Bible Verses About Humility
Introduction
Humility is one of the most consistently commended virtues in the whole of Scripture and one of the most consistently counterfeited in the Christian community. The performance of humility, the self-deprecation that is actually a refined form of drawing attention to the self, the false modesty that insists on its own lowliness in ways that require others to push back: these are the distortions of a virtue that in its genuine form is one of the most powerful and most liberating qualities of the human character.
The biblical picture of humility is not the diminishment of the self but the accurate assessment of the self in relation to God and to others. The humble person is not the person who thinks they have no gifts or no value. They are the person who holds their gifts and their value accurately: knowing they are given rather than achieved, knowing they are for the community rather than for the self's advancement, knowing the God who gave them is greater than the gifts he has given. The humility of Moses, described as more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3), is the humility of the man who has encountered the burning bush and who knows, as a result, exactly how small he is in relation to the God who spoke from it.
The New Testament's most important treatment of humility is Philippians 2:3-11, where Paul grounds the call to humility in the specific example of Christ who, though being in the nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant. The humility of Christ is not the performance of the virtue but the comprehensive self-giving of the one who had everything and chose the servant's position for the sake of those he loved. The call to the same mind in the believer is the call to be formed into the character that Christ demonstrated: the genuine humility that chooses the other's interest over the self's advancement.
These verses speak to anyone wanting to understand the full biblical picture of humility rather than its cultural approximations, anyone whose community has mistaken the performance of humility for the genuine article, and anyone whose pride is the specific obstacle between the life they are living and the life they are called to.
What the Bible Means When It Talks About Humility
The Hebrew word anavah describes the humility or meekness of the person who is not self-asserting but is oriented toward God and the neighbor rather than toward the self's advancement. The Hebrew word shafal describes the lowliness or lowering of the self. The anav, the humble person, is the person the Psalms consistently describe as the recipient of the LORD's specific attention and care.
The Greek word tapeinophrosyne describes the humility of the person who thinks accurately about the self in relation to God and others: the compound of tapeinos (low, humble) and phren (mind) suggests the mind that is accurately calibrated about the self's position rather than the inflated or deflated distortion that pride and false humility both produce. The Greek word praotes describes the meekness or gentleness that is the expression of the humility: the strength that is under control rather than the weakness that has no strength to control.
Bible Verses About the Humility of Christ
Philippians 2:5-8 — ("In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!")
The he made himself nothing and humbled himself to death on a cross is the specific and comprehensive description of the humility of Christ: the one who had everything chose the servant's position and the criminal's death for the sake of those he loved. The did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage is the specific character of the humility: the legitimate claim that could have been used for the self's advancement was not used that way. The have the same mindset is the call to the community: the humility that Christ demonstrated is the specific shape of the humility that the community is called to embody.
Matthew 11:29 — ("Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.")
The I am gentle and humble in heart is the specific self-description of Jesus: the character of the one who is calling the weary to himself is the character of the gentle and humble person. The learn from me establishes the relationship: the humility is not the virtue to be emulated from a distance but the character to be learned in relationship with the one who embodies it. The you will find rest for your souls is the fruit: the learning of the gentle and humble character produces the rest that the restless pursuit of the self's advancement cannot provide.
John 13:3-5 — ("Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and, wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.")
The Jesus who knew he had all power and authority who got up to wash the disciples' feet is the specific image of the humility that the power does not diminish: the knowing of the power and the choosing of the servant's task are held together. The got up from the meal is the active choice: the humility is not the absence of the sense of status but the choosing of the servant's position despite it. The washing of feet is the most degrading domestic task of the first-century household: the one who has all authority chooses the position of the lowest servant.
Bible Verses About the Call to Humility
James 4:6 — ("But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.'")
The God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble is quoted from Proverbs 3:34 and establishes the two specific responses of God to the two orientations of the person: the proud person is opposed, the humble person receives the grace. The gives more grace is the specific promise: the humility that recognizes the dependence on God is the posture that receives the grace that the self-sufficient person cannot receive. The opposition is not the vindictive punishment but the natural consequence of the orientation that positions the proud person against the God they are not depending on.
1 Peter 5:6 — ("Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.")
The humble yourselves under God's mighty hand is the specific posture of the humility that receives the lifting up: the lowering of the self under the hand of God is the condition of the raising. The in due time establishes the timing: the lifting up is God's to do and God's to time, and the humble person is the person who has released the timing to the God who will lift them when it is right. The therefore is the ground: the humbling follows from something that has just been said, the resistance of the proud and the grace given to the humble.
Micah 6:8 — ("He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.")
The walk humbly with your God is the specific dimension of the comprehensive requirement that Micah 6:8 describes: the humble walking is the posture of the person who knows who is walking alongside them. The with your God establishes the relational character of the humility: the walking humbly is the walking in the awareness of the one who accompanies and the recognition that the one who accompanies is vastly greater than the person who is walking. The act justly and love mercy alongside the walk humbly establishes the connection: the humility before God produces the justice and mercy toward others.
Bible Verses About Pride and Its Consequences
Proverbs 16:18 — ("Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.")
The pride that goes before destruction and the haughty spirit before a fall is the wisdom tradition's consistent observation about the consequence of the pride that sets the self above the accurate assessment that humility provides. The before establishes the sequence: the destruction follows the pride rather than preceding it. The pride is not only the moral failure but the practical miscalculation: the person who has an inflated sense of their own position, power, and wisdom is the person who is most vulnerable to the fall that the miscalculation produces.
