article by site founder, Connie Rice
In recent years, our culture seems to have become obsessed with pride of self and expects everyone to celebrate pride. God has warned us in Scripture that He is far from those who have pride in self or pride in heart. Unfortunately, the same word is also used in our language for pride in a job well done or to be proud of our kids when they’ve worked hard. These are not the same thing, so the concept of pride as a serious sin creates confusion. This shouldn’t surprise us since Satan is the prince of this world and the author of confusion – he uses this to further his goals of separating people from God and causing them to doubt the truth of His Word. God repeatedly warns against pride of self and pride of heart, and many times tells us that having a humble heart is a requirement to pleasing Him. Since He is the source of all life, goodness, and truth, this is an importance concept for us to wrestle with. However, He has not left us without guidance and His laws are for our personal benefit as well as for the benefit of society. Celebrating what God calls sin is incompatible with the Christian faith and puts us at risk of being on the receiving end of God’s wrath and judgment as individuals and as a nation. A concordance is a Bible study tool that lists where a particular word appears in Scripture, referencing each verse where the term is used. The term “pride” is referenced in numerous places and is depicted as a negative trait. Here are just a few references:
“In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.” 2 Chronicles 32:24-26
“When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom.” ~ Proverbs 11:2
“In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.” ~ Proverbs 14:3
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” ~ Proverbs 16:18
“A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor.” ~ Proverbs 29:23
“And He [Jesus ]said, ‘What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man’.” ~ Mark 7:20-23
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” ~ 1 John 2:16
C.S. Lewis was quoted as saying, “For pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.” Jonathan Edwards said, “Remember that pride is the worst viper that is in the heart, the greatest disturber of the soul’s peace and sweet communion with Christ; it was the first sin that ever was, and lies lowest in the foundation of Satan’s whole building, and is the most difficultly rooted out, and is the most hidden, secret and deceitful of all lusts, and often creeps in, insensibly, into the midst of religion and sometimes under the disguise of humility.” An article by “Got Questions” addresses this topic as well: “What happens to those who walk in pride? (Daniel 4:37)”.
Although God repeatedly warns against pride of heart, He also encourages people to humble themselves and turn to Him so they can be restored – forgiven and blessed instead of facing His judgment and wrath. In His love for us, He gives us the freedom to choose – but there are consequences to our decisions. Will we, as expressed in one of the Indiana Jones’ movies, “choose poorly” or will we choose the path that was uniquely created for us by our loving Creator? The latter leads to a meaningful life, though certainly not without challenges in this fallen world. However, it also includes amazing peace, strength, joy, and close fellowship with the Lord while on earth for those who choose to trust and obey Him. This is in addition to the amazing gift of being in heaven with Him when our time of earth ends.
“Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” ~ John 10:7-11
We have looked at how God sees those who are prideful, but what does His word say about how He looks upon those who are humble?
“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously’? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’. Therefore submit 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, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” ~ James 4:1-6
“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.” ~ Proverbs 22:4
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” ~ Philippians 2:3-11
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” ~ Micah 6:8
“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant and whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” ~ Matthew 23:9-12
“Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:5
God loves us so much that He has given us free will and then in His love and mercy, also revealed Himself through Scripture so we could know Him and would know the consequences of the choices we make. He provided a way for us to be freed from the bondage of sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, making it possible for us to spend eternity in heaven with a holy God. And as infomercials used to say, “But wait, there’s more!” God also imparts His power to us from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit so that we can turn from sin and make choices that allow His blessings to flow in our lives. That doesn’t mean an easy life, but He is faithful to sustain us through life’s challenges and uses them for good in our lives and in the lives of others. Thankfully, those who surrender their lives to Jesus also receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which gives us the power to obey His commands – He knows that we are unable to do so out of our own strength.
Will we choose to lift ourselves up with pride of self or pride of heart and ignore the warnings God gave us or will we humble ourselves before our loving Creator, recognizing that His path is the only one that can bring us supernatural peace, strength, joy, and real meaning in our lives? His Word provides us with what is true and even provides us with the understanding of what the future holds when Jesus returns for His children and that He will be victorious over evil once and for all. If we haven’t yet contemplated what happens to us in light of eternity so that we can make the best choices during our time on earth, perhaps that time is now?
These are the ones I look on with favor:
Isaiah 66:2b
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,
and who tremble at My word.”
© Constance Rice 2024
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