Man’s need of redemption is quite clear in light of sin. But if we only think of redemption in terms of a judicial sacrifice alone, we have missed some of the glory of redemption. Redemption must answer the fall at all points and not just some. It is true that humanity has fallen into sin and has broken the laws of God. But humanity has also had a poison injected into its system by the Serpent. That poison has to have an antidote as well. That poison of Satan is pride and self-centeredness. Satan himself fell from pride and then tempted Adam and Eve who fell because of pride. Pride and self are twin powers in the soul and they really are the same thing under two names. It is only pride that can cause a person to think so highly of self that s/he would serve self and not God. It is only pride that would move a person to serve self rather than God.
Paul wrote that he had no pastor or man to send to Philippi: “For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:21). Within that statement is a shocking idolatry that displays the pride and self of the human heart. It is wicked for human beings to seek themselves and not God. The Greatest Commandment is to love God with all of our being and yet Paul did not have a minister who had the interests of Christ at heart rather than self. It is clear, then, that for Paul it was better for the Philippians not to have a pastor than to have one that was there out of self-interests. The implication of this passage is one that we don’t like. The implication is that it would be better in the United States to have empty pulpits than to have them filled with men who were more concerned with the interests of self rather than the interests of God. It would be better to have denominations fall away than it would be to have the positions filled with men who were more concerned with self than with God.
When a preacher preaches and has self-interests in mind rather than the interests of Christ, that sermon will not be a true message of Christ crucified because it will not be from a heart that has been crucified to Christ. When a sermon has the motive and intent of self-interests in some way, it will not be out of love for God and it will not be out of love for the true spiritual welfare of the souls of the people. Pride seems to be at home at least as much in the pew and the pulpit as it does in the wicked places of the cities. If one took the words of Jesus as being the hardest and perhaps the harshest for the Pharisees, then perhaps He hates the pride of religious folks more than any other kind. Apart from true humility it is not a good thing to try to preach. Humility is utterly necessary for the work of the pulpit and of any religious activity that is done in truth and love.
A sinner must be redeemed from the pride of the heart or that person has not been redeemed. A pastor must be redeemed from the pride of the heart or that pastor has not been truly redeemed. Regardless of the pastor’s orthodoxy and of his position in a denomination, if that person is proud that person has not been redeemed from sin. Jesus does not redeem a person from sin and leave that person still in its continual power. When Christ takes away a person’s sin, He also takes away the full power of that sin. He may leave some there to keep the person looking to His self-sufficiency rather than that of self, but there is no longer the full power of sin there to keep that person in bondage to that sin.
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
A preacher who is still in the power of pride will see the true message of the cross as foolishness. The preacher who is still in the power of pride has nothing but his own wisdom and power despite his words to the contrary. God has said in His Word that He will destroy the wisdom of the wise. That includes religious wisdom that does not come from Him as well. He has said that He will set the cleverness of the clever aside. That includes the cleverness of the religious folks as well. God is only pleased to save sinners through the true message of the cross. It is only when a preacher has been crucified to self and self no longer rules that the love of God dwells in that soul. It is only when a preacher is crucified to self and has the love of God dwelling in his soul that the glory of the cross will shine through that man. God opposes the proud even if they are orthodox preachers. Let us all search our hearts.
God Loves... Himself 
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