“Humility” is an extremely rare quality within the realm of humanity. Sadly, pride, which is the opposite of humility, comes naturally to most people. Pride is the only disease that tends to sicken everyone except the person afflicted by it. The Bible says, “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Gal. 6:3—KJV). Humility seems to elude mankind at every turn, but haughtiness and pride finds fertile soil in which to flourish within man’s heart and soul.

Speaking of the quality of humility, Dr. Kenneth Boa says, “Humility is such an illusive virtue, isn’t it? As soon as you think you’ve got it, you don’t. That’s part of the problem: When I finally achieve humility, I get proud of myself.” 1

Pastor Greg Baker makes this valid observation: “Humility is often an unrecognizable quality in one’s self. You cannot achieve humility by trying to be humble, simply because the effort to be humble requires you to be anything but humble.” 2 As you see, humility and pride cannot peacefully coexist.

Do you know what I find amazing about this matter of humility and pride? Humility is a trait produced by God via trials, troubles, and the difficulties of life. With great difficulty, humility breaks through the hard soil of man’s heart. On the other hand, pride is like a crop of dandelions; it’ll grow almost anywhere, with no special attention. Amazingly, the very things about which the Christian should be humble are the things that often produce pride.

The Bible teaches that every believer has been saved by grace, through faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary (Ephesians 2:8-9; Col. 1:20). Salvation is the result of what God has done for man, not what man has done for God. That’s the reason Paul said that the believing sinner is saved by “grace” (unmerited favor), “not by works of righteousness which we have done…” (Titus 3:5). God doesn’t save “good people.” He only saves “sinners.” Yet, the Christian often takes the credit for that righteousness and change in one’s life that is the result of the work of God alone within the yielded heart of the believer. What’s even worse is that we Christians can sometimes look at those who don’t know Christ and conclude that they’re probably too wicked to turn to God in repentance—they’re somehow beyond God’s ability to make anew in Christ. Rather than being critical of those we perceive as vile sinners, we should do as Paul the Apostle commanded the Corinthians: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves…” (2 Cor. 13:5a). In short, before you declare some sinner to be too far from God to be forgiven of their sin, make sure your own life shows evidence of redemption and faith in Christ. It could very well be that we will all one day be shocked by who is, and who is not present in Heaven, as the following poem facetiously points out:

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven’s door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its décor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp;
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in Hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, “What’s the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How’d all these sinners get up here?
God must’ve made a mistake.

And why’s everyone so quiet,
So somber—give me a clue.”
“Hush, child,” He said, “they’re all in shock
At the thought of seeing you.”

One thing is certain: No one will be in Heaven because of their personal merits, for “…there is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). The repentant sinner will be in Heaven because he has received God’s gift of salvation, having placed his faith in Christ, who alone paid his sin-debt on the cross of Calvary.

1 Dr. Kenneth Boa, “Humility,” found at bible.org. Dr. Boa is President of Reflections Ministries and Trinity House Publishing.
2 Pastor Greg Baker, “The Essence of Humility,” an article found at christianbaptist.com.