Humility is the Secret of Redemption

We continue looking at the theme of humility in this week’s interview with Jeff Colon by looking at how it connects with our need for redemption. He teaches us that when we begin to see our sin rightly, we’ll be brought to a place of true humility. It’s in this condition that we begin to cry out to the Lord and it’s in this place that God will come in and meet our need.

Mike: We want to continue our series on humility. And I just want to ask you this question, how does humility relate to our redemption, or rather our need for redemption?

Jeff: Well, Mike, there is a Scripture I have in mind regarding that. Romans 5:12 talks about what happened in the fall through the first Adam. It says, “Just as through one man, sin entered the world and death through sin and thus death spread to all men, because all have sinned.” And what we need to realize is that because of the fall, everyone has fallen under the curse of sin. Our minds and hearts have been corrupted by the same pride that animated the Devil. We have a desperate need to be redeemed from the fallen nature of the devil and that really is the root of all sin. As we see that truth and it becomes real to us, we begin to understand why we need to be redeemed.

Mike: Well, let's talk a little bit about the impact that pride has had on us because, as Americans, we often look at pride and say, that's a great thing, we need to be proud about who we are. But as you've mentioned, it is really a very devilish thing. Talk a little bit more about the impact that it's had on us and the outworking of pride in our lives

Jeff: If you think about it really, all the wretchedness that the world has seen began with that curse. All the war, all the bloodshed, all the selfishness, all the suffering, all the ambition and jealousy. Every broken heart is the result of pride, whether it's our pride or someone else's pride.

Mike: I know one of the things that has happened certainly for us and for the men that come into our Residential Program is that they come in with what they believe to be a little problem with sexual sin. But what becomes real to them after a while is that they are full of themselves and what they are really seeing is the pride that has completely corrupted them. I know part of what must happen in their lives is that they must reach a point where they really get a sight of how corrupting their pride is, and to end up in a place of despair. Where do you go from there?

Jeff: We need to despair over our condition, but as someone said to me once, we need to despair happily. In other words, we need to see that out of that despair will come something greater. For us that means seeing Christ and our redemption through Him. We see it in Paul’s writings where he says in Romans 7, “I know that in this fallen flesh, there is nothing good.” Jesus said to the rich young ruler, “No one is good but God.” We need to realize that only God is good and despair that there is no hope in fixing our flesh nature. Like Paul we need to say, “But I thank God through Jesus Christ.” In other words, Jesus made a way for me to be freed from this body of death.

Mike: What is it about Jesus that we need to know and understand in order to come into this redemption?

Jeff: I think we especially need a revelation that the root of God’s character is love, but I can even say it as Saint Francis of Assisi said, “God is humility.” We need a sight of that, and we need to understand that our greatest need is to know and trust that His life can be revealed in us. We need to see that His life is ours now that we have died to our old man. Christ and His Spirit come to dwell in us so that we can have His nature. This is our hope of redemption.

<pull-quote>Christ and His Spirit come to dwell in us so that we can have His nature. This is our hope of redemption.<pull-quote><tweet-link>Tweet This<tweet-link>

Mike: I know for many years in ministry before I fell, there were times that I was truly in awe of the power and the glory of God. But that in itself is not the main thing that draws us to Jesus. What is it about Jesus that really draws a wretched, prideful man to Him?

Jeff: His mercy. He is good, He is kind and He is long suffering. In other words, God is lowly. God meets the needs of His creatures. He is meek, He is gentle, and He is willing to serve. He is love, even though He is so powerful and mighty. He is humility. That’s what draws me to Him. I believe as Christians, if we want joy, if we really want to understand what fellowship with God and knowing Christ is, we must make his humility the thing we admire most about Him. It also must be the main thing we ask of Him and the one thing we see that we cannot live without. God is asking us to take His yoke upon ourselves, so that we can learn from Him how to be meek and lowly at heart.

Mike: What we're talking about here absolutely cuts across the grain. I'm thinking of two things. Number one is our flesh, because our flesh always wants to exalt itself. Two is the idea of being meek and lowly in heart. A man that comes across as meek and lowly in our current culture is certainly not celebrated.

Jeff: If you think about it, the culture and society we live in, and the whole spirit of this world teaches us to look to self and to be all that we can be. But the humility of God tells us to empty ourselves and to be nothing and let God be all that He can be in our lives.

Mike: One of the great struggles for Christians in the church today is that they're not experiencing the joy of their salvation. Do you think in some part it's because we haven't embraced this idea of humility?

Jeff: Oh, absolutely. Until we make humility our main joy and welcome it into our lives, there is very little hope of living in the faith that God has granted us in Christ that will overcome the world. We really need to embrace humility in our lives, just as Jesus did.

Mike: For those who are beginning to grasp for the first time what this great redemption really is focused on doing in us, they may think that it’s impossible. They may say, “I'm just not a humble person.” They look at their heart, the way they live their lives, and think to themselves, “I can't do this.” What encouragement would you give to them?

Jeff: Don't look to yourself. Look at Jesus and realize that He did what we cannot do. That's why Paul cried out, “O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me?” He knew that he was not going to be able to deliver himself. He thanked God for Jesus Christ who is the hope of redemption, Jesus did what we could not do, so we need to look to Him. The Bible says He is the author and finisher of our faith, and I would just encourage anyone that is seeing their need to clothe themselves and let His mind be in them. Look to Jesus. That's why He died for us, to recreate us into His image. That is the plan of salvation.