Bible verses about Humility

Being humble is not easy in a world that teaches you to centre everything around yourself. So below are verses to help you with humility in terms of meekness, wisdom, pride and obedience.

Bible verses about humility and meekness

Meekness and humility go hand in hand. Meekness means to be quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive. To be meek is to submit to God.

1. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. - Matthew 5:5

Humility in God's sight requires a heart-driven attitude of meekness. A humble person does not put importance in appearances and avoids false humility. Putting on a façade of humility can be one thing, but our Lord commands us to humble ourselves before Him, who knows the condition of our hearts, not just in front of others but also in the sight of our enemies.

2. “But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” - Psalm 37:11

Those who think of themselves less are those who are truly humble, the issue with humanity is that we think of ourselves first and we forget God, we forget others and that leaves us in a downward spiral because that very same attitude is what had Adam and Eve eat of the forbidden fruit and resulted in the curse on humanity and creation as we speak.

3. Gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.-Galatians 5:23

To be meek means to be gentle in a sense. It means to be quiet enough to hear to acknowledge your own mistakes, quiet enough to understand the law, meek enough to not be offended when you are told you are doing something wrong.

Gentleness, meekness and self-control go hand in hand. You cannot have self-control without having the humility of mind which allows you to know yourself, so you understand your limits, your capabilities and your flaws.

Bible verses about humility and wisdom

Wisdom is tied in with humility because those who view themselves as low definitely will be able to appreciate the mercies of Jesus Christ, the undeserving grace received, those who are humble inherit the earth.

1. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”- James 4:10

It is wise to humble yourself in the sight of the Lord because He is the one who ordains all things. When you see a kingdom prosper, God is the one who allows it, when you see a kingdom fall, God allows.

In the end, those who humble themselves will be lifted up, because they are the ones who think less of themselves, they are the ones who do God's will no matter the earthly cost.

Our God looks at the heart, he does not look at the outward appearance of any man. The richest kind are those who value God above everything else.

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. - Proverbs 22:4

2. ”Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger. “- Zephaniah 2:3

The Lord’s anger is real. Those who are arrogant blind themselves, leaving them in the mindset of “I am a good person, I am powerful, I am righteous” this puts them in danger because they never have the opportunity of seeing the truth, the reality of their flaws.

In order to grow spiritually, we need to humble ourselves so we can heed instruction and correction.

This very attitude of humility can save you from God’s anger. Strive to be holy, but be mindful that works do not earn you a spot in heaven but we do good things to please God not to earn ourselves a spot on the pedestal.

3. By humility and the fear of the Lord, Are riches and honour and life.- Proverbs 22:4

Jesus stresses the importance of humility in the Beatitudes, telling us that "humility is the fear of the LORD." Proverbs 22:4 says that "humility is the fear of the LORD." (Matthew 5:3) He says the poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

One who is poor in spirit is one who admits that they are spiritually empty and incapable of pleasing God apart from Christ's sacrifice. A person who humbles themselves and trusts in God will inherit eternal life.

4. “Surely He scorns the scornful But gives grace to the humble.” - Proverbs 3:34

So far, James has given Christians in chapter 4 a devastating diagnosis and a dire warning. The world's wisdom has scolded them for their actions. In their quest for success no matter what the cost, they have been motivated by envy. Indeed, they have fought with one another in order to achieve their ends.

We feel it's natural to live this way to a certain extent. We are born into a world system that is like this. By living in this manner, believers are committing adultery against God, says James! Unfaithfulness is not tolerated by God. God was jealous of the Holy Spirit that He placed in them, according to the most common translation of this verse.

If we rely on ourselves in a worldly way and refuse to let go of what we want, we fall into the category of God's enemies.

James now reassures us. We haven't outrun God's grace even though we've been living this way. Everyone who trusts in Christ will receive this grace. God gives more grace to those who sin, despite their seriousness, destruction, and wickedness. We are forgiven our sins in Christ, and He continues to provide us with goodness we don't deserve.

Proverbs 3:34 is quoted by James. God opposes pride. That is a simple, yet powerful idea. Pride manifests itself in our refusal to allow God to provide us with what we need and what He wants for us and our insistence that we obtain what we want for ourselves.

It is as if we try to be our own God. When we do that, God will oppose us lovingly and jealousy, but in Christ, we will not be rejected by Him.

5. “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.” - James 3:13

“Genuine humility is not self-help or a life hack, but a response to divine initiative and help.” - David Mathis

Good conduct is like showing good ethics. In everything we do, we ought to do it with integrity, submitting humbly to God, His law and His will in any given situation.

Lying, cheating, swearing or doing anything slyly in the light of work, finance or relationships shows arrogance and shows no fear or respect for God. This is the opposite of Humility.

Relying on yourself and using unethical means to do things are very unwise because we serve a God who sees all things and blesses those who truly strive for righteousness and to follow His ways. Choose a path of meekness.

Bible verses about humility and pride

Pride and Humility are on the opposite spectrums of reality. Pride is a call to love yourself more than anything or anyone else, humility is a call to the opposite.

When pride masquerades itself as humility, it can slip into even the most humble of hearts.

