Why Be Humble? / David Jeremiah

Why Be Humble? Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble. Proverbs 3:34 British science historian, James Burke, created one of the most popular documentary series in BBC history called Connections. In this series, he explained and demonstrated the interconnectedness between scientific discoveries—how to have the whole picture one must connect the parts.

Recommended Reading: James 4: 6 – 7

The same could be said of the biblical trait of humility. Aside from it being a noble virtue, there is another reason God honors it and opposes pride, its opposite—because Satan was full of pride, lacking humility (1 Timothy 3:6). Satan wanted to be like God; he was not content with his assigned role from the Creator (Isaiah 14:12-15). When God says in James 4:6 that He “resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” it is not just so we will have a more pleasing character. It is so we won’t be like the devil: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Unlike Satan, humble people submit to God. When Satan sees our submission to God, he flees from us. Instead of being proud like Satan, be humble like Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:6-8). Better to be humble than to be humbled (Luke 14:7-11). The surest mark of true conversion is humility.  J. C. Ryle