Humility, when it is thought of, is thought of as an add on here and there, but not really all that necessary. We know that we are not to be proud, and so we think we are humble if we are not overly proud. But humility is so misunderstood in our day that it is most likely not even recognized. Yet it is utterly necessary for true spiritual life. It is utterly necessary for Bible study and for prayer. Dare it be said that it is utterly necessary for true preaching? We live in a day where it is thought that we are to fill our heads with knowledge by studying the Bible, ask God for the things we want, and then practice the Bible by going to church, being moral, and perhaps a few other good things. But we miss the utter necessity of humility to do those things in truth.
James 1:21 – “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”
Daniel 10:12 – “Then he said to me, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.'”
In the verse in James above we see the need to receive the word in humility. In Daniel we see how that being humble before God in prayer is necessary. It is probably rare for us to recognize the pride in our hearts when we study the Bible and pray or do religious things. We don’t understand how wicked our hearts are in our pride to presume to go to the Scriptures in order to understand them and do so in reliance upon our intellect and ourselves. The Scriptures can only be understood when God gives us understanding by grace. How dare we think we can understand any spiritual nugget apart from Him? Do we really think that we can understand spiritual things by simply studying it as unbelievers do their books? If one wants to understand the message of God in the Bible, the soul must be humbled first and foremost.
Studying the Bible is nothing more than an act of pride in many cases. We go to it in pride as if we can understand it apart from the grace of God and we go to it to gain an understanding of something so we can appear spiritual in the eyes of others. In other words, we go to it in pride and are trying to learn something for the sake of our pride. In that case we are seeking ourselves rather than God and as such we are idolaters in our Bible study. We would not argue that the Pharisees were wicked and sinful men in their seeking themselves in their religious activities, but we don’t realize that we are just like them when we seek ourselves in our Bible study. The Pharisees sought the honor of men in what they did, but so do we when we want to impress others with what we have learned.
We are also idolaters in our Bible study because we study out of self-love rather than love for God. One can also study the attributes of God and many other things simply out of self-love. The point is that the truly humble soul will study the Scriptures out of love for God with a desire for God and His glory. The proud do Bible study in order to exalt self and to obtain honor for self in spiritual things rather than a desire to love God. That is nothing more or less than to bow before the shrine of self and do homage to self. Proud preachers study the Bible in order to develop a sermon in order to gain honor for their knowledge or perhaps their piety. Preachers study their Bible so that they can present something at a conference in order to get others to think highly of them. That is idolatry as well. This is to say nothing of the fact that they are to preach out of love for His glory and honor rather than their own. This is one reason that there is so much spiritually weak preaching today. Preachers are full of themselves seeking things for themselves and as such they do not preach in His power. The Great Commandment is to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. If we do Bible study out of the strength or energy that comes from anything else other than love for God, we are doing it for pride and self and as such we are idolaters.
We commit idolatry when we do our Bible study when we look to self rather than grace. The believer is to live by grace and understand that s/he can do nothing apart from grace. The works that a believer does must be understood as having their root in grace and not as a work for something. Whatever we do that is not in humility is done in pride. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. God opposes our Bible study and our preaching when they are done in pride rather than in humility seeking Him. Our most cherished religious actions are idolatrous unless we are humbled first. It is not enough just to do them because just doing them is most likely pride. We must set our hearts to humbling ourselves before God that He would truly humble us and show us grace to His glory.
God Loves... Himself 
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