Humility
Disciple's Guide to a Humble Life
A Free E-mail Bible Study



Ford Madox Brown (British Pre-Raphaelite painter, (1821-93), 'Jesus Washing Peter's Feet' (1852-56), oil on canvas, 1167 x 133 mm, Tate Gallery, London.

Humility has been studied lots of ways. In this study we'll do our best to derive from the actual teachings Jesus and his apostles what it means to be a humble person.

I've struggled with pride all my life. God has gifted me with multiple talents, which I have sometimes mistaken for my own superiority. Oops. So God has had to humble me in multiple ways, making me sensitive to a quest for humility.

As I began my study of humility in the Gospels, I was amazed that Jesus taught on humility so often. I found that has two basic teachings about humility.

  1. We must humble ourselves, or God will humble us. On the other hand, God will exalt the humble.
  2. The greatest disciple is one who humbly serves others.

Jesus taught each of these truths not once or twice, but three or four times each! -- in different contexts, parables, and teaching moments -- not counting parallel accounts in the Synoptic Gospels. These teachings are not peripheral, dear friends, but core guidance for every disciple.

This study is Scripture-centric. We'll go deep, and as we do we'll pray that God will change us to have softened and humbled hearts. My goal is to get you to grapple directly what Jesus and his apostles teach in Scripture about humility in such a way that this encounter will change your life.

Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

As I've probed more deeply, I've learned that humility is the fountainhead of a whole group of Christian virtues, all interdependent and contributing to humility. Conversely, pride is the driving force behind many vices. We'll be examining these virtues throughout the Bible so we can discern what a truly humble life looks like.

Along the way we'll explore some of the basic questions, often misunderstood. For example,

  • Is meekness or humility really weakness?
  • What is the line between healthy pride and sinful pride?
  • Is ambition as sin? How about competition?
  • Can pastors, police officers, and presidents be truly humble, or does humility get in the way of their roles?
  • And much, much more.

Together, we will journey through God's Word to learn what humility really is, how to detect pride's early warning signals, and how to become truly humble disciples of our Master. I hope you'll join me.

This new study is possibly the most thorough Bible study on humility available anywhere. Your pastor will want this study (or the book version), since humility is so core to the Christian life. I preached on humility recently, and estimate that there are easily 20 different teachings or sermons on humility available in this material.

Humility: Disciple's Guide to a Humble Life, by Ralph F. Wilson
Paperback, PDF, and Kindle formats

Here's a brief outline of the study:

  1. The Basics of Humility
  2. Examining the Humility of Jesus
  3. Humbling Ourselves and Being Exalted
  4. The Greatness of Humble Service
  5. Humility and Leadership
  6. The Humble Lifestyle (Titus)
  7. Humility and Living Together in Harmony

Detailed Table of Contents to see exactly what will be covered.

Comments from those who completed the study:

"The way in which the questions were formed allowed me to view the issue of humility in ways that I had not done before." -- Constance Hatchett, Pennsylvania

"Systematic study of ... what the Bible says about humility." -- Tom Dixon, Kansas

"Set me on the path I needed to be on." -- Mos Uluicicia, Australia

"Challenged to take a deeper look at my heart and the things that motivate me as a servant of God." -- Jennifer Cowan, New York

"Highly-detailed, informative review of all facets of humility.... Forced self-examination. I have not seen such a study before." -- John Johnson, California

"Recommended for seminary teachers as well as senior church pastors who are responsible for teaching their church members and fellow ministers. Well-designed both theologically and academically ... sound." -- Gesese Shiferaw, Ethiopia

"Spoke to me on a personal level and clarified misunderstandings." -- Mary Nardone-Smith, New Jersey

"Beyond my expectations ... life-changing." -- Jodie Morris, Montana

"Leads on a deep path that demands our attention and our application in daily life. Seven weeks, daily reflections. It is intense." -- Jeanne Djaballah, Canada

"Exceptional." Carol Newman, Michigan

"The depth of the material encourages me, because sometimes teaching in our evangelical churches can be, not always, shallow." -- Tom Weitzel, USA

"I've been challenged to think out of the box and to learn new things, especially in regard with how we usually estimate humility as an ingredient of life and not as a weakness." -- Corneliu Telegaru, Australia

"Struck by the common-sense aspect of this study. So simple, profound, and logical." -- Sylvia B., Canada

I invite you to journey with me and thousands of brothers and sisters world-wide through a study humility together. Here's how we'll study.

  • Each Saturday I'll e-mail you the lesson for the week. Then you'll read the Bible passage and use my notes to help you understand it better.
  • You can respond to discussion questions using the Joyful Heart Bible Study Forum -- and read others' answers to reinforce your own understanding.
  • With each lesson you'll receive a link to this material in audio form. Some who learn better from hearing than from reading really appreciate this.
  • Then on Saturday, I'll send you the next week's lesson.

Why don't you sign up right now -- and then encourage some of your friends to sign up and study along with you. You will receive the first lesson this coming Friday.

Sign up now!

To sign up, start by clicking on your e-mail frequency preference:

You'll receive your first lesson the Friday after you sign up. There is no cost to participate in the study, though donations are encouraged so we can create more studies and reach more people.

We respect your privacy and never sell, rent, or loan our lists. Please don't subscribe your friends; let them decide for themselves.

Please don't sign up for more than one of my Bible studies at one time. There's no penalty, but each of them is pretty intensive. If you try to do too many studies at the same time without adequate reflection, you'll miss out on God speaking to you.

Humility: Disciple's Guide to a Humble Life

Copyright © 2024, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor@joyfulheart.com> All rights reserved. A single copy of this article is free. Do not put this on a website. See legal, copyright, and reprint information.