There are many who have taken erratic stabs at why the church no longer has salt or flavor. Numerous books and seminars have bemoaned everything from lack of prayer to lack of worship or people no longer being the hands and feet of Christ. Some have even written off church (both congregations and church universal) for the lack of God's presence.
The problem is that these are all symptoms, not the root: a lack of humility, which is the image of Christ. The image of Christ is the meek and lowly lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and now intercedes for us in Heaven.
It is humility that Christ portrayed through his life and if we are to be the image of Christ on earth, humility is the image we bear.
In revelationship (see previous posts) there is a prodigious revelation of Christ through the church to the world. The very purpose of the church is the revelation of Christ to the world—which again is the meek and lowly lamb of God (the image of the gospel) who takes away the sins of the world (the power of the gospel). This is why our mission requires that we go into all the world and preach the gospel of Christ. Grievously, the display of Christ’s image and the power of the gospel is obscured so the world no longer sees the relevance or saltiness or flavor of the church because it no longer sees Christ.
What, then, is humility?
Humility is completely misunderstood and false versions abound. Humility is living our position in Christ—as the creature wholly dependent on the Creator, in need of rescue and wholly dependent on the Rescuer, while at the same time, having been rescued, our feet reside in Heavenly places where Christ continues to intercede for us.
Humility is living as though what Christ does for us matters, daily.
What does humility look like, practically?
Humility in action for the church would be honoring the image of Christ that a person bears. And while we don’t condone the actions of someone such as an abuser or a tyrant, we know they are still bearers of the image of Christ as humans (at a minimum) and we seek to honor that image of Christ in another human being.
We don't and can't honor everything about that person—we're all corrupted. For example, we don’t honor an abuser’s abusive nature, actions, or even the wound they likely abuse from. And we don’t honor the actions of tyrants (who are the opposite of Christ in his humility). But when we in humility honor the image of Christ in another person, we follow Christ’s example which we cannot forget includes laying down his life for others.
This attitude might change how we interact with say, the LGBTQ community or those who contend for their sin. We would abandon a position of lofty “correctness” to a place where we honor the image of Christ they do bear. We would seek to assist them as they struggle against the corrupted human nature that does not bear the image of Christ just like all of us who seek to overcome (crucify) the nature of sin in us.
A long time ago, Benedictine monks would prostrate themselves before guests of their monasteries, honoring the image of Christ each person bears. Now, it would look more like us learning to:
Listen, truly listen.
Affirm they are made in the image of God, though corrupted through sin.
Share our own struggles to crucify our corruption and conform to holiness.
Pray unceasingly for their victory.
Humility honors God and lives in continual awareness of Christ's ministry. Humility says "I honor God’s image in you." Tyranny, the opposite of humility, ensures its own desires, needs, rights, and wants before those of others. Tyranny says, "I matter most."
When we, as Christians, participate with Christ in bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth, we do so in co-authority with Christ—which is what Adam and Eve refused to do, instead choosing the path of tyranny that we still contend with today.
In direct contradiction to this tyranny, humility as the daily, sacred perfume of our lives will rouse the senses of those dying in fear and trapped in sin so we "inherit the earth."
Grace reveals humility as our antidote.