“The mystery of grace teaches us that as we lose ourselves in the overwhelming greatness of redeeming love, humility becomes to us the consummation of everlasting blessedness and adoration.”

Let us memorize and meditate on this statement by which Murray begins his treatise on Humility. Each of these phrases should be examined separately, then added each one to the other for the understanding of the work of grace

“the mystery of grace”
“lose ourselves”
                        “the overwhelming greatness”
                                                    “redeeming love”
“humility becomes to us”
                          “the consummation”
                                            “everlasting blessedness”
— the work of grace toward us and in us that effects a response.
                                             “adoration”
— the work in and through us – the fruit of His overwhelming greatness of redeeming love.

There is no mention of sin or pride in this statement. Humility is the work of grace abounding over pride.

“But where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound:”
Romans 5:20

There seems to be the thinking that “we must keep sinning if we are indeed to remain humble.”

“Others have thought that the strength of self-condemnation is the secret of humility. And the Christian life has suffered loss, because believers have not been distinctly guided to see that nothing is more natural and beautiful and blessed than to be nothing, so that God may be all.  It has not been made clear that it is not sin that humbles us most, but grace.”

 We will continue these thoughts in our next post. Today, let these two bold statements be lodged in our memory and our heart, so that they convict, and work the desire for this humility that is ours in Christ. Then, let us begin to pray fervently for this gift of His grace — with faith in His timing and His means.

Gracious Father, you keep bringing me back to this lowly position before you, to refresh my heart and memory. Keep us at the foot of the cross until we know this grace that enables us to lose ourselves in the overwhelming greatness of your redeeming love. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Fran

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