I actually find this topic pretty confusing at times and you should know up front that I write things down in order to think them through, so by reading this you are reading my mind... scary, huh? :-)
As believers, we are to be passionate for Christ. And Scripture commands us to be humble and show humility. So, as far as living our lives... we are to be both passionate and humble.. for sure!
But in this post I want to talk about being passionate vs. humble when discussing a doctrine or Scripture. Are passion and humility mutually exclusive? Is it possible to be both at the same time? It seems as soon as someone gets passionate about a topic, humility goes out the window... and when someone shows humility on a topic, they no longer seem passionate.
Passion (copied from Merriam Webster online dictionary):
1 often capitalized a : the sufferings of Christ between the night of the Last Supper and his death b : an oratorio based on a gospel narrative of the Passion
2 obsolete : suffering
3 : the state or capacity of being acted on by external agents or forces
4 a (1) : emotion
5 a : ardent affection : love b : a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept c : sexual desire d : an object of desire or deep interest
Humility (copied from Merriam Webster online dictionary):
1 : not proud or haughty : not arrogant or assertive
2 : reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission
3 a : ranking low in a hierarchy or scale : insignificant, unpretentious b : not costly or luxurious
So, for the purpose of this post... by passion I mean definition 4b "intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction" and by humble I mean definition 1 "not proud or haughty : not arrogant or assertive".
[This is where I cut out a huge chunk of this post to make the second post. In it I discuss what Jesus did in terms of passion and humility.]
So, can we be intense, but not assertive, can we have overmastering conviction without arrogance?
I've been in several conversations about topics that elicit passion in a lot of people. Some of those topics include....
Spanking
Calvinism
Birth Control
Alcohol
Tattoos
And there are more... but there are a few examples. So, if I get into a discussion about one of these topics with a fellow believer who disagrees with me, can I be passionate and humble at the same time? I do have opinions on all of these topics, and I'm more passionate about some of them than others, but can I communicate that passion and still remain humble?
My short answer is yes. We can remain passionate and be humble at the same time... the key is what we are passionate about. If I am entering a discussion on any issue passionate about Christ himself and passionate about the well-being and heart of the person I'm speaking to, then yes I can be humble about whatever topic we're discussing. And, yes, I think my opinion on these topics is "right". If I didn't think I were right, I'd change my view, or not have a view... but to get passionate about the topic itself is to misplace my priorities.
When Jesus humbled himself on the cross for us, it was because He was passionate in His love for us. I believe this is the ultimate picture of passion and humility working together.
What does this look like in practical terms? How does this play out in the real world?
I don't know all the answers, but here are a few thoughts....
--If a "view" becomes more important than your relationship with Christ, keep your mouth shut.
--If you know God is leading you to share something, and you aren't out of fear, share it.
--If you are just trying to be "right" and/or change somebody's mind, keep your mouth shut.
--If someone asks you about you're view, share it... be honest, and be respectful.
--If someone asks your view on a topic you don't know much about, be honest that you don't know much about it.
I used the pronoun "you" in that list, but I'm speaking to myself.
I feel like I've been as clear as mud, but hopefully I've made a little bit of sense :-)
That's so true Mrs. Juliet!
ReplyDeleteThanks Brittany! Thanks for reading :)
ReplyDeleteThese are very interesting thoughts, Juliet. I like how you combined passion and humility and also referenced those to Christ's life/death.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about this a lot after i read this...analyzing the things that I'm passionate about and where I get off balance and see other's out of balance as well. I think the off balance comes when we make judgments of others in our passion (on the non-essentials of doctrine), rather than realizing that God is the only judge and that we are not to judge another man's servant (Rom 14). But even better than that is that we are to love them and esteem them higher than ourselves (Phil 2). Too bad we are all not more passionate about people rather than ideas, b/c that would really bring passion and humility together :).
blog spot really needs a "like" button!
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