It is John Stott who wrote the following,'Lowliness was much despised in the ancient world. The Greeks never used their word for humility (tapeinotes) in a context of approval, still less of admiration. Instead they meant by it an abject, servile, subservient attitude, 'the crouching submissiveness of a slave'. Not till Jesus came was a truly humility recognized. For He humbled himself. And only He among the world's religious and ethical teachers has set before us as our model a little child'.There is a hymn with the words, 'Jesus takes the highest station', and rightly so,in heaven he is now the exalted risen Lord, having completed the great work of redemption. But when Jesus came into this world He took the lowest station, He personified humility,from being equal with God, He did not grasp that ,He didn't hold on to it,and then on, everything was a downward step in humility, He became the God man,the Athanasian Creed states,'He was equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood'.Becoming human involved humility in extreme, for we read,'He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross' (Philippians 2 v 8) Why,why, did He do such a thing?,
'It was for me my Saviour died,
On Calvary's cross was crucified,
For me he bore the guilt and shame.
That I a pardon free, might gain.
S.L.Long
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