Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3-4
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7
Genuine humility toward God does not mainly consist of worthless self-abasement, but of childlike trust. Jesus’ disciples once came to Him and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 18:1)?” Jesus answer is profound. Taking a child to himself, he said, “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matt 18:4).” In other words, whoever trusts God as child trusts his guardians and providers—exalting God’s power and grace in this way—is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Here we need to draw out a distinction. There is a difference between a humble spirit toward God and a humble spirit toward other people. The Biblical portrayal of humility between fellow creatures is meek service. “Regard one another as more important then yourselves (Philippians 2:3).” But Jesus’ portrayal of humbleness toward God has a different emphasis. It is centered in trust and reliance.
Often the true object (and therefore the true nature) of humility is lost. Perceiving and contemplating the depth of your sinfulness, weakness and deadness is often seen as the ultimate goal. But Jesus’ description of humility points to a greater goal—honoring God by trusting like a child. Understanding your sinfulness and weakness may be a means but it is not the ultimate objective. While it is essential to know your sin and helplessness, it is merely a step to confidence in God that is divested of any hope in anything else. Like a child who knows his own lack of strength rests his whole confidence in his father, so Christ commands us, in our total weakness, to trust our Father. And so the aim of true Godward humility is childlike trust.
There is a reason behind this object. When a child fully trusts his father to protect and provide, the father’s grace and ability is greatly magnified. The Eighteenth-century pastor Jonathan Edwards once preached a sermon called God Glorified in Man’s Dependence, in which he attempted to show that God is magnificently glorified in the fact that the redeemed must completely depend on Him for all their good. The title of this sermon strikes the core of what I am saying. True humility consists in childlike, and therefore God-glorifying, dependence.
To seek to be humble, then, is not a burden. It is throwing off our burdens to be carried by our Redeemer. “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God . . . casting all your anxiety upon Him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7).”
Humility is not a struggle to debase yourself. It is a joyful struggle to exalt God through a deep confidence in Him to move through your weakness and sin for your good and His name.
Bryan Elliff © 2007
