied in 1 Corinthians 8:9:
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
The apostle also declared that he does not put a stumbling block before other believers, as we read in 2 Corinthians 6:3:
We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.
Apostle Paul stated that he and the other apostles would not dare to put stumbling block before others knowing the punishment that Lord Jesus indicated He would bring on anyone that puts a stumbling block before believers as we read in Matthew 18:6:
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
A stumbling block is “that which causes someone to sin” or “that which provides an occasion for someone to sin.” Consequently, to avoid being a stumbling block to another person is to avoid anything that would cause that individual to sin. This requires that you should watch what you say or do before others. The psalmist recognized the importance of watching what comes out of his mouth that he declared in Psalm 39:1:
I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
We often sin by what we say, and we also can lead others to sin by what comes out of our mouth. To ensure you do not cause another believer to sin, you should watch the advice you give. In effect, you should be careful that you do not become Satan’s agent to cause a believer to sin by promoting a viewpoint or human thought that conflicts with divine plan. This point is derived from the rebuke of our Lord Jesus to Peter when he thought he was saying the right thing in protesting the Lord Jesus’ statement of dying for our sins as recorded in Matthew 16:21-23:
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
The Lord rebuked Peter of being a stumbling block, implying that he was saying something that if followed would be going contrary to the will of God. An implication of our Lord’s response is that we should be careful that we do not advise someone or say something to someone that would cause the person to sin against God. For example, if your advice to another believer causes the individual to live in fear or to act in fear instead of faith, you have become a stumbling block and your advice has caused the believer to sin. It is not only what you say, your action may also be a stumbling block to another believer. We have an illustration of this kind of action from the same Apostle Peter. Peter acted in a way that would encourage other believers to segregate themselves from fellow believers for which Apostle Paul rebuked him as we read in Galatian 2:11-13:
11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12 Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
Anyway, the point is that you should avoid saying or doing anything that can be a stumbling block for another believer, that is, that will cause another believer to sin. If you followed this instruction, then you will avoid being a stumbling block to another believer which as we have stated is the second thing you should avoid, to comply with the instruction Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. Thus, we have considered negatively what one should avoid, to comply with the instruction Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. So, we proceed to consider positively what one should do to comply with the instruction.
Positively, the first thing we should do to comply with the instruction Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others is to follow the example of the Lord Jesus as demonstrated in His coming to this planet to redeem us. His example is described by the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:5–7:
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
The Lord Jesus is the believer’s example that should be imitated. Consequently, the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul instructs us to follow His example in being concerned for the good of others. The first thing we are instructed regarding the Lord Jesus’ example concerns His thought process reflected in His attitude and actions. You probably may say to yourself that there is no mention of “thought process” in this passage of Philippians but if you think for a moment, you will recognize that attitude one has is always the result of a thought process. That aside, the instruction of verse 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus is literally from the Greek Keep thinking this within you which also (was) in Christ Jesus. The standard Greek English lexicon (BDAG) suggests that the Greek may be translated let the same kind of thinking dominate you as dominated Christ Jesus. This or the literal translation we gave is because the apostle used a present tense of a Greek verb (phroneō) that means “to think” but in the verse we are considering the verb means “to develop an attitude based on careful thought” or “to have an attitude.” Thus, the Holy Spirit wants us to make it our habit to think or have the attitude of our Lord Jesus. We are in a sense to train our minds to have the attitude of the Lord Jesus that led to the two actions mentioned in this passage of Philippians 2:5-7.
The first action of the Lord Jesus is that of not insisting on His right as God because of God’s plan for our redemption should be fulfilled. It is this that is given in the sentence of verse 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. In this sentence, Apostle Paul meant to convey that although Jesus Christ in His pre-incarnate state is God, He was willing not to hold to His right as God in order to come into this world to die for us. He understood that taking on the human form would mean while on this planet He would temporarily have to depend on the provisions of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit instead of His right as the second member of Godhead. His attitude that the apostle wants us to emulate, was not insisting on maintaining His right as God while in incarnation. Christ understood if He did not take this attitude, mankind would be doomed forever. Here is the apostle’s point he wants us to get. It is a great gain to be equal to God, but our Lord gave up that gain temporarily to accomplish the task of redeeming mankind. If our Lord did this, the apostle is saying what right or privilege do we have that is so important that we cannot let go in order to seek the good of another. What is so dear that I must insist on it at the expense of being out of fellowship? What is so great about my privilege that should cause me to look down on other believers? Do I have the right to insist on an advantage or privilege that I have and neglect helping a fellow believer?
