The Low Go High – The Humble Will be Elevated by God 

By Greg Grotewold 

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. – James 1:19, ESV 

There are some passages of Scripture that require, if we are to apply them as God intends, assistance from the theologically-trained. They are deep, nuanced, and ripe for gross misinterpretation if imprudently handled. James 1:19 is not one of them. The average layperson, like you and me, can read the short verse and immediately come away with its aim. We are to listen more than we talk and not become easily angered. It’s no more complicated than that. 

Or is it? While at face value, the verse is in fact easy to comprehend. It’s not perplexing or abstruse. We don’t need a Bible scholar to tell us what James is getting at. However, it can be mistakenly applied – if not slightly misinterpreted – if certain subtleties go unnoticed. Two come to mind and only because of my own past failures in recognizing them. 

The first pertains to simplicity itself. While the ambiguity-free nature of the verse is a good thing, my level of intellectual comfort with it poses a certain trap. I’m beginning to learn how easily I can convince myself into believing that knowing is doing. Somehow my familiarity with the passage creates a false sense of adherence to it. It’s as if I take the command for granted and somehow conclude I’m a good listener even though there is evidence to the contrary. The fact is, knowing is not doing; they are not one in the same. Acting on a verse is a separate exercise from comprehending it, and obedience requires both. James makes this perfectly clear a few verses later. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (v. 22, ESV). 

The second regards the doing part. Even if I accurately understand the passage and recognize there’s a difference between knowing and doing, that does not mean the action I take guarantees adherence. 

How we “do” James 1:19 matters. It’s more than the mere absence of talking. Through pure grit, I can force myself not to speak and force myself to audibly hear the words another shares. But that is not what James has in mind. Truly hearing someone is fundamentally about the heart, not the ears, for the passage tells us to be quick in doing so. If I am quick in executing something, it means a certain desire exists. With proper listening, there is a desire to truly know the thoughts of the other and not for some retaliatory purpose. There is an eagerness in knowing what’s on their mind so that care can be offered, whether it be assistance, empathy, affirmation, or just a safe place to vent. It’s not that good listeners don’t speak; they do. It’s just that the words spoken propel not deter the conversation, further enabling the other to be more fully heard and thus known. 

If that which above is the mark of obedience, I have work to do. Too often my aim isn’t to encourage, edify, or empathize but to fix, direct, instruct, defend, admonish, and at times even attack. Clearly, I’m not consistently obeying James 1:19 and am beginning to understand why. It’s because I’m not consistently obeying Philippians 2:3. Paul writes, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (ESV). I seek in the context of a conversation to fix, direct, instruct, defend, admonish and attack – in other words, listen poorly – because I carry into it this fundamental belief that I have more to offer. I intellectually exalt myself over them. While it hopefully does not manifest itself that abruptly, that is exactly what is happening in the far recesses of my heart. And it’s nothing more than putrid self-righteousness. I hate it and so does the Lord, for such self-importance kills dialogue and damages relationships. 

How do I combat this deeply ingrained pride? How do I truly see others, per Paul’s instruction, as more significant than myself? It’s becoming increasingly clear. I must with greater frequency empty myself of myself, which requires that I with greater frequency reacquaint myself with myself. In other words, I need to be reminded of the gospel and the fact that had Jesus not mercifully and providentially redeemed me, I would be utterly lost and destined for eternal wrath. There is absolutely nothing I did to secure such favor. Nothing. It was the gracious hand of a free and sovereign Lord who rescued me. A daily contemplation of this reality I trust will help buckle the legs of the pedestal on which I am perched. 

Such leveling is crucial, for pride is the most dangerous of sins. It’s not only the harbinger for all others but the one transgression that causes me to think I’m God. And as you can gather, there is no greater assault on His glory than someone like me trying to steal it. As you can also gather, He will oppose me when I do (James 4:6). For at the very moment I exhibit such self-importance, I become in His eyes the exact opposite and subservient to the person with whom I am speaking. I devolve into the antithesis of what I’m betraying and forfeit my significance. Though not by choice, the high will go low and be strong-handed into fulfilling the verse. While the Lord’s admonishment may seem harsh, in reality it’s an act of incredible love. He knows that without such correction I will continue to forgo the blessing He deeply desires to lavish upon me.        

It obviously will go far better for me if I am the one who initiates such lowliness, not God. As James 4:6 also points out, the low go high. When I humbly submit, He will elevate me. The difference between self-elevation and His elevation of me is important to understand. When the Lord does so, it’s based upon His worth, not mine. In other words, His value is imputed to me. I don’t know how all of this  happens, but it is as glorious as it is mysterious. I am a glad beneficiary of such astonishing grace. 

May we be quick to go low in our conversations with others. If we do, God will greatly bless both participants. 

Greg lives in Oakdale, Minn. with his wife, Sandi, and their two sons, Luke and Eli. He is a deacon in his local church and greatly enjoys serving in this capacity.