The Bible express says that the Lord will lift us if we humble ourselves (James 4:10). Almost every Christian wants to know the biblical meaning of humility. Some equate humility with politeness, generosity, and silence. However, humility, when viewed in a biblical sense, means something different from what the world teaches.
What humility is:
Yielding to God’s will-
The Bible says that Jesus was equal to God but deliberately refused to consider this equality, humbling Himself to the point of death (Phil. 2:6-11). We cannot claim to be like Christ if we ignore and disobey the guidance and instructions issued to us. Christ never rebelled! Therefore, submission proves that we’re humble.
Valuing others-
In Phil. 2:3-4, Paul asks us to consider others more valuable than ourselves. Do you realize that we all want to compete in everything we do today? We want to see ourselves better than others. Such attitudes do not reflect the character of Christ. Despising others is not part of Jesus’ character. He did not despise anyone! No wonder He was always against the Pharisees and Sadducees due to their pride. You can test your humility by checking your attitude toward people.
Selflessness-
In the same scripture (Phil. 2:3-4), Paul says we should not do anything out of selfish interests. In short, being opportunistic and exploiting others can never be part of us; it is anti-Christ! Jesus proved His selflessness on many occasions, but the ultimate one was the decision to die for us.
Compassion-
Humility always breeds compassion because God Himself is compassionate. No wonder Jesus was quick to heal the sick and raise the dead without blaming it on anything. If we are truly humble before God, we will serve others with compassion.
What humility is not.
We should not mistake humility for self-harm.
Humility is NOT “idolizing”-
We should never think that humility means worshiping influential people so we can receive favors.
Humility is NOT thinking less of yourself-
When Paul says we should consider others more valuable, he is not telling us to despise ourselves and perceive others as the only ones who are fit or qualified. No. Paul is simply asking us to avoid narcissistic attitudes.
Humility is NOT accepting abuse–
Unless this abuse occurs in the line of preaching (whereby you are persecuted), God does not approve of abuse of any kind.
Humility is NOT self-harm-
You should not lose everything because you want to help others. Hurting yourself to appear humble is not of God. To put it differently, you should not set yourself ablaze to keep everyone else warm.
Humility is NOT the loss of autonomy–
God indeed wants us to yield to His will but this does not mean that He sees us as His puppets. On the contrary, our Father desires that our thinking is inspired by His word such that the decisions we make are autonomous, yet guided by His word.
Humility is NOT accepting manipulation–
In church today, we have pastors who think that believers must obey everything they say. Failure to agree with everything a pastor says, including his personal views, attracts wrath. We are called to obey men of God when their advice, guidance, and instructions align with the Father’s will.
