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.
Pie chart of e-mail subscribers as of 19 Aug 2024 = 1,219.
This is truly an international Bible study.

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.

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.

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. This new study will begin on Friday, September 13, 2024, and continue for 7 weeks.

Sign up now!

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

You'll receive your first lesson on Friday, September 13, 2024. 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.