The Lie of False Humility

Written by Pastor Rosalind Coben, Online Campus Associate Pastor & Social Media 

Humility is one of the strangest things to talk about, especially at church. Everyone wants to be humble. But no one wants to admit that they are humble, because that wouldn’t be very humble at all. Humility almost feels like a secret attribute. We’re supposed to want it but never talk about it. The moment we bring up how humble we are, it only reveals how un-humble we really are, so it’s best not to talk about it at all and hope it develops on its own, right? But how can we be humble if we don’t have language to talk about what it is and what it isn’t?   

This January, I went to a leadership conference where Danielle Strickland was one of the main speakers. On the first night of the conference, she described humility as “Agreeing with God about who you are.” I’d never thought about it like that. Is it possible humility could mean something else, and dare I say, be empowering us as the Church?   

When I spoke to Pastor James about it, he quoted C.S. Lewis and said, “Humility isn’t so much thinking less of ourselves – it's thinking less ABOUT ourselves.”  There is a key distinction there that makes a big difference. We’re not the centre of the universe, but we are made in the image of the Creator of the Universe — and given gifts and abilities by Him so that we can join Him in the renewal of all things. If we mistake humility for humiliation, we cannot function as the vibrant body of Christ as we were meant to be.   

So, if humility is agreeing with God about who we are, it raises the question: who does God say we are?  

In Genesis we read, “God created humans in His image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27 NRSVue). Think about that ...  God created us in HIS image! He made us to be like Him. NOT Him, but like Him! This means we have inherent value. Out of all created things, we were the ones God chose to make like Himself. It means that you have qualities that remind others about who God is, embedded deep within you. That makes you special! It means you have something amazing to offer the world. 

If we choose to look at humility as an invitation to downplay that God-given amazingness, it only serves the enemy of God.  Remember, Satan tempted Adam and Eve by saying, “You will be like God,” (Genesis 3:5  NRSVue). What they had forgotten was that they already were like God, and so are we, and Satan would very much like for us to forget that.   

About a year ago, I entered a season where I felt like I was in front of people more than I had ever been before. For about 6 weeks in a row, I was either hosting a Deerfoot Campus service, hosting FAC As One, online hosting, preaching, or in an online video. I was feeling the need to pull back, to go into a time of “hiddenness,” as I called it.  

I went into Pastor Kyle’s office to share with him what I felt was a word from God. (If I’m honest, I was proud of how humble I was about to look.) I told him that I just felt like there was “too much of me” lately, and to be humble, I wanted to pull back from being in front of people so much and just do some work that was less visible.   

Pastor Kyle listened, and when I had finished, he leaned forward in his chair and kindly and gently said, “If it feels like it’s been too much of you, maybe you’ve been putting too much of yourself into it? Self-hiding feels a bit like a false sense of humility.” 

WHAT?!  

The only thing more embarrassing than being proud is being called out for being proud about being humble! At the time, I didn’t understand what he meant, so I asked him to explain. He said something to the effect of, “If I sense that God has given me a gift of preaching, and I sense God has given me the desire for it, but I decided that I don't want to share with the Church anymore because I felt I was up front too much, how would you feel?”   

I quickly replied, “I think I’d be kind of mad at you.”   

“Why would you be mad at me?”   

“Because as a member of the church, I’m counting on you to preach because I want to learn more about God.”   

“Yeah.”   

Suddenly, it clicked. If God gave Kyle a gift of preaching, it wasn’t for Kyle’s glory, but for God’s. If Kyle decided not to use it, it wouldn’t serve anyone. We’ve all been given gifts by God, and they’re meant to be used. I had a false sense of humility because I understood humility to be shying away from who I was created to be. To me, humility was akin to becoming a wallflower ... and as a loud extrovert, that seemed like an impossible task.   

Imagine my relief when I discovered that humility meant I could step into the things I was good at and enjoyed, with the understanding that God was the One who created me to be good at them! Not only was it okay that I liked preaching and teaching, but it’s also a gift that God wants to use in His church, for His glory! Just like how we count on Pastor Kyle to use his gifts, the church is counting on me to use my God-given gifts, too.  

After I realized this, I began to think about what it would be like if the whole Church knew that we were allowed to be excellent at the things we love to do and are good at. What if everyone knew what spiritual gifts they had, and felt confident to step into them? And not just a half-hearted step for fear of becoming “too good” at them, but a full jump because if God has given a gift, He means for it to be great.  

When we don’t step into our giftings, or we half-heartedly use them, we paint a very mediocre picture of who God is.   

We worship God with humility when we place Him on the throne instead of ourselves, and when we confidently step into the talents He’s given us with excellence, all for His glory! We show the world that our God is worthy of worship because of the way he empowers his church to do things well! Look how beautiful God is; his image-bearers reflect his excellence!   

God distributes his gifts to his people “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” (Ephesians 4:12) Each one of us has been given gifts from God, and we are supposed to use them "as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)  

“If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:7-8) Shrinking away from our God-given gifts only serves the enemy who tries to make us believe we are anything less than image-bearers of a Holy God!  

When we read verses like 1 Peter 5:5-6, which say, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because ‘God opposes the proud but shows favour to the  humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” It can be tempting to read it as an invitation to make yourself smaller. 

But if you read it with an understanding of what humility means – agreeing with God about who he says you are – it takes on a new meaning. We clothe ourselves with humility towards one another when we understand that all of our gifts are to come together for the glory of God, not our own individual glory. This means we aren’t to be jealous of one person’s gift over another, but to see each one of them as vitally important to the life of the church.  

We need people who are gifted hosts to step in and help so we can understand the hospitable heart of God and have welcoming places to gather. We need people who are gifted with mercy to step up and help so that we see how merciful God is and be reminded of our own need for mercy. We need people who are generous to remind us of how generous God is, and to provide practical needs for his people.   

Whatever your gifts are, your church is counting on you to use them! If we want to see a clearer picture of who God is, His image-bearers need to work together, all helping to carry his image with excellence. Imagine with me for a moment, a church cloaked in humility, where everyone knows their gifts and uses them well for God’s glory: 

• Prayer warriors are praying before, during, and after every church service.   

• People make wise decisions because wise counsel is readily available.  

• People open their homes throughout the week to meet for prayer and to give spaces and opportunities to share the gospel.   

• Healing takes place regularly.   

• There is no shortage of excellent teaching.   

• Schedules are organized, communication is clear, and everyone understands the plan.  

• The foodbank bins overflow every week.   

• There’s never a shortage of people helping in DiscoveryLand.   

• There is faith for the renewal of all things!   

  
  

This is a dream that Satan hates because it’s the church ALIVE, flourishing, and living in agreement about who God says it is! Can you imagine?!   

You have more gifts than you’ve ever dared to realize. Maybe you don’t know what you’re gifted in – that's okay. What are the things you are naturally good at or like doing? Start there! You can also chat with one of the pastors at FAC, and we'd love to help you figure out how you're uniquely wired by God to serve. 

As we think about humility, here’s an invitation for you today:  

More than anything, ask your Creator — God — how he has gifted you, and how he wants you to use your gifts for the renewal of all things. Ask Him who he says you are and agree with Him when He tells you.  

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)