Some of you probably know by now of my affinity for John Newton.

One of the reasons I appreciate him so much is because of his letters. He was prolific in his letter writing. He wrote to all sorts and all comers. What I find so wonderful about his letters is that in them you truly see how his rich theology and experiential knowledge of God’s love in the gospel both come to bear in his pastoral care. His letters exquisitely exhibit theology applied. He truly was a shepherd to admire.

Recently, I was reading one of Newton’s letters to the Reverend Mr. Whitford, his friend and a fellow minister. In this letter, Newton was encouraging Mr. Whitford in his cooperative gospel ministry, and there was one sentence that stood out to me: “I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ, and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master.”[1]

I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ, and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master. — John Newton

What an assessment of the distinguishing marks of the Christian! Are these the characteristics that first come to mind when we think of what should mark a Christian? Perhaps we think of holiness or joy or one of the many other characteristics that distinguish the Christian life. But Newton hangs spiritual maturity on these two marks, humility and love. This sent me running to the Scriptures to find what humility and love for the Christian look like.

Christian Humility and Love

In Ephesians 4:1–3, Paul urges the Ephesians to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which [they] have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Here, humility and love go hand-in-hand with gentleness or meekness and patience. Let’s take a closer look at these fruits.

Gentleness

Paul makes clear in 2 Corinthians 10:1 that gentleness and meekness are distinguishing marks of Jesus himself writing, “I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ…”. These are Christlike characteristics. To get an idea of what a gentle and meek person looks like, it’s helpful to consider what Scripture sets gentleness and meekness over against. Paul encourages Titus to remind the flock “to be gentle and to show perfect courtesy toward all people” (Titus 3:2), as opposed to not being submissive to authorities, speaking evil of others, and being quarrelsome. Likewise, in 1 Timothy 3:3, Paul calls for gentleness rather than violence. Indeed, it is this type of gentleness and meekness that marks reasonableness as opposed to divisiveness (Philippians 4:1–5).

So, gentleness and meekness do not look like: speaking evil of others, a quarrelsome spirit, a lack of appropriate submissiveness, violence, and/or divisiveness—the distinguishing marks of sinful man. Rather, Scripture tells us that gentleness and meekness are the hallmarks of godly wisdom (James 3:13, 17).

Patience

Humility and love also go hand-in-hand with patience. The patience referred to here does not speak to the type of perishable patience we typically exercise when we are waiting for our food order to come to the table or when we are standing in a long line. Rather, it speaks to the enduring, unwavering patience that God exercised toward us in order to save us (Romans 2:4; 2 Peter 3:15).

Gentleness and Patience Mark Christian Humility and Love

So, if you are seeking the fruits of Christian humility and love, they can be found in the same garden row as their closely related counterparts of gentleness and patience. Christian humility and love run counter to divisiveness, quarreling, and violence. And Christian humility and love exercise the same long-suffering that God graciously showed and shows toward us. Indeed, Christian humility and love fight for the very unity that human sinfulness would undo (Ephesians 4:3). Let’s look more closely at both humility and love.

Humility

Paul sets humility over against selfish ambition when he addresses the Philippians, writing, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). Selfish ambition is not an internal, victimless characteristic. Rather, selfish ambition by nature works itself out externally in hostility and contentiousness toward others, inflicting harm on others (2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:20; Philippians 1:17; James 3:16). Christian humility, on the other hand, considers others more significant—of a surpassing worth—when compared to self (Philippians 2:3). Moreover, Christian humility is not kept to oneself but has natural outward effects. Taking into account the gentleness and patience that mark humility, Christian humility, like a rock thrown into water, sends out ripples of gentleness and patience toward others that promote fellowship and unity (Ephesians 4:3).

Christian humility, like a rock thrown into water, sends out ripples of gentleness and patience toward others that promote fellowship and unity.

Love

In like manner, Christian love bears with others in a spirit of gentleness and patience. This love “is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:1). This is the very bearing with love that binds together all godly qualities that foster a culture of forgiveness. Christian love is love that bears with others, loving and forgiving them in the same way that God loved and forgave us in Christ. (Colossians 3:12–13). This forgiving love, then, fans the flames of fellowship and unity (Ephesians 4:3).

Christian love is love that bears with others, forgiving them in the same way that God loved and forgave us in Christ.

The Gospel: Jesus’ Humility and Love Saves Us

Surely, we can begin to see that John Newton was very much on the right track. Indeed, it was these very qualities, humility and love, that, as Paul notes, mean salvation for you and me. Jesus exercised perfect humility and perfect love toward us in order to save us when we were unsubmissive, speakers of evil, divisive, violent, quarrelsome—completely arrogant and completely hateful. Yet Jesus counted us as more significant than himself in humility and extended the comfort of his forgiving love toward us by dying in our place on the cross (Philippians 2:1–8).

If the Christian life is to look like Jesus, then Newton’s assessment is beautifully accurate. It is the humility and love of Christ that saves us, and it is our Christlike humility and love coupled with our gospel proclamation that God will continue to use to save and unite his people. So, in the spirit of John Newton, we must ask ourselves: Do Christlike humility and love mark our lives? Let’s strive in God’s power to ensure they do.

[1] John Newton, Letters of John Newton, ed. Josiah Bull (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2018), 39.