Be Clothed with Humility

“Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.”* (1 Peter 5:5) “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.”* (Colossians 3:12)

These texts teach that we can put on this beautiful garment of grace, by which we are made presentable in the hand of God to represent Christ before men. He provides the garment; we must put it on and wear it. When a citizen enlists to become a soldier, he is provided with a uniform, furnished by the government. If he will be a soldier, he must expect to wear a soldier’s uniform. God provides His soldiers, not with any particular shaped or colored literal garment, but with the garment of humility; that is the very best adapted to our needs. Nothing else can possibly cover the nakedness of the self, or soul life, and render us fully acceptable before Him. It is not only our most beautiful adornment in His sight, but when once we become perfectly adjusted to it, it becomes the most comfortable, convenient, delightful, and healthful article of apparel to our spiritual being that we ever wore; and above all, it proves to be to us, in the time of battle, an impenetrable coat of mail. No sword, spear, nor missile of the enemy has ever pierced it. Therefore we all should be the more eager to put it on, and keep it on; for it is indispensable to our safety and protection.

I have seen some specimens of ancient coats of mail that were exceedingly bunglesome and heavy, which must have rendered the warrior very weak in everything but the defensive; but the beautiful garment of humility is easy and light (Matthew 11:29-30), and is equally helpful in the offensive and defensive. Without it we are both helpless and useless in our Christian warfare.

Let us remember that this Bible humility cannot be made by human effort. It is divine, and furnished us as freely as salvation. In his epistle to the Colossians the apostle speaks of a “voluntary humility,” which we are warned against. This is the counterfeit, and has the appearance of the genuine in many respects. In the text (Colossians 2:18) it will be noticed that this false humility is associated with the fleshly mind. Instead of it being a true humiliation, it is a vain puffing up and exaltation. It has a form of will-worship, but it is generated by a spirit of self-pride, and finds a productive soil in the hearts of the unsanctified. Some of the very proudest hearts are covered up with this false humility, making much of forms and exterior appearance, but lacking the true humility of heart.

Dear reader, let us be sure first that we have a clean heart; then put on the true Bible humility, which can only be found under the mighty hand of God.