Another of the tactics doubters use to try to justify their doubt and silence believers is to boast about humility and call believers arrogant. Here is how the tactic can look: “I really don’t know if I am right or not, but here is an idea… We are all trying to find the truth here.” The idea is often some form of “Did God indeed say?” This attitude is very calm, quiet, and scholarly. It usually comes with gentleness and compassion, treating the Bible as a weak book which needs their help of modern knowledge and/or science. Then they will ask, “Isn’t it humble to say, ‘I don’t know?’” I encourage you to ask yourself, “Is this really humility or is this arrogance disguised as humility?”
Paul warned the Colossian church to be aware of false humility. The enemy has used these tactics of subtlety, scholarship, and the appearance of humility to instill doubt into the Word of God since Creation and the Fall of man. His very first words were “Did God indeed say…?” and he has been asking that of God ever since. He has been using false teachers who claim Christianity and yet do nothing to uphold the Word of God or defend it but rather question it.
If you pay attention, these false teachers will also appeal to emotion and insults. They will claim to be humble and do what they can to show it, but if you stand up and say, “Hey, that’s not what the Bible says,” then suddenly you are closed-minded, bigoted, arrogant, cocky, and whatever other insult they want to hurl. Sometimes they will be ‘nice’ and just say, “That’s your opinion,” and ignore whatever else you say.
If you admit, even for a moment, that you are not certain about your position as a Christian, you will find many will readily embrace you because you no longer bring a message which threatens their way of life. I have seen some apologists state that mathematically, they cannot prove with 100% certainty that the Bible is true, even though they are 99.999999% sure. While that may be true from their particular angle of apologetics, why say that? It is an appeal to a false humility. When dealing with the Word of God, I believe that it is not humble to say, “I am not sure.” That is doubt, not humility, and when dealing with the Bible many do not know the difference between them.
Now, many people will go through doubts, and they come in many forms. I am not knocking nor taking lightly the very real struggle with unbelief. But I cannot stand here and say that is okay question the validity of Scripture, especially when it comes to any clear statement in Scripture. It’s not okay to doubt when Scripture is clear; it is sin. It is real and it is a struggle, but it is still sin, the sin of unbelief. The attitude we should have with doubt is not, “I don’t have it all figured out and that’s okay.” The attitude we should have is, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” There are passages of Scripture we do not understand clearly, but there is a difference between not understanding and disbelieving it to be true.
Those in academia who cannot or will not stand with absolute confidence that what they are speaking is 100% true are not exercising humility in saying this, but doubt. And if they do not have the confidence that what they proclaim is true, I have good reason to question what they are doing standing behind a pulpit and speaking. All it takes is a slight opening for doubt and it completely removes the ‘sting’ to the message and there is nothing left but an intellectual discussion. Discussions are fine if that’s all you want, but no Christian is ever called to have merely a “discussion” with the heathen, but to proclaim truth.
So what is true humility? I’ve given numerous examples of what it is not. What does the real thing look like? Humility does not point to self. This is especially hard for speakers, authors, and those giving the message. As a speaker, author, Bible teacher, and apologist, it is an easy trap for me to fall into with seeking attention and seeking approval of those listening to my message. Humility recognizes that I do not have the intellect, the eloquence of speech, or the knowledge to give the message I have been given its due justice.
Humility recognizes that you do not have the skills necessary to do what you need to do in your own strength, and you need the power, the wisdom, and the character of God to flow in and through you to get the job done. God has given me a brain that can hold an immense amount of knowledge and access to the true knowledge to preach it. But I still have lessons in true humility to learn because I don’t always recognize that I only know what I know because God in his grace granted it to me. He could have given it to anyone else to use and proclaim.
Both Moses and Jesus were prime example of living in humility. Moses was a political leader, not merely for Egypt but also for the traveling nation of Israel of at least 600,000 men. He had every right to boast and to look at his standing as the most important man. Numerous men challenged him, particularly Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and yet Moses never lorded authority over them. He sought to reason with them rather than make them submit to him, yet they refused to even give him ear. And despite his standing, all Moses wanted was the presence of God.
How could Jesus be humble despite claiming to be God? This is a key thing to understand. Jesus did absolutely nothing of his own power or his own will. He only did what he saw his Father doing and only said what he heard his Father saying. Yet he spoke truth with power and authority. To the people and to the Pharisees he sounded very arrogant, but there was no arrogance in Jesus.
Let me say this very clearly. It is not arrogant to speak the truth, to stand on it, and call out any false teaching that would say otherwise. It is arrogant to say, “Look at me. I have the answer,” especially when you don’t. When I speak the truth, I don’t want people looking at me for the answers. I want people to turn to Christ and the Bible for their answers. I strive not to speak my opinions unless I explicitly state them, but what the Word of God actually says. But I must also speak humbly, not as though I’ve figured it out, but with the understanding that only God has the answers. Joseph and Daniel each got to interpret dreams of kings and neither of them dared say they figured it out. They only gave glory to God for the revelation of the interpretation.
Let us not fall for the trap of false humility. Let us not confuse doubt with humility either. Instead, let us know that truth comes from God and God alone, and it should greatly humble us to be asked to give a message no person is worthy to give nor capable of giving it its proper justice. But when we speak the truth to this fallen, wicked world, we will look like fools. That’s next week.
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