Humility
The teachable, submissive, God-reliant heart that opens the way to grace, revelation, and the lifting hand of the Lord.
What Humility Is
Humility is not a low opinion of oneself, nor is it weakness, timidity, or self-contempt. It is something far deeper and far more powerful: a heart that is teachable, submissive to God, and willing to be led. The humble soul recognizes its dependence upon the Lord and yields to His will. Humility is, in the truest sense, the opposite of pride — for where pride insists on its own way, humility bends gladly to the way of God.
King Benjamin gave the clearest definition of the humble heart in all of scripture. The natural man — proud, self-willed, resistant to God — must be cast off, and in his place must come the disposition of a trusting child.
“For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”
To be humble is to become as a little child — trusting, meek, willing to be taught and corrected. It is not to think less of oneself, but to think of oneself less, and of God more. This childlike submission is the soil in which every other Christian virtue takes root.
God Resists the Proud but Gives Grace to the Humble
Scripture draws a sharp line between two kinds of people, and the Lord deals with each according to the posture of the heart. To the proud, who trust in their own strength, God offers resistance. To the humble, who trust in Him, He pours out grace and lifts them up.
“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. … Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
There is a striking exchange here. The proud man clings to himself and finds God standing against him; the humble man lets go of himself and finds God lifting him up. The very thing pride is reaching for — exaltation, strength, standing — is given freely to the one who stops grasping. And to those who walk humbly, the Lord promises not only to lift them but to guide them personally:
“Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.”
Here is the great promise: humility is the condition of revelation. The Lord leads the humble “by the hand” — intimately, tenderly, step by step — and answers their prayers. Pride deafens; humility opens the ear of the soul to heaven.
Choosing Humility Before Being Compelled
There are two roads to a humble heart. Some are humbled by circumstance — brought low by affliction, loss, or compulsion until they have no choice but to look to God. Others choose humility freely, bowing their hearts before they are forced to bend. Alma taught the poor among the Zoramites that the second road is the more blessed.
“And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word? … Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.”
The compelled and the willing may both arrive at humility, but the willing receive the greater blessing, for they have given God their hearts as a gift rather than surrendering them under duress. Wise is the soul who chooses to be humble while the choice is still his own — who softens before sorrow has to soften him.
Christ, the Perfect Pattern
Humility is not merely a commandment Christ gave; it is the very character He embodied. The Lord of all the earth described Himself not as mighty or exalted, but as gentle and lowly, and He invited the weary to learn of Him.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
Paul described the staggering depth of that humility — the descent of a God who held nothing of His glory back from sacrifice, but emptied Himself entirely in obedience.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant … he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
And when the resurrected Lord appeared to the Nephites, His first words declared the obedient humility that defined His whole ministry — that He had drunk the bitter cup the Father gave Him and submitted in all things to the Father’s will.
“And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.”
If the Creator of heaven and earth made Himself of no reputation, took the form of a servant, and submitted to the Father in all things, then humility is no demeaning thing. It is the very mind of Christ — and to grow humble is to grow like Him.
The Strength Humility Brings
The world imagines humility as weakness. Scripture teaches the opposite: humility is the very doorway to divine strength. When we humbly acknowledge our weakness before God, He does not leave us weak — He transforms us.
“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”
Notice the divine logic: God gives us weakness on purpose, that we might be humble — and humility unlocks the grace that turns weakness into strength. The proud man, refusing to admit his weakness, forfeits the very power that would heal it. The humble man, owning his weakness before God, becomes a vessel for the strength of heaven. Humility, then, is not the absence of strength but the condition of it.
The Gateway to Grace
Gather the witnesses together and a single, luminous truth emerges. Humility is the heart that becomes as a child, submissive and teachable. It is the disposition that God meets not with resistance but with grace. It is the choice the wise make before affliction can compel it. It is the very mind of Christ, who emptied Himself and submitted to the Father in all things. And it is the doorway through which weak things are made strong.
Far from being weakness, humility is the most powerful posture a soul can take. The proud stand alone on their own crumbling strength; the humble are led by the hand of God, lifted up by His grace, taught by His Spirit, and made strong by His power. Pride builds walls between us and heaven; humility tears them down.
So the invitation of all scripture is the invitation of the Savior Himself: learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart. Bow the heart willingly. Become as a little child. Acknowledge your weakness and your need. For the Lord has bound Himself by promise to every humble soul — that He will give grace, lead by the hand, answer prayers, make the weak strong, and at the last lift the humble up.