Pride and Humility

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5

We hear both of these words together and we often get a picture in our mind of someone who is proud and someone who is humble. Even with this picture in our mind we tend to not be able to really quantify or qualify exactly what they are. The word in Greek for proud is hupere?phanos and it means “appearing above others.” There is a great danger when in any kind of leadership position that you become lifted up in your heart and you always have to “appear above others.” With some people it is a real focus, they always have to show up and be the alpha male or alpha female. If they are ever in a position where someone is better than them in any way, shape or form they will do battle in order to rise above, so that in other’s eyes they are “appearing above others. The above verse gives a very good illustration. Peter is calling upon pastors—any minister of the Word–to be subject to the laity. In other words, make yourself subordinate to the believers, become their servant. And the laity, the believers in the church should also subordinate themselves to the pastor and preachers of the church. As a leader on the mission field or in the local church we are not asked to submit our calling to believers. We aren’t asked to submit our preaching to the people, our calling to the people or our own leadership of the Holy Ghost to the people. We are also not asked to just preach the word then sit back and have the people of the church take care of our lawn, fix up our house, serve us meals, etc. There are times we are to submit to others and be served and there are times we are to submit to others and serve them. Look to the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said that the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. At the Last Supper he served the apostles the meal and washed their feet. He went to Gethsemane and Golgotha to serve us. He also sat and didn’t rebuke a woman who anointed him with oil and washed his feet with her tears. I’m not saying preachers should have the sisters of the church wash their feet with their tears. But as an example, sometimes we are served by others and sometimes we serve others. Sometimes we wash their feet so to speak and sometimes they wash ours. This is mutual submission. A pastor or a missionary is to serve others with their ministry, but also with their lives, through hospitality (a qualification of a bishop), though assisting people in the needs in their personal lives, etc. And the people in the church should serve the pastor as well through similar means. The pastor cannot view himself as being above the people, this is pride. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Peter says that we should clothe ourselves with humility. To be clothed with a person or thing is to be that person or thing. Let both your attitude, behavior and your outward appearance be humble. To be humble is an attitude about yourself that affects your speech and behavior. Humility starts with a genuine heartfelt acknowledgement of our own weaknesses and our unworthiness before the Lord. We are sinners and subject to many sins of commission and omission, both in thought and deed. Humility is an outward grace that starts with the inward revelation that all I have and am is from the grace and purpose of God: I didn’t earn it; I didn’t deserve it; but God has so purposed this for me through his grace. One’s humility downplays one’s personal accomplishments and builds up those around them. We shouldn’t focus on self, rather focus on God and others. This does not mean we doen’t testify of the great works of God in our lives but focus on the fact that it is a great work of God and not of our personal merit. Inward humility results in an outward expression of servitude. Before Peter speaks of pride and humility he speaks of subjection and submission. He relates humility to being subject to one another. Therefore, pride is the opposite. The proud can be subordinate to no one; but the humble are fine with being subordinate to everyone. The proud must rise above and be the best of the best and they will tell you that again and again. God answered my prayer, I preached, and that person got saved, I did this and I did that. I sits on the throne and rules and reigns in their life. “All of you be subject one to another.”

“50- There’s another little door called pride. Oh, what a horrible little black devils is all pinned up in that heart of pride, thinking you’re better than somebody else. “Well, I wouldn’t send my children over there. They don’t dress right. The people who goes there isn’t in my class.”

51- If Christ is Lord in your heart, we’re all one class because of one Spirit. We’re all baptized into one Body. Pride, feels just a little…A little complex you have. Oh, you don’t want Jesus to touch that, because it would degrade your social standing in the community.” [1]

[1] 57-1208, I Stand at The Door and Knock, Rev. William Marrion Branham