In the last post, we looked at the glorious humiliation that comes through believing the Gospel. This glorious humiliation comes from humbling yourself, turning from the myth of self-reliance, laying down your pride and self-righteousness, and coming to the truth that it is in God you live and move and have your being.

The opposite of glorious humiliation is shameful humiliation. Shameful humiliation is living according to the myth of self-reliance. Shameful humiliation is when you live as if you are your own savior, your own master, your own king. You live like you don’t really need God. You don’t need his grace. You can make it on your own. God helps those who help themselves.

Perhaps the best example of repentance from self-reliance to relying completely on the power and grace of God is in Philippians 3, where the Apostle Paul describes his life before and after meeting the living Christ.

1Finally my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 

Paul said that what used to be his glory is now his shame. What was his gain, he now counts as loss. And what was his glory? Relying on himself, on his righteousness, on his religious record. All of that time of trusting in himself is now his shame. He discovered the glory of knowing Christ, of trusting in him and the power of his resurrection. He’s discovered that through suffering the loss of his pride and self-righteousness and self-reliance, he’s gained the power and glory of Christ’s resurrected life.

The Gospel of Jesus calls us daily to turn from the shameful humiliation of self-reliance in order to experience the glorious humiliation of relying on God’s power and grace given to us through faith in the Gospel.