John the Baptist Stands Humbly Before JesusBible World
3:30John 3:30
He must increase, but I must decrease.
He must increase while John must decrease was John's answer when his disciples complained that Jesus was baptizing and all men were coming to Him, meaning Jesus' work, influence and following must grow while John's own prominence and following must wane as his mission closed. Like the friend of the bridegroom whose joy is fulfilled in hearing his voice, John's lesser light grew pale as Christ's ministry rose like the Sun of Righteousness, for John knew he was not the Christ but only sent before Him to prepare the way. As a principle it means Christ alone must be exalted and have first place in affection and prominence, while human pride, self-importance and leaning on man recede out of sight until there is more of Jesus and less of self. Ministers and gospel workers must therefore hide self behind Jesus and lead souls to Christ rather than to themselves, learning submission and self-sacrifice and never taking undue honor or letting rivalry disgrace the cause. In personal life the same change comes by humble dependence on the Lord as the living Vine, abiding in Christ by faith until self is humbled and subdued and He takes possession of the heart.
Historical Setting Explained
The saying was given as an answer when his disciples came to him with a jealous complaint that the One to whom he had borne witness beyond Jordan was baptizing and all men were coming to Him. In that moment sympathy with their murmuring would have risked a serious division, sowing dissension and impeding the gospel. He refused worldly ambition and turned attention fixed on himself toward Another as his own crowds lessened day by day and the disciples of Jesus increased.
It describes a transfer in which the work, influence and following of Jesus must grow while the role, prominence, power over the people and following of John must wane as his mission comes to its close. He gladly yielded prominence and directed people away from himself to the Saviour, accepting obscurity with joy so that all eyes might be turned to the Lamb of God, the Light of life. Even when crowds turned away and his ministry appeared to be ending, he remained firm in faith and witness without seeking prominence for himself. He accepted being superseded without disappointment, grief, resentment or sympathy for himself, rejoicing in the success and prosperity of the mission of Christ as his own special work.
Like the friend of the bridegroom whose task is complete when the bridegroom arrives, his joy was fulfilled in hearing the bridegroom's voice and seeing Him honored. Nothing is received except what is given from heaven, and the One who comes from heaven and from above is above all. He had been only the forerunner and the bridegroom's friend, and he rejoiced when the people turned their attention to Jesus. The ministry of Christ would shine like the Sun of Righteousness rising with splendor to eclipse the lesser light, which grows pale and dim beside the greater light.
This rested on a clear understanding that he himself is not the Christ but sent before Him to prepare the way, being only a voice crying in the wilderness. He sought not to attract men to himself but to lift their thoughts higher and still higher until they rested upon the Lamb of God. Temptation came through the jealous grievance of his disciples, and he knew that grieving being superseded and sympathizing with himself would sow seeds of dissension and encourage envy and jealousy. Though having by nature the faults and weaknesses common to humanity, transformed by divine love and looking in faith to the Redeemer he rose to self-abnegation and with joy accepted silence and obscurity. By decreasing in this unselfish way and refusing to draw the sympathy of his disciples to himself, he kept the seeds of dissension from being sown, kept anarchy from springing up, kept the cause from languishing for want of proper workers, and protected the establishment of the church.
John's Selfless Joy
He must become more prominent while John must fade from view, and John gladly accepted that lesser place. That self-denial meant willingly accepting silence and obscurity so that the eyes of all might be turned away from himself to the Lamb of God, the Light of life. He did not seek to draw people to himself or claim attention for himself, but to lift their thoughts higher and still higher until they rested upon Christ.
His special work was to direct people to Christ as the promised Messiah and Saviour of the world, and to direct his disciples to follow Jesus as the great teacher. As his own mission came to its close and his public voice receded, he taught them to leave himself and go after Jesus whose teaching ministry had begun. He rejoiced as Christ's work prospered and Christ's influence, work and following grew, because that success was the fulfillment of his own God-given mission.
