The Only Pathway
To True Happiness

Chapter 3

Happy are the meek
 for they will inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5

Representing our attitude towards ourselves.

Typical Confession: Father, now that I am aware of my true condition, I realise that I have nothing of which to be proud. `All that we have accomplished you have done for us' (Isaiah 26:12). My only boast, therefore, is Your mercy, my only hope is Calvary, and my only argument is the blood of the Lamb.

Having been brought to the realization of our sinfulness, we will appreciate that we have a desperate need of God and a desperate need to commune with God, but what we must understand is that . . .

`Nothing is more essential to communion with God than the most profound humility.' (5T50)

As such, all who enter the kingdom will have to come face-to-face with the fact that . . .

`Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.' (Psalm 62:9)

It was most probably with this thought in mind that Luke, speaking of Jesus, once wrote . . .

`This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel.' (Luke 2:34)

As our spiritual eyesight becomes better focused, and we are enabled to behold the awesome majesty and the absolute purity of Jesus, we can do no other than fall; and our once cherished self-opinions can only give way to deep humility.

Yet this falling is vital for . . .

`They must fall who would rise again. We must fall upon the Rock and be broken before we can be uplifted in Christ.' (DA57)

We may rest assured, therefore, that . . .

`As we begin to look earnestly to Jesus, and uncover our souls to Him, we shall go down deep into the valley of humiliation; [but] just as surely as we go down, we shall rise again.' (1SAT98)

And this rising is guaranteed to all who fall for . . .

`The more humbly we live before God, the nearer we will come to Him.' (1SAT98)

Realising this, we need have no fear of falling; we need have no fear of shedding our outer garments of self-glory, for . . .

`The Lord upholds all those who fall.' (Psalm 145:14)

`Those who walk humbly before God, distrustful of their own wisdom, will realize their danger and will know God's keeping care.' (CT323)

With this in mind, we can better appreciate why it is that the first three stipulations in the constitution of the kingdom ensure that we fall, so that we may rise in the only way that it is possible for us to rise - with God's loving arms around our helpless, submissive souls.

To recap, therefore, stipulation number one uncovers our souls. Stipulation number two demands that we grieve over our base spiritual condition, and now, stipulation number three strips us of any other manner of pride that might be festering in our souls.

Here again, however, the object is not to wound or to embarrass, but to prepare us to receive the promised blessing - for only the meek shall inherit the earth.

Regardless of our good intentions, regardless of our determination, Jesus came `to preach good tidings unto the meek' and, this being the case, we can understand that . . .

`We can receive of heaven's light only as we are willing to be emptied of self.' (8T334)

Jesus was not ashamed to announce to the world that He was meek and lowly. He understood that humility is power and that . . .

`Meekness and lowliness are the conditions of success and victory.' (PK590)

This is why . . .

`Jesus places meekness among the first qualifications for His kingdom.' (DA302)

Finite man, in his own strength, can accomplish nothing beyond the limits of the finite creature, but when we die to self and we come to God acknowledging our nothingness, all the powers of heaven are made available to us and, in league with angels, our accomplishments may extend into eternity. It is a special moment in life, therefore, when we come to the realisation that . . .

`Our own strength is weakness, but that which God gives is mighty and will make everyone who obtains it more than conqueror.' (2T203)

What this means, in effect, is that God is holding out to all who are willing to let go of self the opportunity to accomplish limitless possibilities. In fact . . .

`With Him there can be no such thing as failure, loss, impossibility, or defeat; we can do all things through Him who strengthens us.' (DA490)

Thus the meek may have utmost confidence in the strength that is available to them, for Jesus Himself gave us His assurance:

`My grace is enough for thee;' for `My strength finds its full scope in your weakness.' (2 Corinthians 12:9, Knox)

This is also why James suggests that . . .

