The Gospel Of Water & Spirit Promotes True Humility
Introduction
Humility is essential in our walk with God because it brings us to the place where we recognise that we need Him. We cannot save ourselves, and salvation does not come from our own goodness or works. Ephesians 2:8–9 reminds us that we are saved by grace through faith, and that salvation is the gift of God. When we truly understand this, there is no room for boasting. Instead, we learn to depend completely on God and His grace.
The Gospel of water and Spirit leads us into this true humility because it reveals our condition apart from God and takes away our self-righteousness. Through Jesus Christ’s baptism, death and resurrection, we see God’s complete work of salvation and realise that our righteousness does not come from ourselves, but from Christ. As we receive this Gospel and the Spirit of Christ within us, our lives also begin to change. We develop a servant heart like Jesus and learn that greatness is not found in power or status, but in serving others with humility.
James 4:6 says, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” This reminds us that humility is necessary for us to receive and continue in God’s grace. When we humble ourselves before God, we acknowledge our need for Him and become willing to let His Word correct and transform us. Rather than depending on our own strength, we learn to surrender our ways to Him and allow the Gospel to shape the way we live.
There are three areas that help us understand how the Gospel of water and Spirit produces true humility: humility leads us to obedience, humility teaches us not to forget God, and humility bestows divine blessing upon our lives.
Humility Leads To Obedience
There are many areas where we are called to obey in life, whether in our family, workplace, school or society, but the foundation of all obedience is our obedience to the faith in God’s righteousness. We cannot produce true obedience through our old nature because the flesh cannot please God. True obedience comes through the new creation life, where the Spirit of Christ dwells within us.
This is why we must first establish our faith correctly in the Gospel of water and Spirit. God’s righteousness is found in the righteous work of Jesus Christ through His baptism, death and resurrection. Jesus took the sin of the world upon Himself through His baptism and died on the cross because He had taken our sin upon His body. When we believe in this Gospel, we are united with Christ by faith—we die with Him, are buried with Him and rise with Him into a new life. This is the foundation of all obedience because the Spirit of God within us empowers us to live for Him.
Deuteronomy 8:1–2 shows us that God led Israel through the wilderness to humble them and test what was in their hearts. Through the law, they were brought to realise that they could not depend on their own ability, but needed to look to God as their source. In the Old Covenant, this was expressed through the sacrificial system; in the New Covenant, we have Jesus Christ’s baptism, death and resurrection. Humility therefore brings us to recognise that we need God and God alone, and that His righteousness must lead us into obedience.
When true humility produces obedience, it affects every area of our lives. It changes our heart as we surrender our possessions, talents, gifts and time to God, our will as we seek Him daily, and our mind as we value His principles and desire to please Him. It also affects our body and finances, because we recognise that our body was purchased by the blood of Jesus and that everything God has given us should be used to honour Him. As pride, self-effort and self-righteousness are replaced by true humility, we begin to live out the new creation life and glorify God in every facet of our lives.
Humility Teaches Not To Forget God
As humility leads us to obedience, it also teaches us to remember God and not forget what He has done in our lives. Deuteronomy 8:3 shows how God humbled the Israelites, allowing them to experience hunger and then feeding them with manna so that they would understand that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. In the same way, our physical needs may sustain our outward lives, but our spirit needs the Word of God to remain alive, strong and able to walk with Him every day.
The Israelites experienced God’s care throughout their forty years in the wilderness. Their garments did not wear out, their feet did not swell, and God provided food for them, yet they failed to appreciate what He was doing in their lives. We can also experience God’s work in our lives while still holding on to pride and self-reliance. Through different processes, God may humble us and bring us back to our senses. True humility teaches us to recognise His grace, receive His correction and turn away from the wrong path so that we can continue walking in the path of righteousness.
Deuteronomy 8:5 reminds us that the Lord disciplines us as a father disciplines his child. When we are humble, we can receive His discipline with gratitude because we understand that He is correcting us for our good. God also reminds us to keep His commandments, walk in His ways and fear Him. He desires to lead us into what He has prepared for us, and true humility helps us remain sensitive to His direction and careful about the voices we allow to guide our lives.
Deuteronomy 8:10–18 also warns us not to forget God when we begin to experience His blessings. When we have eaten and are full, built beautiful homes, gained possessions and prospered, it can become easy to think that our own strength or cleverness has brought us there. Humility keeps reminding us that everything we have ultimately comes from God. There is nothing wrong with receiving good things from Him, but we must learn to enjoy them properly, acknowledge Him and remain dependent on Him rather than becoming arrogant and self-made.
As we grow in this true humility, it will be reflected in the way we respond to God and to the people around us. We will become more willing to obey His Word, remember what He has done for us and give thanks for His goodness. The Gospel of water and Spirit therefore leads us into a life of dependence on God, where humility becomes evident in the way we live each day.
Humility Bestows Divine Blessing
As humility teaches us to remember God and remain thankful for all He has done, it also brings us into the blessings He has prepared for us. Psalm 149:4 says, “For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.” When we humble ourselves before God, we place ourselves in a position to receive His grace and experience His victory. The blessing is not something we produce through our own strength, but something we receive as we continue to depend on Him.
Daniel 10:12 also shows us the connection between humility and prayer. Daniel set his heart to understand and humble himself before God, and his words were heard. When we humble ourselves, we recognise that we need God in every area of our lives and therefore continue to pray and depend on Him. We can pray for our families, children, work, health and every need, trusting that God is able to sustain and keep us. As we acknowledge Him instead of relying on ourselves, we receive more grace and allow Him to take care of the things He has entrusted to us.
Proverbs 11:2 tells us that when pride comes, shame follows, but humility allows the wisdom of God to operate in our lives. Many wrong decisions come when we depend on our own understanding and the wisdom of this world. But when we walk in humility, we are willing to ask God to help us, guide us and teach us. This means walking in the Spirit daily rather than simply relying on the fact that we are born again. The person who walks in the Spirit is the person who is willing to lean, cleave and cling to God in every circumstance.
Proverbs 22:4 further reminds us that “humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honour and life.” Humility keeps the fear of the Lord in our hearts and causes us to value His wisdom and His ways. It also changes the way we relate to others. Philippians 2:3–4 teaches us not to act out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind to esteem others and look to their interests as well as our own. As the Spirit of Christ works in us, we become more willing to forgive, let go of bitterness and repair relationships with our spouse, family, friends and colleagues.
All of this flows from the Gospel of water and Spirit. We receive true humility through the Spirit of Christ, and that humility changes every facet of our lives. Our hearts, minds, wills, bodies, finances and relationships begin to reflect Christ more clearly. As we remove pride and self-reliance and continue walking in the Gospel, God gives us the humility to depend on Him, the wisdom to walk in His ways and the grace to experience His blessing.
Living It Out
The Gospel of water and Spirit calls us to live with true humility before God. Because Jesus has accomplished salvation through His baptism, death and resurrection, we no longer need to depend on our own righteousness, strength or wisdom. Instead, we can surrender ourselves to God, obey His Word, remember His goodness and remain thankful for everything He has given us. True humility should be evident not only in our words, but also in the way we use our time, finances, gifts, body and relationships, as we seek to honour God in every area of our lives.
Let us continue to embrace the Gospel wholeheartedly and allow the Spirit of Christ to work in us each day. As true humility takes root, pride, self-effort and self-righteousness are replaced with a willingness to depend on God, serve others and walk in His ways. Our lives should become increasingly different as we grow in the Gospel, developing humility that affects every facet of our lives and gives us a new life in Christ.
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