HUMILITY

A prominent Christian grace (Rom. 12:3; 15:17, 18; 1 Cor. 3:5-7; 2 Cor. 3:5; Phil. 4:11-13). It is a state of mind well pleasing to God (1 Pet. 3:4); it preserves the soul in tranquillity (Ps. 69:32, 33), and makes us patient under trials (Job 1:22). Christ has set us an example of humility (Phil. 2:6-8). We should be led thereto by a remembrance of our sins (Lam. 3:39), and by the thought that it is the way to honour (Prov. 16:18), and that the greatest promises are made to the humble (Ps. 147:6; Isa. 57:15; 66:2; 1 Pet. 5:5). It is a “great paradox in Christianity that it makes humility the avenue to glory.”

HUMIL'ITY is the opposite of pride, and one of the cardinal graces of the renewed heart. It consists in a man's not thinking of himself more highly than he ought to think, and in giving all glory to God alone. It is urged with great force upon all who profess to be Christ's disciples, 1 Pet 5:5. In this as in all other respects our divine Saviour's life furnishes us with a perfect example, Phil 2:5-8. The sacred Scriptures abound with promises of grace and favor to the humble and threatenings of sorrow and punishment to the proud.

Part of speech: noun (n.)

1. The state or quality of being humble; freedom from pride and arrogance; lowliness of mind; a modest estimate of one's own worth; a sense of one's own unworthiness through imperfection and sinfulness; self-abasement; humbleness. Serving the Lord with all humility of mind. Acts xx. 19.

2. An act of submission or courtesy. With these humilities they satisfied the young king. Sir J. Davies.

Synonyms: Lowliness; humbleness; meekness; modesty; diffidence. Humility, Modesty, Diffidence. Diffidence is a distrust of our powers, combined with a fear lest our failure should be censured, since a dread of failure unconnected with a dread of censure is not usually called diffidence. It may be carried too far, and is not always, like modesty and humility, a virtue. Modesty, without supposing self-distrust, implies an unwillingness to put ourselves forward, and an absence of all over-confidence in our own powers. Humility consists in rating our claims low, in being willing to waive our rights, and take a lower place than might be our due. It does not require of us to underrate ourselves.