He did so without jealousy, disappointment, grief, resentment, or concern over fading popularity and lost followers. Like the friend of the bridegroom whose joy is fulfilled in hearing the bridegroom's voice and seeing Him honored, he rejoiced in Jesus' success rather than resenting the loss of his own influence. Even when crowds turned from him to Jesus and his ministry appeared to be ending, he remained firm in faith and witness without seeking prominence for himself. He had prepared the way for the Lamb of God by living a lonely, self-denying life of fearless reproof of sin, accepting that he would not share in Jesus' teaching ministry and miracles.
Looking in faith to the Redeemer brought him to the height of self-abnegation. His unselfish joy in the success of Jesus' ministry is the truest nobility ever shown by mortal man. As the Sun of Righteousness rose with splendor, his lesser light grew pale and dim beside the greater light, and his clearing of the way allowed Christ's ministry to go forward. His testimony corresponded to Jesus' testimony, both controlled by the same spirit and given to the same reformatory work.
Christ Exalted Over Self
As a principle the verse means that Christ alone must be exalted and given first place in affection and prominence, while human pride, self-importance, and leaning on man and making flesh their strength must recede and stand back out of sight. It is a humble and reverent confession to be made from the heart, turning from dependence on people so that God can glorify His name through His people. While they rely on human strength their weakness continues, and only when Christ alone is lifted up do they humbly direct others to Him as the source of their hope of eternal life. To live the verse is to lift up the Man of Calvary so that church and world look upon their Redeemer in whom their hopes of eternal life are centered, and to proclaim Him as the Lamb who takes away sin.
To increase means Christ becoming greater in a person's life, attention and allegiance, taking possession of the heart and being lifted up, centered, honored and more fully seen, while to decrease means self being humbled, subdued, hidden and becoming less prominent until the result is more of Jesus and less of self. Putting "me" and "I" in their proper place means humbling oneself, obeying God, and keeping His glory and eternal realities in view, showing Christ's character and grace rather than self. Self-exaltation leads to being brought low, while humility leaves the lifting up to Jesus, who bears the heavy end of the yoke. Unless Jesus takes possession of the heart, with self brought low and Christ lifted up, God's people will not prosper. The needed change is a thorough reformation brought by divine enlightenment, and the nearer a person draws to Jesus the more self decreases and He increases. This happens by learning of Christ, coming to Him for rest, asking the Master for help in perplexity and for wisdom to guide when inclination leads toward expensive luxury, learning self-denial from Him and following Him, and He gives peace to those who do so.
The human will becoming as the will of God in this humbling produces unity among God's people, their being of one mind and speaking the same things. This answers Christ's prayer just before His crucifixion that His disciples might be one as He is with the Father. When those who claim to be children of God humble themselves in this way, Christ indeed increases as first and last and best in everything. Those who come with childlike humility recognize this in their lives, that human intellect and distinction cannot take credit for conversion. All power to draw souls and make truth effective comes from God, with human beings only agents and channels, so no glory for the work belongs to people but to God alone.
Letting the old self-directed nature revive reverses the verse, pushing Christ out of counsel and out of the person's counsel, and the result can bring ruin. When allowed to revive and grow, self resists the Spirit, exalts human plans as wise, and leaves Christ out of counsel, so that self increases and Christ decreases. Exalting and honoring evil counsels reverses the right order that Christ is to become greater in the work while men are to become less. Spending much money on buildings to make an appearance of prosperity, to give character to the work, and to give the impression that managers are superior businessmen, and voicing and wanting the decisions of men according to their representations, causes Christ to become less and causes men who counterwork away from God's plans to become greater.
Lesson For Gospel Workers
Ministers and gospel workers must become less while Jesus becomes greater, hiding self behind Jesus and leading people to Christ rather than to themselves. The object of ministry is to let Christ appear, with the worker willingly stepping back as an instrument of God whose mission others will carry farther, keeping attention on God rather than on a human leader. This requires putting away all self-exaltation, elevating self as a smart or great man, advertising personal capabilities, and quoting the praises of men, and never drawing converts to self or treating those who accept truth through one's labor as one's own. Undue honor of a worker fosters self-confidence and leads people away from God, while the true heart response is that selfish love dies as love for Jesus burns within, aims become pure and unselfish, and no glory is taken to self. This decrease is not spiritual inactivity but earnest work in Christ's spirit and love, living in His presence and doing His work until life is one with Him as He was one with the Father, while the Holy Spirit works on minds to lead them to recognize the truth.
