11 Questions to Determine if Your Humility is Actually False Humility

The Bible calls us to be humble (James 4:10, 1 Peter 3:8). Nobody I know strives to be arrogant, but some believers are actually prideful in their humility. Here are some questions to determine if that’s the case in your life.

1. Do you ever talk about your humility? I don’t need to explain this one. If you talk much about striving to be humble, you probably aren’t that humble.
2. Do you “lovingly” point out the ego of others? Folks who constantly see arrogance in others are often themselves quite arrogant.
3. Do you often preface sentences with “I hope this doesn’t seem arrogant, but . . . .”? Just that phrase usually says something about where our heart is; it essentially says, “I’m not arrogant now, but I want you to know something great about me.”
4. Do you draw attention to yourself by your expressions of humility? Some years ago, I knew a young couple who refused to stand in church because of the depth of their depravity. Every time everyone else stood, they drew attention to themselves.
5. Do you ever pray something like, “God, thank You for helping me be humble”? I wouldn’t even include this one, except that I’ve heard folks pray similar prayers.
6. Do you ever bow your head “humbly” when introduced, but secretly love hearing your accolades described? Maybe only God sees through your façade, but your humility is still false.
7. Do you ever publicly and “humbly” grieve your sin, but choose to cling to it anyway? If so, the humility of your grief is not likely genuine. Believers who cling to sin are idolaters, and idolaters are not humble.
8. Do you ever “humbly” drop names of people you know? I’ve heard it done something like this: “I don’t know why God would grant me such opportunities, but ___________ is my friend.”
9. Are you serving in a lowly position now, but assume that it’s just a matter of time before you’re better known? Leaders who use lowly positions as stepping stones are often proud.
10. When you share your testimony and talk about God’s grace in your life, are you more often the center of the story? It happens—we gratefully recognize that God has been gracious to us, but talk more about ourselves than about Him.
11. Have you decided that this post has nothing to say to you? If so, it’s possible that you’ve already crossed the line into arrogance.

What is your evaluation of your own life?