Humility

A defining characteristic of the Holy Spirit’s work in a believer’s life is the virtue of humility. Humility is the antithesis of pride and manifests itself most fully when we examine ourselves in light of our sinfulness and God’s perfect holiness. Scripture is clear that a truly humble person has a correct view of himself (Rom. 12:3), denies himself and places others’ needs first (Phil. 2:3), exhibits grace and love toward others (Eph. 4:32), and points to Christ (1 Cor. 10:31). Ultimately, a humble person follows the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our preeminent example of genuine humility.

Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount by highlighting specific characteristics that should be manifest in the life of every believer. In Jesus’ pronouncements of blessing, known as the Beatitudes, one overarching theme is humility. In Matthew 5:3, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This beatitude describes the posture of a beggar as he holds out his cup utterly dependent upon the generosity of those passing by. The word “poor” means “to be destitute and beggarly.” When Jesus describes a true disciple as “poor in spirit,” He’s defining them with a characteristic of humility that is “beggarly in spirit.”

The humble are keenly aware that they are spiritually depraved in sin and must rely exclusively on God’s grace for salvation and all of life. This “beggarly” believer stands before God, stripped of all self-righteousness, self-security, and self-sufficiency. Scripture often describes the “poor” as those who cry out to God for help because they rely on His grace to meet their needs. In complete dependence upon God’s undeserved kindness, David cried, “Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy” (Ps. 86:1). David didn’t lack financial resources. Instead, he lacked any ability apart from God to improve his spiritual condition. Genuine Christian humility is manifested by the “poor in spirit” who recognize their spiritual need before God, trust God alone for salvation, and constantly cry out for His grace.

Jesus focuses on humility again in Matthew 5:5: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The word “meek”means “gentle” and points to one’s submission to another. In other words, the meek person has relinquished all personal entitlements before God and other people. As a result, the humble person submits to God while acknowledging his indebtedness to the Lord’s unmerited grace.

Our preeminent example and model of humility is the Lord Jesus Christ, who radiated this virtue during His earthly ministry—touching lepers, feeding multitudes, and teaching the way of truth to wayward sinners. There is no more excellent example of His humble submission than when He surrendered Himself to the will of God in freely offering His life on the cross. Paul writes that Christ “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” (Phil. 2:7–8). The act whereby Christ voluntary emptied Himself and took on the “form of a servant” was not the subtraction of divine attributes and rights but the addition of His incarnate humanity, which veiled those attributes (Phil. 2:7). He did not suffer the loss of any divine rights but chose not to exercise them, all for the sake of our salvation.

Jesus’ humility is seen in the fact that He was “born in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:7). That is, Jesus stepped down from His glorious throne to enter His creation and dwell among sinful men in order to willingly submit to “death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). Jesus became the sacrificial substitute for His people by paying the ultimate price for their sin—death. Therefore, while the Son of God fully possessed all divine attributes, rights, and prerogatives as God, He did not manifest them all during His ministry, for they were veiled during His time teaching and paying the price for our redemption. There is no greater illustration of humility than the willingness of the Son of God to enter our world, robe Himself in flesh, veil His divine glory, subject Himself to the hands of sinful men, and be crucified as a substitute for sinners. As a reward for such humiliation, “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). Believers are called to manifest the same “gentle and lowly heart” that Jesus attributes to Himself (Matt. 11:29; 2 Cor. 10:1).

The humble are those believers who desire with all their heart to submit themselves before the Lord, seek Him in all things, and live righteously before Him. So what are the characteristics of a genuinely humble person?

A truly humble person has an accurate view of himself. Paul encouraged each believer “Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment” (Rom. 12:3). Only living coram Deo, before the face of God in awareness of His presence, do we have an accurate view of ourselves, relinquish our pride, and seek to live in humility.

A truly humble person denies self and places others first. Paul commanded, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil. 2:3). Selfishness can dominate our lives if allowed to feed off pride. Genuine humility loves others with the same selfless love with which Christ loved us.

Truly humble people are gracious with others because they have been given grace. Paul appeals to believers to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32). Because God, in Christ, has forgiven us of our sins, we are in turn to forgive others and express a heart of love.

A truly humble person redirects all praise from himself and magnifies Christ. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Regardless of the circumstances, humble believers never rob God of glory but echo John the Baptist: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).