Foundational Humility
Humility is not of small importance. Humility is a driving principle for the entire Christian life, a bedrock on which all godly characteristics and fruits of the Spirit rest. With humility comes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, truth, grace, forgiveness, thankfulness, compassion, and unity. These are built upon humility and are what build up the church. Humility is intrinsic to these fruits of the Spirit.
But if there are cracks or gaping holes in the bedrock, these godly characteristics fall through and what is left is idolatry, enmities, strife, jealousy, disputes, dissensions, factions, envy, falsehood, bitterness, slander, and greed. These things run contrary to humility. These things destroy. They destroy people, churches, societies, nations, and souls.
Yet, there is a greater foundation and principle holding up humility and all it contains. It is that God is King. The Lord God is creator of all heaven and earth. There is no other like Him. Uncreated and having created everything, He owns and lays claim to all things. The world runs according to His purposes and aim. Not at any point in our lives can we lay claim to anything without God. There is absolutely nothing without God whereas we can say, “I own that.” You and I will never be the first cause for anything that comes our way. I pray that after reading that, you be not angry or disagreeable in pride but submissive in humility to the Lord.
It is not as if the Lord desires to imprison you in your submissiveness and humility, to beat you into a sort of depressing frailness. No, instead He says, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted” (Mt. 23:12). Rather, He wants to exalt you into His presence and kingdom for all eternity, giving you all of His goodness (Dt. 8:16; Ps. 37:11; Phil. 3:21). It is good and it is fitting to be humbled before the Lord. Like a child under the authority of his parents, it is good and fitting for him to understand his dependance with thankfulness. “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me” (Ps. 50:23). It is why Jesus can say in Matthew 18:4, “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” And God cares for you as one of His children. It is told us in 1 Peter 5:6-7, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
On the other side of Matthew 23:12 is what happens when we misalign ourselves with the truth, the truth that God is King and has authority over all heaven and earth. When a child forgets or deceives himself of his dependance, he will be humbled by being disciplined, by being punished. And so, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled.” God will make all things right in the end. This basic understanding of humility is important for everything that follows. Humility is not a moral characteristic floating in space. It is attached to the understanding of who God is and who we are in relation to Him. In whatever way we discuss humility, it must rest on that truth.
Humbly Seek God
With humanity being lost in sin, God is constantly throughout history and the Bible calling people to humble themselves and seek Him. It was Paul’s message to the Athenians in Acts 17:24-28. Notice the reality being communicated of both who God is and who we are in relation:
The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’
God is Lord of heaven and earth and He has given all things to all people, even determining where we would live with a specific purpose, that we would seek Him. We are dependent on Him in that we do not exist, live, or move without His sovereign hand. It is humbling to not only believe this but to live with it as well. But to deny it is to deny a very basic reality, that life is from the Lord.
If we do not seek the Lord with this humbling reality, coming to Him in utter dependence on His mercy – and He is merciful if we do come to Him – then we will be destroyed as was the warning in Zephaniah’s day for Judah and the nations. This is an often repeated message in the Bible that looked to the current situation but also to a future and final “day of the Lord”. The exhortation then is to, “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zeph. 2:3).
The Humble Will Be Saved
“My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man” (Is. 6:5, NLT). Those are the words of a man encased in reality, set before the presence of God in a vision. Those are the words of a man completely aware of who God is and who he is in relation, not only a creature under the hand of the Almighty but a creature guilty of sin against Him. In a moment where humility was a sort of baptism, totally submerging Isaiah, he would have no choice but to look in the face of his dependance and guilt before God.
Though, the Lord would grant him mercy. Signifying an atoning sacrifice for Isaiah’s sins, “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven” (Is. 6:6-7). This is the way of the Lord. Those who humble themselves will be forgiven and saved (Ps. 76:9; 2 Chron. 7:14).
The Lord is above all things, all-powerful (omnipotent), all-knowing (omniscient), sovereign over all, creator of all, perfect judge of all, able to destroy what He alone has made. But he is equally full of mercy, love, and forgiveness. It is the story of the Bible and the gospel. Man has turned from the Lord in disobedience, going his own way.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. – Ephesians 2:4-7
Those who humble themselves will be exalted. Where and what will they be exalted to? The answer: with Christ, “In the heavenly places.” They will be exalted to the kingdom of God in Christ Jesus for eternity.
And so humble yourself before the Lord. Bow before Him in reverence and awe, admitting that you are but dust at the mercy of His will. Then, like Isaiah, admit your sin to Him, acknowledging the destruction you deserve but at the same time believing His offer to you through faith in Christ – salvation. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).
Only a Start
Humility rests on the knowledge that God is King, the creator, sustainer, and providential hand that moves all of creation towards His own will and end. He made the cosmos and the earth. He formed you in your mother’s womb. He knows the number of hairs on your head. Not a single sparrow falls to the ground apart from Him. Your boundaries are determined by Him. Your steps are planned by Him. Nations and kings are put in place by Him. Evil has no power over Him.
The number of passages from the Bible that speak to humility is staggering. The few things said here are just a turning of the handle to the door that reveals all that God has spoken on the matter. But if you hold on and push to open the door of His word, you will see life.
-Pastor Ben