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James 4:10
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
All people will ultimately weep and mourn in relation to their sin. This is true even of those who never come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus warns us that among us there are “weeds,” those who actually belong to the devil and love their sin. On the last day, they will be cast “into the fiery furnace,” where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” in sorrow and anger over their enduring judgment for never renouncing their sin and resting on God’s promises in Christ (Matt. 13:36–43). The only way to escape mourning on that day is to mourn over our sin in true repentance before we die. Such repentance occurs decisively in our conversion, wherein the Holy Spirit moves us to mourn our sin and renews our hearts so that we are steadfastly committed to Jesus in faith. Until the presence of sin is removed from us in our glorification, however, Christians sometimes stumble back into behavior that is in keeping with friendship with the fallen world. Therefore, repentance characterizes the whole of the Christian life. Those who have truly been born again will mourn their post-conversion sin and repent, though their repentance is not always immediate (1 John 1:8–9).
This ongoing repentance is part of the humility to which James has been calling us (James 4:1–9). Only Christian humility can bring harmony and peace, ending the conflict that occurs in the church when we follow our ungodly passions (vv. 1–5). This is because we cannot achieve godly harmony with others apart from God’s grace, and God gives His grace only to those who humble themselves. This does not mean groveling before other people or viewing ourselves as worthless in comparison to others; rather, humility means accepting the truth about ourselves—that we are weak and dependent and can do nothing of ultimate value apart from Christ (John 15:5). It requires confession of our sin and drawing near to God to serve Him and His people (James 4:6–9).
Selfish pride is the antithesis of humility and is the way of the world (1 John 2:16). If we seek to exalt ourselves at the expense of others, we will produce only strife, and we will not enjoy a lasting exaltation anyway. But if we humble ourselves, God will exalt us (James 4:10). John Calvin comments: “We emulate and envy, because we desire to be eminent. This is a way wholly unreasonable, for it is God’s peculiar work to raise up the lowly, and especially those who willingly humble themselves.”
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
God made human beings with the purpose of exalting them as rulers over creation who govern it to His glory. Thus, we have a built-in desire for exaltation, though it has been twisted by sin and perverted (Ps. 8). The only way to lasting exaltation, however, is to humbly submit ourselves to the Lord. John Calvin writes, “Whosoever, then, seeks a firm elevation, let him be cast down under a sense of his own infirmity, and think humbly of himself.”
For further study
- Proverbs 22:4
- Isaiah 66:1–2
- Luke 18:9–14
- 1 Peter 5:6–7
The bible in a year
- Deuteronomy 12–13
- Mark 13:32–14:9