Humble, Humility, and Humiliation (Being Humbled)…

Humble, Humility, and Humiliation (Being Humbled): The Self-Effacement and Unpretentiousness as Cross-Covenantal Communication (P1)

Author: Chaplain -T.B.

The biblical text, from a cross-covenantal vantage point, describes and communicates humility as a form of meekness, lowliness, and also as the absence of ones self. Although the location, context, and narration of the historical text dictates the most efficacious transliteration (from a different language), the terminology of “humility” in Colossians 3:12 (amongst other places) reads with lowliness of mind, definitively prescribing “humility” as a heart indication (Hebraic terminology designating the soul of an individual).

Certainly, humility begins on the inside, with cognition (mental thoughts) that function or play out through the location and orientation of space. It’s the actualized action based on what’s happening around the individual and also how the individual concludes what is “right” based on that place/site/situation definitively within a certain age, situation, and contemporary thought process; moral and morale of the time.

In short, it’s the attitude of the heart that practically expresses an outward demeanor (not simply an outward expression of submissiveness as modesty). For instance, an individual can portray himself or herself as modest – outwardly – yet still carry a heart and conception of pride and arrogance, negatively nuanced, through inward speech and hidden motives of concealment; a façade. When Jesus preached on a mountain – hillside – as a means of addressing several people who were in need, he surmised that each person must have a different attitude (and outlook) on life. In Matthew 5:3, Jesus’ claim was that those who are “poor in spirit” would have – possessively – the Kingdom of Heaven. The compilations of teachings gleaned from this sermon, towards the lowly seeking respite, have been contemporarily branded as The Sermon On The Mount and the “Beatitudes.” The overarching theme from this sermonic text would describe the necessity, as prerequisite for humility (for the contemporary “Christian” or Jesus Follower).

The consideration or the evaluation, as estimation, of oneself is also a theme picked up by other noteworthy biblical instructors as well. Furthermore, Arthur Fletcher, around the time of the great speech and preaching of Dr. Martin Luther King, coined the phrase “A Mind is A Terrible Thing To Waste,” during the mid 1970s, and it would seem that the biblical texts supports this contemporized polemic statement. Further still, C.S. Lewis would contend, “True humility is NOT thinking less of yourself, but rather thinking of yourself less.”

The commonality and equally expressed notion ranging from the biblical text, social platforms of justice seekers, and even writers of inspiration, all conclude humility as the indispensable requisite for a socialized world to interact, peaceably, within the excellence of attaining true harmony as the mantra for true association and rapport. Simply put, without humility, humanity is fated to remain – or rather intensify – by becoming worse and worse, sociologically speaking. Ironically, or rather judiciously though, it would seem that God inspired people, humbly, to display this much-needed trait for peace. The followers and disciples of God – The Divine – were tasked with influencing others to adopt these affirmatively depicted traits – characteristically – of love, joy, peace, long-suffering and all things of the like, with the distinction of being humble and expressively portraying humility as the distinguishing congealment that brings others together as community.

The common union(s) of all people, as community, are fated for an interaction with God. The biblical text sets a scene in which “every knee” prostrates in obedient subservience toward The Divine. Noting this well, when we – those created with humble[1] bodies – come to Christ as sinners, we must come in humility. We begin as sinner(s), engulfed within our circumstance(s) and eventually emerge as close friends who seek to better the unification of people, as the community – The Kingdom – of God.

Within both phases of life’s expression(s), we are expected to not only be useful within the depiction of faith – expressed through humility and penitence – but also humble, meek, and persuasively modest. We acknowledge that we are paupers and beggars who come with nothing to offer Him but our sin and our need for salvation. We then emerge as victors based on our close kinship with The King of Kings. We recognize our lack of merit and our complete inability to save ourselves. Which then, progressively, becomes the exuberance and ethos of why praise, lauding and celebration become our freedom song(s). Increasingly, as He continually offers new levels of this grace and mercy allotted from God (Father of Lights), we accept it in humble gratitude and commit our “new” lives to Him by showing forth this “new” change to others. We “die to self” so that we can live as new creations in, with, and for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We never forget that He has exchanged our worthlessness for His infinite worth, and our sin for His righteousness. The life we now live, we live by faith – obedient humility expressed as distinctively, praiseworthy, penitence – in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20). That is true humility!

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Of note and of importance-

[1]  This theme of consideration and an estimation of ones self is the crux of many sobering correction(s). Qoheleth, traditionally rendered as Preacher or The Gatherer (in respect to Wisdom, Teaching, and Mentoring), lends some valuable resources on Wisdom and the Views of Life in Ecclesiastes 7 (specifically verses 15-20) amongst other places. Additionally we see, more prolifically, these sentiments expressed through the writings of Paul addressing those, of the time, in Rome and Corinth. For more insight, see the entirety of the Letter(s) sent to those in Corinth and Rome: (specifically Romans 1:1-15; Romans 11 [special emphasis on verse 20]; Romans 12 [specifically verses 1-16]; Romans 15 [specifically verses 1-21 with special emphasis on verses 1-13 and 15-17: “not to please ourselves”]; 1 Corinthians 3 [specifically verses 1-11 {behaving according to human inclinations; the flesh} and 18-23 [Don’t deceive yourselves…you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God] as a focused view of pedagogical and authoritative correction towards God’s disciples and Kingdom of believers.) 

Although this theme is one of life’s biggest challenges, the biblical text would conclude that it is vitally imperative as a buffering for humility and pure – good – service within the Kingdom of God and also within the places where God’s efficacious reign is feigning (from the human point of view and vernacular).]

Designations within the Biblical Text:

 Humble; Humility; Humiliation

1. Poor, Needy: Proverbs 14:21
2. Poor and Weak (oppressed by rich and powerful)
   1. Job 24:4
   2. Psalm 76:10
   3. Isaiah 11:4
      1. Isaiah 29:19
      2. Isaiah 32:7
   4. Amos 2:7
      1. Amos 8:4
   5. Zephaniah 2:3
3. Poor, Weak and Afflicted – Israel (typically rendered as meek)
   1. Psalm 9:13, 19
   2. Psalm 10:12, 17
   3. Psalm 22:27
   4. Psalm 25:9 (twice)
   5. Psalm 34:3
   6. Psalm 37:11
   7. Psalm 69:33
   8. Psalm147:6
   9. Psalm 149:4
   10. Isaiah 61:1

Example(s): The term used to describe Moses (Numbers 12:3) was transliterated to mean – poor, afflicted, humble, and meek – as the text(s) vernacular of the time. This same term was used in Proverbs 3:34 and Proverbs 16:19. Simply put, this just means that each translation of the biblical text was written for a specific group that spoke a specific form of language during a specific time period within a specific age of understanding. Noting these examples well, being humble[1] means recognizing, in our hearts before God (the deepest most inner-being; the individual soul), the truth that we really are no better than anyone else. Jesus would claim that each one of His followers – as disciples & student-teacher(s) – are all equal, in that “You have one teacher, and you are all brothers…”  – Matthew 23:8.

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