David B. Curtis
David B. Curtis
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Good morning, Bereans. We are continuing our study of 1 Peter this morning, looking at 5:5 and focusing on the call to humility. I'm sure that nothing in this verse applies to anyone here, but you probably know someone whom it does apply to.
Let's remember that the recipients of this letter are in great difficulty. They are suffering unjustly. In some cases, they are suffering without mercy at the hands of people who have misrepresented them.
Peter now turns in verse 5 from the shepherds to the sheep. Verses 5 through 14 compose the final section of this great epistle.
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5 ESV
After directly addressing the elders in verses 1-4 he now tells the congregation to be subject to the elders. We spent the last couple of weeks dealing with this call to submission. I said that because Ephesians 4:11 tells us that the office of pastor would end when the body was matured (which happened in AD 70) that this call to submission does not apply to us. The office of elder/pastor ended in AD 70 when Yeshua returned to Shepherd his people. Those who teach the Bible today are not authorities in the Church but are simple waiters who are to bring the meat of the Word to God's people.
Peter then tells his readers, "Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility." The first thing we need to ask here is does this apply to us? We are not called to submit to elders/pastors so does this command apply to us?
How do we know what applies to us and what does not? In the New Testament, "church" can be used to describe all Christians everywhere (the universal church) or a local congregation that is usually designated by the city in which the believers live. Every believer is part of the church universal. Therefore, when reading a letter to a local church, we need to seek to understand what part of it is specifically to the local assembly and what is applicable to the church universal. Most of the teaching that we find in the New Testament is directed to the Church and applies to all Christians in all times. But believers, although we can apply the spiritual truths that are given to the church to ourselves, the time and audience-specific events are not for us.
Because there is nothing to limit "Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility" to a certain time or place, we can apply it as a universal command to all believers.
Before we look at that, phrase let me mention a textual distinction between the KJV and modern translations.
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5 ESV
Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5-6 NKJV
This phrase "all of you be submissive to one another" is not in modern translations.
Is the ESV removing things from the Word? No! Textual Evidence: Modern scholars have determined that the phrase found in the KJV was likely added by a scribe who may have been referencing similar, but different, passages like Ephesians 5:21.
Let me say a word here about the ESV. In my opinion it is one of the best translations available at this time. Here's why I think that. The starting point for the ESV translation was the 1971 edition of the Revised Standard Version (RSV). Each word of the text was also checked against and based on the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible. The publisher, Crossway, states that in "exceptional, difficult cases, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Septuagint, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Syriac Peshitta, the Latin Vulgate, and other sources were consulted to shed possible light on the text, or, if necessary, to support a divergence from the Masoretic text." So, they are using all resources available to get a proper translation.
The ESV is what would be called a formal equivalence translation ("word-for-word" translation) which attempts to translate the Bible as literally as possible, keeping the sentence structure and idioms intact if possible.
So, this phrase "all of you be submissive to one another" is not in modern translations but it is in Ephesians.
submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21 ESV
This verse does not refer to the mutual submission of everyone in the church. Rather, it refers to wives submitting to husbands, children to parents, and slaves to masters, as spelled out in the following verses. The main argument for this view is that the semantic meaning of the Greek word for "submit" almost exclusively refers to someone subjecting himself or herself to another who is in authority over that person.
The word submitting (hupotasso) disallows the "mutual submission" interpretation of the verse; rather, it denotes a one-directional submission to the proper authority in any given situation. If A is subject to B, than B is over A and A, therefore, cannot be over B.
Now that we got that out of the way, let's move on. Peter says, "Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility."Clothe yourselves"—is an aorist middle imperative. The aorist imperative signifies a command that calls for "soldier-like" obedience. The middle voice indicates that we are to initiate the action and participate in the results or effect of this action. The Greek word translated "clothe yourselves" is egkomboomai which is a rare word that literally means in the Greek "to tie something on yourself with a knot or a bow." It refers to the apron that slaves put on over their regular clothes right before serving. It is possible that Peter is reflecting on Yeshua's actions in the upper room, recorded in John 13.
rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:4-5 ESV
Yeshua girds Himself with a slave's apron and washes the disciples' feet. Then he says to them.
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. John 13:14-15 ESV
Yeshua is not saying that from here on all Christians for all time shall wash each others feet. What He is saying is that all Christians should humbly serve each other; we should meet the needs of each other. If Yeshua were giving an example in modern North American culture, He probably would have selected another ordinary daily chore that they should humbly do for each other.
Putting on and taking off clothing is a biblical idiom for believers' ethical lifestyles. They are to put on the characteristics of God. Peter had seen true humility and now calls on believers to emulate Christ.
