Humbling ourselves is often difficult and painful. It goes against our desire to preserve our pride and sense of self-sufficiency. At times, we do not want to admit that we are wrong, either to those around us or to God.
However, the Bible teaches us that we cannot be free from sins like pride and worldliness unless we turn to God in repentance. As James 4:10 exhorts us, we must humble ourselves before the Lord. God will then, in His grace, lift us up.
Every Christian needs to be aware of the necessity of humbling himself or herself before the Lord because it is the only proper response when we recognize sin in our lives and the need for God’s grace.
Context of James 4:10 within the Passage
In chapter 4 of his epistle, James discussed the problem of pride among a group of Christians. They were quarreling and fighting among their fellow Christians because of the warring passions within themselves (James 4:1-2). James reminded them that they were not asking the Lord for the things they wanted. When they did ask, they had wrong motives that did not align with God’s will (James 4:2-3).
The believers that James addressed were worldly and prideful. By choosing friendship with the world, they became enemies of God (James 4:4). They were adulterers, forsaking their first love for the empty pleasures of the world. The Spirit of the Lord is rightly envious when believers become puffed up and make worldly pleasures their god (see James 4:5).
James’ words are striking and straightforward, but he did not leave the group of Christians without hope. God will show grace when believers humble themselves. These believers needed to submit themselves to the Lord and resist the devil (James 4:7). By drawing near to God through humble repentance, He would draw near to them (James 4:8). As James wrote, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10). Those who humble themselves, instead of hanging onto their pride, would be lifted up and exalted by the Lord.
As James often did in his epistle, he referred to Jesus’ teachings without direct quotation. The exhortation to humble oneself before the Lord mirrors Jesus’ words in a parable about the seats at a wedding feast (Luke 14:7-11). Christ instructed the disciples to take the lowest seats, the ones least honored. Then, when the host invites them to take a higher place at the table, they will be exalted. Jesus concluded the parable by saying, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11, NLT).
Taking into consideration the context of James 4:10 and its connection to Jesus’ parable, we can begin to understand why we need to humble ourselves before the Lord. He opposes the proud (see James 4:6 and Proverbs 3:34). He will not reward haughtiness, nor will He listen to our prayers when we defiantly turn away from Him to follow worldly pleasures. Instead, we must humbly repent and acknowledge our wrongdoing. The Lord will show grace to us, even if we have failed.
Now that we have considered the context, let us look more closely into 3 specific reasons from this verse that show us why we need to humble ourselves before the Lord:
1. We Need to Humble Ourselves to Fight the Trap of Pride
As was shown earlier, the Christians that James addressed in his letter were struggling with pride. Focused on their desires, they were so haughty and hateful that they were willing to fight, quarrel, and even kill to get what they wanted. In pridefulness, they had elevated themselves as preeminent.
Reading these descriptions, especially the detail about them coveting and acting like murderers because of their hatred, we might wonder why Christians would behave in such a manner. However, we must remember that these were believers in Jesus. Throughout the epistle, James boldly confronted sin in their lives and reminded them that disciples of Jesus should strive to be doers of the Word and not hearers only (James 1:22). Following Jesus is difficult, especially as we fight against sin.
At times, we all can struggle with pridefulness. It is a common, though insidious, sin that easily ensnares people. Some believers might struggle with apparent pridefulness, while others could start to notice it in more subtle forms. Either way, the path of pridefulness always leads to a slippery precipice. Right when we think we are on top of the world, higher than anyone else, we move too close to the edge and fall (see Proverbs 16:18).
We can understand, then, why God opposes the proud. The sin of pridefulness is disastrous to ourselves and others. Pride goes against God’s greatest commandments (Mark 12:29-31). We cannot love God and others if we harbor a haughty spirit.
The remedy to pridefulness is humility. Thus, James instructs us to submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7). We can mend the tears in our relationship with the Lord by drawing near to Him in repentance. We lower and humble ourselves by following James’ exhortation to, “Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom” (James 4:8-10). By lowering ourselves before God and recognizing our sinfulness, we can fight the sin of pride.
2. We Need to Humble Ourselves to Keep Far from Worldliness
James mentioned friendship with the world as another reason for humbling ourselves before the Lord. The group of Christians that James addressed in his epistle committed spiritual adultery by chasing after worldly pleasures. In doing so, they became enemies of God (James 4:4).
Worldliness is often a confusing word in the modern day. Many people have misused the word to refer only to certain activities and items. Scripture cuts through this idea that worldliness applies solely to external matters, such as a certain type of clothing or music. The Bible refers to worldliness as a heart issue – what a person values and worships. Worldly individuals worship items, pleasures, and accomplishments instead of God.
According to the Apostle John, worldliness consists of “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). Notice that he focuses on the internal aspects of a person. Friendship with the world starts on the inside as individuals lust or desire things that are outside of the will of God. The New Living Translation describes these desires as “a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.”
Humbleness is needed when we slip into worldliness. Our relationship with the Lord has been damaged since we have made ourselves enemies of God by befriending the world, and we must repent.
By humbling ourselves, we begin to see the ugliness of our sin and the empty desires of the world. We also remember the greatness and splendor of our holy God, and how we cannot live serving two masters.
We must decide who we love more, the world or the living Lord and Savior.
3. We Need to Humble Ourselves to Remain Focused on God
Connected to being friends with the world is double-mindedness (James 4:8). The double-minded person is divided in mind and heart. They are not single-mindedly focused on serving and loving the Lord.
Earlier in his letter, James described a double-minded person as doubting. Such a person is like a wave of the sea tossed by the wind (James 1:6). When individuals doubt and are not single-mindedly focused on God, “Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do” (James 1:8, NLT).
We need to humble ourselves before the Lord when we struggle with double-mindedness because humility involves lowering ourselves and acknowledging God’s greatness. Through humbling ourselves, we start to understand that nothing can compare to God. He is faithful and steady (Psalm 18:2; 1 Corinthians 1:9). Why should we doubt?
Also, He is greater and more wonderful than any desire. We might think we long for something only sin can give us, but it is a counterfeit craving. What we truly need and desire is the Lord (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Double-mindedness has no place in a believer’s life. God Himself is jealous for us (James 4:5). He wants our single-minded, devoted love for Himself.
What Does This Mean for Us?
Each of us will continue to struggle with sin throughout our lives. Sometimes the sin that will tempt and catch us will be pride, worldliness, or double-mindedness. Regardless of the type of sin, we need to humble ourselves before the Lord and repent of our wrongdoings.
By humbling ourselves before the Lord and acknowledging our sins, we receive forgiveness and a reminder of God’s great grace, holiness, and right to be the center of our lives.
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