The Text
What Humility Is
The spirit of charity, or Christian love, is an humble spirit. Humility may be defined to be a habit of mind and heart corresponding to our comparative unworthiness and vileness before God — a sense of our own comparative meanness in his sight, with the disposition to a behaviour answerable thereto.
As compared with God, a truly humble man is sensible of the small extent of his own knowledge, and the great extent of his ignorance. He is sensible of his weakness. He is sensible of his natural distance from God: of his dependence on him, of the insufficiency of his own power and wisdom. He is sensible of his subjection to God, and that God’s greatness does properly consist in his authority, whereby he is the sovereign Lord and King over all. The truly humble man, since the fall, is also sensible of his moral meanness and vileness — his sinfulness.
What Humility Produces Toward God
Humility disposes a person heartily and freely to acknowledge his meanness before God. He sees how fit and suitable it is that he should do this, and he does it willingly, and even with delight. He freely confesses his own nothingness and vileness, and owns himself unworthy of any mercy, and deserving of all misery.
Humility also disposes one to be distrustful of himself, and to depend only on God. The proud man, that has a high opinion of his own wisdom, or strength, or righteousness, is self-confident. But the humble are not disposed to trust in themselves, but are diffident of their own sufficiency. It is their disposition to rely on God, and with delight to cast themselves wholly on him as their refuge, and righteousness, and strength.
The humble man is further disposed to renounce all the glory of the good he has or does, and to give it all to God: Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and thy truth’s sake (Psalm 115:1).
What Humility Prevents Toward Men
Humility tends to prevent an aspiring and ambitious behaviour. The man under the influence of an humble spirit is content with such a situation amongst men as God is pleased to allot to him. He acts on the principle of the prophet: Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not (Jeremiah 45:5).
Humility tends to prevent an ostentatious behaviour. If the truly humble man has any advantage above his neighbours, he will not affect to make a show of it. He is not of the behaviour of the Pharisees, who did all their works to be seen of men; but if he has done anything in sincerity, he is content that the great Being who sees in secret beholds and will approve it.
Humility tends to prevent an arrogant and assuming behaviour. The man under the influence of an humble spirit is not forward to take too much upon him. His behaviour does not carry with it the idea that he is the best amongst those about him. He gives all due deference to the judgment and inclinations of others, and acts on that teaching of the apostle:
Humility further prevents a willful and stubborn behaviour. They that are under the influence of an humble spirit will not set up their own will in public or private affairs. They will not be stiff and inflexible, insisting that everything must go according to what they happen first to propose. A truly humble man is inflexible in nothing but in the cause of his Lord and Master, which is the cause of truth and virtue. In things of lesser moment, he is apt to yield to others.
The Application
Seek for a deep and abiding sense of your comparative meanness before God and man. Know God. Confess your nothingness and ill-desert before him. Distrust yourself. Rely only on God. Renounce all glory except from him. Yield yourself heartily to his will and service. Avoid an aspiring, ambitious, ostentatious, assuming, arrogant, scornful, stubborn, willful, self-justifying behaviour. And strive for more and more of the humble spirit that Christ manifested while he was on earth. Humility is a most essential and distinguishing trait in all true piety. It is the ornament of the spirit, the most acceptable sacrifice we can offer to God, the spirit with which he will dwell on earth, and which he will crown with glory in heaven hereafter.