True Humility

Humility is one of the most important virtues of the Christian life. The world doesn’t understand true humility because it is contrary to the world’s way of doing things. We can’t learn humility from the world. We must learn it from God.

Our word humility in English does not fully capture all the different meanings of the word for humility in the New Testament. The NT word can mean level or reducing, small and weakening. It can mean poor or depressed. It can even mean oppressed. It might mean low socially, poor, powerless, or unimportant. It might mean worth little.

In the ancient Gentile world, humility was seen as something negative. This is how humility is still seen by the world today. Instead of poverty, weakness, low social position, the world teaches us to fight for our rights, be ambitious, be successful, take pride in our achievements, defend ourselves, boast, amass money, be strong. “No one should tell me what to do.” The world generally resists humility.

Jesus says the world is upside down. 

The first in this world will be last in eternity. And the last in this world will be first in eternity (Matthew 20:16).

The greatest in this world will be the least in eternity. The least in this world will be greatest in eternity.

Whoever wants to be the greatest in eternity must take the lowest place now and become the slave of everyone (Luke 10:44).

This is the opposite of the world. We need our minds renovated by these powerful truths so we actually believe them.

God calls us to be humble. He is the measure of all things. We are completely dependent on him for all things. In ourselves – our flesh – nothing good dwells (Romans 7:18). Everything good in us comes from God. We can entrust ourselves and our safekeeping to God. We can trust our vengeance to God. He will defend us so we don’t need to defend ourselves. We can be low in this world because we know that it is ultimately passing away.

Jesus was humble (Matthew 11:29). He humbled himself when he left all his glory in heaven, came to earth to be born in an animal feeding trough, and went to the cross and died (Philippians 2:5-8). Jesus is a pattern for us. He humbled himself, and therefore he was exalted.

When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet he showed humility (John 13:3-5). 

When he was falsely accused and beaten, he showed humility by not fighting back or defending himself (Isaiah 53:7).

We are called to be humble people. To do this we need the Holy Spirit. We must crucify the flesh. And we must renew our minds to understand true humility according to God’s word.

There are many verses throughout the New Testament that refer to humility.

Mary was humble when she received God’s word about bearing the Son of God (Luke 1:48). She said that God lifts up the humble (Luke 1:52). Humble is the opposite of mighty. God puts down the strong but lifts up the humble.

When God levels hills and mountains and makes them flat (Luke 3:5), it says that he humbles them. He brings them low.

We are called to condescend to humble people. Humble people are the opposite of people who have lofty thoughts (Romans 12:16).

God comforts the humble, who may be sorrowful (2 Corinthians 7:6).

The poor or lowly are humble, and they are opposite the rich (James 1:9). God gives grace to the humble, but he opposes the proud. Pride is the opposite of humility. Pride means exalting oneself and being high. God sets himself in battle array against the proud to fight against them and bring them low (James 4:6).

We are commanded to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord (James 4:10). We take a lowly position before God because he is infinitely higher than we are.

God gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). Grace empowers us to live for God. In order to have the power of the Christian life, we must embrace humility.

If we humble ourselves before God, he will exalt us (1 Peter 5:6).

God tells us to have humility of mind (Colossians 3:12). This refers to intellectual kindness and discretion. Humility of mind is connected to patience and keeping the unity of the spirit (Ephesians 4:2). When we are humble in mind, we can be patient with others, and we can stay in unity with them. 

Jesus tells us to humble ourselves like little children (Matthew 18:4). We are to completely depend on God, not on ourselves. Humbling ourselves is the opposite of self exaltation (Matthew 14:11). It’s also the opposite of prosperity – it’s similar to hungering or lacking (Philippians 4:12).

Humility means taking a low spot. When Jesus was wrongfully condemned he was humbled (Acts 8:33). When the rich lose their wealth they are humbled (James 1:10).

God has chosen the base things of the world to confound the wise – the humble things to confound the proud (1 Corinthians 1:27-28).

David was the least among his brothers, but he was chosen to be king.

Gideon had a very low estimation of himself, but he was chosen to deliver Israel from the mighty army of the Midianites.

Ragtag apostles confounded the high priests and the Sanhedrin.

An executed criminal crushed Satan’s head.

God tells us again and again throughout the NT that if we humble ourselves we will be exalted. He repeats this statement about 5 different times. 

To be exalted by God is a good thing, for he exalts on the basis of perfect judgment. If we exalt ourselves we will do so wrongfully, and we will be humbled.

Let us pursue humility, for this is the path of our Savior. We can entrust ourselves to God, for he will take care of us and preserve us in this world until we reach the next. And in the next age everything will be turned right side up.