Those whom God places in responsible positions must learn submission and self-sacrifice after the pattern of joyfully yielding prominence because they were sent to prepare the way and not to compete. As the Sun of Righteousness rises with splendor to eclipse the lesser light until it grows pale and dim beside the greater light, Christ's ministry and honor must grow while human influence and prominence diminish. Such unselfish joy in the success of Christ's work is the truest nobility ever shown by mortal man, with testimony corresponding to His testimony in the same spirit and reformatory work to clear the way. It teaches never to take undue honor to self nor let a spirit of rivalry disgrace God's cause, but to vindicate what is right even at the expense of all personal considerations.
God in providence places people in unexpected positions and tests them when they bear weighty responsibilities, to reveal their own weakness and make manifest that power is in God alone. Whoever becomes spiritually proud and flatters himself that he has advanced above his brethren will be left to learn the truth with all boasting laid in the dust, for when faith is not wholly centered in God human strength is exhausted and impatience and railing show the need to stand on the solid rock. This discipline of decreasing self is painful to human nature, yet afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. It keeps Christ's servants free from anger and accusing, which belong to the spirit of Satan, and fits them to bear a testimony to truth centered in Jesus.
The nearer one comes to Jesus the less he esteems himself and the more earnest he becomes to work for others in the Master's spirit. This means laying aside self-sufficiency, selfishness, self-dignity and natural temperaments and dispositions, showing faith instead of being easily disturbed by little trials. It means not feeling personally insulted when truth is resented, because it is the Author of truth who is rejected, and letting the converting power of God first reform the heart, as in the work in Switzerland, so that defects of character do not mar God's work and are not imitated by souls brought into the truth.
Keeping self out of sight means working in the fear of God without great display, beginning in a humble manner, taking the lowly seat, coming simply as an evangelist to open the Word so the truth itself speaks and works like leaven. It requires connecting with God above everything, seeing defects of character and lack of consecration, asking grace for thorough reformation, sticking to one's own work, keeping in one's place, showing devotion to one's part, and doing what one does with exactness and well. It means more of Christ's ways and less of self, repressing sharp criticism and cultivating sympathy, compassion and love in every worker, avoiding self-exalting high-flown words and following Christ's meekness, lowliness and simplicity. Unless self is thus subdued and Jesus exalted by taking possession of the heart, God's people will not prosper. For Sabbath-school teachers this means having more of Jesus and less of self by becoming daily learners to be true educators, carrying a burden for souls, praying daily for strength and wisdom, meeting with classes to pray with them and teach them to pray with softened hearts in short simple earnest petitions, speaking few well-chosen words, and showing by lip and example that God's truth must be rooted in the heart to stand temptation, so whole classes of young people are converted and grow up useful members of the church.
As Christ is magnified by the human agent self decreases, and God has a righteous claim on every worker in every position to magnify and exalt Christ and the God of truth in everything done. He has given to every man his work and claims the right to have each devise and plan with Him, yoke up with Him and cooperate with Him, so that the truth to be proclaimed fills the whole earth with its glory. True honor and greatness in the Lord's sight come through a humble heart that takes a lowly place before God, puts Christ first, and seeks not to exalt self or seek one's own greatness but to save souls. Such a worker is fit for service, and dependence on divine aid brings strength through the Holy Spirit and communion with Christ. As people help others come to Christ they become smaller in their own eyes while Christ becomes everything to them, and their example leads others to value obedience and humility.
Personal Humility With Christ
Studying Scripture and learning Christ's lessons requires humility, putting aside pride in personal wisdom and investigating truth with the humility and spirit of Christ until Christ becomes greater and self becomes less and the result is all of Jesus and none of self. The true child of God and minister lets Christ increase by depending on the Lord and not on self, hanging the helpless soul upon Christ and drawing sap and nourishment from Him as the living Vine instead of weaving self into the work, and this humble connection removes dryness and fruitlessness from preaching and brings moisture, life, power and the blessing of God upon labor in word and doctrine. As Christ abides in the heart by faith and His loveliness of character is kept in view together with the offensiveness of sin, self is abased and the affections and thoughts center on Him. This growth in humility does not come from dwelling on personal unworthiness as though it were a virtue, but from recognizing sin and coming to Jesus in faith, repentance and humility, where Christ supplies the righteousness and worthiness the sinner lacks and the believer reflects His character.
Those who come to Christ with childlike humility recognize in their own lives that Christ must become greater and they themselves must become less. The nearer a person draws to Jesus the more self decreases and He increases, by learning of Him, coming to Him for rest, asking the Master for help in perplexity and for wisdom to guide when inclination leads toward expensive luxury, learning self-denial from Him and following Him, and He gives peace to those who do so. Human intellect and distinction cannot take credit for conversion, for all power to draw souls and make truth effective comes from God. The decrease of self is joined with Christlike simplicity, meekness, gentleness and love while remaining resolute and firm in the work of reform, working in Jesus rather than seeking supremacy or making self prominent, but hiding self so that the work shows Christ. It means working together and extending influence to honor God rather than to please or glorify self, with Jesus becoming more prominent while self-importance and desire for personal glory diminish. Those who serve God must learn this humility, not being spiritually proud nor letting anger and accusation reveal a spirit unlike Christ's.
Wanting more of Jesus and less of self leads to happiness rather than misery. Unless Jesus takes possession of the heart, with self brought low and Christ lifted up and exalted and subduing self, God's people will not prosper. Applied to the Laodicean church, this calls for giving up spiritual pride and ceasing to flatter self, and responding instead with repentance and diligence in a thorough reformation brought by divine enlightenment, expressed as more of Jesus and less of self.
He must increase while John must decrease was John's answer when his disciples complained that Jesus was baptizing and all men were coming to Him, meaning Jesus' work, influence and following must grow while John's own prominence and following must wane as his mission closed. Like the friend of the bridegroom whose joy is fulfilled in hearing his voice, John's lesser light grew pale as Christ's ministry rose like the Sun of Righteousness, for John knew he was not the Christ but only sent before Him to prepare the way. As a principle it means Christ alone must be exalted and have first place in affection and prominence, while human pride, self-importance and leaning on man recede out of sight until there is more of Jesus and less of self. Ministers and gospel workers must therefore hide self behind Jesus and lead souls to Christ rather than to themselves, learning submission and self-sacrifice and never taking undue honor or letting rivalry disgrace the cause. In personal life the same change comes by humble dependence on the Lord as the living Vine, abiding in Christ by faith until self is humbled and subdued and He takes possession of the heart.
Historical Setting Explained
The saying was given as an answer when his disciples came to him with a jealous complaint that the One to whom he had borne witness beyond Jordan was baptizing and all men were coming to Him. In that moment sympathy with their murmuring would have risked a serious division, sowing dissension and impeding the gospel. He refused worldly ambition and turned attention fixed on himself toward Another as his own crowds lessened day by day and the disciples of Jesus increased.
It describes a transfer in which the work, influence and following of Jesus must grow while the role, prominence, power over the people and following of John must wane as his mission comes to its close. He gladly yielded prominence and directed people away from himself to the Saviour, accepting obscurity with joy so that all eyes might be turned to the Lamb of God, the Light of life. Even when crowds turned away and his ministry appeared to be ending, he remained firm in faith and witness without seeking prominence for himself. He accepted being superseded without disappointment, grief, resentment or sympathy for himself, rejoicing in the success and prosperity of the mission of Christ as his own special work.
