The late Jerry Bridges penned The Blessing of Humility before his death. In this wonderful little book, he details the beatitudes (Matt. 5:3–11) as a series of blessings that point us toward a pattern of humility in action. Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy in return for an honest review, and I am delighted to share that along with some key take-a-ways on humility and the beatitudes with you now.
Humility Found in the Beatitudes
Second only to love, humility is one of the most referenced character traits throughout the Bible. In fact, having read through The Blessing of Humility, I am reaffirmed in my belief that humility is a foundational element of seeking a refining life, on purpose. As Bridges shows us, it’s the “big idea” of the Beatitudes as well.
Bridges is also sure to point out that the Beatitudes are not mere traits of personality; they are evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In that regard, they represent attitudes of the heart.
In “The Blessing of Humility,” the late Jerry Bridges shows how the Holy Spirit is continually working on us and blessing us with humility through cultivation of the Beatitudes within our hearts.
Humility is NOT Weakness
I have never really thought about it, but we live in a world that tends to look down upon the humble. And, in Paul’s age, humility was not just frowned upon – it was despised. Humility was despised because it was a supposed sign of weakness. As I read Bridges’ commentary on this, I began to think about it in the context of just how counter-cultural the Beatitudes and the whole ministry of Jesus were both then and now.
In fact Bridges refers to Jesus as the “ultimate doormat,” but that does not mean we are to allow others to run all over us. Instead, we must be cognizant of how we relate with others and intentionally seek to cultivate the Beatitudes within us to know God and glorify him.
Humility Requires Acknowledgement of Sin
[special]”One mark of a growing Christian, then, is a growing sense of his or her sin, and an attitude of mourning over it.”[/special]
I’ve heard many messages that take the opposite approach. They may not “mourn” over their sin, but that is because they refuse to even acknowledge their sin. Without proper acknowledgement, we are prohibiting a genuine sense of humility. That blockage keeps us stagnant in our walks and secures us to extremely weak roots.
Humility Produces a New Creation
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. – Ezekiel 36:26-27
I can’t really say enough how much I enjoyed this book and how much I learned from it’s simple prose and matter of fact laying it all out there. Bridges does a magnificent job of walking us through the Beatitudes and grants us an understanding of what it means to be humble in spirit – to embrace humility. Nowhere is this most evident than in the understanding that God is making all things new.
That includes us. The Holy Spirit is working on us daily and blessing us with humility through cultivation of the Beatitudes within our hearts.
What stands out to me most is what I have now come to call the “terrible paradox,” which is presented in some form at least three times within the book. First, on page 12 when addressing the poor in spirit, Bridges explains that “Believers who are growing continue to see more sin in their lives. It is not that they are sinning more, rather they are becoming more aware of and more sensitive to the sin that has been there all along.”
Sort of like wishing not to know now what you didn’t know then!
Next, on page 42, when describing those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, Bridges suggests that the answer to the question of “why should I hunger and thirst for what I already have” is the fact that the more we grow and mature as Christians, we become more sensitive to sin and failure we observe in our lives.
Finally, on page 94 when offering some concluding thoughts, Bridges explains that “[a]s we grow in the Christian life, then, we become increasingly aware of our dependence on the righteousness of Christ revealed to us through the gospel.
In fact, that leads to perhaps the greatest lesson I take away from The Blessing of Humility. The fact that the gospel is not for others; the gospel is as much for believers as anyone.
[special]”Most Christians assume that the gospel is only for unbelievers. They see the gospel only as a door you walk through to be saved. The reality, though, is that the gospel is more like a path that you walk along for the rest of your life until you go to be with the Lord.”[/special]
Jerry Bridges (1929-2016)
Jerry Bridges was an acclaimed author and a beloved conference speaker. Altogether, his books have sold over 3.5 million copies, and have been published in twenty languages. He was on staff of The Navigators for more than sixty years and served in the collegiate missions department, where he was involved primarily in staff development but also served as a speaker resource to the campus ministries. He is survived by his wife, Jane, his two married children and seven grandchildren.