Cultivating Christ-like Humility in a Prideful World – Dr. Aaron Perdue

Listen to the news or go around town, and as you encounter self-centered people, you probably wonder if it is possible in today’s culture to cultivate Christ-like humility in a prideful world. Often people interchange humility with humbleness, but are humility and humbleness the same? From a grammar standpoint, humility is a noun that refers to the inner quality of being humble, such as not thinking too highly of yourself. Humble is an adjective describing behavior and actions but can also refer to an inferior rank or background. Many people self-promote and seek personal recognition from others which is far from the biblical definition of humility. Many verses define humility in the Bible as “sacrificially putting others above yourself.”

“³ Let nothing be done out of strife or conceit, but in humility let each esteem the other better than himself. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Let this mind be in you all, which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. ⁷ But He emptied Himself, taking upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in the form of a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:3–8 MEV [emphasis added]

In this passage, we see that Jesus is the example of humility and being humble that Christians should follow. Jesus left heaven, humbled Himself to come to the earth, and died on the cross for all sins to pay the debt we cannot pay. In fact, humility is a basic requirement to become a Christian. Salvation requires people to come to Christ in humility, realizing nothing can be done to earn or deserve salvation—we bring nothing and can do nothing—but Christ brings everything and did it ALL!

Let’s look at another characteristic of humility in the Bible. Jesus’ humility was demonstrated by sacrificially serving others when He washed the feet of His disciples. Notice that Jesus understood that He came from God, which was a position far above where His disciples were. Yet, He humbled Himself to serve them.

“³ Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He came from God and was going to God, ⁴ rose from supper, laid aside His garments, and took a towel and wrapped Himself. ⁵ After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was wrapped.” John 13:3–5 NKJV

Jesus further underscored the importance of serving others and not following the world’s idea of being self-serving and prideful.

“⁴³ Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. ⁴⁴ And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:43–45 NKJV

Now let’s see what the Bible says about being humble.

“⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’ ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4:6–10 NKJV

Notice that grace is given to the humble. God’s grace is needed in our lives. When we get a revelation of grace, we humbly realize that we don’t deserve the favor and righteousness God freely gives us. As we receive God’s grace and His forgiveness, we can forgive others. This world needs believers in Christ to follow His example of humility to forgive and humbly serve others. Imagine what an impact Christ-like humility could have on you, your family, and your community!

We at Charis Christian Center in Colorado Springs, CO would love you to join us on Sunday mornings at 8:30 am and 10:30 am or Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm. We are a non-denominational church. You’ll find volunteers who show God’s love by serving others, and you can experience grace.