Hiding Behind False Nobility
I’m hoping someday God asks me to write a book on this topic because it is so very prevalent and nuanced that it’s impossible to capture my thoughts in a single blog like this one. Please allow me to suggest a working definition for the term “false nobility” here – it’ll be a big help, keeping this blog concise and on task.
False Nobility (Ed Collins definition): “False Nobility” is a pseudo-nobility that is publicly portrayed as true nobility. It is designed to hide major character flaws and evil living behind a veil of supposed virtue. Purveyors of false nobility often cite Bible verses to substantiate their claims; however, they do so out of context of plenary Holy Scripture. In doing so, to their immediate benefit (albeit God is not fooled), they substantiate a lifestyle of evil that writes off much greater responsibilities to the Lord (sort of the inverse of Luke 6:41-42).
A perfect example of false nobility is often seen in families where the men are defunct in their duties to their wives and children. They often cite how hard they work to provide food and shelter (“So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” – Luke 17:10); yet they fail in their most important role of all – to lead their families in the faith!
It’s very true that a man should be a provider for the welfare of his family:
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
– 1 Timothy 5:8
However, a husband has much greater responsibilities than just doing his God-given “duty” to provide for his family in the physical sense. For starters, his greatest responsibilities to his wife transcend the physical realm.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
– Ephesians 5:25-33
The same transcendent spiritually-related responsibilities exist towards a man’s children as well.
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
– Proverbs 22:6
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
– Ephesians 6:4
If you’re a man, God puts a premium on you taking care of your family. Your greatest example is the Lord Jesus Christ, whose main concern wasn’t physical sustenance (Luke 9:58; 12:6-7) but rather spiritual sustenance (John 4:34; 6:53-58; 1 Thessalonians 5:23). He is your prototype Husband.
We see a great application of what I’m writing here when Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they claimed to serve God at the expense of their own parents (sidenote: family responsibilities include parents, too!).
Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.
You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
– Matthew 15:1-9
False nobility is, as Jesus said, lip service. While we crafty creatures continue to take Biblical doctrines out of context to serve our human fleshes, the Lord sees the heart and measures it against the divine standards in His Word. The craftiest of all creatures, Satan, purveys false nobility to this very day, wishing to be “like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14b). Sure, he is a magnificent creature and even presently the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4); however, being an impressive cherubim angel in some aspects of his existence doesn’t by itself comprise noble living, especially given his sinful heart!
We all need to examine ourselves in light of plenary Holy Scripture (aka, in the context of all of it) and accept, in humility, that which we discover about ourselves (if we don’t already know it and have been playing games for a while). We should halt all magician-like misdirection immediately, where we distract others from the “dullness” of our sin with the “shininess” of doing good. In other words, let’s agree to quit playing games so we can tend to our families in a truly noble manner. Men, it starts with us. We are to lead our families, providing strength along the way (1 Corinthians 16:13) and being examples to one another. We can’t lead the way God desires us to if we’re too busy hiding behind false nobility.
Love in Christ,
Ed Collins
PS: I wrote a blog, When Christianity Becomes an Excuse, that speaks to some of the same topics I’ve covered in this blog. I’d highly encourage you to read that one, too!
PPS: I also wrote a book, Covert Arrogance: Hiding Out In Plain Sight, that examines the root causes of false nobility (among a multitude of issues) in much greater detail.