Preparation for Heavenly Living Correspondence School

http://www.geocities.com/bibleloverbill

PFHL Course 142-- Study About Pride and Humbleness-- 14 pages

(by Bill Stevenson)

Directions: Respond to the Bible verses and passages as indicated. I have tried to not include
the controversial verses on this subject. This assignment is worth 2 units, so write
at least 2 quality pages.

Pride--
Note: Pride= “An undue sense of one's own superiority, arrogance; conceit”.
Results in boasting.
Arrogant= “Full of or characterized by excessive pride or self-esteem; overbearing;
haughty.”
Conceit= “Excessive self-esteem or vanity.”
Boast= “To extol the deeds or abilities of oneself or of another; brag; to be excessively
proud.”

Look at the below verses in this first section and determine

if pride and the other key words in its definition
are negative or positive in God's view.

David said to God,

“And You will save the afflicted people,
but Your eyes are on the proud,
whom You bring low.” (2 Samuel 22:28)

The Word of the LORD concerning Sennacherib,

“Because of your rage against Me,
and because your arrogance has come up into My ears,
even I will put My hook in your nose, and My bridle in your lips.
And I will turn you back by the way in which you came.” (2 Kings 19:28)

God told Job,

“Pour forth the rage of your wrath;
and behold everyone who is proud
and abase (humiliate) him.
Look on everyone who is proud,
and bring him low;
and tread down the wicked in their place.” (Job 40:11-12)

David sang,
“Blessed is the man who
makes Jehovah his trust and
does not turn to the proud,
nor to those who turn aside to a lie.” (Psalms 40:4)
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Asaph sang,
“For I was jealous of the proud,
when I saw the peace of the wicked.” (Psalms 73:3)

Asaph sang,
“I said to the proud,
'Do not boast';
and to the wicked,
'Do not lift up the horn;
do not lift up your horn on high;
nor speak with a stiff neck.'” (Psalms 75:4-5)

David sang,
“O Jehovah,
my heart is not proud,
nor my eyes lofty;
nor have I walked in great things,
nor in things too wondrous for me.” (Psalms 131:1)

Solomon said,
“These six Jehovah hates; yea, seven are hateful to his soul:
a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that plots wicked plans, feet hurrying to run to evil,
a false witness who speaks lies, and he who causes fighting among brothers.”
(Proverbs 6:16-19)

Solomon said,
“'I, wisdom, dwell with sense, and find out knowledge of discretions.
The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil;
I hate
pride, and
arrogance, and
the evil way, and
the wicked mouth.'” (Proverbs 8:12-13)

Solomon said,
“In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride,
but the lips of the wise shall keep them.” (Proverbs 14:3)

Solomon said,
“Jehovah will destroy the house of the proud,
but He will set up the border of the widow.” (Proverbs 15:25)

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Solomon said,
“Before shattering,
the heart of man is proud, and
before honor
is humility.” (Proverbs 18:12)

Solomon said,
“A proud and haughty man
scorner is his name,
he acts with arrogant pride.” (Proverbs 21:24)

“Enter into the rock and hide in the dust for fear of Jehovah,
and for the glory of His majesty.
The lofty looks of man shall be humbled,
and the pride of men shall be bowed down,
and Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day.
For the day of Jehovah of Hosts shall be
on every proud and lofty one, and
on every lifted up one;
and he shall be brought low.” (Isaiah 2:10-12)

“And Jehovah says,

'Because the daughters of Zion are proud (or haughty),
and have walked with stretched out necks and wanton eyes,
walking and mincing as they go,
and making a tinkling with their feet;
therefore Jehovah will strike with a scab
the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,
and Jehovah will make their secret parts naked.” (Isaiah 3:16-17)

“So Hell has enlarged itself,

and opened its mouth without measure;
and their glory, and their multitude, and their pride,
and he who rejoices in her,
shall go down into it.” (Isaiah 5:14)

God said,
“And I will visit evil on the world, and their iniquity on the wicked.
And I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease,
and will lay low the pride of tyrants.” (Isaiah 13:11)

“We have heard of the pride of Moab;

He is very proud-- even of his vanity and his pride, and his rage;
not so are his babblings.” (Isaiah 16:6)