Like the friend of the bridegroom whose task is complete when the bridegroom arrives, his joy was fulfilled in hearing the bridegroom's voice and seeing Him honored. Nothing is received except what is given from heaven, and the One who comes from heaven and from above is above all. He had been only the forerunner and the bridegroom's friend, and he rejoiced when the people turned their attention to Jesus. The ministry of Christ would shine like the Sun of Righteousness rising with splendor to eclipse the lesser light, which grows pale and dim beside the greater light.
This rested on a clear understanding that he himself is not the Christ but sent before Him to prepare the way, being only a voice crying in the wilderness. He sought not to attract men to himself but to lift their thoughts higher and still higher until they rested upon the Lamb of God. Temptation came through the jealous grievance of his disciples, and he knew that grieving being superseded and sympathizing with himself would sow seeds of dissension and encourage envy and jealousy. Though having by nature the faults and weaknesses common to humanity, transformed by divine love and looking in faith to the Redeemer he rose to self-abnegation and with joy accepted silence and obscurity. By decreasing in this unselfish way and refusing to draw the sympathy of his disciples to himself, he kept the seeds of dissension from being sown, kept anarchy from springing up, kept the cause from languishing for want of proper workers, and protected the establishment of the church.
John's Selfless Joy
He must become more prominent while John must fade from view, and John gladly accepted that lesser place. That self-denial meant willingly accepting silence and obscurity so that the eyes of all might be turned away from himself to the Lamb of God, the Light of life. He did not seek to draw people to himself or claim attention for himself, but to lift their thoughts higher and still higher until they rested upon Christ.
His special work was to direct people to Christ as the promised Messiah and Saviour of the world, and to direct his disciples to follow Jesus as the great teacher. As his own mission came to its close and his public voice receded, he taught them to leave himself and go after Jesus whose teaching ministry had begun. He rejoiced as Christ's work prospered and Christ's influence, work and following grew, because that success was the fulfillment of his own God-given mission.
He did so without jealousy, disappointment, grief, resentment, or concern over fading popularity and lost followers. Like the friend of the bridegroom whose joy is fulfilled in hearing the bridegroom's voice and seeing Him honored, he rejoiced in Jesus' success rather than resenting the loss of his own influence. Even when crowds turned from him to Jesus and his ministry appeared to be ending, he remained firm in faith and witness without seeking prominence for himself. He had prepared the way for the Lamb of God by living a lonely, self-denying life of fearless reproof of sin, accepting that he would not share in Jesus' teaching ministry and miracles.
Looking in faith to the Redeemer brought him to the height of self-abnegation. His unselfish joy in the success of Jesus' ministry is the truest nobility ever shown by mortal man. As the Sun of Righteousness rose with splendor, his lesser light grew pale and dim beside the greater light, and his clearing of the way allowed Christ's ministry to go forward. His testimony corresponded to Jesus' testimony, both controlled by the same spirit and given to the same reformatory work.
Christ Exalted Over Self
As a principle the verse means that Christ alone must be exalted and given first place in affection and prominence, while human pride, self-importance, and leaning on man and making flesh their strength must recede and stand back out of sight. It is a humble and reverent confession to be made from the heart, turning from dependence on people so that God can glorify His name through His people. While they rely on human strength their weakness continues, and only when Christ alone is lifted up do they humbly direct others to Him as the source of their hope of eternal life. To live the verse is to lift up the Man of Calvary so that church and world look upon their Redeemer in whom their hopes of eternal life are centered, and to proclaim Him as the Lamb who takes away sin.
To increase means Christ becoming greater in a person's life, attention and allegiance, taking possession of the heart and being lifted up, centered, honored and more fully seen, while to decrease means self being humbled, subdued, hidden and becoming less prominent until the result is more of Jesus and less of self. Putting "me" and "I" in their proper place means humbling oneself, obeying God, and keeping His glory and eternal realities in view, showing Christ's character and grace rather than self. Self-exaltation leads to being brought low, while humility leaves the lifting up to Jesus, who bears the heavy end of the yoke. Unless Jesus takes possession of the heart, with self brought low and Christ lifted up, God's people will not prosper. The needed change is a thorough reformation brought by divine enlightenment, and the nearer a person draws to Jesus the more self decreases and He increases. This happens by learning of Christ, coming to Him for rest, asking the Master for help in perplexity and for wisdom to guide when inclination leads toward expensive luxury, learning self-denial from Him and following Him, and He gives peace to those who do so.
