Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less

Posted on July 3, 2014 by jamesbradfordpate

WINTERY KNIGHT

I have been getting into disagreements with the woman I am mentoring in apologetics, where she has been telling me that accurate assessments of my strengths are “proud” and that I need to be more humble. So I thought I would explain what I take humility to mean.

Here’s something from J. I. Packer:

“Being humble is not a matter of pretending to be worthless, but is a form of realism, not only regarding the real badness of one’s sins and stupidities and the real depth of one’s dependence on God’s grace, but also regarding the real range of one’s abilities.Humble believers know what they can and cannot do. They note both their gifts and their limitations, and so are able to avoid both the unfaithfulness of letting their God-given powers lie fallow and the foolhardiness of biting off more than they can chew.”

— J.I. Packer, “A Passion…

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About jamesbradfordpate

My name is James Pate. This blog is about my journey. I read books. I watch movies and TV shows. I go to church. I try to find meaning. And, when I can’t do that, I just talk about stuff that I find interesting. I have degrees in fields of religious studies. I have an M.Phil. in the History of Biblical Interpretation from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. I also have an M.A. in Hebrew Bible from Jewish Theological Seminary, an M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School, and a B.A. from DePauw University.
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3 Responses to Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less

  1. laurieanichols says:
    July 3, 2014 at 4:05 pm

    I like this because I think that being humble is an issue for many people and it might be because the word humble is a little bit misunderstood. 🙂

    Like

  2. jamesbradfordpate says:
    July 3, 2014 at 4:07 pm

    Good point.

    Like

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