The second action of our Lord is “emptying Himself.” This is expressed in Philippians 2:7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. The verbal phrase made himself nothing is literally he emptied himself. The literal phrase has been interpreted in different ways by interpreters of this verse because of how the Greek verb (kenoō) translated made himself nothing in the NIV has been understood; for example, the word has been taken to mean “to pour out.” This meaning leads to the translation of the literal phrase emptied himself as made no account of himself or as the NIV translates made himself nothing. This notwithstanding, the sense of the literal verbal phrase emptied himself is that Christ despite being God, effaced all thought of self and poured out His fullness to enrich us. Thus, it is not a matter of emptying Himself of divine attributes, as some assert but that He took on something that He was not before. He took on the added nature of a servant. We are saying that Jesus Christ acted by taking on the form of a servant because He wanted to save us, that is, to do that which is good for us. The point of referring to this action of Christ is to tell us that to do good for others, we should be willing to act as servants to others for their good. Put another way, we should be willing to serve others for their own good.
Be that as it may, the first thing we should do to comply with the instruction Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others is to follow the example of the Lord Jesus. Following the example of the Lord Jesus means that there is no right that we have that we can insist on as to cause us to displease our Savior by not seeking the good of others. It requires we be careful not to have a highly inflated opinion of ourselves. We should have the correct opinion of ourselves but no more. We should be aware of who we are but that should not cause pride in us. By this I mean, if the Lord has prospered you with material things you should be aware of it but not to the extent of arrogance knowing He can remove it all in a twinkle of an eye. Likewise, if you are highly educated or highly placed in this life you should be aware of it but then you must not use this to the point of arrogance where you look down on others and so unable to serve other believers. Furthermore, we should have the attitude of being ready and able to serve others.
The second thing we should do to comply with the instruction Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others is to strive to be constantly controlled by the Holy Spirit. Previously, we indicated that we should follow the example of Jesus Christ, but it is impossible to follow His example unless we strive to remain under the control of the Holy Spirit, that is, to remain filled of the Spirit. Christ’s earthly ministry was characterized by Him being filled of the Spirit. That His earthly ministry was characterized by the filling of the Holy Spirit may be learned firstly from what Luke said about Him before Satan tempted Him as we read in Luke 4:1:
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert.
There phrase full of the Holy Spirit tells us that the Lord Jesus in His humanity was under the control of the Holy Spirit as He functioned on this planet. Secondly, after the disciples returned from the mission work, He sent them, Luke tells us that Jesus Christ was full of the Holy Spirit as He thanked the Father for the success of His disciples’ mission as we read in Luke 10:21:
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
The phrase full of joy through the Holy Spirit indicates that Jesus was filled of the Holy Spirit, that is, He was under the control of the Holy Spirit who produced joy in Him. The point is that if we are to follow the example of the Lord Jesus, we should strive to be filled of the Spirit.
The filling of the Holy Spirit is essential in thinking of the good of others. This is because if we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, we will not be self-centered but concerned about others. You may wonder how the filling of the Spirit will result in not being self-centered. If so, let me show you how. The filling of the Spirit results in the fruit described in Galatians 5:22:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
This passage says nothing about not being self-centered but merely lists “love” as a facet of the fruit of the Spirit. However, if you have the love produced by the Holy Spirit then you certainly would not be self-centered. This truth is implied in the description of love given by the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:5:
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
The phrase not self-seeking is literally from the Greek does not seek the things of itself. Since love involves not seeking the things of itself then when a person has the love that is the result of the filling of the Holy Spirit, the person could not possibly be self-centered as the individual would be concerned about the interest of the object of the person’s love. I am saying that if you have love that is the result of the filling of the Spirit, you will be concerned about the good of the object of your love. In fact, it is the love that the Holy Spirit produces that will enable you to truly serve another as implied in the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul recorded in Galatians 5:13:
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
In any case, the second thing we should do to comply with the instruction Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others is to strive to be constantly controlled by the Holy Spirit.
The third thing we should do to comply with the instruction Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others is to strive to be humble so we be concerned about others. It is this that is conveyed in the passage we cited previously, that is, Philippians 2:3:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Our concern with this verse this second time is the clause but in humility consider others better than yourselves. I must say that this instruction reminds us of the importance of the filling of the Holy Spirit since it is completely opposite to how we think or function as humans. By nature, no human being wants to accept that someone is better than himself. Why do you suppose people are in competition about material things? You want to have a nicer car or a bigger house or better this or that, why? If your reason for these is because you need them and can afford them, there is nothing wrong with that, but if it is because you want to show off that you are better than so and so, then you are wrong and has fallen into the Satan’s trap. The instruction in humility consider others better than yourselves is perhaps the highest test of humility. To the natural mind such an instruction is impossible and unbelievable so that even a believer not controlled by the Holy Spirit and not grounded in truth would find it difficult. You know that there are believers who are not highly placed as yourself, who are not as smart as yourself or who are not respected as you or as highly educated as you. But the Holy Spirit says that you should consider such believers to be superior to yourself. How can this be? Remember that the apostle says in humility. If you see yourself as being inadequate before God and that all you are is the result of grace of God to you, this is not difficult to accept and obey. Because the command hinges on the word “humility,” it will be necessary to consider the subject of humility briefly.