Luke 14:11 — ("For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.")
The all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted is the specific reversal that the kingdom of God consistently operates by. The will be humbled and will be exalted are the passives: the humbling and the exalting are done by God rather than by the person. The person who exalts themselves is the person who takes for themselves the position that is God's to give. The person who humbles themselves is the person who receives the position that God gives rather than claiming the one they think they deserve.
Bible Verses About Humility in Relationships
Romans 12:16 — ("Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.")
The be willing to associate with people of low position is the specific application of the humility to the relational life: the proud person associates with those who confirm and enhance their status, the humble person associates across the social hierarchy with the people that the social order considers beneath them. The do not be conceited is the internal check: the conceit is the distorted picture of the self that the humility corrects. The live in harmony is the fruit of the humility that does not need the status confirmation that the pride requires.
Ephesians 4:2 — ("Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.")
The completely humble and gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love is the description of the communal life shaped by the humility: the bearing with one another is the specific practice of the humility in relationship. The completely establishes the scope: not the partial humility that is humble in the areas where it is comfortable while maintaining the pride that the self finds reasonable. The in love establishes the motivation: the bearing with one another is the expression of the love rather than the endurance of the obligation.
Colossians 3:12 — ("Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.")
The clothe yourselves with humility alongside the compassion, kindness, gentleness, and patience is the description of the character that the chosen, holy, and dearly loved people put on as their characteristic dress. The clothe yourselves is the active choosing: the humility is not the natural character that the person automatically expresses but the character that is deliberately put on. The as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved is the ground: the security of the person who is chosen and loved is the specific condition that makes the humility possible. The person who is secure in the love of God does not need the status affirmation that pride seeks.
A Simple Way to Pray These Verses
Humility is most honestly prayed from the honest acknowledgment of the pride that resists it and the grace that is greater than the pride. These verses can become prayers that open the person to the formation of the character that Christ demonstrated.
Philippians 2:5 — ("Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.") Response: "I am asking for the mind of Christ. Not as an achievement but as a receiving. The one who had everything and chose the servant's position: let that mind be forming in me rather than the mind that is calculating my position and protecting my status."
James 4:6 — ("God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.") Response: "I do not want the opposition. Let me find in the favor shown to the humble the motivation that the proud person cannot find. The grace that is given to the humble: let me be in the posture that receives it."
1 Peter 5:6 — ("Humble yourselves under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.") Response: "I am lowering myself under your hand. The lifting up is yours to do and yours to time. Let me release the timing and the raising to you and hold the position that the humbling requires."
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Bible say about humility? The Bible presents humility as both the command of God and the character of Christ that the believer is called to be formed into. Micah 6:8 includes walking humbly with God among the three things the LORD requires. James 4:6 establishes that God opposes the proud and shows favor to the humble. Philippians 2:3-11 grounds the call to humility in the specific example of Christ who made himself nothing, taking the servant's position. Matthew 11:29 describes Jesus himself as gentle and humble in heart and invites his followers to learn this character from him. And 1 Peter 5:6 promises the lifting up of the person who humbles themselves under God's hand.
What is the difference between humility and low self-esteem? Low self-esteem is the inaccurate assessment of the self as less valuable than the God who made it in his image. Biblical humility is the accurate assessment of the self in relation to God and others: not the thinking of the self as worthless but the thinking of the self accurately. Colossians 3:12's clothing with humility as the chosen people who are holy and dearly loved establishes the connection: the security of the person who is chosen, holy, and dearly loved is the condition that makes genuine humility possible. The person who knows they are loved by God does not need to inflate the self to compensate for the insecurity that low self-esteem produces. The humility is the freedom of the secure person rather than the further diminishment of the insecure one.
How does humility relate to confidence? The humility of the biblical person is not the absence of confidence but the confidence that is grounded in the right source. Moses was more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3) and was the person who stood before Pharaoh without fear. David was the humble shepherd boy and the person who walked onto the battlefield to face Goliath. Paul's I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13) is the confidence of the humble person: the confidence is in Christ rather than in the self. The genuine humility produces the confidence that the pride cannot produce because the humble person's confidence is grounded in the one who does not fail.
Why does the Bible say God opposes the proud? The pride that God opposes is the pride that has positioned the self in the place of God: the claiming of the independence, sufficiency, and authority that belong to God rather than to the creature. The opposition is not the vindictive punishment of the God who cannot bear competition. It is the natural consequence of the orientation: the person who has positioned themselves as sufficient without God has placed themselves in the posture of opposition to the one on whom they are actually dependent. The opposition of God is the honest response to the honest situation: the proud person is standing against the God they are not depending on, and God's opposition is the acknowledgment of the position the proud person has chosen.
How do you grow in humility? The Philippians 2 grounds the humility in the specific contemplation of the example of Christ: the person who regularly returns to the image of the one who had everything and chose the servant's position is the person whose own pride is being addressed by the most powerful contrast available. The John 13 image of Jesus washing feet is the specific image that the community returns to in the practice of service: the acting in the servant's position forms the character that the acting consistently shapes. The community practices that Ephesians 4:2 describes, the bearing with one another in love, are the specific relational contexts in which the humility is formed: the community is the laboratory of the humility that private spirituality cannot produce on its own.
