Be Clothed with Humility

Introduction

In 1 Peter 5:5–7, the apostle deals with the issue of pride and humility. Every child of Adam is, by nature, a child of the devil. Therefore, he is proud and thinks he is God. Such a person says in his heart, “There is no true and living God.” Such a person may even acknowledge his own pride, calling it the sin that made Lucifer the devil. But if he does not humble himself, God will deal with him most severely. God opposes the proud.

Every child of Adam is conceived in sin, born a sinner, and practices only sin. Such a person is, by nature, arrogant, and will oppose God and God’s people. On his own, he will not humble himself and believe in Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the whole world. If anyone does not believe in Christ, he is arrogant. God opposes such people.

Proud people will not pray the sinner’s prayer: “Lord Jesus, have mercy upon me, a sinner.” These people, these sinners are dead—dead toward God but alive in the sewer of every form of evil. The Bible gives a clear understanding of the arrogant. Arrogant people are nothing but grass and falling blossoms, dying every day. All of us come from the womb dying, but, in our arrogance, we pretend that we are gods.

Yet there is hope for arrogant sinners. Because of God’s great love and rich mercy, he causes the elect sinners to be born again by a miracle of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:4). As a result, such people will humble themselves, and repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Having believed, they will henceforth follow Jesus, hearing and doing his will in humility. By the grace of God, they will work out their salvation with fear and trembling. And such people will clothe themselves with humility. They will be obedient to God—the Creator and Redeemer God, the infinite, eternal, unchangeable triune God, the omnipresent, all-seeing, almighty God, the only Savior and Judge of the whole world. And not only will they be obedient to God, but they will also be obedient to God’s delegated authorities. The true and living triune God rules this world through three basic institutions: family, church, and state.

In the family, children must obey their parents. This is the first commandment in terms of human relations: “Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Exod. 20:12). Children must obey their parents, the wife must submit to the husband, and the husband must submit to Christ and give an account to him.

In the church, believers are to submit to and obey their elders, overseers, and pastors, who are appointed by Christ and accountable to him. The Hebrews writer exhorts, “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no [profit] to you” (Heb. 13:17).

In the state, citizens are to obey the will of God and submit to God-established authorities (Rom. 13:1–7). Their authority comes from God, as Jesus clearly stated: “‘Do you refuse to speak to me?’ Pilate said. ‘Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?’ Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above [from God]’” (John 19:10–11).

God judges all people who are proud and do not humble themselves and obey God and his delegated authorities. But those who are born again by the Holy Spirit will humble themselves and live for God’s glory and for their eternal joy. Paul writes, “For the kingdom of God [i.e., the rule of God] is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).

Younger Ones, Submit to the Elders

Peter first addresses younger believers and tells them to submit to the God-appointed elders of the church: “Young men, in the same way be submissive to the elders” (v. 5). It is an imperative in the Greek text, which means it is a command of the one who builds his church, even Jesus Christ, who has received all authority in heaven and on earth.

Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, says the same thing in his epistle to the Philippians: “Polycarp . . . calls upon younger men to submit themselves ‘to the presbyters [elders] and deacons as to God and Christ.’”[1]

Think about it. When you disobey your parents or your pastors, you disobey God and Christ because your parents and your pastors have no authority except the authority that is given to them by Christ. Therefore, we oppose those who say that pastors have no authority.

Why are the youth especially addressed? It is because they are more headstrong, strong-willed, and stubborn. They have less life experience. The psalmist says, “Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord” (Ps. 25:7).

There are more Cains and Esaus than Abels and Jacobs. So younger ones need to learn submission to God and his delegated authorities. They need to be tamed for their eternal good. Reflect on what happened to some of your own young people who stopped serving God. Where are they? They are living in sin now and will be damned forever unless they repent.

True freedom comes when we submit to God and his delegated authorities. In this epistle, Peter repeatedly uses a certain term that means “submit”:

• 1 Peter 2:13: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men.”
• 1 Peter 2:18: “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.”
• 1 Peter 3:1: “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.”
• 1 Peter 3:5: “For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands.”
• 1 Peter 3:22: “[Jesus Christ] has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.” Everyone is in submission to him.
• 1 Peter 5:5: “Young men, in the same way be submissive to [your elders].”

What about you? Are your children walking in the counsel of God? We read in Psalm 1:1–2: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” He is doing this to find out what God wants him to do. “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” I am a blessed man because my parents taught me to obey them.

