The last BLOG looked at the need for a creature to judge itself in light of the God who created it in order to attain to something of true humility. Human beings want to judge themselves by their own standards or other human beings, but that is not how we should or can attain a true sight of our won hearts. We must learn, though indeed it is a hard and disgusting thing, to see ourselves as we really are. The most vile and reprehensible thing that a person will ever see is a sight of his or her own heart in the blazing light of the holiness of God. A person with high self-esteem and a high view of self is a person that has never seen the holiness and glory of God. This is simply to say that a high view of self is simply a deceptive and artificial view of self that people have when they are too blinded by pride to see the true self in contrast to the holiness of God.
The following quote is taken from The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards. The total quote being used can be seen in the BLOG Humility 36.
“Legal humiliation has in it no spiritual good, nothing of the nature of true virtue; whereas evangelical humiliation is that wherein the excellent beauty of a Christian grace does very much consist. Legal humiliation is useful, as a means in order to evangelical; as a common knowledge of the things of religion is a means requisite in order to spiritual knowledge. Men may be legally humbled and have no humility; as the wicked at the day of judgment will be thoroughly convinced that they have no righteousness, but are altogether sinful, exceeding guilty, and justly exposed to eternal damnation-and be fully sensible of their own helplessness-without the least mortification of the pride of their Hearts. But the essence of evangelical humiliation consists in such humility as becomes a creature in itself exceeding sinful, under a dispensation of grace; consisting in a mean esteem of himself, as in himself nothing, and altogether contemptible and odious; attended with a mortification of a disposition to exalt himself, and a free renunciation of his own glory…This is a great and most essential thing in true religion. The whole frame of the gospel, every thing appertaining in the new covenant, and all God’s dispensations towards fallen man, are calculated to bring to pass this effect. They that are destitute of this, have no true religion, whatever profession they may make, and high soever their religious affections may be.”
The essence of evangelical humiliation consists in such humility as becomes a creature. That is more or less where we stopped last time as we focused on what it means to see self as a creature. It involves a look at the creature in light of its Creator. But the next part of the statement is that the creature must see itself as “exceeding sinful.” In other words, if we see ourselves in light of the holiness of God we will begin to see something of the despicable nature of our hearts and see ourselves as exceedingly sinful. A person that does not see self as exceedingly sinful is a person that has never seen self in contrast with the true God. Most likely it is a person that has never seen God either since one cannot see God in truth without seeing something of self in truth. The brightness of His glory is what will bring a person to a true sight of self and then a true sight of his sinfulness and creatureliness.
“In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.’ 4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts'” (Isaiah 6:1-5).
“Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me. 5 ‘I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; 6 Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes'” (Job 42:4-6).
These two passages could be multiplied, but these are sufficient to make the point. Once a person sees God, then that person is brought to an end of self and sees self as a creature what is exceedingly sinful. Isaiah was a prophet and most likely thought to be a holy man, but once the light of the holiness of God shone in him, he saw himself as utterly vile and unclean. Job thought he was righteous and could not understand what God was doing to him, but once he saw God he repented in dust and ashes and saw the sovereign rights of God over him. God is our standard.
God Loves... Himself 
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