Something has caught my attention in recent days as I have thought and written about pride and humility. Is there such a thing as false humility? Is it possible that, by drawing attention to our spiritual failures, we are admitting guilt rather than being humble about our weaknesses?

Confession of our faults to a trusted friend is one thing but airing our failures in public is something different.

Paul counsels his Corinthian readers not to receive God’s grace and then ignore it.

2 Corinthians 6:1 NIV
[1] “As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.”

“God’s grace is God’s unmerited favor toward us. One of the greatest ways He shows us grace is through the forgiveness of our sins after our heartfelt repentance and submission to God’s laws. But this verse warns we can “receive the grace of God in vain.” This essentially means we can begin to live in such a way that nullifies the grace we have received. The Bible is clear that we must obey God in order to receive His grace (Romans 6:1-2, 14-15).”
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By harping on our failures as though they show how humble we are, we are exposing our disobedience to God’s word by not availing ourselves of his grace.

Let’s look at Paul’s life and witness to see how this worked out for him.

Paul both admitted his failure, on occasion calling himself the worst of sinners, (although he was referring to his pre-conversion life), and spoke of his spiritual growth as an overcomer.

He penned the story of his struggle with the flesh in Romans 7. However, this chapter is neither a show of humility nor an admission of guilt. It is a description of his progress from struggling to understand his old nature and its hold on him to the discovery of victory through the power of God’s grace in Christ.

Much of his understanding of God’s grace in salvation and sanctification came through his own experience. So, he could write more than once, “We know…” Paul neither denied his weakness nor used it as an excuse not to apply God’s grace in his own life through obeying God’s Word.

He unashamedly testified to those times when he advanced in knowledge and experience to overcome the power of his old nature and grow in God’s grace.

Philippians 3:12-14 NIV
[12] “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [13] Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

I love Paul’s attitude. “I’m not there yet but I’m sure doing everything I can to get there!”

At the end of his life, in anticipation of his reward, he said to Timothy, and to us who read his letter…

2 Timothy 4:6-8 NLT
[6] “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. [8] And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”

Paul’s humility lay in his confession, “I’m not there yet…” and his testimony, “I’ve completed my assignment.” The two together make up the story of his life.

What about us? Are we telling the truth or drawing attention to a false humility when we speak of our failures? Do we accept our weaknesses and avail ourselves of God’s grace to overcome or do we hide behind our weaknesses as an excuse for our failures?

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT
[8] “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. [9] Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. [10] That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

As our quote reminds us, God provides all the grace we need when we obey His word.