Jesus delighted in the fear of God. He submitted to God and resisted the devil. In his temptation, he quoted Scripture and obeyed his Father. He resisted the devil and the devil fled. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and Scripture. He was controlled by them. He always obeyed his Father. He never sinned. So we read about him in Psalm 40:8: “I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” Elsewhere he said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work’” (John 4:34). Jesus also said, “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him” (John 8:29).

All Saints Must Submit

Peter continues, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another” (v. 5). God demands that not only younger people, but all his children, young and old, both those in authority and those under authority, who confessed Jesus is Lord, be clothed with humility as they relate to one another. Paul says the same thing: “Submit to one another in the fear of Christ” (Eph. 5:21, Greek text).

All interpersonal relationships must be governed by humility, fear of God. So we read:

• Romans 12:10: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
• Romans 12:16: “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited,” arrogant.
• Acts 20:19: “I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews.”
• Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
• Philippians 2:3–4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

We should emulate Jesus in his humility. Paul writes, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:5–8).

Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. All God’s people must put on the apron of humility, clothing themselves in it, and wash each other’s feet and drying them, which was the work of a slave. Jesus himself did this deliberately, as we read:

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. . . . When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:3–5, 12–17)

            Elders must submit to all under them. Parents should hear and do valid requests of their children. All people must submit. Elders are to exercise their authority, but only to care for the sheep under their charge—feeding, guiding, protecting, comforting, and disciplining them.

We can learn from Jesus. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28–29).

The question is not who is the greatest. The question should be, who is like Jesus, the suffering Servant. Jesus himself said, “Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:44–45).

Let me assure you, a proud person seeks his own glory. But, in truth, all glory belongs to God alone, as we read: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Rev. 4:11).

Reason for Humility

Why should we submit ourselves to one another?  Why should we be humble and serve one another? Let me give you one reason: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (v. 5). We need no other reason. In the Greek, the meaning is that God always opposes the proud, who harden their hearts as Pharaoh did. Yet he also always gives grace to the humble. The Syro-Phoenician woman and the praying publican received grace.

True people of God live by grace. What is grace? Grace is unmerited favor. We merited eternal death; grace gave us eternal life. We merited hell and God gave us heaven. We merited condemnation, but God gave us eternal salvation. Peter is quoting Proverbs 3:34: “He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.”

What is our true need? Is it more money, more power, more degrees, or a bigger house? No. What we truly need is more grace, and God gives grace to the humble. And James says that God gives us more grace (Jas. 4:6–7). Paul also writes about this: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Cor. 12:9).

How do we get grace? We must pray in humility and faith to our heavenly Father. The Hebrews writer says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16). Paul writes, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8–9).

If God opposes the proud, who can oppose God? The answer is, no one. God always wins. As you read the book of Revelation, you will notice that the devil and the arrogant do not win. This is a warning to all those who are proud.

Only those who are humble and under authority will be placed by God in authority to rule. We read in Matthew 8:8–9: “The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, “Go,” and he goes; and that one, “Come,” and he comes. I say to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’”

How do we live in humility now? We must by faith see God in all his glory. Suppose you are driving and you see a police car and hear the sirens. You will be very careful. So think about seeing by faith the eternal, all-holy God in you and around you. When you do so, you will work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

Obedience is the only rule for the people of God who by faith see God. We are in God and God is in us. In Exodus 20 we read, “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance” (Exod. 20:18). We also read, “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning’” (Exod. 20:20).

Why do people sin? The answer is, they do not fear God. They do not fear and tremble because they do not see God as he is. The catechism asks, “What is God?” And answer is, “God is a spirit—infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” When we do not see God as he is, we see ourselves as the god and king of the universe.

In Hebrews 12:21 we read, “The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am trembling with fear.’” It was not just the people who trembled; Moses himself was trembling with fear. (PGM) This is what we should do at home, in the church, and everywhere: we must see the invisible God by faith (Heb. 11). When we do so, we will work out our salvation with fear and trembling with exact, immediate, and joyful obedience to God.

Paul writes, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” And in light of this truth of the exaltation of Christ and the submission of all to him, Paul continues,  “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:9–13).

Therefore, Humble Yourselves

Now Peter gives us another command: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand” (v. 6). “Therefore” is there for a reason. What is the reason? It is found in the preceding verse: God opposes the proud. We can never win by opposing God and his delegated authorities. God always wins and the lying, cheating, arrogant proud people always lose.