`The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.' (James 1:9)

And this is why Paul was ever eager to acknowledge his nothingness, for he understood that such an acknowledgement, made from a heart that has been softened by God's love, is the key to infinite power. As Paul himself stated:

`I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.' (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Thus we can understand why it was that . . .

`Solomon was never so rich or so wise or so truly great as when he confessed to the Lord: `I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.' (9T281)

When we are dead to self, we have buried the mortal man, and we co-exist in Jesus, not just as subjects of the kingdom, but as sons and daughters of God. This is why attention must be drawn away from ourselves and be focused on Him. This is why, with John, the cry of our souls must be that . . .

`He must become greater; I must become less.' (John 3:30)

And the reason why we must become less is because . . .

`The less we see to esteem in ourselves, the more we shall see to esteem in the infinite purity and loveliness of our Saviour' - Whom to know is life eternal. (SC65; John 17:3)

Thus we can understand why Jesus stated that . . .

`He who is least among you all - he is the greatest.' (Luke 9:48)

Jesus was here reminding us that . . .

`It is those who are small in their own eyes who will be accounted great in the sight of God.' (SL55)

So why should we look for power within? Why should we rely on self? Why should we strive to be "winners," or to look like "winners?" Why should we hunger for the wisdom of the world, when . . .

`All power, all wisdom, are at our command. We have only to ask?' (MH514)

It is a marvel indeed how God has provided for the needs and deficiencies of His children, and all He asks is that we acknowledge these needs and deficiencies in order that He may meet them. In fact, in so many cases, the confession of our great need is the very key that opens the casket of grace wherein we may behold, with gratitude and astonishment, the provision that God has made for our inadequacies.

(1) By acknowledging our guilt and accepting the One who bore our guilt for us, we receive pardon.

(2) By acknowledging that our righteousness is as filthy rags, and by accepting the Saviour, we receive His righteousness.

(3) By acknowledging that in ourselves we are losers, we become winners in Him.

(4) By acknowledging our weakness, we receive His strength.

(5) By acknowledging our nothingness, the portals of heaven are opened to us.

In consideration of these matters, therefore, we realise that until such time as we discern our spiritual nothingness, our lives are encompassed with severe limitations, for . . .

`In self-love, self-exaltation, and pride there is great weakness; but in humility there is great strength. (3T476)

Thus we are forced to conclude that . . .

`The meekness and lowliness of Christ is the Christians power. It is indeed more precious than all things which genius can create or wealth can buy.' (4T559)

The wisdom of the world will naturally cast scorn on ideas such as these, arguing that there can be no pleasure or joy in such humility, but the truth is that . . .

`The deepest joy of the heart comes from the deepest humiliation.' (3T459)

And this is one primary reason why God longs for us to become humble and meek, for He loves to see His children happy.

But will such meekness be found in all who believe, even in those who have long traveled down the pathway of faith? Yes it will! In fact . . .

`The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature.' (SC64)

Even he who is closest to God will have a vivid awareness of his inadequacies, for . . .

`The more closely he resembles Christ in character the more humble will be his opinion of himself.' (5T223)

What we do need to remember, however, is that . . .

`To be clothed with humility does not mean that we are to be dwarfs in intellect, deficient in aspiration, and cowardly in our lives, shunning burdens lest we fail to carry them successfully. Real humility fulfills God's purposes by depending on His strength.' (COL363)

So once again we find confirmation that it is not the great of this world, but the humble and the lowly who have discovered the true fountain of life. It is not he who thinks much of himself, but he who thinks not of himself who is truly great, and such have a very special relationship with God because . . .

`The most lowly and weak are bound by a chain of sympathy closely to His heart.' (TM19)

When our lives are emptied of self and the void is filled with humility, every obstacle is removed and the powers of heaven are free to grace and to nurture the growth of our lowly plant. Just as a seed cannot germinate and develop without the aid of the sun, the rain and the soil, so the citizens of the kingdom will acknowledge their absolute dependence for spiritual growth on Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God - and until we do this, until we bury our ego in the soil of God's love, we will remain but dead seeds - abounding in potential, but devoid of life.

