Casper Milqetoast was a cartoon character from my early childhood. As his name sounds, milk toast, so was his character. Casper became an antihero. He was always humiliated by life’s bullies. He was someone no one wanted to be.
The Greek term for humility is Tapeinos. Throughout the New Testament, God’s children are exhorted to be like our Savior, Jesus Christ:
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,” (Phil 2:5-6)
Lawrence O. Richards, in his Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, defines humility:
“Tapeinos represents a person’s proper estimate of himself in relation to God and to others.” (p. 347)
In James, the first epistle written after our Lord’s ascension, sinful human nature was already prevalent among believers in the church. James notes that the ultimate source of sin is not Satan or the fault of others. It is our need for the Word of God to penetrate our souls. James called this “the salvation of the soul,” and it comes through knowing and doing God’s will (cf. 1:21; 5:20).
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, linked the attitude of humility with a humble lifestyle, comparing the humility of Christ (Phil 2:1-5) with his own humility (chapter 4:10-14). The comparison between attitude and lifestyle is essential to understanding biblical humility.
Mentioning his humility in 2 Corinthians 11:7 was difficult due to the nature of his relationship to the brethren there and the types of schisms that existed. His relationship with the Philippians was warm and affectionate. When he stated that he was humble (Phil 4:12), he did not expect to receive a rebuttal. The use of the Present Passive Infinitive expresses this confidence.
The term “know” (oida) appears twice in Philippians 4:12. In both instances, it is Perfect Active Indicative referring to action completed in the past with continuing results. In our vernacular, we would say, “I have learned from experience.” However, this is different than saying, “I am still learning from experience.” This is conveyed in Philippians 3:15-16:
“Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.”
The first epistle by Peter was written approximately eighteen years after James’s epistle, during a time of great persecution. Many Christians were being martyred. Under such circumstances, the natural reaction would be to fight back, even if it means breaking the law.
In its historical context, this epistle presents God’s overarching superintendence of every event under the sun. Chapter 4 concludes with a call not to panic in the face of fiery ordeals, reminding his readers that even when they were suffering wrongfully, they still need to do what is right (4:12-18). Chapter 5 concludes with an appeal to every believer to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. (5:6-11).
In Romans chapter 12, Paul presents a vivid picture of humility without mentioning the term. Both the attitude of humility and acts of humility are applied to the Church. (cf. v. 12:3ff.)
It is important to note that humility occurs four times in the New Testament in our relationship to God. The outstanding and abiding principle regarding biblical humility is: Biblical Humility is knowing and doing God’s will.
(For the full word study, see )