What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
–1 Corinthians 4:7
In Colossians 3:12, Paul listed six character qualities that are essential for every Christian if we are to become like Christ. The third quality on the list is humility.
Throughout Scripture, God places a premium on humility. In Isaiah 66:2, God said, “To this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.” And in Matthew 23:12, Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”
We tend to go to one of two extremes in terms of how we view ourselves. One extreme is to think, I’m so wonderful! How could this world ever get along without me? The other extreme is to think, I’m just a lowly worm; I’m absolutely nothing in God’s sight. Neither extreme is biblical. In Romans 12:3, Paul said, “I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” You need to have a balanced view of yourself. Yes, apart from God, you are nothing. But God has saved you and given you a unique spiritual gift.
So what does it mean to be humble? Let me give you four characteristics of humble people:
- They credit others for their successes. Every good thing in your life is the result of what either God or other people have done for you. In 1 Corinthians 4:7, Paul asked, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” Everything you have ultimately comes from God.
- They refuse to hold on to their rights. When you understand that everything comes from God, then you understand that you’re here to fulfill God’s agenda–just like Jesus, who gave up His rights to meet God’s agenda (Philippians 2:6–8).
- They resist the need to always be right. You don’t have a corner on the truth. God has given other people different spiritual gifts and therefore different perspectives than yours.
- They demonstrate an interest in serving other people. We tend to view other people in terms of what they can do for us. But not Jesus. Matthew 20:28 says, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” The most powerful being in the universe came to earth not to meet His own need but to meet our need for salvation. We are to have the same attitude of humility.
