I once was a member of a church that had the Deacons rotate through offering an invocation at the opening of the worship service. There was one Deacon whose prayers I dreaded. They always went something like, “Oh, Lord, we are disgusting worms, undeserving of your presence, much less your grace. We should be crushed…” you get the idea. He counted this as showing humility.
While I do agree that believers are undeserving and we are not to present ourselves to the Lord with a haughty attitude, was such self-deprecation really necessary every time he prays for the congregation? Is abasing oneself (and everyone else present) humility? A dictionary definition of humility reads:
NOUN
a modest or low view of one’s own importance; humbleness.
synonyms: modesty · humbleness · meekness · diffidence ·
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Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines humility as:
A prominent Christian grace (Romans 12:3; Romans 15:17; Romans 15:18; 1 Corinthians 3:5-7; Phil 4:11-13). It is a state of mind well pleasing to God (1 Peter 3:4); it preserves the soul in tranquility (Psalms 69:32 – 33), and makes us patient under trials (Job 1:22).
A few Bible passages that directly discuss humility are:
Acts 20:19 – “serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews;”
Colossians 2:18 – 23 – “18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not[a] seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
20 Therefore,[b] if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 ‘Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,’ 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.”
1 Peter 5:5 – “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
‘God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.’[a]”
In each case, the word used here is Strongs #5012 (Greek):
“tapeinophrosýnē (tap-i-nof-ros-oo’-nay – a noun, derived from 5011 /tapeinós, “low, humble” and 5424 /phrḗn, “moderation as regulated by inner perspective”) – properly, low; humility, “lowliness” of human pride (self-government); that quality of mindset of “having a humble opinion of oneself, i.e. a deep sense of one’s (moral) littleness – i.e. lowliness of mind” (J. Thayer).
In Scripture, 5012 /tapeinophrosýnē (“lowliness, humility”) is an inside-out virtue produced by comparing ourselves to the Lord (rather than to others). This brings behavior into alignment with this inner revelation to keep one from being self-exalting (self-determining, self-inflated). For the believer, 5012 /tapeinophrosýnē (“humility”) means living in complete dependence on the Lord, i.e. with no reliance on self (the flesh).”
What Humility Is Not
The Bible tells us that we are to pattern our lives after Jesus. It also tells us that Jesus was humble (Matt 11:28-30, 2 Cor 10:1). Humility is the foremost test of a Godly leader (Luke 22:24-27). What did that look like on Him? Did he ever say he was a worthless worm, good only to be crushed underfoot? No, He did not. But He said often that he was in full submission to God the Father, He said nothing on his own volition, He did nothing on His own. He humbled Himself before God through obedience. Even in the garden just before His arrest, trial and crucifixion, He prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus knew what was about to happen to Him – and why. He did not consider Himself worthless, but considered God’s purpose worth enough more that He was obedient.
Note also that Colossians 2:18 warns against those “taking delight in false humility”.
Biblical humility is not a lifestyle of self-deprecation. Humility is an attitude of seeing your own desires and needs as secondary to the needs and desires of God, and of others. You can (and should) have a good self-image and still live in humility. You can recognize your talents and abilities, just recognize also that they came from God. Use them to serve God, not yourself alone. You don’t have to think of yourself as subservient to everyone else, just be willing to serve others out of love for Jesus — because He served others. Humility means that when you disagree with someone, you are patient with them and willing to calmly, rationally work out a God-centered solution.
God created you: “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” (Psalm 139:14). Thinking of yourself as deserving to be crushed is not what God wants. As a believer, you are a child of God, an heir with Christ, a member of the race for whom God created this whole universe: how can that be a bad thing?
But we were created with a purpose. Part of that purpose is loving and worshiping God. Part of that purpose is to serve God by carrying out His will in this world. We cannot do that if we are stiff-necked and proud, yelling at God, “I’ll do things MY way.”
God gives grace to the humble but resists the proud (Prov 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5) and exalts the humble in His proper timing (Matt 23:12, Luke 1:52, 14:11, 18:14, James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:6). Jesus humbled himself as a servant (John 13:1-16), even to the humiliation and death of a criminal (Isa 53:7-8, Acts 8:32-33) in obedience to the Father who highly exalted him:
“5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. … 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.“ (Phillipians 2:5-8, 9-11).
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
