Is God humble?

Often times I find myself in a bind. I want to be humble but I also don't want to be dishonest. Often times I wonder if I must sacrifice honesty in the name of humility. My friend Frank is a gifted singer. My friend Meredith is a gifted poet. I often times wonder how they respond to the praise that they receive. If I were to ask Frank or Meredith if they were good at their respected gifts, they would immediately enter into a tension. If they say, "No" they would not be practicing humility, they would be practicing lying. However, if they say, "Yes" they open themselves to accusations of pride. This is the tension between humility and honesty.

I know that I have a lot to be humble about but I think it dishonors God to define humility simply as, thinking less of yourself. That can't be humility! No really, it can't be. Isn't God humble? If humility is thinking poorer of yourself than you really are, I want nothing to do with a "humble" God. Besides, wouldn't that turn pride into having an accurate depiction of yourself? Wait, did I just define honesty? This is a tension.

To make matters worse, God is relentless in the scriptures about proclaiming his superiority. The entire book of Hebrews beats to the tune, "Jesus is better". Jesus is better than the prophets (ch 1), better than the angels (ch 1&2), better than Moses (ch 3), better than the promise land (ch 4), better than the high priests (ch 5), better than Abraham (ch 6), better than Melchizedek (ch 7), better than the last covenant (ch 8) and better than animal sacrifices (ch 9). But wait, where is his humility?

As we search more scripture we find phrases like,
"For my own sake I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another!"
Isaiah 48:11

"He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him"
Colossians 2:15

"Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone whom I created for my glory"
Isaiah 43:6-7

Even worse, as we look at the passages displaying God's heart in our salvation we find an ulterior motive.

"In love, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace"
Ephesians 1:4-6

"It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name...I will vindicate the holiness of my great name...I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you...It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you"
Ezekiel 36:22-32

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want;
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me besides still waters
He restores me soul
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake"
Psalm 23: 1-3

We have typically handled this tension one of two ways. Either we choose to ignore God's passion for his glory or we excuse God altogether from humility. The first is dangerous because when we ignore God's passion for his glory, the gospel inevitably becomes all about what God has done for us. While we cannot deny God's love for his bride we also mustn't deny God's love for his glory. The second option is dangerous because when we hold to the view that God does not have to be humble, we shortchange his glory. We deny him one of one of his most precious attributes. There is no way around it. God loves his glory and God loves being humble.

My goal is to relieve this tension. My hope is that you would see that God's passion for his glory and God's commitment to humility are not enemies but friends; best friends, working together harmoniously. First, I think we have to redefine humility. Oftentimes, when Jesus taught, he would first teach the negative. For example, "When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases like the Gentiles" or "When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites". Therefore, before we redefine humility, let's redefine pride. My definition of pride is, a failure to give God his due glory. This includes sins of omission, where we do not honor or thank God, as well as sins of commission, where we give glory to someone or something else (usually ourselves). Therefore, my definition of humility is, a joyful willingness to give God his due glory. Each word is intentional. "Joyful willingness". God isn't glorified in reluctant, dutiful submission. Next, true humility must always have to do with God. Finally, "due glory" is in the definition because I think honest assessment and humility go hand in hand.

So with this new definition, let's ask our question again. Is God humble? Let's see, how joyful and willing is God to give God his due glory? How accurately does God value God's glory? How passionately does God love God? You will not find a soul in heaven or on earth more committed to God's glory than God. And therefore, you will not find a soul in heaven or on earth more humble than God.  He has no desire that competes with his glory because he is both a giver and a recipient of the glory of God. Therefore, in pursuing his own glory, God most vividly displays his humility. God never stops standing in awe of God! God never takes lightly the glory of God! God never ceases to honor God! I pray that you would humbly, joyfully and willingly give God his due glory!

He who calls you is faithful, he will surely do it.