The issue of humility is so vast that one could write about it for a hundred years and not scratch the surface. In the last BLOG we started looking at Colossians 1:9-13 in order to look at the spiritual nature of truth and of why humility and the glory of God are two correlating truths that run throughout the whole Bible and are necessary and assumed in virtually every teaching of Scripture in places they are not explicitly talked about. In the text below we can see this as true of this text but it is also true of Scripture as a whole if this text is true (which it is).
“For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:9-13).
The spiritual wisdom that Paul prayed for will not be found by Bible study alone. That may sound heretical to some, but a spiritual understanding can only come by the Holy Spirit who does His enlightening work in the mind. Indeed He uses Scripture, but that shows that an academic understanding of the Bible is not what Paul prayed for and is not what people should seek primarily. The scribes and the Pharisees were quite learned in the external meaning of Scripture, but they did not have a spiritual understanding of Scripture at all. They knew the letters of the Bible and they were reputed to have memorized large parts of the Old Testament Scriptures, but they did not understand the real point of Scripture. There has to be a spiritual wisdom and a spiritual understanding in order to be filled with the knowledge of His will.
1 John 5:20, combined with John 17:3, shows how this is true: “And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” John 17:3 tells us that “this is eternal life, that they may know You.” When we see how these verses come together, it is quite clear that eternal life is by grace alone and that the Spirit is responsible for these. Eternal life comes from an understanding and eternal life is not distinct from spiritual life, but instead they are the same thing. Eternal life is to know God and spiritual life is to receive all life and all things from the Spirit. It is from the Spirit that all spiritual fruit comes and yet eternal life is all about spiritual fruit and sharing in or partaking of the holiness of Christ (Heb 12:10) and also to be partakers of the divine nature (II Peter 1:4).
Human beings do not become God and they do not share in the essence of God, and if Scripture put it in any different terms it would be blasphemous to say that human beings partake of the divine nature. However, when we understand something of the spiritual nature of Scripture we know that when the Holy Spirit works in believers and they have the fruit of the Spirit, which is partaking in the divine nature. There is no love in the universe apart from the triune God who lives in perfect love within the Trinity and He shares it with His children who receive it as the fruit of the Spirit. The very love of God is poured out in the hearts of believers by the Spirit and so believers love God with the love that He gives them for Himself. This is to share in the divine nature. I John 4:7-8 is quite explicit when it says that God is love and the only ones who love are those who are born of God and know God. Then it goes on to say that the one who does not love does not know God. In other words, there is no love in the universe apart from a love that comes from God.
Underlying all of this simply glorious teaching of Scripture is a God-centered God and the humility of human souls. Human beings do not deserve salvation and eternal live. Part of that salvation and eternal life is to share in the love that the Father has for the Son and the Son has for the Father. This is what it means to be united to Christ. The love of God shines out of Himself and is sent from God not on the basis of any human merit or work. It comes to the praise of the glory of His grace. It is only the humble soul that will receive this totally as grace. It is by grace alone that souls share in the divine nature and receive the divine love. Spiritual wisdom and understanding are given by grace to those who love God. This wisdom and understanding are spiritual and they are by grace alone.
God Loves... Himself 
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