Thus we deduce that . . .

`Our dependence on God is absolute, and [this thought in itself] should keep us very humble.' (TM324)

From the above we realise that humility and meekness are vital ingredients in the recipe for spiritual growth, for only those who realise their weakness will flee to the Genesis of all power; only the meek will feel the need to come into God's sanctifying presence; only the humble will let go of self and lean on the mighty Arm of God; and only the lowly will allow God to lift them to the utmost heights. In short . . .

Only those `who have a sense of their deep soul poverty, who feel that they have nothing good in themselves, may find righteousness and strength by looking unto Jesus.' (MB8)

This is why humility is so vital a component in the constitution of the kingdom, and why it is the bottom rung in the ladder of sanctification, for . . .

`Those who are truly sanctified have a sense of their own weakness. Feeling their need, they will go for light and grace and strength to Jesus, in whom all fullness dwells, and who alone can supply their wants. Conscious of their own imperfections, they seek to become more like Christ, and to live in accordance with the principles of His holy law. This continual sense of inefficiency will lead to such entire dependence upon God, that His Spirit will be exemplified in them.' (RC61)

In Search of Meekness

The crucial question, therefore, is just what can we do to nurture within us such a lowly condition of mind. As with most else that is associated with the good news, the answer is a simple one:

`We may learn the lessons of meekness and holiness of mind as we go up to Mount Calvary, and, looking upon the cross, see our Saviour in agony, the Son of God dying, the Just for the unjust.' (TMK65)

`We must behold Christ. It is ignorance of Him that makes men so uplifted in their own righteousness. When we contemplate His purity and excellence, we shall see our own weakness and poverty and defects as they really are. We shall see ourselves lost and hopeless, clad in garments of self-righteousness, like every other sinner.' (COL159)

`If all the proud and vainglorious, whose hearts are panting for the applause of men and for distinction above their fellows, could rightly estimate the value of the highest earthly glory in contrast with the value of the Son of God, rejected, despised, spit upon, by the very ones whom He came to redeem, how insignificant would appear all the honour that finite man can bestow.' (4T375)

The humbling truth is that, in the sight of heaven, we all are criminals - this is why Jesus had to die the death of a criminal.

`It was not enough that Jesus should die in order to fully meet the demands of the broken law, but He died a shameful death.' `Man was a criminal under the sentence of death for transgression of the law of God, as a traitor, a rebel; hence a substitute for man must die as a malefactor [criminal], because He stood in the place of the traitors, with all their treasured sins upon His divine soul.' (5BC1127)

The treatment that he received speaks only of the treatment that we deserve. How our hearts should be humbled, therefore, as we consider the suffering He endured.

`Never was criminal treated in so inhuman a manner as was the Son of God.' (DA710)

`In consideration of this, can men have one particle of exaltation? As they trace down the life and sufferings and humiliation of Christ, can they lift their proud heads as if they were to bear no trials, no shame, no humiliation? I say to the followers of Christ, Look to Calvary, and blush for shame at your self-important ideas. All this humiliation of the Majesty of heaven was for guilty, condemned man. He went lower and lower in His humiliation, until there were no lower depths that He could reach, in order to lift man up from his moral defilement. All this was for you who are striving for the supremacy - striving for human praise, for human exaltation; you who are afraid you will not receive all that deference [honour], that respect from human minds, that you think is your due. Is this Christlike?' (5BC1127-8)

May we never forget that our God stood naked and torn before the creatures of His making. His love for us made Him willing to be degraded, disgraced and dishonored. And now, today, with nail-scarred hands, he beckons, Come, follow Me - just as my humiliation meant life to you, so your humiliation will render you an open channel through which I may share My life with others.

Recommended Reading: Isaiah 53 (daily); Testimonies Volume 2, pp.200-215.

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(1) Meekness is a precious grace, willing to suffer silently, willing to endure trials.

