Jesus once said, “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matt. 23:12).  I have often said that I would much rather humble myself than make the Lord do it because He can surely lower me lower than I can lower myself.  Likewise, I’d rather the Lord exalt me than attempt to exalt myself because, again, He can do a much better job in that regard than I can.   The good news is if we humble ourselves instead of compelling the Lord to do it, He will in some way exalt us.  James said, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:10).

Of all people who should understand this principle, Bible believers should certainly be the ones, especially those who call themselves teachers of the Word.  Surprisingly, preachers and pastors are the ones who violate this principle of humility the most.  This is done in many ways but none more ostentatiously than the heaping upon themselves special titles that separate them from the common man.   Many wear the title Reverend in religious circles today.  The word reverend means “worthy of reverence,” and reverence denotes “profound adoring or awed respect.”  Thus, when a man wears the title “Reverend,” he is telling you that he demands profound adoring and deserves to be revered.  And now the title, Reverend, is not even good enough for some.  They title themselves “Right Reverend,” Most Reverend” or “Very Reverend.”  This is a flagrant example of self-promotion and exaltation, especially when you consider the fact that only God truly deserves profound adoration and awe.  In Psalms 111:9 the Bible says about God, “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant forever: holy and reverend is his name.”   Only the man blinded by the desire for or love of power would dare apply to himself a term used to describe God.

The wearing of religious titles was non-existent in the New Test-ament.  Paul never wore a title that separated him from his brethren.  Peter and the other apostles never exalted them-selves in such a way.  The only ones who did were the Jewish leaders of that day who were condemned by Christ (Matthew 23:1-12).  Jesus condemned the wearing of titles such as Rabbi, Master, or Father.  Why?  Because, religiously speaking, Christ, is our only Master, and God is our only Father.  The rest of us in the church are simply brethren.  Even legitimate terms such as pastor, preacher or bishop were never worn by first century Christians as titles.  These terms are used in the Bible, not as titles to be worn, but simply as terms that describe what a man or group of men do.  A pastor is a man who has been appointed by the local church to tend the flock.  A bishop is the same as a pastor and the term simply denotes a different function of the office.  The term pastor denotes the job of feeding the flock and the term bishop denotes the job of overseeing, but neither is ever worn as a title.  Peter was a pastor (he is called an elder in 1 Peter 5:1, a third term that describes the same office as the words pastor and bishop), but he wasn’t “the Pastor” and is never so called.  Again, none of the leaders of the first century church ever wore titles that distinguished them from other members of the church.

The wearing of religious titles that are meant to exalt men is sinful.  It is sinful for men to confer upon themselves such titles, and it is sinful to give men titles.  If you wear a title, you should ask yourself why and then you should get rid of it.  If you belong to a church that calls a man by some exalted title, you should leave that church and find one that doesn’t exalt man.  The church of Christ is such a church.  Faithful churches of Christ are made up of elders, deacons and saints (Philippians 1:1), and no one wears any religious title.   Why?  Because to do so is a violation of truth and therefore God’s will.  We should all have the spirit of Job when he said, “Let me not, I pray you, accept any man’s person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man.  For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away”  (Job 32:21-22).