Little Red Book Ministry

2. Avoid false humility

Tozer goes on to write:

Another habit not quite so odious is belittling ourselves. This might seem to be the exact opposite of boasting, but actually is the same old sin traveling under a nom de plume. It is simply egoism trying to act spiritual. It is impatient Saul hastily offering an unacceptable sacrifice to the Lord.

Self-derogation is bad for the reason that self must be there to derogate. Self, whether swaggering or groveling, can never be anything but hateful to God.

Boasting is an evidence that we are pleased with self; belittling, that we are disappointed in it. Either way we reveal that we have a high opinion of ourselves. The belittler is chagrined that one as obviously superior as he should not have done better, and he punishes himself by making uncomplimentary remarks about himself. That he does not really mean what he says can be proved quite easily. Let someone else say the same things. His eager defense of himself will reveal how he feels and has secretly felt all the time.

The victorious Christian neither exalts nor downgrades himself. His interests have shifted from self to Christ. What he is or is not no longer concerns him. He believes that he has been crucified with Christ and he is not willing either to praise or deprecate such a man.

3. Don’t be a “respecter of persons”

A Christian must not only be concerned with how he presents himself, he must also be concerned with how he approaches others. We are to give honor to whom honor is due, but we are not to go beyond and give honor to persons of high estate that is not due to them. When not in their position of honor they are to be considered as no better or no worse than any other person.

For instance, if a man is a judge in his secular life we should treat him with the respect due to a judge when he is in his courtroom. However, when he comes to church, the usher should not ask another man to move just so the judge can sit in his favorite pew. In the church he is just one out of the many children of God present.

Ephesians 5:21; 1 Timothy 5:21