I was in a Bible study once where the group was going around the circle sharing their gifts. Growing up, I learned an aversion to self-praise, so I wasn’t quick to supply an answer. My friend jumped in and supplied one for me: “You are a real humble guy.” The leader of the Bible study knew me a bit better, and I could tell by the look on his face that he didn’t agree. I stumbled out an awkward thank you. Afterall, once you claim humility, haven’t you lost it?

As I look back on that moment, I tend to agree more with the Bible study leader than my well-meaning friend. Just because I’m quiet, or am slow to acknowledge my strengths, doesn’t mean I’m humble. In fact, I have a loud critic in my mind that traps me in cycles of tearing down myself and others. Perhaps you, too, feel trapped by the dangers of pride, whether thinking too highly or too little of yourself; whether being consumed by what others think or living up to your own high standards. You’re in good company. I still have a lot to learn about humility, but what is true humility? How can we truly recognize it in ourselves and others, and what freedom might it bring to our lives?

A Portrait of Real Humility

The Apostle Paul can help us answer these questions. The Book of Acts reveals that Paul was an incredible man. His words and actions sparked revivals and revolutions, yet he wasn’t a brazen, prideful person. His first letter to the church in Corinth presents this nuanced portrait of his character.

He writes to Corinth, “Paul, called as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will” (1 Corinthians 1:1). Paul wasn’t shy about declaring his rightful authority as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. Later in the letter, he shows that he’s not afraid to act on that authority: “What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?” (1 Corinthians 4:21). Yet Paul also willingly shares his challenges as an apostle. He writes, “Even now, we are like the scum of the earth, like everyone’s garbage” (1 Corinthians 4:13b) and notes his unworthiness if not for God’s intervention, declaring himself to be “the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:9-10a).

The portrait we get of Paul in this letter portrays someone who breaks every category for how we typically define humility. Paul isn’t mild-mannered, and he definitely isn’t afraid to state his credentials. But he’s also perfectly comfortable pointing out his flaws and noting his weaknesses. So where does Paul get such unassuming boldness, and what does this have to do with humility? First Corinthians 4 pulls back the veil on Paul’s mindset, uncovering the truth of true humility and the freedom it brings to our lives.

What Is True Humility?

Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians because problems were rising as the Christians there were failing to abandon the surrounding cultural values.¹ One of these influences came from the culture's honor-shame orientation.² In such an environment, maintaining social status was an all-important value, so the Corinthians sought status by connecting themselves to a talented preacher in the hopes that some of his prestige might trickle down onto his benefactors.³ Paul had no patience for such behavior, especially since it was the cause of divisions within the church (1 Corinthians 1:10–17). Paul’s goal in the first section of the letter is to give the Corinthians a proper understanding of Godly leadership so that they would stop trying to one-up each other in the honor game.

This section comes to a head in 1 Corinthians 4:1–5:

A person should think of us [church leaders] in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of the mysteries of God. In this regard, it is required that managers be found faithful. It is of little importance to me that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I don’t even judge myself. For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. It is the Lord who judges me. So don’t judge anything prematurely, before the Lord comes, who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God.

The word “manager” in verse 1 connotes the setting of a typical Greco-Roman home, where the manager was often a slave watching over the affairs of the household on behalf of the master.⁴ In the same way, Paul is stating that leaders do not work for themselves or the church but ultimately for the Lord. Recognizing God as both ultimate authority and judge gave Paul the radical freedom we see throughout his life. In verse 3, we see that this allows Paul to care little about what the Corinthians think—and even little about what he himself thinks! The secret to true humility is to do as Paul does: to value only what God thinks.

Pastor Timothy Keller helpfully notes this in his own reflection on this passage: “True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. In fact, I stop thinking about myself. The freedom of self-forgetfulness. The blessed rest that only self-forgetfulness brings.”⁵ Keller goes on to say elsewhere that humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. But it’s also not about trying to please others as a way to make yourself happy. As we see in the above passage, humility is a heart and mind wholly focused on faithfulness to the Lord and being obedient to do what He has entrusted to you. This was the focus of Paul’s life and ministry. It’s what allowed him to be bold when he needed to be bold, be gentle when he needed to be gentle, and to have confidence in the face of fickle opinions and changing circumstances.

Humility in Practice

Imagine if you had the same humble mindset in your own life. What would it free you from? The shifting opinions of colleagues? The fickle love of family or friends? An overbearing inner critic? From the outside, someone who is overly critical or who readily tries to please others, may seem like a humble person, but in pulling back the layers, we find that the focus is often still on the self. We try to please others because we care what they think of us more than what God thinks. Or we inwardly beat ourselves up because we hold our opinions higher than God’s opinion. In humility, God asks us to forget ourselves all together and to find a freedom that comes from resting in what He alone thinks of us.

How do we do this? It’s only possible by setting our gaze on Christ. Paul asks the Corinthian church to “imitate me, as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Though a bold statement, it is one that is rooted in the humility exemplified in Jesus; as Paul says elsewhere, “Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus . . . he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5, 8). The focus of Jesus’s life was wholly on obedience to the Father, even when that obedience led Him to a cross. This is what true humility looks like, but the cross is more than an exemplary display of humility. Ask yourself: “Why did Jesus go to the cross?” He went there for you!—so that you could be forgiven, redeemed, made new, and set on a course to become like your Savior. This is what God thinks of you. You are so precious that God gave all away to save you. Meditating on this truth and resting in it, will allow you to grow in true humility and find therein the freedom of self-forgetfulness.

Notes

1. Carson, NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, 2050.

2. Wu, Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes.

3. Pogoloff, Logos and Sophia, 237, 255.

4. Carson, NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, 2057.

5. Keller, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, 235.

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Author Bio

Jacob Hess grew up in Oregon but currently resides in Pennsylvania, where he works as a local minister. He received his Master of Divinity from Western Seminary and enjoys reading, talking theology with his wife, and writing science fiction on the side.

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