Humility: Day Four

The humiliation of the Gospel

To emphasize our humility in light of the Gospel let me point you to two passages that speak to this issue. First off , for today, Isaiah 48:1-11.

Isaiah 48:1

Hear this, O house of Jacob,who are called by the name of Israel,
and who came from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD and confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right. For they call themselves after the holy city, and stay themselves on the God of Israel; the LORD of hosts is his name. "The former things I declared of old; they went out from my mouth and I announced them; then suddenly I did them and they came to pass. Because I know that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead brass, I declared them to you from of old, before they came to pass I announced them to you, lest you should say, 'My idol did them, my carved image and my metal image commanded them.' "You have heard; now see all this; and will you not declare it? From this time forth I announce to you new things, hidden things that you have not known.
They are created now, not long ago; before today you have never heard of them, lest you should say, 'Behold, I knew them.' You have never heard, you have never known, from of old your ear has not been
opened. For I knew that you would surely deal treacherously, and that from before birth you were called a rebel. "For my name's sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.

Six times in the final six lines God, through the prophet Isaiah, makes it clear that it is for His name's sake that he defers His andger. It is very clear that
we are the beneficiaries, but ultimately God saves us for His name’s sake.
John MacArthur put it this way,

“The primary reason we are redeemed is not so that we may escape hell- that is a blessed benefit, but not the major purpose. The central objective for which we are redeemed is not even so that we might enjoy the manifold eternal blessings of God. In fact, the supreme motive in our redemption is not for us to receive anything. Rather, we have been redeemed so that God may receive worship- so that our lives might glorify Him.”

We must be ashamed by the sin in our lives thar profanes the name of Christ. When we have this frame of mind then we will have a proper "Gospel Humiliation."