Humility Is the Way to God
By Sarah Frazer
Bible Reading:
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” James 4:10 (ESV)
When I think about a humble person, I sometimes imagine a great king on his throne. One of the king’s subjects comes into the room. He bows before the king and voices his request. Is this humility? According to the dictionary, a person who is humble doesn’t think too highly of themselves. Humility is not weakness or self-deprecation. Although some definitions have taken humility to mean that we lower ourselves, humility means we have an honest view of ourselves and God.
One of the things I love about God is that He is both all-powerful and holy. We have a God who sits on the throne of Heaven, orchestrating the entire universe. Colossians says He keeps everything going by the power of His hands. Nothing escapes God’s notice, control, and wisdom. God is perfect in all His ways, and only those who are also holy are allowed to enter into His presence.
Another aspect of God’s character evident throughout the entire Bible is God’s closeness to us. Our God also knows Himself, so we can understand and find Him. God is described as our Shepherd, Father, and Teacher. Having a relationship with us is a priority for our all-powerful God. God demonstrated this through Jesus, who was willing to humble Himself for our sakes.
We tend to fall on one side or the other as we approach God. Either we think we need to see ourselves only as disgraced, unlovable beings before a holy, perfect God, or we call ourselves “worms” or “enemies” of God, even after we become Christians. Sometimes, we don’t speak up or speak out because we have a false sense of humility. Thinking low of ourselves is not humility.
We do this because we fear the other side of the coin: pride. The Bible warns us repeatedly about pride, which is thinking too highly of ourselves. It was pride that caused Satan to fall and sin to enter the world. In our attempts to avoid pride, as we should, we have a false sense of humility.
A correct, Biblical view of humility falls in the middle of both views. Although we recognize that we came to God from a state of utter helplessness and God is beyond our ability to reach on our own, God humbled Himself so that we now stand with Jesus as co-heirs and children of God.
As Christians, we come to God with a humble heart. Proverbs 3:34 says, “Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.” (ESV) Proverbs 15:33 says, “The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.” (ESV) The book of James also mentions humility several times. James is the author of the Proverbs of the New Testament.
James 4:6-10 says: But he gives more grace. Therefore, it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves thus to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Clean your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (ESV)
Notice that God invites us to draw near to Him, but we do so with pure hearts, which is found through grace. If we are to receive grace from God to draw near to God, we must have a balanced view of ourselves.
Yes, we are sinners in need of grace. However, as Christians, we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and understand that we are no longer enemies but friends of God. Our standing before God changes the instant we accept Christ as our Savior. Because our standing before God changes, we can now humbly come before God properly.
We do not exalt ourselves above God, but we do not degrade ourselves. Humility means we let God lift us; we are one of God's children, no matter our standing before the world.
God is the King on the throne, and we are His. We confidently enter this throne room, bowing before Him but then lifting our heads to look Him in the face because we are not just a subject but a child.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Hebrews 4:14-16 says, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who, in every respect, has been tempted as we are, without sin. Let us then, with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (ESV)
How does knowing Jesus stands beside God, advocating for you, give you confidence to come to God with a humble, but also confident heart?
Further Reading:
Micah 6:8
Philippians 2:3
Colossians 3:12
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Suwaree Tangbovornpichet
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
Related Resource: Relapse, Trauma, and the Power of Community
Caroline Beidler still vividly remembers cracking open her first beer under a big oak tree. She was 11. In this episode of Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic, host Jon Seidl sits down with Beidler—managing editor of recovery.com, author, and addiction recovery advocate—to explore her powerful story of childhood trauma, early addiction, spiritual awakening, relapse, and ultimate restoration through faith and community. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, share this podcast or follow Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