1. “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” - Matthew 23:12

“When trials come, will we bow up with pride, or bow down in humility?” - David Mathis

People love to hear, Love yourself. These words can be good but they can be so damaging to people who do not love others and people who do not appreciate others. Because they will be motivated to elevate themselves more leaving them in a bad space.

To truly grow, you need to hear the whole truth, not only a portion of it. There needs to be a balance between humility and confidence in order for an individual to become effective for the Kingdom of God.

2. “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” - James 4:6

Being proud can easily blind you. You need a humble heart to truly be impacted by the truth.

God resists the proud but has grace for those who are truly humble of heart. Pride always loses when it comes to God, pride got us where we are now and we need humility to recognise our faults against God. ‘

That is why repentance is so important when it comes to becoming a newborn again believer, it takes humility to have genuine repentance.

3. “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” - Romans 12:3

Literally, humility means being lowly in your own thoughts and hearts. Humility is not having a low opinion of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less. Being aware of who God is and who we are and living according to this understanding is the goal.

4. “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.” - Philippians 2:3-4

When we think of ourselves only, we ignore the poor, we ignore those who desperately need help. In a life where everyone is for themselves, we see chaos, crime rising and darkness taking over.

In a world where we literally sacrifice ourselves for the good of others, we see hearts change, we see nations submitting to God and we see true revival.

We see the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Generosity, people giving more than they need to, we see love, people crying for each other, praying for one another and feeding each other. This is the Kingdom we serve, the Kingdom of goodness, love, mercy and unforgettable grace that changes the lives of all around us.

5. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. - James 3: 5b-8

You might wonder, why in the world is there a verse about the tongue in this section. The reason it is here is that humility has a lot to do with listening.

A truly humble person truly listens to the other person, they listen to the Holy Spirit. They do not just speak and speak without any substance.

They are careful with their choice of words. They uplift others, correct others with utmost gentleness. They do not just say things on a whim because they want to but they are led by the Spirit.

God values quietness, he wants a space to speak. If all you hear in any given conversation is your own voice. Check yourself and truly realise the message you are sending out. A message of “I don’t care about the other person's opinion”. You might just be showing the other how vain and prideful you are.

So let the holy spirit lead you into an attitude of humility.

Bible verses about humility and obedience

Being humble is being obedient, Jesus says “Pick up your cross and deny yourself”. Loving others sometimes means ignoring your own wishes. God calls all people to humble themselves

1. He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you, But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8

Being obedient is not an easy objective, but when God calls us to obey, He usually calls us to be Just, doing things in the right way according to His precepts, He calls us to love mercy, which can include forgiveness for others that we find so hard to forgive and by doing these things, we humble ourselves because we are declaring: “ not my will but Yours be done, God”

So choose this path and walk with Him.

2. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.- Romans 12:16

Being obedient is also being wise according to God’s standards and this can sometimes mean that you need to submit your own opinion and just listen.

Associating yourself with those who are full of pride and vanity can become so addicting to our flesh because we benefit negatively from that, most people in their arrogance along with their attitude of just loving themselves and forgetting to love others have come to know what it is like to live a wealthy life.

They usually attract people around them who are just there to benefit from their riches, they attract vain people who also just care for their well-being.

So rather associate yourself with the humble, the low in spirit, the meek… because although they do not look rich in a material aspect, they are the richest of all, because they will inherit the Kingdom of God.

True riches are only found in Jesus, so be obedient and humble yourself no matter how hard it can be.

Examples & Bible stories about humility

There is no better place to look for examples on humility than in the Bible, Jesus’ very story on the cross is the greatest story of humility ever, every movie or book we read today is based on his style of love and humility.

1. “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand and is all Your own”.- 1 Chronicles 29:16

David knew for a fact that all that was provided came from the Father’s hands alone. This is a humble attitude and we can learn from David in this.

God is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. We are not. The humble person recognizes that all he has is a gift from God, that restoration and revival come mainly from Christ and not of Himself. All that we are given belongs to God and it is our job to steward it correctly, manage it all, and glorify Him with the utmost nurture and care.

2. ”Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.” - Numbers 12:3

Moses is known in the bible for all the miracles that were worked through him, from the plagues to opening a sea just so a nation can exit carefully and yet he was the most humble. God uses humble men, he uses people who are willing to submit. Arrogance stops people, it hinders their growth, their relationship skills and gives them false confidence in their own strengths. Humility empowers people more than arrogance. God looks at the heart.

3. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross..”- Philippians 2:8

In addition to being necessary to enter the kingdom, biblical humility is also necessary to succeed in the kingdom.

“Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—” - Matthew 20:26-27

We are inspired by Jesus here. We must also commit ourselves to serve others, considering their interests above our own, just as He did not come to be served but to serve. We indeed serve a Good God.

Conclusion

Jesus was direct, He called us to self-denial which is the ultimate tool for humility. To die to self, love God with everything you have and put even your enemies before you.

Meekness grows in someone who trusts in Jesus as his personal Savior. Even though it may seem counterintuitive, Jesus' promise holds true-a meek person will be blessed.

The attitude of Jesus Christ is to live in humility and to be willing to give up one's rights for the benefit of others. Having a humble heart also helps us to share the gospel message more effectively with others. We are not blessed if we strive for fame and power. But we are blessed if we are humble.

 

“Humility, like faith, is not an achievement.” - David Mathis