Thus, the better policy is to humble ourselves before God. Tremble and obey. Look above, and by faith see the mighty hand of God. God’s almighty hand, defeated Pharaoh. It dried up the Red Sea, drowned the Egyptian army, killed all murmuring Israelites, dried up the overflowing Jordan, and defeated all the armies in Canaan.

Humility before God is the best policy. May God help us all to go home and practice humility.

God Lifts Up the Humble

“Humble yourselves . . . that he may lift you up in due time” (v. 6). In his time, God will lift up all who are humble. In time,  Joseph became prime minister. In time, the three Hebrew children were delivered from the fire and were promoted. In time, Daniel was delivered from the lions’ den and was promoted.

God lifts us up in his time. Therefore, wait for him. Do not murmur; rather, praise him. He will lift you up, even in this life, but especially when Jesus comes again. Even now, we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Paul writes, “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).

God the Father exalted his Son, who humbled himself to accomplish our redemption. He was crucified, he died, and he was buried. But God raised him up on the third day, as Peter himself declared on the Day of Pentecost: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear” (Acts 2:32–33).

Cast Our Cares on Him

Just as God did not forget his Son, he also does not forget his humble saints. In due time, he will exalt us. So Peter counsels us, “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you” (v. 7).

The word for “cast” means to throw something to someone. Who is the someone we are casting our cares to? He is none other than our God, our divine burden-bearer. In the Greek, “cast” stands for a single, deliberate act. It is an act of faith that requires effort and focus. What are we casting? “all our burdens.” We are to cast all our burdens, our worries, our cares, our anxieties to our heavenly Father in Jesus’ name.

The psalmist says, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Ps. 55:22). This is what Hezekiah did. “Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord” (Isa. 37:14–15). He was casting his burden upon the Lord. And what did the Lord do? He sent one angel, who killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers. Sennacherib went home, and his sons killed him as he worshiped idol gods in the temple of Nisroch (Isa. 37:36–38).

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall. Jesus said the same thing. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? . . . And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. . . . So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’. . . Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:25, 28, 31, 34). And he said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33). 

God Cares for Us

Why should I cast my cares on the Lord in prayer? The reason is, as it says in the Greek, “to him is the care for you.” God cares for us. The psalmist said, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall lack nothing.” Our job is to tell God our problem; his job is to care for us.

Our God does not sleep or slumber. He is Jehovah Jireh; he always sees our needs and provides. He is our Good Shepherd, our Savior, our Lord, our King, who defeated all his enemies. To him belongs all authority and power. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He rules his universe.

We all have worries, fears, and burdens. God speaks to us through this verse to tell us, “Do not worry. Instead, pray. I care for you.” This is spiritual logic. Consider the following verses:

• Isaiah 43:1–3: “But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.’”
• Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you” to fight the battles. The pillar of fire and pillar of cloud, with us always, and “he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
• Philippians 4:6–7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
• 2 Corinthians 1:8–11: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.”
• Genesis 22:8, 13: The young Isaac had a question for his father Abraham: “We have everything for sacrifice except the lamb.” He did not know he himself was to be the lamb. So we read, “Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son’” (Gen. 22:8). God provided a ram caught in the thicket (Gen. 22:13). And, in time, God provided his only begotten Son as our Redeemer.
• Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
• Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will [prosper you].”

A proud person will never humble himself or pray unless God changes him. He will not cast his cares upon the Lord. But consider the example of the synagogue ruler who came to cast his care on Jesus. What was his burden? His twelve-year-old daughter had just died. So we read, “While [Jesus] was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, ‘My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.’ Jesus got up and went with him,” and he raised the twelve-year-old girl from the dead (Matt. 9:18–19, 25). Jesus raised this girl up from death, just as he raised up the dead son of the widow of Nain and, later, the dead Lazarus. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life. He cares for us. What is the proof? He died to redeem us. He never stops caring for us and he does so in life, in death, and forever and ever.

Saints, cast your cares upon the Lord, because he cares for his people! By his wounds, we are healed (1 Pet. 2:24). We are healed now, and we are healed forever and ever. May God, therefore, help us humble ourselves and to cast all our cares upon the Lord, for he cares for us.

[1] Edmund P. Clowney, The Message of 1 Peter, The Bible Speaks Today series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1988), 209.