Humility = Reality of Lowliness
The literal concept behind the root of the Greek words for humility, from what I can tell, is basically “lowliness” - “not rising far from the ground” (Thayer & Smith). Now, sometimes the word “humility” is taken to mean something like “considering yourself as more more lowly than you really are”. But what a proud concept of humility that is! As if considering ourselves to be lowly required some form of deception or pretending!
Philippians 2:3-4 says,
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Many years ago my proud heart was struck with the new idea (!) that this passage was not calling me to “act as if” others were better than myself, but to live according to the reality of the fact that my (genuine) interests really are no more significant than anyone else’s (genuine) interests. My interests usually feel more significant to me than the interests of others, but that feeling is not in line with reality.
Ten years later, I keep going back to this passage and preaching to myself that others’ interests really are at least as great as my own. There is nothing about me which is more important than anyone else. And every time my heart responds with, “Huh? Really?” So I keep reminding myself, and hopefully the truth will sink in more and more.
The reality of the universe is that God is at the center and billions of people, of whom I am only one, are gathered around Him to bow the knee (Phil 2:10). It is not God and Zach at the center, with everyone else gathered around. Certainly that fact is obvious to you (unless your name is also Zach), but it is a challenge for me to accept it. It is not even God, followed by God’s inner circle of Zach and a few others, and then all those other people in the outer circles. No! Can you believe it, it is only God in the center!?
In fact, there is a further reality check that keeps me in my place. It appears that perhaps there is an inner circle, and I’m not part of it! I mean, Jesus told His apostles that they would sit on twelve thrones (Matt 19:28), and then there are the twenty-four elders who sit on their twenty-four thrones (Rev 4). Now I don’t know who these twenty-four elders are, but out of all of God’s people throughout all of history, am I going to be one of the twenty-four elders? Nope. Now, I suppose that the meaning of these passages is debatable. Perhaps everybody gets a throne. Or perhaps the “twenty-four elders” are symbolic of something else. I don’t know. But I tell you what: if God does want to exalt some of His saints above others for all of eternity then I say He has every right to do that!And if I am at the boundary of the outermost circle, as long as I get to partake of the beautiful radiance of His glory that He promised to all of us who trust in Christ (I will hold Him to that promise), then that is great. What more can you ask for — a throne? A crown? Come on.
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who wert and art and evermore shalt be.
Looking through the uses of “humble” and “humility” it seems to me that, with one exception, the Bible is never talking about man making himself to be lower than he really is. When we are called to humble ourselves, it is not a call to play make believe, but rather a call to get in touch with reality. The one exception is Phil 2:8, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!” Jesus made Himself lowly in a way which was not inherent to His nature. For the rest of us human beings, as utterly dependent creatures, lowliness is inherent to our nature. Therefore I would propose the following as perhaps not complete definitions, but at least as food-for-thought definitions:
Humility — Man’s accurate assessment of himself in light of reality
Pride — Man’s false assessment of himself
Glorious — God’s assessment of Himself (which obviously is accurate)