Daily Devotional Details

Date

Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5 (NIV)

Evangelical Christians need to listen to the criticisms of those who do not like us, and one of these criticisms is that we are arrogant.

That is a terrible accusation because the very essence of being a Christian is that we have come to see our utter and desperate need of the mercy of God. The whole point of the gospel is that, by definition, it excludes boasting.

If the gospel said, “You will be saved by becoming a good person,” then we might have something to be proud of. But that is precisely what we do not believe. Nobody will be saved by being a good person. That’s why the Bible says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith… not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).

Humility is the first sign that a person has understood the gospel. So the issue of humility is crucial not only to our spiritual lives but to our witness to the world.

Respond to this statement: “Humility is the first sign that a person has understood the gospel.” What is your gut reaction to this?