James, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote a bold letter addressed to all Christians. In chapter 4, he talks about humility and submission to God. This is a difficult subject to address, but James approaches it with the authority given by the Lord.
Give practical advice to every Christian who wants to live a merciful life. Let’s focus on verse 4: 6, where he shows us the biggest obstacle that prevents us from submitting to God’s will: our pride. James 4:6 states:
“But he gives more grace. That’s why he says: God resists the proudbut give grace to the humble”.
humility and pride
Unlike pride, humility does not come naturally; it must, in Biblical terminology, be added to our character through the Spirit of God and consistent decisions to submit to God because we love Him, because we sincerely seek to be like Him, and because we greatly desire to glorify Him.
In this way, by the power of God and our cooperation, humility is created as part of our character, which allows us to strengthen ourselves to overcome the bad influences of pride.
Due to exposure to Satan and this world, pride is within us almost from birth. Humility is definitely not like that, rather it is a created attribute of character.
A carnal humility can be created within a child who lives under the supervision of loving parents who strive to educate their children in good character qualities.
In the same way, spiritual humility is definitely a characteristic developed due to contact with God and our willing cooperation. James 4:6-10 it states:
But it’s more fun. That is why he says: “God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”
Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you. Clean your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, double-minded. Let your laughter turn into mourning and your joy into sadness. Humble yourself in the eyes of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
Once we understand some of the bible instructions regarding humility spiritual, this clear series of commandments becomes important. They exist because these actions are not natural to human nature and because the pride that dwells within us is very strong and influential.
Maybe you may be interested in:
Humble ourselves is just as surely commanded as resisting the Devil, cleansing our hands, and purifying our hearts. This means that humbling ourselves in submission to God is a choice that can, in fact, should be exercised. Humility is important enough that God repeats this command briefly in Proverbs 3:34 and in I Peter 5:5-6.
Humility is treated somewhat differently in each testament, but at the same time, there is a close similarity between the two treatments. In the Old Testament, it is shown less as a good quality of character in an honorable person than as a condition or situation in which an individual finds himself due to poverty, affliction, or persecution.
In this approach, a humble person is one who is in a poor circumstance. In other words, humble people have been humiliated in a social sense. This perspective provides an understandable illustration that visibly portrays the most important spiritual attitude of the heart.
So, what does the Bible say about humility and pride?
Taken together, James 4:5-6, Proverbs 23:6-7 Y Romans 12:3 they indicate that what a person thinks of himself is clearly important to God. We all have an image of ourselves that we carry in our hearts. We tend to think of ourselves in a certain way.
This is not wrong in itself. Because we love God, we must very much want to project to others an image of Him that pleases them. What is wrong, however, is that all too often the image we project is based on some area of pride.
Most of us don’t understand exactly what image we project to others. In other words, we often fail to project the impression we want others to have of us. For example, it is easy for a person to think that he is projecting the image of someone serious, calm and contemplative, when the reality is that others consider him harsh and condemning.
In reality, a wide divergence of conclusions about an individual is quite common. Although those who know us may see the same person, they take away different impressions, which leads to different evaluations. The image we are trying to project is the one we think we should display to someone in our position. The problem with most of this image projection is that it is driven by pride and “God resists the proud.”
Since many commentators believe that pride is the parent of all sins, it is surprising that “pride” appears alone 49 times in Scripture and only three times in the New Testament. The Hebrew term ga’on in a good sense it indicates “majesty” or “excellence”. However, most of its uses are negative, as an antonym for “humility”. It is associated with the arrogance, insolence, bad behavior and wicked speech.
The Greek word pride is tuphoo. Its literal meaning is “envelop in smoke”, but metaphorically, it indicates “vanity”, “exalted” and “haughtiness”. The word represents a person who uses smoke as a screen to hide the image you don’t want the public to see.
Pride includes a degree of haughtiness, a measure of contempt for others. It is a matter of the heart that is buried below the surface. However, although the one who suffers from it seems to walk with dejected humility, all the time in his heart he feels a great contempt for God and his neighbor, which is revealed in his lack of fear of God and general disobedience.