Peter says that believers are to "Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility." The word "humility" here is from the Greek word tapeinophrosune, it means "humiliation of mind," (i.e., modesty, humbleness of mind, lowliness [of mind]). This word is not found in any Greek writings before the New Testament, which indicates the New Testament writers invented this word. The adjective form, tapeinos, was often used to describe the mentality of a slave. It conveys the idea of base, shabby, scummy, unfit, low, common, useless. Humility was never seen in the pre-New Testament world as a virtue. It was ugly and never to be sought.
Let's talk about humility. When asked what were the three most important Christian virtues, Augustine replied, "Humility, humility, and humility." Yet, this great virtue is in rather short supply in our culture. Even very good people seem to have a hard time being really humble.
Humility is not a popular human trait in the modern world. It's not touted in the talk shows or celebrated in valedictorian speeches or commended in diversity seminars or listed with core values. And if you go to the massive self-help section of Dalton's or Barnes and Noble, you won't find books on humility.
Before Christ came into the world, the worst thing that could be said about a man was that he was humble. That was considered to be a quality of a slave and not of a free man. Christ came teaching a new concept. The way up is down. To be exalted, men must humble themselves. He illustrated this principle throughout His life and ministry. And He called us, as believers, to put on humility.
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, Colossians 3:12 ESV
In our text, Peter uses the Greek word egkomboomai, translated as "clothe yourselves." This is a rare word that literally means to tie something on yourself with a knot or a bow. It refers to the apron that slaves put on over their regular clothes right before serving.
Here in Colossians, Paul says, "put on" and uses the Greek enduo, which means "to put on clothes," or "envelope in." It has the idea of a garment which is wrapped around oneself, and the Greek word is used literally this way in a number of places in the New Testament. Paul uses this same word in Romans 13.
But put on the Lord Yeshua the Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:14 ESV
In Colossians, he exhorts believers to "put on humility." Here he says, "put on Yeshua." "A literary parallel to this use of 'put on' is quoted from Dionysius of Halicarnassus' Roman Antiquities 11.5, where 'to put on Tarquin' means 'to play the part of Tarquin.'" Bruce, p. 229.
Enduo in Romans 13:14 is an aorist imperative middle. An aorist imperative calls for a specific, definite, decisive choice: "Do this now, at once, once for all." The middle voice indicates the subject performs an action upon himself or herself. So, believers are called to once and for all put on Christ as a garment, to play the part of Yeshua. Paul is saying, "Become like Yeshua Christ, act like Him. Put on Yeshua when you get up in the morning. Make Him a part of your life that day."
Notice what Paul says in Galatians:
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:27 ESV
"Put on" here is also enduo, but here it is an aorist indicative middle, which simply states a thing as being a FACT. Believers have clothed themselves in Christ at salvation.
How can Romans 13:14 say to believers to put on Christ when Galatians 3:27 says that we have put on Christ at salvation? I believe that Galations is talking about our position where Romans is talking about practice. At salvation, every believer puts on Christ in the sense that we receive His righteousness.
For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19 ESV
When you trusted in Christ, you received His righteousness. God declared you righteous in Christ because positionally you are in Christ. You became united with Christ and share all He is and has.
In Romans 13:14, Paul is talking to believers. He is not telling them to get saved and put on Christ's righteousness in a positional sense. In this text, putting on Christ is an exhortation. Those who are positionally righteous are to practically act like it. We are to play the part of Christ. You are to live like Him, act like Him, put Him on. Many believers do not look like Christ, but we are all supposed to. When the world looks at you, they should see Him. How can we do this?
We're specifically talking about putting on Christ in the sense of humility. Paul explains humility this way in Romans:
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Romans 12:3 ESV
Whom is this command to? The Roman Christians of the first century. Does it apply to us? Does God want us to think soberly? Yes! It would be nice to think that this verse is cultural and has no significance to us or to say that times have changed, and we don't have a problem with pride today. But have times changed? No. This exhortation is to every believer. No one is immune from exaggerated self-importance. This is a natural human tendency. Denny said, "To himself, every man is in a sense the most important person in the world."
Do you have illusions about who you are and what you can do? Peter did.
Then Yeshua said to them, "You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." Peter answered him, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." Yeshua said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!" And all the disciples said the same. Matthew 26:31-35 ESV
Peter is saying, "You're wrong, Yeshua. You might me God, but you're wrong." Notice Peter's first response.
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matthew 16:15-16 ESV
Does that make sense to you? Peter says, "You are the Christ" and then he says, "You're wrong, I won't stumble or deny you." Was Peter thinking more highly of himself than he should have? Yes!
And again he denied it with an oath: "I do not know the man." After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you." Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know the man." And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Yeshua, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly. Matthew 26:72-75 ESV
This reminds me of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10.
Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12 ESV
We all do well to realize that apart from the grace of God, we are all capable of sin or failure. This command in Romans is to all believers, "Don't think more highly of yourself than you should."
Let me just say here that there is an opposite form of this problem that is prominent today—thinking too little of ourselves and talking about ourselves as though we are nothing. But that is merely another form of pride. The reason people talk like this is because they hope others will correct them. People say, "I'm no good; I can't do anything. I have no ability." They say this hoping you'll say, "Oh no, you're wonderful." If you agree with them, they'll get upset, because you will have offended their pride. If you say, "You know I think you're right, you are good for nothing." you'll have a fight on your hands.
Now, before I go on, I need to say just a few words about humility and self-esteem. Many folks think helping people build greater self-esteem is the most important thing we can do for them. I doubt that it is the case. We need to remember that studies show that about 80% of the American people believe they are more intelligent, more honest, and more talented than the average person. Now, perhaps some of the other 20% struggle with low self-esteem, but it is clear that is not the problem for many folks. However, biblical humility is not the same thing as low self-esteem. Yeshua, Paul, and the other apostles were very humble people, but I think it is obvious that they had a very healthy self-esteem. Humble people are really those who esteem or think of themselves accurately. They do what Paul tells us to do in Romans 12:3, "…not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think…." As Christians, our goal should not be low self-esteem or high self-esteem, but humility. This is simply a realistic view of who we are—
sinners who have become God's saints through Yeshua's death on the cross in our place.
What Peter is calling for is the attitude of humility: "Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility." Are you humble? In order to answer that, we need to know what humility is. Humility is first a feeling toward God that he has absolute rights over your life, that he can do with you as he pleases, and that he has absolute authority to tell you what is best for you. And that's just fine with you. It is a spirit of utter yieldedness and submissiveness to the Lord as master. The humble person sees himself as clay in the Potter's hands.
Secondly, humility means feeling indebted to all people because of how graciously God has treated us. It's the opposite of feeling that everybody owes you something— owes you an ear or owes you strokes or owes you time. Now, of course, there are relationships in which those things may be true. Someone may, in fact, owe you something. But the more you are driven by what others owe you rather than by what you owe them in love and service, the less lowly you are.
The Bible teaches us that Humility is dependence:
And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Deuteronomy 8:2-3 ESV
Man lives in dependance upon God, and understanding this is humility. Pride is self-sufficient. This will affect our attitude towards our fellow man because if we are conscience of our entire dependence on God for all our abilities, we will not pride ourselves on them.
Paul defined humility this way:
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 ESV
The word for humility here is the same word in our text in 1 Peter (tapeinophrosune).
"Count others more significant than yourselves"—we are to esteem others "more significant." This is huperecho, which means "to hold oneself above, to excel; superiority: higher, supreme." This could be translated as "thinking of others as superior to yourself." Unless you are really eaten up with pride, you no doubt have some people in your life whom you regard as superior to yourself. But think of all of those people whom you consider yourself better than. There's probably a lot more of these. Dwell on this long enough, and you'll see the depth of your pride.
This way of thinking is very much against the grain in our culture, which is extremely self-centered. We are still a part of the "me generation." But even though many folks claim it is their right to be selfish and that is what they want to do, we don't admire them for it. We like people who are interested in us and not just in themselves. We listen to people who talk about our concerns and not just their own. Therapists report that inmates of mental institutions say "I" or "me" twelve times more often than residents of the outside world. As their conditions improve, the patients use the first-person personal pronoun less often. It is no surprise that a Christian who is constantly talking about himself or herself doesn't have much impact on other people.
We are all called to see others as more important than we are. That is a challenge. We battle our pride incessantly on that one alone. To be able to see others as more important than yourselves is a major spiritual victory. But that's what it takes. Don't be selfish, don't be conceited. With humility of mind, regard others as more important than yourself. Then Paul says,
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Yeshua, Philippians 2:4-5 ESV
And then he goes on to say even while Christ Yeshua was exalted with the Father, He stooped, became a servant, and gave Himself even in death in order that He might serve us. He humbled Himself in an amazing and inconceivable way. And that's the heart attitude you need to have.
Once Winston Churchill was sitting on a platform waiting to speak to a large crowd gathered to hear him. The chairman of the event leaned over and said, "Isn't it exciting, Mr. Churchill, that all these people came just to hear you speak?" Winston Churchill responded, "It is quite flattering, but whenever I feel this way I always remember that if instead of making a political speech I was being hanged, the crowd would be twice as big." That is not thinking too highly of yourself.
Is humility important? Notice again what Peter says in the end of verse 5.
