Humility Is the Foundation of Integrity
This article reflects on humility as the prerequisite for salvation, the prevention against pride, and the daily pursuit that forms integrity. Drawing from Scripture, history, and ministry experiences, it shows how recognizing our proper place before God reshapes how we live, lead, and serve.
- Humility begins with recognizing and acknowledging our proper place before God.
- Pride undermines integrity by producing entitlement and rationalization.
- Followers of Christ pursue humility through self-examination, service, and obedience.
By Alex Eddy
Benjamin Franklin’s ambition was to live a life of moral perfection. He began by making a list of 12 virtues that included temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, and chastity. According to his autobiography, he even developed a thorough method of assessment, grading himself each day on every single one of these virtues. Early into this grand undertaking, Franklin, through the help of a Quaker friend, realized he had forgotten a virtue, so he added it to the list as number 13. The virtue was humility. It should have been first.
Humility As Prerequisite
Theologian Paul Copan observed, “Humility is recognizing and acknowledging our proper place before God.”
Ascent to faith is highlighted by what we come to believe about God and his Son, Jesus; but another important aspect of the journey is what we come to recognize and acknowledge about ourselves. Genuine conversion is possible when we come to believe we are sinners in desperate need of saving, helpless to accomplish this on our own. The Apostle Paul stated it this way in Romans 5:6, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (New International Version). More succinctly, James asserted, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
Humility is foundational to salvation. It is also foundational to obedience, righteousness, holiness, and integrity. The Bible presents the following progression as found in the book of Proverbs. “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life” (Proverbs 22:4). “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs (9:10). The wise fear the Lord and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure” (Proverbs 14:16).
Years ago, while in my first ministry, a young couple who were involved with Alcoholics Anonymous began visiting the church where I preached. It was my first experience with anyone actively engaged in the recovery community. After meeting with the husband a couple of times, he began to open up and share his journey. He had experienced sobriety for various lengths of time only to relapse into old patterns, habits, and addiction. As he was currently experiencing his longest period of sustained sobriety, I asked him if he knew the reason. He had concluded in his own mind that the “higher power” he had been seeking and needing was God as revealed in Scripture. This epiphany came through the guidance and support of his sponsor. In the aftermath of his last relapse, his sponsor confronted him with this question, “When are you going to figure out there is a God and you ain’t him?” This man’s life changed when he finally recognized and acknowledged his proper place before God.
Humility As Prevention
The chief adversary of humility is pride. Franklin described the pervasiveness of pride when he noted, “In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself.”
Pridefulness is the antithesis of humility and undermines integrity. Saul, David, and Solomon, the first three kings of Israel, displayed humility as they were anointed and established as kings. The Bible tells us Saul was more handsome and more physically imposing than anyone in all of Israel, yet when the prophet Samuel revealed to Saul that he was the hope of Israel, Saul responded, “But am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan of the tribe of Benjamin?” There are many examples of David’s humility as he ascended to the throne of Israel. David recognized and acknowledged his place before God consistently, giving God the glory for every victory and triumph. When offered the daughter of Saul, Michal, in marriage David answered, “I’m only a poor man and little known.” David’s ascension to the throne is marked by his humility. Early in Solomon’s reign the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask for anything you want me to give you.” Solomon qualified his request for a discerning heart by humbly admitting, “I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.”
All three became entangled in scandal and experienced the loss of integrity. Saul, David, and Solomon lost perspective of their proper place before God. Pridefulness superseded humility. Pride produced a sense of entitlement. Entitlement produced rationalization. Integrity was destroyed by one rationalization after another. In his book Discipline Is Destiny, Ryan Holiday related a warning through the words of the Greek philosopher Plutarch, who wrote, “Too many leaders think that the greatest benefit in governing is the freedom from being governed themselves.”
These examples are more than mere case studies. They are people just like us, vulnerable to the toxin of pride. That is why the Bible repeatedly warns of the danger of pride: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). The Apostle Paul warned in I Corinthians 10:12, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” Proverbs 4:23 states, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” When it comes to our physical bodies, we understand that early detection is often the key to successfully overcoming serious conditions threatening our health. Our mortal bodies are susceptible to illness and disease. Spiritually, we are susceptible as well. We are all vulnerable to pridefulness. In her recent book Strong Ground, Brene Brown warns, “Research shows that the less susceptible we believe we are, the more vulnerable we actually are.” Physically, early detection is aided by regular examinations. God’s Word encourages regular spiritual check-ups as well.
Humility As Pursuit
When our kids were younger, my wife and I would sometimes advise them, “Check yourself before you wreck yourself.” Sound advice for all of us, yet hardly original. On three separate occasions the Bible commands us to examine ourselves. All three emerge from the inspired writing of the Apostle Paul. He gave the command in each letter to the church at Corinth. To the church at Galatia Paul wrote, “If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions” (Galatians 6:3-4).
The pursuit of humility requires consistent examination and evaluation. The exam has but one question: “Am I recognizing and acknowledging my proper place before God?” If we are, according to Philippians 2, there will be two articles of supporting evidence.
The first article of evidence, following the progression of the text, is that we humbly esteem others above ourselves. Philippians 2:3-4 states, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” When James and John came to Jesus seeking places of prominence in his glory, Jesus offered these words of admonishment: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Humility focuses on others rather than ourselves.
The second article of evidence is humble submission to Christ as Lord, following his example and obeying his commands. Jesus humbled himself and became obedient (Philippians 2:5-8). Our attitude and actions should be consistent with the example of Christ and the commands of Christ. This is the essence of integrity. Jesus admonished his audience in Luke 6:46 by asking, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say?” Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commands.” Calvin Miller wrote in his book A Hunger for The Holy, “The most important word in the New Testament is Lord. The question for all disciples, therefore, is whether they shall have a lord or be one.” Humility enables us to submit to the lordship of Christ, as we recognize and acknowledge our proper place before God. Integrity is only possible through humble submission to the work Christ wants to perform in us; complete transformation into his likeness, glorifying him in everything we say and do. Humility is the foundation of integrity.
Humility in Public Witness
The world is watching to see if we are people of integrity. I was reminded of this early in ministry during, of all things, a haircut. I decided to try a barbershop that accepted walk-ins. Sitting in this barber’s chair for the first time, it did not take long for him to ask the question, “So, what do you do for a living?” I responded, “I’m a preacher,” which was followed by awkward silence. I broke the silence with a question of my own, “Do you attend church?” He emphatically answered, “No,” followed by more awkward silence. So, I asked the obvious follow-up, “Why not?” He gave one of the more creative answers I’ve ever heard when he said, “I’ve yet to find a church with leaders more interested in ‘praying for’ people rather than ‘preying on’ people.” That barber sounded a lot like Jesus.
No one used the term hypocrite in Scripture more than Jesus. It is not even close. Jesus addressed the lack of integrity among the religious leaders of his day in Matthew 23. He called them hypocrites; actors putting on a show for their own glorification. In Matthew 23:3 Jesus tells the crowd and his disciples, “But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”
Jesus called his hearers out of the practice of hypocrisy and called them into the practice of humility. “You are not to be called Rabbi, for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.” Jesus reminded them of their proper place before God. He concluded with these words, “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Through humility God can raise us up to be the people he desires; a people who reflect the glory of Christ by demonstrating the integrity of Christ. The foundation is humility.
Author: Alex Eddy
Alex Eddy is Executive Director of Person to Person Ministries, Hillsboro, Ohio.