(2) Meekness is patient and labours to be happy under all circumstances.

(3) Meekness is always thankful and makes its own songs of happiness, making melody in the heart to God.

(4) Meekness will suffer disappointment and wrong, and will not retaliate.

(5) Meekness is not to be silent and sulky. (3T335)

Killing Conviction

For long centuries the church of God has looked forward to the final revival, to that time when the earth will be flooded with the knowledge of God, and where every argument against the Almighty will be convincingly invalidated by the lives of His true followers. (See Isaiah 54). Yet it is obvious that the way things are right now, decided changes are going to have to take place before that great day arrives. In fact, one fearful warning assures us that . . .

`Unless there is a decided reformation among the people of God, He will turn His face from them.' (8T146)

This means that, as individuals, we will have to take a good long look at ourselves. As a church we are going to have to analyze our every effort critically in order to discover whether or not there are entities in our current armoury that are doing more to hinder than to promote the advancement of the kingdom.

On this point, in particular, we will have to be merciless in dealing with all influences that keep our fellow sinners from appreciating the full extent of their sinfulness - for until we all see ourselves as depraved sinners, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb alone, no revival is likely to take root.

Thus the guillotine will have to fall on every publication, teaching, influence or philosophy that stifles conviction and that keeps the guilty from realising and acknowledging their guilt, for such influences only ever keep the unwary from discovering their sinful nothingness, and from fleeing to the Comforter - there to find rest, refuge, and restoration.

Top on the list of conviction-killers is liberalism for, in all cases, liberalism downplays the enormity of sin and, as such, it will inhibit the development of the `poor in spirit' attitude. One of Satan's most effective deceptions is identified today as the `permissive society' and within this society perhaps no more deadly influence exists than that which flourishes under the banner of so-called Christian love.

We must realise that anything that diminishes our guilt, or that clouds our perception of sin, or that mollifies the sinner, or that sedates the conscience, is a deadly threat to the soul for, as earlier discussed, . . .

`It is only He who knows himself to be a sinner that Christ can save. . . . We must know our real condition, or we shall not feel our need of Christ's help. We must understand our danger, or we shall not flee to the refuge. We must feel the pain of our wounds, or we should not desire healing.' (COL158)

Jesus died for sinners and true Christian love will not therefore do anything to keep a sinner from recognizing the full extent of his sinfulness - for this would only keep him from finding peace at the foot of the cross. This is why we need to be ever so wary of . . .

(1) Intellectual debates that seek to prove that sin is not always sin;

(2) Articles that focus on exceptions to the rule and that use these exceptions as justification to water down the rule;

(3) Clever discussions that fall under the broad heading of `Situational Ethics,' and that invariably accomplish little more than leave the unwary feeling that wrong is not always wrong and that the speaker is a little wiser than God Himself.

Then, still on the matter of conviction killers, we will need to consider very carefully whether some of the published sets of Bible Studies that are freely available today are working for or against the kingdom.

When seeking to introduce someone to the truth, we must determine whether our studies leave the student convinced of how right Jesus is and how wrong he is, or whether they encourage spiritual pride by leaving him feeling how right he is and how wrong the rest of the religious world is. This matter is of no minor consequence, for Laodicea has received great impetus from studies that fail to highlight the errors of the human heart, but that do an excellent job at highlighting the doctrinal errors of other denominations.

Our Bible studies must lead a fellow-sinner to conversion and, in all cases, conversion is a process that demands that we recognize our sinfulness, that we acknowledge our nothingness, and that we accept God's incredible provision for our lostness. This being the case, we will protect our students from studies that lead them into the . . .

`Fearful danger of feeling whole, and in no need of a physician.' (4T42)

For the end-result of such studies is that . . .

`The hope of salvation is accepted without a radical change of heart or reformation of life. Thus superficial conversions abound, and multitudes are joined to the church who have never been united to Christ.' (GC468)

Some might argue that this is at least a step in the right direction. But is it? The fact of the matter is that . . .

