The Lost Virtue of Humility

There is an idea going around in our culture that pursuing what is right for me as an individual is the greatest good. I ought to make decisions based on what I consider to be best for myself. I can do and be anything I want as long as it makes me happy.

But if this is a sound idea, why do we find a trail of destruction in its wake?

Strewn all around are broken hearts. Shattered childhoods. Dysfunctional families. (To name a few examples.)

Meanwhile, true happiness continues to elude.

It is sad that our culture has dressed up selfishness and pride in the garb of virtue so that we often don’t see it for the true ugliness that it is. Instead, this me-first behavior is praised. But there is nothing attractive about someone pursuing his or her own advancement at the expense of all others’. Indeed, in a story, this is the stuff villains are made of. Why would we want that for ourselves?

In a story, we want a hero who is good. The kind of person who could do anything, but chooses to do what is best for others, often at his own expense. The most inspiring characters are not the full-of-themselves ones who rise to the top after pushing everyone out of the way, but the ones who serve in humility.

There is no more beautiful story of humility anywhere than in the story of the Lord Jesus. He who was God from eternity past–high, exalted, holy–laid aside His rights as God and took on the frail robes of humanity. He who is holy came down into a world stained with the ugly effects of sin and felt them all. He whose home is heaven was born in a stable and later had no place to lay His head. He who is Righteousness ate with sinners and later bore our punishment on the cross. All to rescue a people who justly deserves death and make us His forever.

This is humility, and it is not wrong. It is beautiful. It is life.

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not [merely] look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, [and] being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:1-11

He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:21

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9