We invite you to read:
Why is God so against pride?
God resists the proud, because a person infected by this deadly quality admires himself so much that he does not realize his lack of much more important qualities. A proud person appreciates independence so as not to be indebted to others. He is so preoccupied with his self-proclaimed goodness that he never realizes that he has some sin from which he needs to be saved and therefore will not be corrected. He believes that he is above everything.
What’s wrong with pride?
There is a type of pride that is not sinful. Paul speaks of this “positive” pride, saying:
“Let each one try his own work, and then he will rejoice only in himself, and not in another” (Galatians 6:4)..
If you’re proud to finish a job that required a lot of effort, that’s legit. But if that makes you think you’re better than everyone else, then you’ve crossed the line. The border between good pride and sinful pride is subtle.
The Bible tells us that God resists the proud, that is, he does not approve of them. Proverbs 8:13 Y 1 Samuel 2:3 they speak of negative pride and treat it as synonymous with arrogance. Arrogance is theoffensive display of superiority or conceit; domineering pride”.
That’s the problem with pride: it makes us think we’re superior. to others. It makes us exaggerate our own importance. That prompts us to reject advice, even scriptural advice. It makes us think, even unconsciously, that we don’t need God.
The psalmist wrote that “the wicked, with the pride of his face, will not seek God; God is not in all your thoughts” (Psalm 10:4). Pride makes people self-focused and ultimately leads them astray. This is why God resists the proud.
What does it mean to be humble?
Paul told his readers that “they won’t think too much of themselves” (Romans 12:3). He also said that each should “esteem others better than yourself“(Philippians 2:3). Peter, quoting the same proverb that James did, wrote that we must be “subject to one another and clothed in humility” (1 Peter 5:5).
In other words, a humble person is not self-centered. Value and serve others. Also welcomes help and advice from others (Proverbs 13:10). The humble know that every good deed they do is a gift from God (1 Corinthians 4:7).
The Apostle Paul was an extraordinary man. But he learned to be humble. He said:
“God forbid that I glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).
The humble give glory to God, not to himself. He seeks God’s name to be exalted, not his own. In chapter 4 of his letter, James tells us what we must do to become humble:
- Submit to God (James 4:7).
- draw near to the LordJames 4:8a).
- Pursue holiness (James 4:8b).
- repent (James 4:9).
Each of these steps is part of the sanctification process. Being humble is necessary for any Christian who wants to be closer to God, because God resists the proud.
God rewards the humble
Humility is necessary to seek a true relationship with God and do his will (Colossians 3:12). But we can not do it alone. That is why James says that God “give grace to the humble“(James 4:6). When we humble ourselves, we can recognize our dependence on God, seek him, and receive grace.
Paul wrote that our example of humility is Jesus Christ, who “he humbled himself and became obedient until death on the cross” (Philippians 2:8). The Son of God could have come into the world as a rich and powerful king. But he came as a servant, and died in the most humiliating way (Galatians 3:13).
His goal was not to exalt himself. He was obedient to the Father, and the Father”He exalted him and gave him a name that is above all names.” (Philippians 2:9).
The Apostle Peter told his readers:
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).
His statement is like the one James wrote in verse 4:10, while talking about humility. He said:
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt youra” (James 4:10).
The Lord Jesus himself also gave us similar advice, saying:
“For he who humbles himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted“(Luke 14:11).
The humble do not seek recognition for their achievements; they attribute them to God. They seek God’s glory, not their own, just as Jesus did. It is God who will give the right reward and who will exalt each person at the right time.
Take a look at:
final thoughts
God resists the proud, but gives us the grace that enables us to be humble. Humility lets us know how incapable we are of doing good deeds without God. It also allows us to recognize God’s merciful work in our lives.
Being humble makes us dependent on Him and not on ourselves. He helps us submit to Him and pursue a holy life, not to be proud of it, but to be even more humble. Through each step, He will give us more grace and help us to do his will.