Worm Theology, Pharisees, and Uriah Heep: False Humility in Christianity Still Misleads Us

Three faces of false humility: The Worm, the Pharisee, and Uriah Heep.

I have seen some interesting arguments and discussions down through the years on the in matter of the present moral/spiritual condition of the believer.

Let me ask you a question. "Are We Evil?" or "Do I have an Evil, Wicked Heart?"

The answer to that question will determine a great deal about how you live and function in this world.

Christians have been wrestling with this tension for 2000 years. On the one hand, we realize that apart from Christ, we are utterly sinful. On the other hand, in Christ, we realize that we have been made righteous, adopted into God's family, and are empowered for holiness.

And then you have the choice!

Some choose to live as if only the first half is true. They are always crawling in the dust and never lifting their eyes heavenward to see what God has made them in Christ. Others live as if only the second half is true. They forget their own sinfulness and stand tall in self-righteousness. They congratulate themselves as not being like other men and they look down on others.

Both of these approaches are distortions. Both have deep historical roots and both are alive and well in the church today. There is a biblical truth that needs to be held in this matter. It is a truth in tension.

There have always been these two extremes. Let's look at them in a bit more depth:

1. The "Worm" Theology Extreme - This language comes from the old hymn, Amazing Grace, by John Newton. "Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?" I have read quite a bit after the Puritans, and one thing in particular has struck me (among others). The Puritans, like Richard Baxter, and Thomas Watson often spoke in deeply self-abasing terms. I have never thought the goal of such language was to paralyze the believer with a sense of their own ungodliness, but rather to magnify God's mercy. If I am so low, then God (and His grace) are very high to love and help. In time, however, that language can harden into an identity...an identity that is not altogether healthy: "I am, and always will be, nothing but a worm." The focus on the sin's depth can sometimes eclipse the reality of the new life that we have in Christ.

2. The Pharisee ("I thank thee") Extreme - On the opposite end of the mindset extreme is the "I am better than thee" idea (Luke 18:11). This is a self-righteous spirit. Outwardly moral and inwardly proud. Throughout history this has been seen in monastic legalism, in rigid separatist movements, and in modern church cultures where holiness is measured by confomity to man-made standards rather than the fruit of the Spirit.

   
   
   
   

You may be thinking in your mind, why some people gravitate to one extreme or the other. Let's consider this for a moment.

The "Worm Theology" appeals to some because it feels safe to always be low. Pride seems impossible when you are always confessing that you are nothing. However, some people do not seem to realize that one can be proud about their humility! Other people gravitate to this experience because it can be used as a reason to avoid taking a stand against wrongdoing: "Who am I to judge? I am just as bad." In some cases, it’s a response to a deep moral failure — people retreat into perpetual guilt.

The Pharisee Spirit Appeals to some because It gives a clear sense of superiority — “I am on the right side.” Some people feed/thrive on comparison — others’ failures make us feel better about ourselves. The pharisee spirit can also mask insecurity — boasting in standards rather than in Christ. People are afraid to let others see the "real them." Their supposed superiority is a mask that hides the unlovely truth.

Both are counterfeit forms of humility or holiness. Both are rooted in self — one in self-condemnation, the other in self-congratulation.

By the way, there is actually one other aberration of Christian experience that I would like to mention. It is a unique and very destructive aberration. I call it the HEEP Extreme. Have you ever met this one?

The “Heep” Extreme – False Humility in Christianity as Manipulation

Charles Dickens captured this idea/illustration of false humility in Christianity perfectly in David Copperfield through the character of Uriah Heep. Heep constantly described himself as “very ’umble” — but his humility was a mask. Behind the self-abasing words lay bitterness, envy, and a desire for control. Heep’s humility was not genuine, but manipulative.

In church life, this spirit shows up when people wear worm language like a badge of honor. They make a spectacle of self-loathing, not to magnify God’s mercy, but to draw sympathy, lower expectations, or subtly gain leverage over others. It is humility-as-performance. In reality, this is just pride in disguise — the pride of appearing more “humble” than others.

