Humility
Summary
Humility is the virtue of having a modest estimate of one's own worth and willingly submitting oneself to God and others, exemplified supremely by Jesus Christ who called His followers to learn from His meek and lowly heart.
☩The Christian Innovation
The word for humility (tapeinophrosyne) does not occur in ancient literature before the New Testament; it was a birth of the Gospel. In classical Greek writings, the term tapeinós almost invariably had a bad meaning, signifying something groveling or abject. The Greeks regarded the humble as contemptible and mean-spirited, while their ethical ideal was the 'great-souled' man conscious of his own importance. It was one great result of the life of Christ to raise humility to its proper level, and through the influence of Christian ethics this word first became current. Augustine famously declared that humility comes first, second, third, and always among the precepts of Christian religion.
☩Jesus as the Model of Humility
The moral quality of Christ's personality lies in His declaration, "I am meek and lowly in heart." This astonishing humility, exemplified ultimately on the cross, forms the foundation of Paul's great ethical appeal in Philippians 2. Jesus taught that whoever humbles himself like a little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and that he who exalts himself will be humbled while he who humbles himself will be exalted. The joyous desire of humility taught in the New Testament results not from horror at one's own sin, but from willing devotion to serve God as Jesus himself did.
☩Humility Defined
According to Saint Thomas Aquinas, humility consists in keeping oneself within one's own bounds, not reaching out to things above one, but submitting to one's superior. Saint Bernard defined it as a virtue by which a man, knowing himself as he truly is, abases himself. Humility does not require one to think less of gifts God has given, nor to consider oneself inferior to everyone in every respect. Rather, it involves recognizing that others may possess goods one lacks, and acknowledging defects in oneself that others may not share. The humble person seeks nothing for himself but only to be a means to something higher.
☩Old Testament Foundations
While the developed vocabulary for humility emerged with Christianity, the virtue itself characterized leaders of Old Testament history like Abraham and Moses. The prophets inculcated it as a chief duty: "What doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Humility belongs to the earlier revelation of God's character, and is the key to man's communion with Him, as Isaiah declared that God dwells with the humble and contrite spirit. In the Psalms and Proverbs, the value of humility is repeatedly recognized.
☩Practical Expression
True humility expresses itself in modesty of appearance, pursuits, and conversation. Christians are to clothe themselves with humility toward one another, for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. In lowliness of mind, each should esteem others better than themselves. This humility helps produce genuine fellowship in the church, preventing competition for status and greatness. The spontaneous embracing of humiliations is a practice of humility when done for needful purpose, though not indiscreetly; a general may sometimes do the office of a common soldier to encourage others.
Related Verses160 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.James Hastings (ed.), "Humility," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 2.James Hastings (ed.), "Humility," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).
- 3.Philip Schaff and Johann Herzog (ed.), "HUMILITY," in The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. V (Funk and Wagnalls, 1908–1914).
- 4.Don Fleming, "Humility," in Bridgeway Bible Dictionary (Bridgeway Publications, 1990).
- 5.Charles G. Herbermann et al. (ed.), "Humility," in The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. VII (Robert Appleton Company, 1907–1912).
- 6.Charles Buck, "Humility," in A Theological Dictionary (Charles Buck (London), 1802).