The human will becoming as the will of God in this humbling produces unity among God's people, their being of one mind and speaking the same things. This answers Christ's prayer just before His crucifixion that His disciples might be one as He is with the Father. When those who claim to be children of God humble themselves in this way, Christ indeed increases as first and last and best in everything. Those who come with childlike humility recognize this in their lives, that human intellect and distinction cannot take credit for conversion. All power to draw souls and make truth effective comes from God, with human beings only agents and channels, so no glory for the work belongs to people but to God alone.
Letting the old self-directed nature revive reverses the verse, pushing Christ out of counsel and out of the person's counsel, and the result can bring ruin. When allowed to revive and grow, self resists the Spirit, exalts human plans as wise, and leaves Christ out of counsel, so that self increases and Christ decreases. Exalting and honoring evil counsels reverses the right order that Christ is to become greater in the work while men are to become less. Spending much money on buildings to make an appearance of prosperity, to give character to the work, and to give the impression that managers are superior businessmen, and voicing and wanting the decisions of men according to their representations, causes Christ to become less and causes men who counterwork away from God's plans to become greater.
Lesson For Gospel Workers
Ministers and gospel workers must become less while Jesus becomes greater, hiding self behind Jesus and leading people to Christ rather than to themselves. The object of ministry is to let Christ appear, with the worker willingly stepping back as an instrument of God whose mission others will carry farther, keeping attention on God rather than on a human leader. This requires putting away all self-exaltation, elevating self as a smart or great man, advertising personal capabilities, and quoting the praises of men, and never drawing converts to self or treating those who accept truth through one's labor as one's own. Undue honor of a worker fosters self-confidence and leads people away from God, while the true heart response is that selfish love dies as love for Jesus burns within, aims become pure and unselfish, and no glory is taken to self. This decrease is not spiritual inactivity but earnest work in Christ's spirit and love, living in His presence and doing His work until life is one with Him as He was one with the Father, while the Holy Spirit works on minds to lead them to recognize the truth.
Those whom God places in responsible positions must learn submission and self-sacrifice after the pattern of joyfully yielding prominence because they were sent to prepare the way and not to compete. As the Sun of Righteousness rises with splendor to eclipse the lesser light until it grows pale and dim beside the greater light, Christ's ministry and honor must grow while human influence and prominence diminish. Such unselfish joy in the success of Christ's work is the truest nobility ever shown by mortal man, with testimony corresponding to His testimony in the same spirit and reformatory work to clear the way. It teaches never to take undue honor to self nor let a spirit of rivalry disgrace God's cause, but to vindicate what is right even at the expense of all personal considerations.
God in providence places people in unexpected positions and tests them when they bear weighty responsibilities, to reveal their own weakness and make manifest that power is in God alone. Whoever becomes spiritually proud and flatters himself that he has advanced above his brethren will be left to learn the truth with all boasting laid in the dust, for when faith is not wholly centered in God human strength is exhausted and impatience and railing show the need to stand on the solid rock. This discipline of decreasing self is painful to human nature, yet afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. It keeps Christ's servants free from anger and accusing, which belong to the spirit of Satan, and fits them to bear a testimony to truth centered in Jesus.
The nearer one comes to Jesus the less he esteems himself and the more earnest he becomes to work for others in the Master's spirit. This means laying aside self-sufficiency, selfishness, self-dignity and natural temperaments and dispositions, showing faith instead of being easily disturbed by little trials. It means not feeling personally insulted when truth is resented, because it is the Author of truth who is rejected, and letting the converting power of God first reform the heart, as in the work in Switzerland, so that defects of character do not mar God's work and are not imitated by souls brought into the truth.
