How did Christ exemplify humility? He chose to descend from the heights of divine splendour to enter a world marred by sin and suffering. He willingly endured a brutal death for the sake of sinful humanity. Christ demonstrated humility throughout his birth, life, and death. In what way did Christ humble himself at his birth? The eternal Son of God took on human form, being born of a woman and placed in a manger. As stated in Luke 2:7, “And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Christ is King, yet His birth did not resemble that of a typical king. He wasn’t born in a palace nor placed in a crib appropriate for royalty. Instead, at his birth, he faced the humiliation of being laid in a feeding trough for animals.

Christ demonstrated humility during His life. He was born subject to the law, indicating His obedience to God’s commandments. By adhering to the law, He exhibited true humility. Despite facing temptations to sin, He remained sinless. He endured scorn from those with corrupt intentions and suffered mistreatment at the hands of wicked individuals. Galatians 4:4-5 reminds us, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

Christ exhibited humility in his death. During his trial, he faced mockery, falsehoods, and immense suffering. Nevertheless, he chose to humble himself and endured all the torment inflicted by evil men. Those he cared for turned their backs on him, and when he was in greatest need, they left him. How might you react if you experienced this?  Philippians 2:8 says, “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

The life and death of Christ inspires us to live with humility and serenity (Colossians 3:12 & 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). Christ’s sacrifice was for our sins, and we must strive to eliminate sin from our lives. The English Nonconformist minister and theologian John Owen emphasized the necessity of mortifying sin in his book, “The Mortification of Sin.” He stated, “Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.” Let this be a prominent thought for us today. Let us reflect on our Lord’s humility and allow it to permeate our being. May the Spirit of Christ bring us to a place of humility.