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5 ESV
Peter is quoting this from the Tanakh. He quotes Proverbs 3:34, which says, "God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble." This is the reason to be humble. Why? Because God gives grace to the humble but He opposes the proud. By the way, James quotes that same verse in James 4:6: "God is opposed to the proud, gives grace to the humble."
Do you want to receive God's grace or his opposition? God's grace is available only to the humble. The reason is not that humility is a performance of virtue that earns grace but that humility is a confession of emptiness that receives grace. We often define "grace" as "Free and unmerited favor shown to guilty sinners who deserve only judgement." Now, that is a good definition of "grace," but it isn't the only definition. Grace is also used in the Bible to mean "God's power that enables us to deal with life's circumstances."
Paul uses "grace" in the sense of "God's power that enables us to deal with life's circumstances" in 1 Corinthians 15.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10 ESV
We use the word "grace" in this sense in modern speech. Have you ever heard anyone say, "By God's grace I was able to remain calm"? When we use the word "grace" this way, we are referring to "God's power that enables us to deal with life's circumstances." In other words, apart from the enabling power of God, I would never have been able to do this or that.
We see this same idea in Philippians 4.
I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:12-13 ESV
What Paul is saying here is that in whatever circumstance he finds himself, he can handle it through God's enabling power. The words "by His grace" could be substituted for "through Christ who strengthens me." The idea is the same. Verse 13 could be read, as "I can do all things by His grace." "By His grace" and "through Christ who strengthens me" express an identical thought.
So, the word "grace" as used in the New Testament, expresses two related meanings. First, it is "Free and unmerited favor shown to guilty sinners who deserve only judgment." Second, it is "God's power that enables us to deal with life's circumstances." The second meaning is encompassed in the first, because God's enabling power is part of His unmerited favor. So, part of God's unmerited favor is the enabling power He gives us. There is a distinction, but they are related.
We are all susceptible to pride, but some of us are so proud that we won't admit it. What we must understand is that pride stands in direct opposition to grace. Please notice to whom God gives grace—the humble.
God designed His creation to have a dependency upon Him. Even in the ordinary decisions of a day, we need to depend on God for wisdom and direction. The Fall itself was precipitated when man sought to live independently of God, and this human independence continues at the heart of sinful rebellion today.
God wants us, as His children, to always be aware of our need of Him in our lives. God often takes us through difficult situations in order that we might realize how much we need Him.
"Toward one another"— This is an emphasis on community.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 1 Peter 5:6 ESV
Yeshua made a similar promise to His disciples when He said:
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:12 ESV
It is one principle with two sides. It is a promise of being brought low to those who exalt themselves, and it is a promise of exaltation to those who humble themselves. We see this principle illustrated and stated in Luke 18.
"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:10-14 ESV
It is a biblical law that exaltation follows humility. Just as established by the second law of thermodynamics that all things break down over time, it is certain that those who humble themselves will be exalted, and the one who exalts himself will be humbled.
We see the negative side of this principle in the life of king Nebuchadnezzar. He exalted himself, and God humbled him. That mighty king of Babylon ended up wandering around eating grass like an animal. But when he humbled himself, God exalted him.
Since the blessing of God is upon those who humble themselves, Peter calls all Christians to embrace the virtue of humility.
The phrase "mighty hand of God" recalls the Exodus liberation as Moses reminded the children of Israel:
then you shall say to your son, 'We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Deuteronomy 6:21 ESV
Peter's point is that just as God delivered His people in the past, so will He continue to deliver those who humble themselves before Him. But he also probably had Christ's Second Coming in mind.
The writers of the Tanakh used God's "hand" as a symbol of discipline (Exod. 3:19; 6:1; Job 30:21; Ps. 32:4) and deliverance (Deut. 9:26; Ezek. 20:34).
"As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you. Ezekiel 20:33 ESV
Look at verse 37.
I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD. Ezekiel 20:37-38 ESV
Here the mighty hand of God is seen purging, chastening, judging, and punishing His people in order to purify them from their sin.
So, Peter tells his audience that they need to humble themselves, regardless of whether the mighty hand of God is delivering them, or protecting them, or testing them through difficulties, or even chastening them. In all things, they are to submit themselves to humility without questioning God, arguing with God, or debating God. Humble yourself under His will, under His Word, under His power.
"So that at the proper time he may exalt you"— In context, this serves two theological purposes: (1) currently these readers are going through persecution, not exaltation and (2) the time of exaltation is at the Second Coming.
casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 ESV
One way to be humble is to cast your anxieties on God. Which means that one hindrance to casting your anxieties on God is pride. Which means that undue worry about your future is probably a form of pride.
To think that the omnipotent God of the universe might "oppose" a mere finite, human being, is cause for serious reflection and a commitment to humility at all costs.
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