Keeping self out of sight means working in the fear of God without great display, beginning in a humble manner, taking the lowly seat, coming simply as an evangelist to open the Word so the truth itself speaks and works like leaven. It requires connecting with God above everything, seeing defects of character and lack of consecration, asking grace for thorough reformation, sticking to one's own work, keeping in one's place, showing devotion to one's part, and doing what one does with exactness and well. It means more of Christ's ways and less of self, repressing sharp criticism and cultivating sympathy, compassion and love in every worker, avoiding self-exalting high-flown words and following Christ's meekness, lowliness and simplicity. Unless self is thus subdued and Jesus exalted by taking possession of the heart, God's people will not prosper. For Sabbath-school teachers this means having more of Jesus and less of self by becoming daily learners to be true educators, carrying a burden for souls, praying daily for strength and wisdom, meeting with classes to pray with them and teach them to pray with softened hearts in short simple earnest petitions, speaking few well-chosen words, and showing by lip and example that God's truth must be rooted in the heart to stand temptation, so whole classes of young people are converted and grow up useful members of the church.
As Christ is magnified by the human agent self decreases, and God has a righteous claim on every worker in every position to magnify and exalt Christ and the God of truth in everything done. He has given to every man his work and claims the right to have each devise and plan with Him, yoke up with Him and cooperate with Him, so that the truth to be proclaimed fills the whole earth with its glory. True honor and greatness in the Lord's sight come through a humble heart that takes a lowly place before God, puts Christ first, and seeks not to exalt self or seek one's own greatness but to save souls. Such a worker is fit for service, and dependence on divine aid brings strength through the Holy Spirit and communion with Christ. As people help others come to Christ they become smaller in their own eyes while Christ becomes everything to them, and their example leads others to value obedience and humility.
Personal Humility With Christ
Studying Scripture and learning Christ's lessons requires humility, putting aside pride in personal wisdom and investigating truth with the humility and spirit of Christ until Christ becomes greater and self becomes less and the result is all of Jesus and none of self.
The true child of God and minister lets Christ increase by depending on the Lord and not on self, hanging the helpless soul upon Christ and drawing sap and nourishment from Him as the living Vine instead of weaving self into the work, and this humble connection removes dryness and fruitlessness from preaching and brings moisture, life, power and the blessing of God upon labor in word and doctrine.
As Christ abides in the heart by faith and His loveliness of character is kept in view together with the offensiveness of sin, self is abased and the affections and thoughts center on Him. This growth in humility does not come from dwelling on personal unworthiness as though it were a virtue, but from recognizing sin and coming to Jesus in faith, repentance and humility, where Christ supplies the righteousness and worthiness the sinner lacks and the believer reflects His character.
Those who come to Christ with childlike humility recognize in their own lives that Christ must become greater and they themselves must become less. The nearer a person draws to Jesus the more self decreases and He increases, by learning of Him, coming to Him for rest, asking the Master for help in perplexity and for wisdom to guide when inclination leads toward expensive luxury, learning self-denial from Him and following Him, and He gives peace to those who do so. Human intellect and distinction cannot take credit for conversion, for all power to draw souls and make truth effective comes from God.
The decrease of self is joined with Christlike simplicity, meekness, gentleness and love while remaining resolute and firm in the work of reform, working in Jesus rather than seeking supremacy or making self prominent, but hiding self so that the work shows Christ. It means working together and extending influence to honor God rather than to please or glorify self, with Jesus becoming more prominent while self-importance and desire for personal glory diminish. Those who serve God must learn this humility, not being spiritually proud nor letting anger and accusation reveal a spirit unlike Christ's.
Wanting more of Jesus and less of self leads to happiness rather than misery. Unless Jesus takes possession of the heart, with self brought low and Christ lifted up and exalted and subduing self, God's people will not prosper. Applied to the Laodicean church, this calls for giving up spiritual pride and ceasing to flatter self, and responding instead with repentance and diligence in a thorough reformation brought by divine enlightenment, expressed as more of Jesus and less of self.