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“We have heard the pride of Moab
(he is exceedingly proud),
his loftiness, and
his pride, and
his arrogance, and
the haughtiness of his heart.” (Jeremiah 48:29)

“'I have heard the reproach of Moab,

and the curses of the sons of Ammon,
with which they have cursed My people
and have magnified themselves on their border.
Therefore, as I live', says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel,
'Surely Moab shall be like Sodom, and the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah;
a possession of nettles, and salt pits, and a ruin forever.
The remnant of My people shall plunder them,
and the remnant of My people shall possess them.
They shall have this for their pride,
because they have cursed and magnified themselves
against the people of Jehovah of Hosts.” (Zephaniah 2:8-10)

“Woe to the crown of pride,

to the drunkards of Ephraim,
whose glorious beauty is a fading flower
which is on the head of the fat valleys
to those who are overcome with wine!” (Isaiah 28:1)

Daniel said to Belshazzar,

“Then Daniel answered and said before the king,
'Let your gifts be to yourself, and give your rewards to another.
Yet I will read the writing to the king, and make the meaning known to him.
O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father
a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor.
And for the majesty that He gave him,
all people, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him.
He killed whom he would, and whom he would he kept alive.
And whom he would, he set up; and whom he would, he put down.
But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride,
he was put down from the throne of his kingdom,
and they took his glory from him.
And he was driven from the sons of men.
And his heart was made like the animals,
and his dwelling was with the wild asses.
They fed him with grass like oxen,
and his body was wet with the dew of the heavens,
until he knew that
the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men,
and that He appoints over it whomever He will.
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And you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart,
though you knew all this.
But you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of Heaven.'”
In that night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, was killed.” (Daniel 5:17-23a & 30)

About the wickedness of Jerusalem,

“Woe to her rebelling and becoming defiled, to the oppressing city!
She did not obey the voice; she did not receive correction.
She trusted not in Jehovah; she did not draw near to her God.
Her rulers within her are roaring lions; her judges evening wolves.
They do not gnaw bones for the morning.
Her prophets are proud, men of deceit;
her priests have defiled the sanctuary;
they have done violence to the Law.” (Zephaniah 3:1-4)

“'For behold, the day is coming, burning like a fire pot;

and all the proud, and every doer of wickedness, shall be chaff.
And the coming day will set them ablaze', says Jehovah of Hosts,
'which will not leave root or branches to them.'” (Malachi 4:1)

the Apostle Paul writing about Jews and the Gentile Christians,
“And if some of the branches were broken off,
and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them,
and became a sharer of the root and the fatness of the olive tree with them,
do not boast against the branches.
But if you boast,
it is not you that bears the root, but the root bears you.
You will say then,
'The branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.'
Well, because of unbelief they were broken off,
and you stand by faith. Do not be high-minded, but fear.
For if God did not spare the natural branches,
fear lest He also may not spare you either!
Behold then the kindness, and the severity of God;
on those having fallen, severity;
but on you, kindness, if you continue in the kindness.
Otherwise you also will be cut off.
And those also,
if they do not continue in unbelief,
will be grafted in.
For God is able to graft them in again.” (Romans 11:17-23)

“And Mary said,

'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He looked on the humiliation of His slave woman.
For, behold, from now on all generations shall count me blessed.

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 For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
He has worked power with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart.'” (Luke 1:46-51)

“And He [Jesus Christ] said,

'That which comes out of the man is what defiles the man.
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed
evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
thefts, covetousness, wickedness,
deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
All these evil things pass out from inside and defile the man.'” (Mark 7:20-23)
the Apostle Paul wrote,
“And even as they did not think fit to have God in their knowledge,
God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do the things not right,
being filled with all unrighteousness,
fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness;
being full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, evil habits,
becoming whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, insolent, proud, braggarts,
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
undiscerning, perfidious, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful.
who, knowing the righteous order of God,
that those practicing such things are worthy of death,
not only do them, but also approve of those practicing them.”
(Romans 1:28-31)

“These are murmurers, complainers, leading lives according to their lusts.

