Tag-Archive for » tapeinophrosune «

Anti-cultural

Wednesday, July 08th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;  Philippians 2:3

Humility – Aristotle established the spirit of our age with his declaration that whatever prevents the development of virtue makes a person tapeinos (humble).  Just read that once more.   Aristotle is arguing that humility works against human development.  If we want to become someone, we need to get rid of tapeinophrosune (humility).  No wonder the gospel was cultural revolution.  It literally turned the world upside-down.  No educated Greek would ever imagine that God wanted people to become servants, slaves and lowly of heart.  By the way, neither do any of the icons of our contemporary culture.  We are the tail end of the Greek civilization, and the worldview hasn’t changed.  The world wants its day on the stage.  Fame and fortune are the most sought-after goals of the population.  The media saturates us with fame and fortune addiction.  If Christians are going to be salt and light, they will need to take large daily doses of humility.

It’s important to note that the LXX (the Septuagint – Greek translation of the Hebrew Scripture completed about 200 BC) uses the word tapeinos and related derivatives more often than the Greek literature itself.  Hundreds of times we find a Hebrew word translated by tapeinos or a related word.  Humility is at the very core of Hebrew thought while it is barely at the edge of Greek thinking.  If you really want an instant assessment of the difference between someone with a Greek-based worldview and someone with a Hebrew-based worldview, just ask yourself if tapeinophrosune (humility) is visibly present.  I said “visibly” because in Hebrew thought humility is not so much a state of mind as it is action.  Humility shows itself in the way we behave.  Claims of humility mean nothing unless there is visible demonstration.

Why is there such a disparity between the Greeks and the Hebrews on this characteristic?  It’s simple – and perhaps a bit surprising.  The Greeks believed that the goal of humanity was freedom.  Therefore, they despised anything that seemed to restrict freedom.  Since humility was associated with subjection, being made lowly and under authority, they rejected it.  So does the culture of this age.  Freedom for the Greeks, and for this age, means individual self-will.  Whatever restricts my freedom is abhorrent.  To put myself voluntarily under bondage to another is unthinkable.  This same revulsion is part of the post-modern culture and is one of the reasons why a return to Torah-obedience is so often rejected.  Even Christians refuse to accept the place of Torah-obedience, not because they are sinful but because they are really a product of the post-modern world.  They truly believe that freedom means making up my own mind about my life.

The Bible, on the other hand, places all humanity under God.  He is King of the Universe.  We are His subjects.  Therefore, humility before God sets us in proper relationship to Him.  This reversal of worldly values is to be a consistent, demonstrable characteristic of a follower of the Way.  It is almost an oxymoron of Christian existence.  We are to be active proponents of humility.  The only reason this isn’t self-contradictory is that our humility is not a personal showcase but rather a quality recognized by others.  In God’s upside-down Kingdom, the humble are hidden until someone else notices their display of God’s character.  The heroes of humility never wear “notice-me” name badges.

Topical Index:  humility, tapeinos, tapeinophrosune, post-modern, Philippians 2:3

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Walk This Way (1)

Monday, May 18th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, exhort you to walk worthily of the calling in which you were called, with all humility and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love; being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1

Worthily – Paul doesn’t leave us guessing. He is quite specific about the way we must walk if we are to exhibit the character of the Messiah. We are to walk worthily. The Greek is axios. It’s an adverb drawn from the noun axios (the spelling is different in Greek). This word is all about a measure of value. In other words, weigh what you do and see if it matches the character of the one who saved you. Measure up to Him! Then you will know you are walking worthily.

This little word gets some pretty significant use when it comes to walking the way of Jesus. Paul tells us in Romans 8:18 that suffering is part of the walk. Peter says the same. Jesus says that those who are worthy of Him put Him above all other relationships (Matthew 10:37). They display absolute humility and submission (John 1:27). Jesus is their one and only standard. His life is the example for their lives.

Of course, we don’t live in first century Israel. We don’t wear sandals every day (unless you live in Florida like I do). We don’t go to the Temple for festivals. We drive cars instead of walking. So, doesn’t that mean that a lot of things have to change in the way that we walk worthily? Fortunately, the character attributes and attitudes that we are to emulate are timeless. After all, they find their truest expression in God. We simply reflect what has always been true of Him just as Yeshua reflected what was always true of the character of the Holy One of Israel. Paul doesn’t leave us guessing. He gives us some great measurements for testing our conformity to the standard.

The first is humility. Actually, the word is not tapeinos, but rather tapeinophrosune. It’s not simply being humble. This word implies taking a deliberate mental attitude of low-mindedness. This is a clear realization of my immense unworthiness before the Lord. This is a deliberate posture of bringing myself to own up to the reality that I do not deserve any of His kindness – and that I am not one iota better than anyone else. This is the exact opposite of the human penchant for self-importance; the contemporary desire for individually determined destiny. The Bible demands that we estimate ourselves according to God’s view, not ours. To walk worthily I must first know my unworthiness. By the way, that does not mean we are nothing. To the contrary, God so highly esteemed us that He was willing to die for us. But it is His estimation that determines my value in this world, not mine. My reality is soaked in my lack of holiness. He lifts me from that real situation and it is only because of Him that I have any standing before His throne. Tapeinophrosune is the exact opposite of pride!

Interestingly, Paul combines humility with meekness. If you thought that this is a call to be a self-effacing wall-flower, you don’t understand the power in meekness. But that’s for tomorrow.

Topical Index: humility, worthy, axios, tapeinophrosune, Ephesians 4:1

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