Part 4 of 8 Qualities of the Heart That Resists Error
To find ultimate truth, you need humility.
If we want to know the truth about the big questions of life, we must pay attention to the state of our soul, not just our worldview. This series examines eight soul qualities that make us immune to false teaching. To begin the series see the first quality, Devotion to the True God. If you are up to speed, read on for part 4.
4. Humility
The true, saving gospel both exalts and humbles believers. It exalts by revealing that God created us in his image with dignity and purpose, that he loved us enough to give his beloved Son to die on the cross for us, that we will reign with Jesus Christ in the coming age over a recreated earth-paradise. The gospel says we are headed for nothing short of eternal glory, shining like the sun in our Father’s kingdom.
But the gospel also humbles completely. You cannot be saved without first believing humbling things. According to the gospel, before you come to faith in Christ Jesus you are an evil being deserving nothing from God but eternal condemnation. You cannot justify yourself before God on the basis of your good deeds, niceness, and religious involvement. You cannot save yourself. On your own you cannot even decide to seek the Lord; he must draw you to himself and convict of sin. You cannot believe in Jesus or repent of sin unless God gives the ability. From beginning to end you are completely dependent on him for salvation. (See Romans 3:9–28.)
On these points, false teaching often leaves the tracks. False teaching twists the gospel to appeal to our proud desire to justify ourselves, to earn God’s acceptance. When advertisements tell consumers they deserve a luxury item, sales improve. In pride we want to deserve what we have; we resist grace. But Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” No one will be able to boast before God. No man will be able to credit himself for his salvation. It takes humility to accept the truth of the gospel.
Vast Bible knowledge alone will not keep you in the truth if your heart is wrong. Religious leaders of Jesus’ day knew much about Scripture, but they rejected him. Proud people misread and misuse God’s Word. They make it a tool in the pursuit of proud purposes. Therefore it is unsafe to follow a proud Bible teacher or be a proud Bible student.
We find safety and truth only in humility, for God “leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way” (Psa. 25:9). With humility, the greater our Bible knowledge the more we give glory to God and depend entirely on him for understanding.