Life Is Designed to Flop without Humility

We need to say more about humility. It creates healthy teams. It builds harmony in communities. It creates leaders people trust. It builds churches that thrive. It is one of the defining characteristics — if not THE defining characteristic — of deep spiritual transformation. Lasting good is done by humble, lowly people. “God blesses the humble” (James 4:6).

We need to say more about arrogance. It is a killer. It destroys a leader’s credibility. It undermines trust. It ends marriages. It takes down churches. It is one of the defining characteristics — if not THE defining characteristic — of a lack of deep spiritual transformation. The good done by arrogance is quickly swept away. “God opposes the proud” (James 4:6).

For the last few months, I’ve been working my way through the greatest spiritual growth manual in the entire New Testament: Paul’s letter to the Colossians. I’m just beginning to share with my spiritual and faith community the fruit of those months of work reading, praying over, listening to, and taking in these instructions about transformative Christian spirituality.

The more I read Colossians, the more I see evidence of Paul’s profound transformation. There was a time when arrogance gripped him. It marked his spirit. It created repulsive attitudes. It made him cringe-worthy. Religion became comparative sport for him.

---

Thank you for checking out Compass and being interested and passionate about spiritual formation. The purpose of the Compass Spiritual Formation Newsletter is to journey deep into spiritual formation country, helping you find the way to spiritual growth and a deeper life with Jesus. Sign up for a free subscription to stay in the loop and keep the conversation growing.

---

What Paul Said

Here are a few things he confessed about those moments when arrogance was out of control in his life:

“I was a much better Jew than anyone else my own age" (Galatians 1:14).

Who notices that? Hearts full of arrogance notice things like that.

“I have more reason to brag than anyone else” (Philippians 3:4).

Who says that? Prisoners of arrogance say that.

To be fair to Paul, these words of Paul are confessional words. He is looking backward to the kind of person he had been. We can be grateful that he is bold enough, honest enough, and full enough of the Spirit of Jesus to let us see his backstory.

By the time he writes Colossians, Paul is no longer the same person. He would have been virtually unrecognizable to people who knew him when arrogance gripped his heart and mind. Here are a few examples:

He introduces himself to the Colossians as a sent person:

Paul, a messenger of Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:1).

He is no longer self-motivated and self-directed. He is acting under orders, acting on behalf of someone else. No longer the master, he has been mastered.

He identifies the intended community for this little letter:

to the holy ones, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ (Colossians 1:2).

He now knows he is not the only holy or faithful one. There exists a growing community of men and women living under Jesus’s influence. He is merely part of something much bigger than himself.

He then describes a dramatic shift in his attitude:

We always give thanks to God...for you..." Colossians 1:3

No longer comparative or competitive, he has been freed from a critical spirit. He can’t quit feeling—and expressing—gratitude for these men and women who chose to follow Jesus when there were a hundred easier options for them in their region of the world.

Previously, he had been on a race to the top. It looked, many times, like he might win a medal. But having found a savior, Jesus, and having been filled with a spirit, the Spirit of Christ, he was on a race to the bottom. There is hardly greater evidence of the transforming power of Jesus at work in a person’s life.

---

If you liked this spiritual formation post, consider sharing it with a friend, a Bible study, or a family member. Gift subscriptions help your friends and family become part of the community.

---

When I think of the genuine change in Paul’s heart, I can’t help but think of a statement by Augustine:

“It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes [people] as angels.” Confessions

I don’t know if Paul was becoming angelic; he was certainly becoming Christ-like!

Consider a paid subscription to get practices and resources that will help you find a deeper, more transformative life with Jesus. In this section for paid subscribers, you’ll discover how to read scripture contemplatively so as to better assess and investigate how humility is an integral part of your identity.