I am going to write a statement that will offend and turn a lot of people off.
God is not humble
For those who are still around, allow me in the next few minutes of this reading to give you clarity. Even though the statement is a fact, I am not dismissing or devaluing God. I am inviting you on an exploration of Gods nature. Lets explore
Our use of the word humble is appropriate for us but impossible for God. Lets take a look at some definitions to see why.
In the Dictionary of Bible Themes
An attitude of lowliness and obedience, grounded in the recognition of one’s status before God as his creatures.
Martin H. Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (London: Martin Manser, 2009).”
In An American dictionary of the English Language
HUMIL´ITY, n. [L. humilitas; Fr. humilité. See Humble.]
1. In ethics, freedom from pride and arrogance; humbleness of mind; a modest estimate of one’s own worth. In theology, humility consists in lowliness of mind; a deep sense of one’s own unworthiness in the sight of God, self-abasement, penitence for sin, and submission to the divine will.
2. Act of submission.
Noah Webster, Noah Webster’s First Edition of An American Dictionary of the English Language. (Anaheim, CA: Foundation for American Christian Education, 2006).
Based on these two definitions humility is directly attached to ones humanness. We are recognizing who we are in Gods sight. Unworthy not in a sense of insecurity but in understanding that without Christ you are nothing, obedient, sacrificial, not putting ourselves over someone in a way that devalues them.
We see in various scriptures:
Micah 6:8 ESV
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
This verse is talking about walking humbly, in other words to walk modestly with God. To be modest is to not be boastful or arrogant.
Colossians 3:12-14
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
We see here humility is something we put on. In the verses before it for context we are as christians to put on Christ. We are to die to somethings that are natural to us (v5-9) and put on Kingdom. Verse 10 talks about it not mattering about the nuances that separate us because Christ is in all of us which is the only distinguish mark we should care about. Then we get to the verses above. If we got rid of our flesh we are to put on the spirit of Christ and be a reflexion of the creator.
Those are just two verses but there are a ton more that we can look at but the essential statement is the same. Humility is a trait of a created being. We are to be humble. Walk in humility.
Lets return to the core statement and complete it with an Attribute.
God is not humble.
He is Sovereign.
You can’t be humble if you are supreme. When we say sovereign, we are describing absolute supremacy in power and authority. The question is: How can God be both supreme and lowly? It is a logical contradiction to both being supreme and being subordinate.
God is not created. He has always existed. Sovereignty is an attribute of God. God being sovereign means he has complete ownership of everything he created and the circumstances around it. Genesis 14:22 says 22 “But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,”. We see here Abram acknowledge God possesses everything in heaven and on earth. Psalms 24:1 “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,”. I believe that is not a difficult concept to grasp.
Jesus is the epitome of humility. The example of Jesus is a perfect display on how one can not exist without the other. We all know Jesus is 100% God and 100% Man at the same time…
Often times we only focus on one side of him and miss the totality of the paradox.
Because he is 100% Man, he is able to walk in the perfect humility, which fulfills the human calling of subjection to the Lord. His perfection means that his subjection is not rooted in unworthiness but obedience. It does not come from unworthiness because he does not have sin, which is why it comes from obedience.
The perfect submission could not exist without him being 100% God. God’s Sovereignty is the attribute that allowed Jesus to choose submission humility while keeping his perfection. It is a necessary blend: Jesus could not be the perfectly humble man if he was not also the Sovereign God.
This is very good ! I believe that our nature is prideful, whether we puff up or sink lower than we should. How blessed are we to have Christ as the example and the Holy Spirit to cultivate humble hearts. Understanding and grasping God’s Sovereignty helps us in this venture. Let us not lean on our own understanding but walk in love and humility with Him, and therefore with others. Thank you for sharing !!