`God would be better pleased to have six thoroughly converted to the truth than to have sixty make a profession and yet not be truly converted.' (GW370)

Knowledge Shall Increase?

In the light of our quest for a lowly state of mind, there is one source of pride that deserves our special attention - and this is the field of knowledge. Frequently today we will hear people, and even ministers from the pulpit, praising the supposed advances of science and the achievements of men, yet . . .

`The most difficult and humiliating lesson that man has to learn is his own inefficiency in depending upon human wisdom.' (8T257)

`We must realize the nothingness of man's wisdom.' (SpM292)

Jesus predicted that knowledge shall increase as we approach the end of earth's history and, sure enough, our store of knowledge is certainly expanding at an alarming rate, but the truth is that very little of this knowledge is what God would consider to be `true knowledge,' for the fact of the matter is that . . .

`True knowledge has decreased with every successive generation.' (4SGa154)

As such, we must realise that . . .

`Those who are deceived, and flattered on in the delusion that the present is an age of real progress, and that the human race has been in the ages past progressing in true knowledge, are under the influence of the father of lies, whose work has ever been to turn the truth of God into a lie.' (4SGa156)

`God is infinite, and the first people upon the earth received their instructions from that infinite God who created the world. Those who received their knowledge direct from infinite wisdom were not deficient in knowledge.' (4SGa154)

In fact, . . .

`In strength of intellect, men who now live can bear no comparison to the ancients.' (4SGa155)

`Could illustrious scholars of our time be placed in contrast with men of the same age who lived before the Flood, they would appear as greatly inferior in mental as in physical strength.' (PP83)

While the world is convinced that we are advancing in terms of true knowledge, the surprising truth is that . . .

`There has been more ancient arts lost than the present generation now possess.' (4SGa155)

`There perished in the Flood greater inventions of art and human skill than the world knows of today. The arts destroyed were more than the boasted arts of today.' (Letter 65, 1898)

Thus we realise that all the glory that we attach to the wisdom of man, is all but a sorry delusion, one that finds its source in the mind of the master of lies who has long worked to create this delusion. Even way back in Eden . . .

`Satan would convey the idea that by eating of the forbidden tree they would receive a new and more noble kind of knowledge than they had hitherto attained. This has been his special work, with great success, ever since his fall - to lead men to pry into the secrets of the Almighty and not to be satisfied with what God has revealed, and not careful to obey that which He has commanded. He would lead them to disobey God's commands, and then make them believe that they are entering a wonderful field of knowledge.

`This is purely supposition, and a miserable deception. They fail to understand what God has revealed, and disregard His explicit commandments and aspire after wisdom, independent of God, and seek to understand that which He has been pleased to withhold from mortals. They are elated with their ideas of progression and charmed with their own vain philosophy, but grope in midnight darkness relative to true knowledge. They are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.' (SR33, 34)

To those who have not realized how far man has fallen, not only in nature, but also in intellect, all of this might come as rather a surprise, yet it is incomprehensible that true knowledge should increase in a world that has largely rejected God, for Scripture makes it clear that . . .

`The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.' (Proverbs 1:7)

This is why we have been told that . . .

`To learn science through human interpretation alone is to obtain a false education [for] apart from Christ, science is misleading, and philosophy is foolishness.' (CT447, TDG324)

This being the case, we can understand that our modern-day expansion in knowledge, devoid as it is of any recognition of God, can only be hopelessly deficient in wisdom. The word of God assures us that . . .

`The Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.' (Proverbs 2:6)

Therefore, if God is not a factor in the reckoning of the majority of scientists today, just how much true knowledge and how much true understanding can characterize their science? This is why . . .

`The greatest minds, if not guided by the word of God, become bewildered in their attempt to investigate the relations of science and revelation.' (8T258)

On the matter of wisdom, Solomon tells us that . . .

