This is our weekly article examining an aspect of the Judaeo-Christian faith.

Modern society is based around a culture of self-esteem.  Whatever happens to make us feel good in the moment is the highest order of the day. Hence we get the abolition of winners and losers, and the advent of moral relativism.  Our highest consideration is to ourselves, with no room for God our other people.

A lot of this affliction comes from post-modernism (the belief there is no determinable reality) which has changed the definitions of ‘arrogance’ and ‘humility’ to mean ‘conviction’ and ‘doubt’, respectively. Through post-modernism our sense of humility has shifted from humility towards ourselves, to doubt of the greater truth. As G.K. Chesterton (1874 – 1936) predicted in 1908:

” What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of  ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was  meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed.  Nowadays the part of a man that a man does assert is exactly the part he ought not to assert — himself.  The part he doubts is exactly the part he ought not to doubt — the Divine Reason. . . . The new skeptic  is so humble that he doubts if he can even learn. . . . There is a real humility typical of our time;  but it so happens that it’s practically a more poisonous humility than the wildest prostrations of the  ascetic. . . . The old humility made a man doubtful about his efforts, which might make him work harder.  But the new humility makes a man doubtful about his aims, which makes him stop working altogether. . . . We are on the road to producing a race of man too mentally modest to believe in the multiplication  table.”

 The Bible urges us to pursue humility. C.S. Lewis (1898 – 1963) once observed that humility is “not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” It requires us to take our personal thoughts and feelings out of a situation in order to act selflessly for others.  When we humble ourselves, God exalts us.

John Chrysostom (c. 349 – 407AD) once observed that “humility is the root, mother, nurse, foundation, and bond of all virtue.” They key to true humility is subordinating yourself totally to the command of God. Never be afraid to fall on your knees in the presence of God.