Welcome to our NEW September series, “Loud Ideas, Quiet Truth,” where we will explore 5 “loud” cultural ideas – widely held beliefs that everyone talks about —and learn how to think about them Biblically. Together we’ll see the quiet truth of the Bible—Scripture’s enduring relevance and stable power to meet the challenges of our loud world.

The purpose is not to explore each of these wide-ranging topics to their depths, but to broadly identify the world’s perspective on each idea, and then look to Scripture to understand it in God-honoring ways and to learn to speak about it confidently and faithfully. Consequently, we will see how applicable the Bible is to our everyday lives. 

Last week we took a deep dive into aesthetics. 

This week, we’re going to explore attitude. 

The Power of a Positive Attitude?

The word attitude reminds me of being a kid and hearing my mom tell me to “fix my attitude” when I had a bad one. She told me this because my poor attitude produced poor behaviors. Mom was right: attitude is connected to behavior and our general posture toward the world around us. 

Attitude is how we think and feel about the world; it’s our outlook, perception, or our stance toward something. Our attitudes are formed by many different things like our education, upbringing, and personal experience. This explains why a painful dentist visit can give us a negative attitude toward future appointments. Our attitudes shape how we respond to the world and experience it. Just think of the difference between a positive and negative attitude throughout the day. This is why the world pays special attention to attitudes: they have consequences for our lives. 

My husband’s work recently hosted a seminar from “The Happiness Advantage.” This course, first taught at Harvard, teaches the power of positive attitudes for success in life. This course (and the idea in general) has skyrocketed in popularity because everyone notices that positive attitudes are helpful and produce better outcomes for us–and now there’s scientific data to prove it! Living with a prolonged negative attitude has a lot of negative repurcussions–just look at the explosion of awareness, interest, and attention to mental health.

While the world teaches different ways to achieve positive attitudes, the predominant theme is to give individuals the freedom and permission to pursue what makes them happy. Happiness and good feelings lead to positive attitudes and this brings success for the individual. Yay!

But the Christian is right to ask: are these ideas biblical? How is a positive attitude achieved in a Christian’s life and is it a goal we should strive for?

The Blessings of a Christ-Like Attitude 

In Philippians 2, Paul writes:

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross,” Phil 2:3-8 NASB, emphasis mine). 

In explaining how to keep the Church unified in this section of Philippians, Paul focuses the Christian life on an attitude—the attitude of Christ, which is humility. It is a very positive attitude, but it is not achieved through a focus on self, but on others. And its purpose is not simply to achieve happiness but to please God. However, in this paradoxical formula, as we live to serve others and obey God, we experience the true happiness, peace, and contentment we are longing for (see Matthew 5:2-11).

Humility is often misunderstood. It is not about neglecting ourselves to focus on others, working until a burnout, or saying yes to everything because “we live to serve”. Humility is understanding who we are in light of who God is and consequently choosing to live His way. It is choosing God’s priorities and giving those things our attention and love. Humility is the way to foster unity because everyone will be living to love and serve each other, not themselves. And this is the way Jesus lived.

Paul Rees summarizes this idea:

“‘Don’t forget,’ cries Paul, ‘that in all this wide universe and in all the dim reaches of history there has never been such a demonstration of self-effacing humility as when the Son of God in sheer grace descended to this errant planet! Remember that never–never in a million aeons–would He have done it if He were the kind of Deity who looks ‘only to his own interests’ and closes His eyes to the ‘interests of others’! You must remember, my brethren, that through your union with Him, in living, redemptive experience, this principle and passion by which He was moved must become the principle and passion by which you are moved,’” (The Adequate Man: Paul in Philippians [Westwood, NJ.: Revell, 1954], 43. As quoted in Philippians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2001], 119.)

So, Paul is right to focus our attention on Christ’s attitude of humility. I believe humility is the lynchpin. It’s not the only attitude we have–we are also supposed to be thankful, loving, generous, etc. But it is the overriding posture of our life that keeps all other attitudes in check and will lead to happiness and joy. Think about it:

• Humility produces thankfulness because we focus on God (not self) and what He has done/is doing
• Humility frees us from selfish pride, stinginess, and trying to take credit for God’s work
• Humility gives us a heart to happily serve the Lord no matter the seeming “significance” of the task or human recognition we receive
• Humility softens our hearts to our fellow Christians so we value them, serve them, and want them to succeed 
• Humility helps us not to worry because we remember who God is (and that self is not king)
• Humility stops us from bitterness and strife because a humble person isn’t selfish or demanding

And I could go on. But look at all the negative attitudes humility keeps straight: pride, worry, anxiety, fear, anger, and bitterness. And look at how easy it is to love, serve, be joyful, thankful, kind, and hopeful when we are humble. 

Of course, we won’t have perfect humility like Jesus had, but we are still called to follow Him as He instructed:

“You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’; and you are correct, for so I am. So if I, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you. Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” (John 13:13-17, NASB, emphasis mine.)

Jesus said we will be blessed (happy) for living a humble life. And that is a pretty great motivator (as if Jesus Himself giving us the instruction wasn’t motivation enough!). 

So, what does humility look like when it is lived out? We will probably not be washing each other’s feet as was common in Jesus’ day, but consider these Biblical ways to show humility to your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ:

• Help the weaker brethren–Rom 15:1-3
• Be accepting and welcoming of each other (no cliques or popularity contests), because Christ has accepted you-Rom 15:7; John 13:34-35
• Bear each other’s burdens-Gal 6:2
• Take care of each other when you see a need-1 Cor 12:25-27
• Don’t complain about each other- 1 Pet 4:8-9
• Be kind, tenderhearted, and full of forgiveness towards one another-Eph 4:32
• Don’t just do things for others, but think about them well and esteem them–Phil 2:3

In the end, the result of a humble life is better than worldly success or financial gain. Scripture says that God will exalt the humble. In an age where everyone loves to promote themselves, gain followers, and be recognized, we will do well to heed Jesus’ teaching to his disciples not to let pride lead us astray: 

“But as for you, do not be called Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest of you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” Matthew 23:8-12 (see also, Matt 5:3; James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).

Humility results in God’s favor and blessing. God is close to the humble, gives them grace, and will exalt them in His perfect timing (Ps 138:6; Prov 3:34; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). We don’t have to strive for positivity in order to achieve worldly success, we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16) and can follow His example of humility for a blessed life. 

May we strive to have a humble attitude, and by consequence, be happy living Christ’s way this week and beyond!