This week we will look at humility and esteem as we continue to discuss the aspects of Christian love and unity.
Humility
Humility is not self-abasing, or self-loathing; it is looking at yourself both correctly and modestly. Romans 12:3 (which is also part of a discussion on unity) lays out humility best. People are prone to think of themselves as way better than they are; and also way better than other people, which is why Romans 12:4 and following goes on to explain that other people are important too. This human bias—and therefore frailty in comparisons—is also why Paul boo-hoos the idea of comparing ourselves to others (1 Corinthians 10:12-16).
We are to be looking to Jesus, at his life and teachings, as well as emulating others in as much as they are emulating Christ.
Remember, humility is about seeing yourself accurately, not deflating yourself. However, since our natural tendency is to inflate ourselves out of proportion, it may seem like deflation at times. Seeing pride as "inflating yourself" is actually a common theme in the New Testament. Pride is referred to in the KJV as "puffed up" in 1 Corinthians 5 and 13, being "high minded" in 2 Tim. 3:4, and even "exalting" against the knowledge of God in 2 Corinthians 10:5. In other words, because we just aren't all that cool compared to God, our pride is just us imagining ourselves to be greater than we are. Pride is a self-deceiving process. Humans are generally professing themselves to be wiser than they are, and thereby becoming fools.
Galatians 6:3 make this argument clear. If a person thinks he or she is really something, when they are in fact not; that person is self-deceived. Pride is lifting yourself up way beyond who and what you are.
And modesty is best defined as not showing off. It has nothing to do with pretending you didn't accomplish something or selling yourself short. Another primary descriptor of pride in the Bible is "boasting," either shooting your mouth off about how you think you are way more awesome than you are; or glorifying your own self or accomplishments, usually in comparison with others, by rubbing said accomplishments in their face.
However, in the context of the Christian community, humility is not viewed as a "good work" in the traditional way. You don't have humility for the sake of having humility. It is a means to two primary ends. First, not being self-deceived about who we are helps us see ourselves and God in a true light. This facilitates worship and praise of God, as well as dependence upon him.
The second end humility allows is what we want to talk about next—esteem. Looking at yourself with proper humility leads to appropriate self-esteem. However, the New Testament letters primarily call us to esteem others. In fact, to esteem them even more than ourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
Before we go into esteem, let's look at this relationship between humility and esteem really quickly. In concept it's pretty simple—you have to stop thinking you're better than other people if you are going to love them and treat them with due respect. Arrogance undermines love and unity. After all, love isn't "puffed up" or self-aggrandizing (1 Corinthians 13:4).
Esteem
To esteem someone means to respect and value them—to grant them your favor. Respecting and valuing one another is vital. We cannot have the deep and genuine love seen in 1 Corinthians 13 if we do not see other believers as spiritual equals in Christ, and determine to respect them as much as possible. The believer who presumes to be superior to others cannot love. A "love" that is patronizing and condescending is not love. A "love" that keeps its distance, maintaining an affected superiority is not love. True love will produce acts of kindness, fellowship, and sincerity, as both the book's of James and 1 John testify.
There is a natural resistance to respecting and valuing people who we don't think deserve it. Not all people have done great deeds or possess much maturity; however, these are not the source of our value. We hold some peoples' counsel as weightier than others, and some people are more mature in the faith. This is true, and we are instructed to recognize mature believers to learn from them and emulate them (Philippians 3:17). However, all spiritual work in any of us was done by God—it doesn’t make us better than others.
Paul outlines our true equality in 1 Corinthians 4:6-7. Don't be puffed up by pride, pick sides or favorites, or compete with each other, because none of us have anything that God did not give us. There is a profound equality in all humanity, and this should be especially clear to believers. We all lay dead in sin, and God revives all true believers through no act or work or thought or deed of theirs. God did it all, and all we have has been given to us. We are raised up together in Christ (Ephesians 2)
Let's look at Philippians 2:1-4 again. Paul tells the believers there to stop competing and to value each other more highly than themselves (esteem). He follows through by saying that this esteem is to be so genuine that it results in valuing other peoples' interests. This flows into empathy. Because you value them, you have a vested interest in their interests, and their successes and failures are felt by you.
Conclusion
Recognize who you are and find your place both before God and among your peers. Have a humility that is honest. Respect other believers, eschew selfish vying for position, and acknowledge our profound equality before our Heavenly Father. Don't squabble and compete for attention and value in the church—give it freely.
Under Grace,
John Fritz
John Fritz is the Volunteer Coordinator for Thoughtful Life Ministries and the primary author of the Thoughtful Life Journal, which is published weekly from March through September. The purpose of this blog is to challenge and encourage those who have a desire to cultivate a more meaningful walk with Christ. Visit our Homepage to learn more about the ministry and our annual two-week summer Discipleship Program for teens and young adults.