Wax On, Wax Off
What is the melting point of wax?
From the Garden of Eden’s forbidden fruit to the Tower of Babel’s prideful ascent, the sin of hubris has cast a long shadow on humanity. In the Christian perspective, it represents a fundamental flaw, a turning away from God and towards the intoxicating mirage of self-sufficiency. This arrogance, warns the Church Father, Saint Augustine, “blinds the mind and hardens the heart,” leading us astray from the path of humility and grace.
In modernity, when we reference the total destruction and God’s just response to the abominations rampant in the cursed story of Sodom and Gomorrah, we usually focus on the sexual wickedness and debauchery that seemed the ‘new normal’ for the societal standards of those folks in that day. If you would take the time to study any extra-biblical texts about the complete depravity of that story and the hearts of those involved, it would expand your grid for the consumptive power of sin, especially sexual sin. This blog is rated PG, therefore I cannot reference the below-animalistic degeneracy the people allowed in their culture, but I can tell you that the Western world is on the same trajectory at break-neck speeds.
But, what was the underlying cause of the world-renowned judgment exemplified in the Sodom and Gomorrah story? Hubris.
Ezekiel 16:48-50 BSB
As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did as you and your daughters have done. Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and complacent; they did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them, as you have seen.
Arrogant, overfed, complacent, and haughty. Hubris, fat, lethargic, and narcissistic.
Hubris is a fire. A fire can only consume based on having fuel to burn. A fireplace does not contemplate through deep moralistic rational intellect the identity or consequences of the fuel source. If it has an old dead branch, it will burn it for the benefit of warming the house and the occupants thereof. If it has a Rembrandt, one-of-a-kind, priceless, and irreplaceably beautiful piece of artwork… that same fire will turn it into ash in sixty seconds. Hubris can compel a person to the foot of the blood-stained cross of Christ in pursuit of the divine life they were created for, or it can thrust an entire society into perverse sexual concupiscence so disgusting that they collectively desire to gang-rape two angles sent on a redemptive mission.
Hubris is a fire that will completely consume any person who dares to kindle the flame.
Echoes of this warning resonate throughout the patristic writings. Saint John Chrysostom, known for his fiery sermons, admonishes, “Pride is the beginning of all sin. It was pride that cast the devil down from heaven.” He highlights the seductive nature of hubris, how it masks itself as knowledge or achievement, luring us into believing we are the architects of our destiny, independent of divine guidance. This illusion, Chrysostom argues, ultimately isolates us from God and true fulfillment.
Countering this prideful stance, patristic teachings emphasize the importance of humility and dependence on God. Acknowledging our limitations, and our need for God’s love and forgiveness, opens the door to genuine growth and spiritual progress. As Saint Isaac the Syrian eloquently states, “Humility is the ground where all the virtues sprout.”
Therefore, for Christians, the battle against hubris is not about diminishing our capabilities, but about aligning them with God’s will. It is about recognizing our inherent imperfections and embracing the transformative power of humility. Through prayer, repentance, and service to others, we can shed the cloak of pride and walk the path of Christ, a path paved with love, compassion, and ultimately, true joy.
Philippians 2:3-9 ESV
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name…
‘Do nothing’ is a command. It also points to the root of the ‘do’ in that ‘nothing’ can come from ‘selfish ambition or conceit’ in the authentic version of Christianity. Nothing is another one of those ‘God words.’
‘Humility’ is basically a detestable cuss word in today’s ‘me-ism’ based culture. Even in church-i-anity, the messages and programs all must circulate around what the people want… not so much what they need, what the Bible teaches, or (shockingly) what God would want.
‘Look not’ is quite a radical thought. It insinuates the propensity in all of us to be self-focused, but teaches us that we can (through the grace offered by the Spirit) be watchfully focused on others to the degree that we are more aware of their needs than even our own. Radical…
This is the ‘mind’ of Christ. Usually, when people reference that benefit, they gravitate towards wanting to be super-smart and have all the answers for everything. Few consider the context of ‘the mind of Christ’ has more to do with humility than omniscience.
I do not think we are aware of how baptized in hubris we all are, even the ‘we all’ in modern, progressive spirituality.
This hubris-laden brand of Church-i-anity teaches Christians to choose a church, doctrine, or belief system not by considering, “Does this community teach, believe, and live out the Bible? If so, how can I join in their mission?” Instead, it teaches people to come to church asking, “What’s in it for me?”
Imagine if the early church had adopted this same mindset. In that case, Paul may have encouraged believers in these same Philippian verses, “Do everything from selfish ambition and conceit, counting yourself more significant than others. Let each of you look only to his own interests. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in personal freedom in Christ, who came to earth as royalty, demanding the treatment He rightly deserved.”
One of the most famous stories that explores the theme of hubris is the Greek myth of Icarus and Daedalus. In this tale, Daedalus, an inventor, creates wings made of feathers and wax for himself and his son, Icarus, so they can escape from the island of Crete where they had been imprisoned by King Minos. Before they embark on their journey, Daedalus warns Icarus not to fly too high or too low, as the heat from the sun could melt the wax in his wings if he flies too high, and the moisture from the sea could make the wings too heavy if he flies too low.
Despite his father’s warning, Icarus becomes overconfident and excited about his newfound ability to fly. He flies higher and higher, ignoring his father’s advice. Eventually, the sun’s heat melts the wax in his wings, and Icarus plummets into the sea and drowns. This story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of hubris and the importance of heeding the advice of those with more experience. It reminds us that even the most brilliant minds can be brought down by their own arrogance and disregard for the wisdom of others. Ask Nebuchadnezzar.
It was the fire of hubris that killed Icarus, burned Sodom and Gomorrah, caused the great damnation of Lucifer, and compelled Judas to accept thirty measly pieces of metal (silver) to betray the loving Savior Who infinitely loved him. It is hubris that drives greed, power-hungry sycophants, adultery, addiction, and all manner of evil.
James 3:16 (the OTHER 3:16 verse that is WAY less memorized…)
New International Version
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
New Living Translation
For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
English Standard Version
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
“All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible.”
Frank Herbert (Author of the 1965 science fiction novel “Dune”)
Corruptible people attract hubris. The time has come for us, the remnant church, to extinguish the flame of hubris. To quench that insatiable blaze, we will need the resolve to eliminate the fuel source from our lives completely. If there is something that CAN burn, it WILL burn. The humbly lived life of a disciple is like the delicate wings of wax. Hubris will melt them, and the cares of the world will weigh them down into oppression. The melting point of hubris-wax is 98.6°F… the normal temperature of human flesh.
Romans 12:3 BSB
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.
Look what grace can do, Beloved. We need to fly, yes! But flying at the proper height is of great importance. My promise is to help you do this well… will you help me? Really, I mean it. Flying is hard, but with help, community, and correction, we can all fly together in safety. Like a flock of eagles, or platypuses… noble or weird, I am not yet certain which. But, as we grow in influence, the world will have to recognize our impact.
Let us get into our ‘V’ formation heading directly into the Great Awakening together and leaving our hubris behind.
I love you,
Steve