And their mouth speaks proud things, admiring faces for the sake of gain.
But you, beloved, remember the words spoken before
by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,
because they told you that at the last time
there will be mockers according to their lusts, leading unGodly lives.
These are those setting themselves apart,
animal-like ones,
not having the Holy Spirit.” (Jude 16-19)

the Apostle Paul wrote,

“If anyone teaches otherwise,
and does not consent to
wholesome words (those of our Lord Jesus Christ), and to
the doctrine according to Godliness,
he is proud, knowing nothing.

He is sick concerning doubts and arguments,

from which comes envy, strife, evil speakings, evil suspicions,
meddling of men whose minds have been corrupted and deprived of the truth,
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 supposing that gain is Godliness.
Withdraw from such.” (1 Timothy 6:3-5)

the Apostle Paul wrote,

“Know this also, that in the last days grievous times will be at hand.
For men will be
self-lovers, money-lovers, boasters, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection,
unyielding, false accusers, without self-control, savage, despisers of good,
traitors, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
having a form of Godliness, but denying the power of it;
even turn away from these.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

“Likewise, younger ones,

be subject to older ones, and all being subject to one another.
Put on humility.
For God resists proud ones,
but He gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)

Humbleness--
Note: Humble= “having or expressing a sense of selflessness, meekness, modesty, etc.”
Contrite= “remorseful”. Broken-hearted= “overwhelmed by grief, despair, etc”.

1.) Why should you be careful and only have humble friends?
“Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
It is better to be of an humble spirit with the lowly
than to divide the spoil with the proud.” (Proverbs 16:18-19)
“A man's pride shall bring him low;
but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.” (Proverbs 29:23)

2.) What are qualities of God mentioned in these passages?

“And He shall say,
'Raise up! Raise up! Clear the way!'
Make the stumbling-block rise out of the way of My people.
For so says the high and lofty One
Who inhabits eternity;
Whose name is Holy;
'I dwell in the high and holy place,
even with the contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble, and
to revive the heart of the contrite ones.'” (Isaiah 57:14-15)
“For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,
but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man,

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 He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)
Remember Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane just before the unjust trials and the execution. By
the way, the Luke account of the death of Jesus Christ indicates that He died of a broken heart
instead of the regular causes of death in such an execution. The Resurrection of Jesus showed
the conquering of physical death which was the penalty for breaking God's Law.

3.) What are acceptable sacrifices to God?

“O Jehovah, open my lips,
and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
For You do not desire sacrifice; or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices for God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, You will not despise.” (Psalms 51:15-17)

4.) In the previous passage and the below passage, what are the qualities of humble believers?
What are their eventual rewards?
“The eyes of Jehovah are on the righteous,
and His ears are open to their cry.
The face of Jehovah is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the Earth.
The righteous cry, and Jehovah hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
Jehovah is near to the broken-hearted; and saves those who are of a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but Jehovah delivers him out of them all....
Jehovah redeems the soul of His servants;
and none of them who trust in Him shall be guilty.” (Psalms 34:15-22)

5.) How serious is human humbleness to God?

“Have you forgotten the evilness of your fathers,
and the evilness of the kings of Judah, and the evilness of their wives,
and your own evilness,
and the evilness of your wives,
which they have committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
They are not humbled to this day, nor have they feared,
nor walked in My Law, nor in My statutes
which I have set before you and before your fathers.
So Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, says this:
'Behold, I will set My face against you for evil,
and to cut off all Judah.'” (Jeremiah 44:9-11)

6.) What does humbleness supposed to lead to?

“And Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him,
'so says Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews,
How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?
Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.'” (Exodus 10:3)

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 7.) Who does God look for?
“For all those My hand has made, and all those exist, says Jehovah.
But to this one I will look, to the afflicted and contrite spirit,
and the one who trembles at My Word.” (Isaiah 66:2)

