The whole issue of humility seems to be such a puzzle when one really thinks about it, or perhaps when one really tries to be humble. Humility always seems to be either just out of reach or totally and way beyond the reach. When one tries to get a glimpse of what humility is, even the world admires humility as long as it is in a worldly way. But Christ was truly humble and He was crucified, which shows that the world hates true humility.
The eternal Word was the second Person of the Trinity and as such always lived in unceasing joy and pleasure in perfect oneness in that Trinity. The eternal Word was worshipped and adored by the angels and all who are around the throne of the living God. It is beyond human ability to comprehend what Scripture teaches us that this eternal Word did when He stripped Himself of glory in appearance and joined human flesh (a real human nature) to the Divine Person of the second Person of the Trinity. How can one really imagine the depths of such humility? How can one even begin to touch the fringes of His ways when the distance between an ant and a human is far closer than it is between a human and the Divine? It is no wonder that people settle for a worldly concept of humility rather than try to seek to be like Christ.
A worldly humility thinks of something like the Pope who has a tradition of washing the feet of a beggar each year. But that is one human being washing the feet of another. That is one sinner washing the feet of another sinner. In a word or two, big deal. But then we have the Lord of eternal glory who was perfectly sinless washing the feet of a sinful man and something has changed. The One who breathed all things into existence and is the One that the whole world was created through and also created for stoops to wash the dirty feet of a sinful man? If we are not startled at the thought, it is most likely that we don’t understand it or our hearts are hardened to some degree.
The humility of the eternal Word is simply beyond description, but that should not keep us from trying. What would it have been like for the eternal Word who from all eternity dwelt in the presence in perfect oneness with a holy, holy, holy God? What would it have been like to have had myriads of angels who were sinless around you at all times singing your praise? But the eternal and thrice holy Word took human flesh and lived with sinners. How awful it must have been for One who was perfectly holy to have been around such vile and wretched sinners. Yet far more horrible than that is that this eternal and thrice holy Word had all the sins of all whom would ever believe imputed to Him and counted as His. He became the most sinful being in all of history because He took all the sins of all those who would believe upon Himself. Maybe eternity is needed that sinners may bow and look at the glory of such humility in the Lord Jesus Christ.
But there is one more step to consider. The eternal and thrice holy Word had never known pain and never knew anything but living in the perfect love of His Father. When the eternal Word went to the cross, He bore the wrath of that Father for the sins of all who would ever believe. Surely, then, this is something to spend time meditating on and thinking about. Surely this is one of the most glorious things that we can think of. Surely we must step back and behold the glory of the humility of Christ in willingly choosing to suffer the eternal wrath of the Father in the space of a few hours for His people.
If human beings were not wracked with depravity and humility came in any other way but by grace alone, we would wonder that any human being could possibly be proud ever again. However, human beings are born dead in sin and part of that is pride. Part of the sinful nature (a very important part) is that of self and pride. When sinners see something of true humility which is the absence of pride and self, they hate it. Sinners want a humility that they can work up and a humility that they can be praised for. But the humility that God will accept can only come from Christ. It is not the humility of human effort and it is not the humility that men should be praised for, but it is a humility that Christ has earned and He gives it to people by grace alone. All spiritual blessings are in Christ and come from Christ. God gives grace to the humble and so this humility must be of grace as well or grace would be given to those who worked up humility for it. Oh no, all is from Christ.
When we behold the stupendous nature of the humility of Christ, we must also know that this humility paid for our pride and it is this humility that we must share if we will have any humility at all. We must know that this humility is from and of the life of Christ and it is actually Christ living in His people. This humility can only come to the people of God by grace who gives grace and then more grace because this Christ is full of grace.
God Loves... Himself 
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