`Whatever wisdom may be, it is far off and most profound - who can discover it?' (Ecclesiastes 7:24)

So let us not attempt to define wisdom, for this would be tantamount to trying to define the character of God, but what we do know about wisdom is that it comes from God and from nowhere else. (Proverbs 2:9)

Yet if God is the only source of wisdom, and God is not acknowledged by the vast majority of this world's learned men, then just how much wisdom can we expect to find attached to the application of their knowledge? Can we expect men to know what to do with knowledge? Can we expect them to know when it is best to do nothing with knowledge? This is why Scripture assures us that . . .

`The wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight.' (1 Corinthians 3:15)

In fact . . .

`To learn science through human interpretation alone is to obtain a false education.' (CT447)

To confirm this thought, we have only to look around us and to consider the progress of science realistically to discern that there is a Vital Factor missing in most of the cherished sciences and opinions of our world.

(1) Medical science claims to be making great strides in the warfare against disease, yet there are proportionately more chronically ill people in the world today than ever before, and the situation is only getting worse. Hopes of new wonder cures are always `just around the corner,' yet these wonder cures will never materialize for as long as medical science in general fails to realise that . . .

`The laws of nature, as truly as the precepts of the Decalogue, are divine, and only in obedience to them can health be recovered or preserved.' (LLM110)

(2) Food technology, the science of our age, is making new `advances' every day. Yet malnourishment is epidemic - even in the civilized world. Why? Simply because food technology in the overall is intent on taking apart what an all-wise God saw fit to put together.

(3) To some, atomic science is our hope for the future, but Chernobyl and other cataclysmic disasters remind us that it is not wise to tamper with the secrets of the Almighty - and millions of radiation victims will wholeheartedly agree.

(4) And what of the science of war - progressing at a rate that is horrifying in the so-called technology of human destruction? Is there wisdom in this? Is this true knowledge?

(5) Then there is the science of genetic engineering, which wisdom would demand that we leave well alone for this is nothing other than man's meddling in the private laboratory of God. If the pattern of man's folly holds true, we need not be surprised if we soon hear about horrific mutations of life that originated in a test tube. Just as warped minds are distributing computer viruses throughout the world, so it is only a matter of time before similar minds release genetically engineered viruses into the atmosphere.

(6) Agricultural science too is boasting of bumper crops, yet vast tracts of barren land, lands that once were fruitful, are proving that we cannot ignore soil husbandry and expect the earth to respond forever to a chemical whip. The end result of such folly is spoken of in the book of Joel.

And so we can go on and on in our discussion of the various areas where knowledge reaps profits, but at the same time destruction, and where science is engaged in a futile war against symptoms, with little or no regard for the underlying causes. Is this not `science - falsely so called?'

Thus one of our greater needs today is to be big enough to be made small, for if we were to . . .

`Let a people glory in wealth, intellect, knowledge, or in anything but Christ, . . . they will soon be brought to confusion.' (8T127)

Thus it is that . . .

`The most humbling lesson that man has to learn is the nothingness of human wisdom.' (1SM249)

Without Jesus in our reckoning, all our values, all our motives, and the estimate that we place on all things will amount to little more than a chasing after the wind. To illustrate:

(1) The wisdom of the world teaches us to search for happiness, but true happiness will never be found until we discover the Man of sorrows, the One who bore our griefs.

(2) The wisdom of the world would persuade us that healing is procurable, but true healing is only ever found when we come to know Him who was wounded for our sins.

(3) The wisdom of the world has people believing that comfort is the product of riches, luxury and ease, but true comfort is only ever found in association with Him who was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities.

(4) The wisdom of the world urges us to strive to be accepted by our peers, but true wisdom tells us that such acceptance amounts to little unless we know the One who was rejected on our behalf so that we could be accepted in the person of Him.

