Meekness is most certainly not weakness . . .

It has been my experience down through the years to see some Christians walk around with an air of humility, cocksure that they are humble by the way they conduct themselves—the way they dress, beverages they do or don’t drink, the pious smiles on their faces, or in a thousand and one other ways. 

All in all, the point is, they are living miserably under a set of self-inflected sanctimony of do’s and don’ts that adds absolutely nothing spiritually to their standing before God; and, as a matter of fact, distracts from pure holiness. Self-imposed piety is, of course, the simplest form of self-delusion, as well as at times sheer hypocrisy. The Bible certainly speaks against such “voluntary humility” or “self-imposed piousness (Colossians 2:18)”—that’s for sure!

Regarding this, I am reminded of the story told of a young priest, who was considered as the first living candidate in history for sainthood. When the clerics came to interview him to affirm such a distinction, the first thing the chief interrogator said was: “Young man, we have come to affirm your sainthood.” “Yes,” the sanctimonious priest answered, “I’ve been waiting for you. What took you so long?” At that, the old priest in charge, replied: “Well, son, let me put it this way, it is obvious that we didn’t wait nearly as long as we should have.” And, with that the committee of clerics left the room. As they, of course, should have. 

Humility, which is an expression of true holiness comes naturally to a real saint. It is not something that is forced, voluntarily or otherwise. One is either humble, or one is not. However, neither humility, nor meekness—which is the outward form of humbleness, should never be confused with weakness. A humble and meek character is a strong character, settled in confidence, and solid thru and thru. Neither needs to force an issue, either. One that is meek and lowly always gets their way, for that is what meekness and humility are all about. 

During this post-reformation anniversary year, we would do well to remember that, as Luther discovered, we are saved not by our works of righteousness, but rather thru faith in God’s promises to effectively work that miracle in us (Galatians 2:16; Titus 3:5-7; Ephesians 2:8-6:24).

Now, friends, I have no particular group in mind—the principles apply to all. Mennonites, for example are no more or less holy than others. The same goes for tongue speaking Charismatics who rejoice in a façade of exuberant worship, either—since only God knows what true character of spirit lays beyond that. The facts are, we should not expect a godly pat on the back because of what we eat or drink, or on how often we attend church, or whether we go to church on Easter or Christmas, or any other Christian habit simply because it is the thing to do. True holiness does not work that way. Meekness and humility come from the inside out, not the other way around.

When it comes to holiness, as expressed in meekness and humility, we all could take a good lesson from grammar. Yes, grammar. We are to be holy—not simply act as if we are. Being is a matter of character, an essence, our true nature. So, when Peter reminds us that God has said that we are to be holy as He is holy, he is talking about holiness in the very core of our nature (1 Peter 1:16)—the very essence of who we are. Façades of holiness are never pleasing to God, now or ever.

Personally, I have never met, nor expect to meet, a man or woman who champions their holiness, that really is holy. Holiness, meekness, humility, and all the other attributes that spring out of the spiritual core of a true saint are what they are in both the sunshine and the rain, in dark times as well as the bright. Through it all, His loving kindness endures forever (Ps 136:1b), and when we are rooted and grounded in Him, so does ours.

May God give us the wisdom to see the difference,

 JimR_/