If we’re honest, we are all proud people. If you deny this, you’re proving my point. God has been working in my heart recently through reading a small, short book by C.J. Mahaney titled Humility. By God’s grace, I’m learning to see what a proud, arrogant man I am – often in areas and ways I would normally have denied. So I’ve sought to supplement all the help I’ve received there with looking into what Scripture has to say about humility, in an effort to pursue humility and kill pride by God’s grace. I’ve found Philippians 2 is a great place to start in seeking to understand humility, because here Paul is encouraging the Philippian Christians to look at Jesus’ perfect example of humility (and true greatness) as their ground for pursuing humble attitudes and actions toward one another. Part 1 will address our attitude toward others, and Part 2 will look specifically at Christ’s awesome example of humility.
Paul’s choice of words in this text is interesting. He does not simply say, “Don’t be proud, be humble.” Rather, he pictures for us what he means as he exhorts us toward humility. He says, not this picture of what it looks like to live proudly, but this picture of what it looks like to live humbly. Don’t do anything from a motive of either thinking yourself better than others (conceit) or from a motive of competing and trying to show how you are better than others (rivalry), but rather lift others up, put others first, “count [or “consider”] others more significant than yourselves.”
We should note as well that in pointing the Philippians (and us) toward a life of pursuing humility and pursuing the good of others before our own good, he is not encouraging self-debasement. He does not tell us to tear ourselves down and belittle our accomplishments and good qualities in order to lift others up. He does not tell us to deny altogether our own needs, which would be more like asceticism than humble love for and service to others. We know this because he says in verse 4: “let each of you look not only for his own interests…” So humility is not simply self-neglect, but a shift of primary concern. God would have us shift our primary concern from that of our own needs (for which Scripture tells us to trust that God is our Provider) to that of the needs and interests of others. I’ve learned to ask myself a few questions to help cultivate a lifestyle of looking to the interests of others, and killing sinful self-interest:
- Why do I want to say this/do this?
- Do I want to say or do this because it will make me look good to those I want to impress?
- If I say this, is it mostly to make me feel good about myself, or will it be helpful and encouraging to others?
- Am I speaking and acting in a way that makes others feel comfortable and accepted?
- Does this action primarily serve me and my ego or someone else?
- Will saying/doing this make Jesus look attractive and satisfying, or does it make me look attractive, smart, funny, cool, etc?
It’s a short list, but I’m convinced all of these questions flow out of a desire to kill the root of self-exaltation, self-centeredness and pride, and replace those feelings and desires with Christ-exaltation, Christ-centeredness, and a growing (though far from perfect) sense of humility, by God’s grace. I’m thankful for men like C.J. Mahaney who do reflect a humble heart of service to God and others, whom God has used to inspire this grace-driven effort pursuit of humility in my life.
Cameron Lockey 