(5) The wisdom of the world would suggest that laughter, jesting and joking are the fruits of good living, but this misconception is only because the world is unacquainted with the man of sorrows; with Him who is familiar with suffering.

(6) The wisdom of the world would teach us that it is the purpose of life to be rich, but how worthless are our riches unless we have a personal relationship with Him who became poor so that we might become rich in the things that really count.

(7) The wisdom of the world suggests that we must make great strivings to ensure that all men speak well of us, but Scripture pronounces a curse on this, and suggests that our reputation is but a facade unless we know the One who was despised of men - the One from whom men turned their faces?

(8) The wisdom of the world encourages us to `Live today, for tomorrow we die,' but true wisdom urges us to die today so that we may live forever.

Thus knowledge surely is increasing, and it will continue to increase, but devoid of the knowledge of God, and devoid of the wisdom that comes only from God, little of this knowledge will prove to be true knowledge, and little of it will accomplish much that is of lasting good, either for mankind, or for our planet.

This is why . . .

`Wealth, position, worldly rank in all its varieties and distinctions of human greatness, were all but so many degrees of littleness to Him who had left the honor and glory of heaven, and who possessed no earthly splendor, indulged in no luxury, and displayed no adornment but humility.' (1SM260)

Understanding our frailty of intellect, and foreseeing that deluded man would nevertheless tend to glory in his achievements, and in his mental faculties, . . .

`Christ's work was to set before men the character of His kingdom, showing that names and position and titles are nothing.' (LHU135)

And the reason Jesus did this, was so that . . .

Our `faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.' (1 Corinthians 2:5)

Thus we realise that . . .

`All human ambition, all boasting, is to be laid in the dust.  . . .  Corrupt human nature is to be subdued, not exalted. Thus only can we become pure and undefiled.' (8T234)

This is why Jesus urged that . . .

`The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.' (Luke 22:26)

Jesus emphasized our need of humility because He understood that . . .

`A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honour.' (Proverbs 29:23)

Thus humility is vital to our growth in grace, for inspiration has warned us that . . .

`Knowledge puffs up' and that `the man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.' (1 Corinthians 8:1, 2)

Such need to realise that . . .

`The most costly offering that man may bring to God, the fruit of his toil, his physical and intellectual acquirements, already belong to his Creator. Man has nothing which he has not received.' (ST02-06-79)

Hence the sad declaration of Scripture:

`Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.' (Proverbs 26:12)

Obviously, therefore, while wisdom demands that we show respect where respect is due, we should ever be mindful that the inappropriate use of titles and appellations could make it difficult for our learned brethren to maintain their humility. After all, Jesus, the Master of earth and sea and sky, called himself a servant, and He made it clear that . . .

`All ye are brethren.' (Matthew 23:8, KJV)

As such, we need to be reminded that . . .

`The only distinction is found in devotion to the service of others.' `The only greatness is the greatness of humility.' (DA650)

When all is said and done, the truth is that great numbers of believers and unbelievers need to once again hear the cry of Elijah, . . .

`If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him.' (1 Kings 18:21)

Then, hearing the echo of Elijah's cry, we desperately need to realise that Baal worship is as prevalent today as ever it was in the past for . . .

`In the exaltation of the human above the divine, in the praise of popular leaders, in the worship of mammon, and in the placing of the teachings of science above the truths of revelation, multitudes today are following after Baal.' (PK170)

`A knowledge of the attributes of God's character can not be obtained by means of the highest education in the most scientific schools. From the great teacher alone is this knowledge obtained. Only in the school of Christ are taught effectively the lessons of meekness, lowliness, and reverence for sacred things.

`Men may acquire all the knowledge that human teachers can impart, but God requires them to obtain a higher wisdom than this. Like Moses, they must learn meekness, lowliness and distrust of self. They must learn that in humanity alone there is no strength.' (ST07-12-05.4, 13)

`Those who walk in humility of mind, who love and fear God . . . possess a power far more valuable than learning or eloquence.' (SpTA02a11)