Austin Bible Church
God's standards for maturity and qualification for blessing are the same for every believer. These standards are often difficult for most believers to accept. These standards are absolute and fair. They are not based on emotions or the arrogance of legalism. They are perfect standards based on the perfect essence of God. It is blind arrogance for any Christian to assume that they have received what no other believer has or that they have some special experience, or that their life is more important than any other believer’s life.
Signs of Blind Arrogance
The sin of blind arrogance comes in many forms. While the spiritually maturing believer will observe these signs of blind arrogance in others, those under blind arrogance never seem to know they are blind to their own carnal activity. This is only one of the many reasons for God’s mandate for consistent daily intake and application of the Word of God. The filling of the Spirit keeps the believer from arrogance and under God’s plan for their lives.
Legalism is a manifestation of blind arrogance. The three main categories of legalism can be seen as salvation by works, spirituality by works, and spiritual maturity by works. Emotional arrogance can be blind arrogance. This is exhibited by the Charismatics (Pentecostals) who associate spiritual advance with the temporary spiritual gift of tongues that became non-functional in 70 AD. Self-centered arrogance is also a sign of blind arrogance. Here, believers assume their lives, activities, or options are more important than those of anyone else.
It is blind arrogance to assume that the plan of God stands or falls on the basis of your behavior. Another manifestation of blind arrogance is the belief that the plan of God stands on any other believer. It is blind arrogance for a person to establish standards contrary to the Word of God and to then comply with those standards. In so doing, they often assume they are a great believer.
Another sign of blind arrogance is the assumption that any type of kindness or friendliness from the opposite sex means that person is madly in love with you. It is blind arrogance to assume that a few dates mean a declaration of love or a silent agreement to marriage. It is blind arrogance to attempt to superimpose your enthusiasm on others who are not interested and to judge them falsely with harsh criticism for not sharing your enthusiasm.
Illustrations of Blind Arrogance
In Matthew 19:30, the first who are really last, are Christians guilty of blind arrogance. They are last for blessing in time and last for reward in eternity. The last who are really first are those believers with maximum Bible doctrine in their souls. These believers have great humility and grace orientation. They are moving toward spiritual maturity and will enjoy blessing in time and rewards in eternity. Therefore, the first who are guilty of blind arrogance live most of their lives under the influence of Satan's world system of evil. The last who are really first are those Christians who live most of their lives under the influence of epignosis Bible doctrine in the right lobe of their souls.
""But many who are first will be last; and the last, first." (Matthew 19:30, NASB)
Labor union workers are illustrated in Matthew 20:1-6. They have bargained with the land owner for a day's wages and they have a union contract for that day. Therefore, they were under contract to management. The land owner (capitalist) needed more labor, so he went out and hired non-union labor. Why? Management invests the money and makes the policies. Labor does not dictate to management under divine establishment principles. It was the policy of this capitalist (land owner) to hire all the non-union labor he could find and to treat them right. Under the Laws of Divine Establishment, capitalists (those who put up the money) and management have the sole right to make policy for their business. Neither government nor labor has any right to make policy under free enterprise nor to dictate policy to business.
""For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. "When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' And so they went. "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day long?'" (Matthew 20:1-6, NASB)
Note that the non-union labor did not bargain with management, but left it up to the discretion of management as to what they should receive for that day's work or part of a day’s work. The spiritual application here involves the understanding that the actions of the labor unions in this example are like those of a legalistic and blindly arrogant believer. In this example, the actions of non-union labor are like those of a grace-orientated believer operating with genuine grace humility.
The Influence of Satan’s World System of Evil
Rewards for believers in eternity depend on the policy of God, not the arrogant, legalistic, and man-centered standards of the evil world that surrounds us and blind fundamentalism. God does not bless the believer in time nor reward the believer in eternity on the basis of the arrogant standards of evil. Arrogance is always critical of grace. When arrogance becomes critical of grace, it is under the evil of Satan's world system.
The “first” are those under the influence of the world system of evil and have blind arrogance. The “last” are those under the influence of maximum Bible doctrine in the soul. They have true grace orientation to life. Therefore, they have true humility. The “last” are those spiritually mature Christians who avoided the influence of the world and its evil schemes in their lives. They will be “first” in heaven which means they will be first in blessings and rewards.
Blind Arrogance Within Families
People can be predisposed to blind arrogance from observing and learning from their parents’ teaching and actions. For example, in Matthew 20:20-21, the mother of the sons of Zebedee (the apostles James and John) suggested to Jesus Christ that her sons be seated on His right and left in His kingdom. These apostles and their mother Salome were arrogant at this point and very legalistic.
"Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to Him, "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left."" (Matthew 20:20-21, NASB)
The baptism of the cup is the Cross where Jesus Christ was going to provide salvation. Neither James nor John could provide salvation on the Cross. They could not die for the sins of the world. If man can do anything to provide salvation, then there is no salvation. Man can only appropriate salvation by faith in Christ. Man cannot provide salvation by being judged on the Cross. Only the God-man Jesus Christ was qualified to do that and He was absolutely unique. Only a perfect man can provide salvation on the Cross, hence the impeccability of our Lord Jesus Christ. Blind arrogance is a combination of the sin of pride plus evil thinking. Evil thinking from the world around you is any thought pattern contrary to grace, the Laws of Divine Establishment, and Bible doctrine.
Mob Action
Mobs cannot think, cannot reason, cannot accomplish anything worthwhile in life. Mobs are the historical illustration of mass blind arrogance. Mobs are the opposite of the Laws of Divine Establishment, by which we have our freedom. Mobs destroy freedom, privacy, property, and hinder spiritual growth. Mobs are anti-authority, anti-discipline, anti-establishment, and anti-revivals. You cannot have mobs and have any kind of revival.
The mob of Matthew 20:29 was typical. It was a case of people sticking their noses into someone else's business - a typical violation of freedom and the privacy of the two blind men. The doctrine of the long nose is a hindrance to spiritual growth. Nosy people who invade our privacy are retrogressive, influenced by evil, and guilty of blind arrogance. This mob was guilty of blind arrogance. The two blind men had not gained the approval of the mob and that speaks well of them. The mob was very antagonistic. If the judgment of the mob had prevailed, these two blind men would have been ignored.
"As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him." (Matthew 20:29, NASB)
Following Christ Frees You from Blind Arrogance
To follow Christ originally is to believe in Him for salvation. To follow Christ as a Christian is to be faithful in the daily study of the Word of God. There is only one way to follow Christ after regeneration and that is to be consistent in the intake of Bible doctrine, day by day. Once the Christian matures spiritually, they are free from the influence of Satan’s world system of evil, which means they are free from blind arrogance. The mature believer fulfills the phrase which appears twice in the context of Matthew 19:27 through Matthew 20:34. The phrase is “The last shall be first” means first in the sense of blessing in their spiritual life and reward in eternity. The mature believer is first for blessing in their spiritual life and first for rewards in eternity. Whereas the first (as in these passages from Matthew) is under blind arrogance. Blind arrogance means last for blessing in their spiritual life and last for reward in eternity. And last means nothing at all.
""And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. "But many who are first will be last; and the last, first." (Matthew 19:29-30, NASB)