Humility: The Glory of the Creature
Humility is the first duty and highest virtue of God's creatures, and is the root of all virtue, allowing God to do all in our lives.
Andrew Murray emphasizes that humility is essential for understanding our relationship with God and for receiving His grace. He explains that God created humanity to reflect His glory and that humility is the highest virtue, allowing us to depend entirely on Him. Jesus exemplified this humility by becoming man and obediently sacrificing Himself, which is the foundation of our salvation. Murray asserts that true humility is the root of all virtues and the key to a fruitful relationship with God, as it enables us to acknowledge His sovereignty and work in our lives.
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When God created the universe, it was with the objective of making those he created partakers of His perfection and blessedness, thus showing forth the glory of His love and wisdom and power. God desired to reveal himself in and through His creatures by communicating to them as much of His own goodness and glory as they were capable of receiving.
As truly as God by His power once created all things, so by that same power must God every moment maintain all things. Humility, the place of entire dependence upon God, is from the very nature of things the first duty and the highest virtue of His creatures. And so Jesus came to bring humility back to earth, to make us partakers of it, and by it to save us. In heaven He humbled himself to become a man. Here on earth ''he humbled himself and became obedient to death'' (Philippians 2:8); His humility gave His death its value, and so became our redemption. And now the salvation He imparts is nothing less and nothing else than a communication of His own life and death, His own disposition and spirit, His own humility, as the ground and root of His relationship with God and His redeeming work. Jesus Christ took the place and fulfilled the destiny of man as a creature by His life of perfect humility. His humility became our salvation.
Humility is the only soil in which virtue takes root; a lack of humility is the explanation for every defect and failure. Humility is not so much a virtue along with the others, but is the root of all, because it alone takes the right attitude before God and allows Him, as God, to do all.
(Excerpted from The Andrew Murray Daily Reader in Today's Language, pg. 359)
Sermon Outline
- I. God's Objective in Creation
- A. To make creatures partakers of His perfection and blessedness
- B. To reveal Himself in and through His creatures
- II. The Nature of Humility
- A. Entire dependence upon God
- B. The first duty and highest virtue of His creatures
- III. Jesus' Example of Humility
- A. Humbled Himself to become a man
- B. Became obedient to death
- IV. The Value of Humility
- A. Gives value to death and redemption
- B. Communication of God's life and death
- V. The Root of Virtue
- A. Humility is the root of all virtue
- B. Takes the right attitude before God
Key Quotes
“Humility is the only soil in which virtue takes root; a lack of humility is the explanation for every defect and failure.” — Andrew Murray
“Humility is not so much a virtue along with the others, but is the root of all, because it alone takes the right attitude before God and allows Him, as God, to do all.” — Andrew Murray
Application Points
- We must cultivate humility in our lives, depending entirely on God and taking the right attitude before Him.
- Humility is the key to virtue and a life of obedience to God.
- We must recognize the value of humility in Jesus' example and strive to follow His lead.