“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31, ESV)
“Humbly” Arguing in Circles
There is a tendency in the church today to misunderstand how to debate with humility. The surrounding culture has repeatedly accused the church of arrogance because we “think we have all the answers” or because we “claim to be the only ones who are right.” So, as a result the church has tried to take on a posture of humility. Rather than saying, “This is the way it is…” they say, “This is what I think it is…”
On one level, the culture sees this as an act of humility, fitting in with their individualistic worldview. They believe everyone has the right to hold to their own “truth” that lies deep within them. So, when a Christian says, “This is what I think it is…” the surrounding culture feels right at home in that conversation. They also have the opportunity to say, “This is what I think it is…” The conversation doesn’t end up going anywhere because there is no standard of truth beyond the individuals.
Holy Spirit Boldness
Yet, as I think about this trend, I can’t help but ask: How many times in the book of Acts does it say, “The Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and they said, ‘This is what I think it is…’ or ‘They spoke with uncertainty and timidity.’”? It never happens. In reality, the repeated refrain throughout the book of Acts is when the Holy Spirit indwells a group of people, He brings boldness right along with Him.
As Peter and John spoke to the crowds, people saw their boldness (Acts 4:13). After Peter and John were released from prison, the church prayed for more boldness (Acts 4:29) and the Holy Spirit filled them with more boldness (Acts 4:31). The apostle Paul is repeatedly spoken of as speaking and preaching boldly (Acts 9:28; 13:46; 14:3; 19:8; 26:26; 28:31). The repeated refrain throughout the book of Acts is that the people of God spoke and proclaimed His Word with boldness.
Thus Says the Lord
It is not arrogant for Christians to hold firmly to the Word of God and speak it with boldness. Since we believe our Bibles are breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16) and inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21), we also believe that it’s true and the foundation of all truth. When we speak and teach from the Bible, we must make sure to rightly understand what it is saying, then speak it with confidence and boldness—not saying, “This is what I think…” but, like the prophets of old, “Thus says the Lord…” or, in a more modern way, “This is what God says…”
Humble Boldness
This is not arrogance. It is actually the most humble thing we can do. It would be arrogant to put ourselves in the position of God, asserting that WE are the ones who decide what is true. That is the epitome of arrogance.
However, humility is placing ourselves in submission to God, trusting what He says, and then asking the Holy Spirit to give us boldness to proclaim this truth. As we can see from the book of Acts, the Lord loves to answer this prayer, and pours out the Holy Spirit in abundance, repeatedly giving boldness to his people. So, read your bibles, ask the Holy Spirit to give you understanding and boldness in speaking the truth, then go out and preach the gospel with that boldness.