The “Heep” spirit is dangerous because it confuses the community of faith. A Pharisee says, “I am better than you.” A Worm says, “I am worse than you.” But a Heep says, “I am lower than you — and therefore you owe me.” All three extremes keep the focus on self instead of Christ.

What Is The Biblical Reality?

Humble and Righteous

The Bible refuses to let us take either extreme. It teaches that Apart from Christ – “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). However, it also teaches that In Christ, we are – “made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Additionally, the Bible declares that we, as believers are Still in the flesh, and that – “The flesh lusteth against the Spirit” (Gal. 5:17).

The Puritans, at their best, held all three truths together. John Owen wrote, “We are more sinful than we know, yet more loved than we can imagine.” For them, self-examination was never an end in itself — it was the path to deeper joy in Christ.

At its core, this subject deals with the true nature of man. Biblical anthropology is a doctrine that must be understood for a healthy approach to life. The dangers of either extreme to your mental, spiritual, and social well-being are great. Error in understanding = dysfunction in practice.

The Dangers of an Unbalanced View

When you live in only one half of the truth, the results are destructive:

If you live primarily with a Worm Theology, you may find that it eventually leads to spiritual paralysis: “I’m hopeless, so why try?” In its extreme form, it may make you have an unwarranted, negative, and sour opinion of others. “Everyone’s just as bad as me.” Therefore, I do not like people, and I am suspicious of them.

This personal extreme philosophy undermines joy: grace is always seen as rescue, never as empowerment. This idea — “we’re all wicked” — often gets pulled out in certain contexts by the "worm" crowd, and it’s important to see why:

This method of life is sometimes used:

1. To Equalize Sin – People will say, “My sin is no worse than yours,” even when the sins in question differ greatly in seriousness or impact. This tends to blunt the need for repentance. For others, this way of life is used,

2. To Avoid Accountability – Leaders who fall morally sometimes hide behind it: “We’re all sinners, so who are you to judge me? After all, I am just a worm.” When challenged concerning some matter, this ideology can be used,

3. To Silence Confrontation – in disputes, it can be a quick way to shut down a rebuke: “You’re just as bad as me.” Additionally, some "worms" may use this tactic,

4. To Justify Inaction – If everyone is equally wicked all the time, then pursuing holiness feels pointless.

This view of life isn’t always used maliciously — sometimes it’s simply lazy theology. But used wrongly, it distorts the gospel’s call to real growth and victory over sin.

If you live primarily with the Pharisee Theology you can become judgmental, always measuring others against yourself. This mindset can also encourage hypocrisy: outward obedience, inward corruption. Another negative consequence of this philosophy is that it replaces the gospel with moral performance.

Neither of these extremes produces the fruit of the Spirit, because both keep the focus on self instead of Christ.

So then, how are we to live?

We MUST:

Walk in the Biblical Balance

The New Testament calls us to a richness, a fullness, of experience:

We must:

1. Confess the truth about our sinfulness – We still stumble (1 John 1:8).

2. Rest in the truth about our righteousness – We stand complete in Christ (Col. 2:10).

3. Pursue holiness with confidence – Grace trains us to deny ungodliness (Titus 2:11–12).

4. Restore others with gentleness – Galatians 6:1 warns us to remember our weakness.

   
   

The believer is not just a forgiven worm nor a moral Pharisee. He is a new creature in Christ — humble because of what he was, confident because of what Christ has made him, diligent because the Spirit is at work in him.

The early church fathers warned against pride in holiness and despair in sin. The Puritans, when they were most biblical, embraced both deep humility and strong assurance. The apostles held our unworthiness and Christ’s worthiness together without contradiction.

If we keep both truths — our need for grace and our new life in Christ — we can walk in humility without despair, in righteousness without pride. Anything less is an unbalanced gospel.