8.) The escape from Egypt to the land of Canaan could have taken a lot less time than 40
years. Relate this passage to why God allows challenges in your lives?
Moses said,
“All the commandments which I command you this day shall you be careful to do,
that you may live and multiply
and go in and possess the land which Jehovah swore to your fathers.
And you shall remember that
Jehovah your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness
in order
to humble you,
to prove you,
to know what is in your heart,
whether you would keep His commandments or not.
And He humbled you and allowed you to hunger,
and then He fed you with manna, which you did not know,
neither did your fathers know it,
so that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes out of the mouth of Jehovah man shall live.
Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell, these forty years.
And you have known with your heart that
as a man chastens his son, so Jehovah your God chastens you.
And you shall keep the commandments of Jehovah your God,
to walk in His ways and to fear Him.” (Deuteronomy 8:1-6)

9.) What was unusual about 18-year-old King Josiah and how was he blessed by God with
death?
“And Shaphan, the scribe, showed the king, saying,
'Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a Book.'
And Shaphan read it before the king.
And it happened when the king had heard the Words of the Book of the Law,
he tore his clothes.
And the king commanded
Hilkiah, the priest, and Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and
Achbor, the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan, the scribe, and
Asahiah, a servant of the king, saying,
'Go inquire of Jehovah for me and for the people, and for all Judah,
concerning the Words of this Book which is found.
For great is the wrath of Jehovah which is kindled against us,
because our fathers have not listened to the Words of this Book,
to do according to all which is written concerning us.'

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 And Hilkiah the priest and Ahikam and Achbor and Shaphan and Asahiah,
went to Huldah the prophetess,
the wife of Shallum, the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe.
And she lived in Jerusalem in the second part.
And they talked with her.
And she said to them,
'so says Jehovah, the God of Israel, tell the man who sent you to me,
so says Jehovah, behold, I will bring evil on this place and on the people of it,
all the words of the Book which the King of Judah has read;
because they have forsaken Me, and have burned incense to other gods,
so that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands,
therefore My wrath shall be kindled against this place,
and it shall not be quenched.
But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of Jehovah,
so you shall say to him,
so says Jehovah, the God of Israel, the words which you have heard,
because your heart was tender
and you have humbled yourself before Jehovah,
when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its people
(that they should become a waste and a curse),
and have torn your clothes and wept before Me,
I have heard you, says Jehovah.
Behold, even so I will gather you to your fathers,
and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace.
And your eyes shall not see all the evil
which I will bring on this place.'
And they brought the king this word again.” (2 Kings 22:10-20)
Also, read chapter 23 & 2 Chronicles 34:29-33 to see what else King Josiah did before he was
killed by the Egyptian Pharaoh in a battle near the River Euphrates.

10.) Notice the context of the often quoted verse in the USA. What does this passage actually
say should be a result of being humble?
“So Solomon finished the house of Jehovah, and the king's house.
And all that came into Solomon's heart
to make in the house of Jehovah and in his own house,
he did with success.
And Jehovah appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him,
'I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place to Myself
for a house of sacrifice.
If I shut up the heavens, and there is no rain,
or if I command the locusts to devour the land,
or if I send a plague among My people;
if My people, who are called by My name,
shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways,

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 then I will hear from Heaven
and will forgive their sin
and will heal their land.
Now My eyes shall be open, and My ears shall be open to the prayer of this place.
For now I have chosen and sanctified this house,
so that My name may be there forever.
And My eyes and My heart shall be there forever.
And you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked,
and do according to all that I have commanded you,
and shall observe My statutes and My judgments,
then I will make the throne of your kingdom sure,
as I have covenanted with David your father, saying,
'there shall not fail you a man to be ruler in Israel.'
But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments
which I have set before you,
and if you shall go and serve other gods and worship them,
then I will pluck them up by the roots out of My land which I have given them.
And this house which I have sanctified for My name,
I will cast out of My sight,
and I will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.
And this house, which is high,
shall be a wonder to everyone who passes by it,
so that they shall shudder and say,
'Why has Jehovah done this to this land and to this house?'
And it shall be answered,
'Because they forsook Jehovah,
the God of their fathers who
brought them forth out of the land of Egypt,
and laid hold on other gods
and worshiped them and served them.
Therefore He has brought all this evil on them.’”
(2 Chronicles 7:11-22)

11.) What resulted twice because the humbleness of the Israelite rulers?
“And it happened when Rehoboam had established the kingdom,
and had made himself strong,
he departed from the Law of Jehovah,
and all Israel with him.
And it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam,
Shishak, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem,
because they had sinned against Jehovah
with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen.
And the people who came with him
out of Egypt were without number:
Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians.
And he took the fortified cities in Judah, and came to Jerusalem.

