Living with Biblical and Theological Humility

When you’ve been in the evangelical ministry sphere for even a brief amount of time, you’ll likely notice statements like “the Bible is very clear on…” being used with regularity. As we value Scripture and its authority, sufficiency, clarity, infallibility, and inerrancy, especially as youth pastor theologians, we are prone to desire certainty. There are absolutely biblical and theological truths that we must hold to with firm resolve, such as “salvation is by grace through faith alone” and “Jesus is fully God and fully man.” 

My observation is that we usually expand beyond those primary beliefs and begin to claim that our secondary and tertiary beliefs are similarly clear. I think when we do that, we lack a type of humility that we should be marked with, and we damage our witness to the students we minister to. We can obscure the clear truths we want them to grab hold of for the sake of our personal convictions, and we can set them up for failure when they leave our churches and see a world full of diverse opinions. 

Here are several implications of what living with biblical and theological humility may look like:

Live Your Theology of Sin

I find it ironic that many in my own theological camp who hold to the doctrine of total depravity are prone to exemplify a lack of biblical and theological humility. If we actually believe that our entire being and existence has been greatly warped by our sinful nature and that we are still in the process of being perfected, then why would we assume our biblical and theological views are 100% correct? 

It’s possible for us to confidently believe that God has revealed himself through the Bible while also maintaining a humble posture, that we may not completely understand revealed in it (for more on that, consider reading Jeff Medders’ book Humble Calvinism). When we lack biblical and theological humility, we are effectively saying to students: “Everyone is sinful and needs continued growth through God’s grace - but not I’ve got it all figured out.” Let’s live integrated lives, where our theology matches our practice.

Value the Diversity God Has Created

I love Paul’s interaction with the people in the Areopagus in Acts 17. It’s a passage I frequently return to, especially when teaching students about engaging with culture, because Paul demonstrates how to proclaim the gospel in a contextually appropriate way. Instead of staying entirely focused on his own sphere of writers and thinkers, Paul recognizes the truth in a few poets the Athenians were familiar with and he respectfully addresses their areas of agreement as an inroad to proclaim the gospel. 

As we think and talk about the Bible and our theology, do we reflect this same attitude? It’s our nature to prefer those we agree with, to sort ourselves into tribes, and the algorithms guiding our online experience only reinforce that. When we live with biblical and theological humility, however, we purposefully seek out those with whom we disagree. We will place value on diverse opinions as an opportunity to learn, even if we maintain our convictions. 

Hold Our Leaders to the Proper Standard

This is not solely prompted by the latest Christian leadership scandal (and I’m grieved by the continual flow of examples). Perhaps you’ve heard someone respond to a scandal with “well, at least they preach the truth!” In these cases, their sound doctrine granted them a long leash that enabled a lack of humility, and it led to their downfall. 

Our desire for certainty has drawn us to leaders who proclaim with extreme confidence that they have the truth. These leaders are often quick to speak against those who hold different views, and discourage those following them from listening to opposing viewpoints. Unfortunately, our social media world has only driven each tribe deeper into their own pockets of Christendom. 

While it’s important to practice discernment and to shepherd our people well, the difference often displays itself in the character of the leader. Let’s remember Paul’s admonition in 1 Timothy 4:16, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” When we lack biblical and theological humility, we’re okay with a leader “on our side” acting with pride, harshness, manipulation, and all sorts of characteristics that are anti-gospel. In those instances, we have stopped watching over ourselves. When we hold our own views with humility, however, we are better equipped to hold our leaders to the standard of humility, gentleness, and love that we are all called to - faithfulness in both life and doctrine! 

Live in Obedience to Our Lord

Most simply, if we lack biblical and theological humility, we are living in rebellion to Christ’s lordship over our lives. Embracing pride and arrogance is never a Christian option. A small sampling of examples demonstrate how we are commanded to live: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Col. 3:12). “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Eph. 4:2). “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you” (Rom. 12:3). Through his grace and empowering Spirit, may we live in obedience to our Lord. 

Ultimately, living with biblical and theological humility is one way that we seek to become more like Jesus. While there are foundational doctrinal convictions we stand upon, may we grow in our comfort with holding these doctrines with an open hand. May we seek to neither let go of everything completely nor remain closed to any future growth in our understanding. This sort of teachable spirit is important to model for our students. We are still being sanctified every day, and thank the Lord that he is the one who sustains and completes it. This gives us freedom (and courage) to hold onto our convictions while walking in humility.