by Paul J. Morrison

Editorial Note: This summer Humble Orthodoxy is considering the topic of humility. Our contributors will be exploring its definition, telos, how humility is fostered, and its ramifications for life and ministry.

Did you catch the colon? 

In case you didn’t, let me be clear: I have no monopoly on humility. Instead, I often find that my arrogant heart has mastered its vice. 

The humblest person to ever live is none other than the I Am, the Alpha and Omega, the God-man, Jesus Christ. He is the zenith not just of this virtue, but of all virtue. He is the image of the invisible God, the one in whom we live and move and find our being (Acts 17:28). To be made in the image of God is to imitate the virtue and character of the incarnate Son by the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of the Father. 

In Philippians 2, the Apostle Paul captures this tension of act and being in a hymn of worship. He speaks of Christ saying, “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.” (Phil. 2:6–8). 

More pointedly, if we are to be found faithful, we must be found humble. 

So then, what is humility? 

Humility seems to be defined just as often by what it isn’t as by what it is. C. S. Lewis says that the humble man “will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.”¹ Rick Warren offers a similar popular sentiment, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”² 

Theologically, humility is considered to be a virtue, and yet, historically, theologians have waxed and waned concerning its place. Basil calls it the greatest virtue,³ Aquinas the least.⁴ Perhaps, this too is due, in part, to the varied definitions. Centering the definition of any virtue on its action or absence alone is insufficient. There must also be rootedness in the essence of the virtue itself.

Humility’s essential definitions range from emphases of service and orientation towards others (behavioral humility) to perceptions of one’s own person and capacities (cognitive humility) to the concerns of reputation and value (affective humility).⁵ Put another way, humility’s definitions range according to each person’s emphasis on its place in the head, the heart, and the hands. 

But which of these emphases and definitions square with the picture of humility presented in Scripture? Is humility found in act or being? 

Frank Sinatra offers us an answer rich in ethical and theological reflection: “Do, be, do, be, do.” The humility of Jesus seen throughout the biblical narrative is no one emphasis to the exclusions of the other. Christ’s humility perfectly captures both modesty and selflessness. 

Its modesty refuses to pursue esteem or glory, regardless of whether or not praise is owed. Its orientation is opposed to  those of pride and vanity. 

Its selflessness moves towards the social other. Its posture is that of submission and lowliness, considering others above oneself through a relational humility. 

This bifold nature of humility, as both modest and selfless, is the biblical expression of this deeply human virtue. 

Consider first the consistent pairing of the virtue with its vice. As Solomon writes in Proverbs 11:2, “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom.” Or Paul’s admonition in Romans 12:16, “Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly.” This understanding of humility and lowliness, as antithetical to haughtiness and pride, demonstrates humility’s cognitive connection to modesty. Biblical humility does not seek its own esteem or glory. 

Humility is also selfless in its orientation to God and others. Humility is often associated with the fear and service of the Lord. Proverbs 15:33 reads that “The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility.” Later, Proverbs 22:4 says that “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord are riches, honor, and life.” In the New Testament, Paul recounts to the elders of Ephesus in Acts 20:19 how he had served “the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials.” This service is the fruit of humility in action. 

True humility is shown first in deference to God and his will. This upward humility is then also encouraged to be shown to the saints. The church is called to “put on” the virtue of humility (Col. 3:12), and to “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves,” (Phil. 2:3). Perhaps the clearest expression in Scripture of humility as both modest and selfless, outside of Philippians 2’s description of Christ, comes in 1 Peter 5:5, where Peter admonishes the church to “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humility must therefore be both modest and selfless in its value of God and others.

We arrive then at this definition: humility should be understood as that virtue of modest selflessness, in which the self is known, glory is not sought, but instead, in lowliness, it seeks the good of others. This duality is what lends itself to the uniqueness of this virtue within humanity. It is in the divine Mission of the incarnate Christ that God modestly covers this glory in the ultimate expression of selflessness.⁶ 

This is the beauty of Christ’s humility; that despite our arrogant hearts we are called into a relational humility with God himself—to walk humbly with our God (Mic. 6:8). 

It is Jesus’s humility—and specifically his humiliation—which welcomes us to the throne room of God. Christ is not humble simply because he was the greatest teacher who ever lived and yet did so without boasting (which is no less true), but because he put on flesh and was obedient to death, even death on a cross. 

We identify with the humility of Christ in the sacraments he has given us. Body and blood, broken and shed, proclaim a good news which can only be seen as foolishness in the eyes of the world. The means of grace which announce and renew us to Jesus and his kingdom are pictures of his humility. We are buried in the likeness of his death to be raised to walk in the newness of a humble life. 

This humble life is the life of Christ, forming our thoughts, affections, and works to the glory of a supreme God who has called us to himself—and paid for that calling with his own humiliation. 

1. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (New York, NY: HarperOne, 1980), 128.
2. Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for? (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 148.
3. Basil, An Ascetical Discourse, 29. 
4. Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 2b.141.8.
5.  Kent Dunnington, Humility Pride and Christian Virtue Theory, (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press. 2019), 13. 
6.  The divine Mission of the incarnation is what yields the uniqueness of humility as a human virtue, accomplished only in the human nature of Christ and not his divine nature. See Paul J. Morrison, “Human from the Essence: Humility as a Uniquely Human Virtue,” Bulletin for Ecclesial Theology 11.1 (September 2024). Available upon request.

Paul J. Morrison (PhD, Southwestern Seminary) is the Provost and Co-founder of Emmaus Theological Seminary, where he teaches in the fields of Christian Ethics and Biblical Theology. Paul also serves as Theologian in Residence at City Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Paul and his wife Sarah have called Cleveland home since 2015 and have one daughter. You can find him on Twitter @PaulMorrisonPhD

Photo by Tom Crew