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 And Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam,
and to the rulers of Judah who were gathered to Jerusalem because of Shishak.
And he said to them,
'So says Jehovah,
you have forsaken Me,
and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.'
And the rulers of Israel and the king humbled themselves.
And they said, 'Jehovah is righteous.'
And when Jehovah saw that they humbled themselves,
the Word of Jehovah came to Shemaiah, saying,
'They have humbled themselves.
I will not destroy them, but I will give them some deliverance.
And My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.'
But they shall be his servants,
so that they may know My service
and the service of the kings of the countries.'
And Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem
and took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah,
and the treasures of the king's house.
He took all.
And he carried away the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
In place of these
King Rehoboam made shields of bronze,
and gave them into the hands of the chief of the guard
who kept the entrance of the king's house.
And when the king entered into the house of Jehovah,
the guard came and carried them
and brought them again into the guardroom.
And when he humbled himself,
the wrath of Jehovah turned from him
so that He would not destroy him altogether.
And also things went well in Judah.
And the rulers of Israel and the king humbled themselves.
And they said, 'Jehovah is righteous.'” (2 Chronicles 12:1-12)

12.) What is another result of humbleness?

“I will bless Jehovah at all times;
His praise always shall be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in Jehovah;
the humble shall hear and be glad.” (Psalms 34:1-2)

13.) What are other results of the prayers of those who are humble?
“Jehovah, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will prepare their heart,,
You will cause Your ear to hear,
to judge the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that the man of the Earth may no more terrify.” (Psalms 10:17-18)
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14.) What is a divine reward for human humbleness? In your own words, what are the ways to
ways to become humble? Why can the humble Christian rejoice while the prideful rich
can't? How do you put on humility? How is one humbled under the might hand of God?
How does He lift a humble individual up and how may He exalt him or her?
“But He gives more grace.
Therefore He says,
‘God resists the proud,
but He gives grace to the humble.’
Therefore submit yourselves to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, double-minded ones.
Be afflicted, and mourn and weep.
Let your laughter be turned to mourning
and your joy to heaviness.
Be humbled before the Lord,
and He will lift you up.” (James 4:6-10)
“But let the humble brother rejoice in his exaltation;
and the rich one rejoice in his humiliation,
because he shall pass away as the flower of the grass.
For the sun rose with the hot wind and dried up the grass,
and its flower fell out, and the beauty of its appearance perished;
so also the rich one will fade away in his ways.” (James 1:9-11)

15.) Notice the order of commands in the statement about how to enter into the Kingdom of
God. Also see John 1:12. What does all that mean? What was a negative characteristic of the
Pharisees?
“At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying,
'Who is the greater in the Kingdom of Heaven?'
And Jesus called a little child to Him and set him in their midst, and said,
'Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children,
you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Therefore whoever shall humble himself like this little child,
this one is the greater in the Kingdom of Heaven.'” (Matthew 18:1-4)
Jesus Christ said,
“But he who is greatest among you
shall be your servant.
And whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased (humiliated),
and he who shall humble himself
shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11-12)

16.) How can you have humbleness of mind? Be specific. Do all of the commandments in this
passage require humbleness?
the Apostle Paul wrote,
“But now also put off all these things:
anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, shameful speech out of your mouth.
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 Do not lie to one another,
having put off the old man with his deeds and having put on the new,
having been renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision,
foreigner, Scythian, slave or freeman,
but Christ is all things in all.
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
put on
tender feelings of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind,
meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another
and forgiving yourselves, if anyone has a complaint against any.
As Christ forgave you, so also you do.
And above all these things put on love,
which is the bond of perfectness.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,
to which you also are called in one body,
and be thankful.” (Colossians 3:8-15)
“Put on humility.
For God resists proud ones, but He gives grace to the humble.
Therefore be humbled under the mighty hand of God,
so that He may exalt you in due time,
casting all your anxiety onto Him,
for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

Write a summary about humbleness.

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