Humility: Its Horizontal & Vertical Relationship

The Apostle Peter knew well what he was discussing in his epistle to the persecuted believers (I Peter). He referred to them as “strangers (or aliens) in the world, scattered about” in I Peter 1:1. The recipients of this book were under trials and had the possibility of more coming their way. Instead of telling them, as we would hear from leaders in our day, to stand up for their rights, Peter told them about humility. This he expressed in chapter 5:5-6. Within these verses, we may see the vertical and horizontal relationship of humility that is to be expressed in our lives as Christians.

Incidentally, Peter himself had been schooled by Jesus on this issue. Examples of the lessons learned by Peter regarding humility may be found in Luke 22:31-33 (he claimed he would go to prison and even death with Jesus when in reality, he would deny Christ not once, not twice, but three times); and in John 13:8 (a false projection of humility is seen when he proclaims to Jesus, “You shall never wash my feet,” to which Jesus replied, “if I do not wash you, you have no part with me”).

So by the time that Peter was penning his first epistle, he was able to give clear direction to the persecuted believers. We see that first in verse 5, the believer is to possess HORIZONTAL humility. This simply means that we are to be humble towards one another. The word “towards” denotes mutuality. We are to wear (as we would a garment) humility, which is modesty and humbleness of the mind about ourselves and about others. May we seek to have a mutual humility with all believers that we encounter – whether they are young or old in the Lord, or whether they agree or disagree with us on certain issues.

And then it may be seen that the believer is to have VERTICAL humility. This is seen in verse 6, where it says “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.” God is above us, and mighty. He is totally other than us, and therefore, we are to recognize that our correct position is beneath him, under His hand (which is a symbol of His power and might). This may be applied to your daily life – in that when you pray, when you read the Bible, and when you go to church, you recognize your need for God. In all things may we seek to know our great need for the Almighty!

Once we have the vertical and horizontal aspects of humility, it is evident that blessings will come from it. Peter said that “God gives grace to the humble” and that when you humble yourself, “He may exalt you at the proper time.” How exciting to know that humility brings about grace (God’s unmerited favor in our life) and proper exaltation. Of course, I tend to believe that this proper exaltation involves us exalting God in a great way! Think about Peter’s life, who in tradition, was crucified upside down, “because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord was” (from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs).