Humility is not just an outward act, but rather it must come from a disposition of the heart. The natural man can feign and copy an external form of humility, but he cannot change his heart to a true disposition which loves God and abases self. He does not have that heart and so all he does from pride and self. The natural man can know that he is undone and can do nothing to save himself, but he cannot love that from his proud heart. The heart must be changed so that there is a disposition to abase self and exalt God. After all, a true love for God will lead one to repent of all that stands in the way of His glory even if it is the deepest love of self. But a new heart with the disposition to do this is an utter necessity and that is something that must come from God alone. The quote from below is from Jonathan Edwards’ Religious Affections and the longer quote can be read in the BLOG Humility 36.
“In a legal humiliation men are made sensible that they are nothing before the great and terrible God, and that they are undone, and wholly insufficient to help themselves; as wicked men will be at the day of judgment; but they have not an answerable frame of heart, consisting in a disposition to abase themselves, and exalt God alone. This disposition is given only in evangelical humiliation, by overcoming the heart, and changing its inclination, by a discovery of God’s holy beauty. In a legal humiliation, the conscience is convinced; as the consciences of all will be most perfectly at the day of judgment; but because there is no spiritual understanding, the will is not bowed, nor the inclination altered. In legal humiliation, men are brought to despair of helping themselves; in evangelical, they are brought voluntarily to deny and renounce themselves; in the former, they are subdued and forced to the ground; in the latter, they are brought sweetly to yield, and freely and with delight to prostrate themselves at the feet of God.”
In the quote above we will see some vitally important truths regarding true humility, but also things that relate to true conversion and true evangelism. Remember, from the longer quote, that Edwards says that “This is a great and most essential thing in true religion. The whole frame of the gospel, every thing appertaining in the new covenant, and all God’s dispensations towards fallen man, are calculated to bring to pass this effect. They that are destitute of this, have no true religion, whatever profession they may make, and high soever their religious affections may be.” In other words, evangelical humiliation or true humility is utterly necessary for a person to be a Christian. The disposition of the heart is changed in evangelical humility which overcomes the sinful heart of pride and self and changes its very inclinations. The unbelieving heart, even if very religious and devoted to outward works and morality, does not love to abase self and so does not love the true glory of God. But the believing heart or the heart that has been born from above has new inclinations. The heart is now inclined away from the love of self and the glory of self to a heart that loves God and His glory. The new heart is now inclined to abase self rather than exalt self as it previously did. It does this, not because it is forced to do so by some external power, but because it has now discovered the glory of God’s holy beauty. It is now ravished by true beauty and glory which is God alone.
In legal humiliation all the efforts at humility and religion still come from the old nature of pride and self. Many are too enlightened and proud to be caught up in crass immorality, so they get involved in high society, become religious, or various things that are socially acceptable. But they are still in the bondage of pride and self. All that they do comes from self. So if that heart is enlightened to some degree and that soul sees itself in bondage and sin, it will try to do certain things in order to attain to salvation. But all those are still the efforts of self and all those are still from the natural man with a natural self. All of those things are from the pride and love of self. That old heart in its pride and love of natural self must be overcome and only grace can do that. That old heart must have its disposition and its inclinations changed. In order to do that, however, the heart itself must be changed. A person must become a new creature in Christ and must become a spiritual being. This will only happen when the glory and beauty of God’s glory and holiness are seen. The natural man has no higher motive and affections than self. The spiritual man has seen the true beauty of the glory of God and so now sees the motives and affections of self as truly despicable and hideous. The spiritual one has a heart that is full of God and is ravished by Him. Surely, then, the Gospel of grace alone and the method of evangelism can be seen. If we use the methods of men in evangelism, we will end up with nothing but the natural man living the natural religious life with the old nature of pride and the inclinations of self. The Gospel is good news to those who see the sin of self because it promises a new heart by which they can love God and be turned from that hideous thing in them that is full of pride and self. If ever God opens the eyes of a soul to the horror of its pride and self, they will not be satisfied with a religion of self but will desire to be free from that and to have one that is full of God and His glory.
God Loves... Himself 
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