III. Humility

Knowing Our Place Before God

Humility helps us understand ourselves rightly, recognising the abilities we have received, the responsibilities we bear, and what we cannot accomplish alone.

We may think too highly of ourselves, assuming that our judgement is always correct and our abilities are sufficient to control everything. Or we may look down on ourselves because of failure, comparison, or fear, believing that we are unqualified to take on any responsibility. Both views need to be corrected by the truth.

Romans 12:3 urges believers not to think of themselves more highly than they ought, but to judge themselves soberly. The verses that follow use the image of a body and its members to explain that believers receive different gifts and need to fulfil their respective roles in their shared life (Romans 12:4–8). Understanding ourselves rightly involves both acknowledging our limitations and diligently using what we have received.

Humility is closely connected with our identity as created beings, God’s grace, and our responsibilities within the community. We have dignity given by God, and we receive abilities and opportunities. We need to do our part while acknowledging our need for God and for others.

1. Zeal and Ability Need God’s Guidance

When Moses was younger, he saw an Egyptian mistreating a Hebrew and killed the Egyptian. He later fled to Midian (Exodus 2:11–15). Acts 7:25 further explains that he assumed his fellow Israelites would understand that God was bringing them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.

Moses cared about his fellow Israelites and assumed they would understand that God was delivering them through him. This account does not directly say whether he was proud at the time, so we should not sum up his experience as a failure caused by pride. In applying it today, zeal and ability still need the guidance of the truth. Simply wanting to help others does not mean that the methods we use are necessarily appropriate.

Many years later, God commissioned Moses from the burning bush and promised to be with him (Exodus 3:10–12). Moses still needed to act, speak, and take responsibility, but he needed to rely on the God who sent him and on the help He provided.

Moses’ experience leads us to take the limits of zeal and ability seriously. We may have experience yet overlook important facts; we may have ability yet still need others’ knowledge and cooperation. Humility leads us to acknowledge these limitations and remain willing to learn.

2. Acknowledging Our Limitations Also Calls for an Earnest Response

When faced with his commission, Moses repeatedly raised questions and later resisted on the grounds that he had difficulty speaking. God promised to help him speak and arranged for Aaron to assist him. When Moses continued to ask God to send someone else, the passage also records God’s anger toward him (Exodus 4:10–16).

We therefore cannot call all hesitation and self-doubt humility. We need to distinguish between honestly acknowledging that we lack the ability for a task and persistently avoiding a responsibility that is already clear.

Sometimes we say, “I am not good enough,” “Someone else would be better suited,” or “I don’t know how to do anything.” These words may express genuine limitations, but they may also conceal fear, avoidance, or an unwillingness to learn. We need to examine ourselves before God and listen to sound counsel, discerning our real difficulties and what action we can take.

If a task is beyond our abilities, we can seek training, invite others to work alongside us, or explain what we are currently able to undertake. If we truly are not suited to it, we should honestly discuss other arrangements. Humility allows us to say, “I need help,” and also helps us act on what is already clear.

At the same time, we cannot use the explicit commission Moses received as a reason to require others to accept every invitation to serve. Those extending an invitation also need humility, respecting the other person’s discernment and actual circumstances.

Humility leads us neither to exaggerate our abilities nor to dismiss lightly the abilities God has given us. We acknowledge our limitations while remaining willing to learn diligently and take responsibility.

3. Knowing Our Place Makes Us Willing to Support Others’ Growth

John the Baptist’s disciples saw more people turning to Jesus and brought this to his attention. John explained that he was not the Christ but had been sent ahead of Him. He also used the relationship between the bridegroom and the bridegroom’s friend to express his joy at hearing the bridegroom’s voice (John 3:26–29). He said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

These words first concern John’s unique role in preparing the way for Christ. He knew whom he was bearing witness to and could therefore rejoice as people turned to Jesus.

We cannot conclude from this that every believer should seek a decline in ability, work, or influence. We can, however, learn from John’s clear understanding of his place: the responsibilities entrusted to us must not make us the centre in Christ’s place.

When this understanding shapes our work together, it makes us willing to acknowledge others’ contributions and support their growth. When others receive recognition, we do not need to interpret it immediately as our own loss. When someone is better suited to a particular responsibility, we can gladly support them.

Sometimes humility means stepping forward to take responsibility; at other times it means giving an opportunity to someone better suited. What matters is whether we are faithful to what has been entrusted to us and care for the community, rather than whether we always retain the same position. We can play our part diligently while acknowledging that we are only one part of the whole.

4. Humility Is Revealed in How We Receive Counsel and Treat Others

Humility needs to be tested in real relationships. Saying that we have limitations does not guarantee that we will still listen when questioned. Speaking gently does not necessarily mean that we seriously consider others’ views or allow those who should participate in a decision to be genuinely involved.

Philippians 2:3–4 urges believers, in humility, to consider others better than themselves and to look to others’ interests. This teaching leads us to put aside rivalry and conceit and care earnestly for others. It does not call us to deny our own dignity or to assume that every judgement made by someone else is more correct than our own.

When someone offers correction, we first seek to understand the issue they are pointing out. If we see things differently, we explain our reasons and continue the discussion. Humility keeps us from dismissing a well-founded view because of our own seniority or position. By acknowledging our shortcomings and making corrections rather than rushing to protect our image, we show more clearly how we understand ourselves.

Humility also enables us to maintain appropriate boundaries. We can respect others while refusing demands that are untruthful or unjust. We can acknowledge our mistakes without taking on responsibilities that do not belong to us. Understanding ourselves according to the truth requires both repentance and honest discernment.

Paul directs believers to have the mind of Christ Jesus and explains how He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:5–8). He is our Saviour, and He also guides us as we learn to care for others, use our abilities, and take responsibility with humility. Understanding our place rightly also makes us willing to accept His correction and let His word guide our choices and actions.