What is humility? Let me start with what humility is not. First, it is not an outward visible self-abasement in gesture, lifestyle, or clothing. There are people who because of their status in life cannot afford certain things, that does not mean they are humble. Second, humility is not under evaluation of self. For example, if you are rich, you should not say that you are not for the sake of being humble. Likewise, if you are highly educated or highly placed in life, humility does not mean the denial of these facts. Third, humility is not a natural virtue in man. In order words, no one is born humble. If people are born humble, then there should have been no need for the instruction to be humble as in 1 Peter 5:5:
Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Peter says humility is something we put on as we put clothes, that is, the proof that it is not an inherent characteristic as, for example, pride. Another passage that supports our assertion that humility is not an inherent characteristic is Zephaniah 2:3:
Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger
Note it says that we should seek humility. How can you seek what is natural to you? The Scripture nowhere tell us to seek things that are part of us, rather we are told to get rid of them, such as pride.
Having noted what humility is not, we can now define humility as “freedom from arrogance that results from full recognition that all we have and are come from God.”
There are several features of humility that must be understood to fully appreciate our definition of humility. Let me mention four of these. First, there is a true and a false humility. We know this not only because of what we said that humility is not but because of what the Holy Spirit says through Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:18
Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.
From what the apostle says here, a false humility puts much emphasis on what is seen. It can be either a way of dress or a pretension in manner. On the other hand, true humility is a recognition that by ourselves we are inadequate, without dignity, and worthless while at the same time recognizing that we are of infinite worth and dignity because we are created in God's image and because we are in Christ, purchased by His death on the cross. Second, humility involves having a correct opinion of oneself while having a sense of one’s littleness before God. Apostle Paul writes in Rom 12:3:
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
A humble person evaluates self, without exaggeration. Others may praise or compliment the individual, but the person knows the truth about self. The person relates every assessment of self to the grace of God. Third, humility is demonstrated in the spirit of being willing to serve others. Our Lord clearly demonstrates this during the Last Passover He celebrated with His disciples prior to Him instituting the Lord’s Supper in John 13:4-5:
4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Because our Lord is humble, He demonstrated this by washing the feet of His disciples. He is doing the work designated for servants or slaves although He is the Lord and Master of all. Fourth, humility involves great respect for the word of God. A humble person trembles at the word of God, as indicated in Isaiah 66:2:
Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
If you are humble, you cannot assume that God does not know what He is saying in His word. You take His word with ultimate respect.
Recall that we are considering the third thing we should do to comply with the instruction of 1 Corinthians 10:24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others that we stated is to strive to be humble, so we be concerned about others. It is because of this that we are considering the instruction of Philippians 2:3 but in humility consider others better than yourselves. This instruction means you should not consider yourself better than others. But how should we understand it in a practical way? We should understand this as no believer should seek to stand out or make self to be more important than other believers, in say, in a local congregation. It does not mean that the believer should not function in whatever capacity or gift that he has. Obviously, there are spiritual gifts in local assembly that make those who possess them stand out or be more noticed, this is not what the apostle means. Rather, what he is expressing is that attitude which says “my opinion is better because I am better than everyone, I am right, and every person is wrong because of my knowledge or other factors.” It means that the believer must not operate under the control of self when dealing with other believers. It is required that the believer should keep thinking in terms of humility rather than in terms of arrogance; that is what we have. It is the present tense in the Greek that is used, which means that the believer should constantly think and constantly regard others as better than himself. You may ask in what sense? First, in the sense that whatever the believer does, it should not be with the attitude that he wants to do it so that he receives special recognition that will cause him to exhibit pride. Second, you put the needs of others ahead of yours.
The fourth thing we should do to comply with the instruction Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others is to be accommodating to others or to adapt to things around people so we can do things that help them. The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul conveyed that accommodating other believers involves being willing to tolerate their weakness as we read in Romans 15:1:
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
The matter of adapting to the circumstance of others has been illustrated previously in this epistle of 1 Corinthians by Apostle Paul as he described in 1 Corinthians 9:19–23:
19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
In any case, with explaining how to fulfill the instruction of 1 Corinthians 10:24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others we have completed what is necessary to understand your first responsibility in the passage of 1 Corinthians 10:23-31. This responsibility, again, is that You should understand that not everything you have right to do, helps others spiritually but you are required to seek the good of others.
09/17//21