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I often speak against pride, and I often receive objections for it. The two most common objections are: "I do not see any problem with pride, I’m proud to be a Christian, to be an American…" and "Is pride really a problem? After all, we need to have self-esteem and God loves us, so what is wrong with a little pride?" I also receive this question a lot: "Why is pride in the same category and listed with all the heinous sins such as sexual immorality in Romans 1?" Pride is at the root of every conflict and problem I have ever observed in the church and is the least thing looked at or combated. So it would seem that pride wins out.
Pride is defined as the attitude that oneself is superior to others, even to the extent of the regarding of others with contempt as if they were unworthy of any relation or interaction with them. Pride shows the basic thinking "I am better than you are!" Pride is the clog that bocks us away from our loving Savior by restricting the flow of His character in our lives and inhibit goodness from going to others through us. It is like not allowing Jesus Christ to be the ultimate plumber and unplug our spiritual drainpipes. So, all we can do is pour our waste all over the floor of life, and refuse godly characteristics to flow in our relational pipes.
Pride unveils and lifts our self-interests and our self-sufficiencies, which seem necessary and good. But, when we are self-sufficient, we will not only fail to see our need for redemption but also fail to see our need for growth in spiritual matters. Therefore, self becomes the god, and any work of the One True God is muted and put aside. Yes, God can break through like a hot knife through butter, but He usually does not. He lets us stew in our own self-created delusions until we are so beaten down we have nowhere else to go. We have the ability through His Spirit to look up and see His grace, thus not experience the chastisement and lonesomeness of pride if we choose.
Read Romans 1:12-23: The reason pride is listed with the other sins is because it is a sin, a very luring and dangerous sin, that leads to the production and fueling of other sins. We consider working hard and having a healthy dose of confidence as being good Americans or what ever culture we may be. And, to a degree, there is nothing wrong with patriotism and a healthy positive outlook of oneself and country as long as it does not elevate one as better or more worthy than others, since we all have fallen short…(Rom 3:23). But all too often we miss the evil nature that pride represents. It lifts us up beyond what we are and deserve, and cuts us off from godly character. It also fuels other sins.
The laundry list of sins in Romans 1 starts off with the reason we get into them, which is the "reprobate mind." This means being a degenerate, which is just a plain ole’ good-for-nothing to God and to those around us. The Bible describes this as heathen. People who refuse to believe or bow to God do in fact know who God is because He is written in their hearts and revealed by creation. However, they do not wish to uphold that knowledge of who God is, nor do they seek goodness or virtue or any Fruits of the Spirit. They refuse to see who they are, and lift themselves as a god, yet they are not God. All of life’s goodness and opportunities are muted because pride is in the way.
All those sins in Romans 1 have pride at their foundation. It is pride that creates them and pride that fuels them! You may not be practicing those heinous sins, but if you have pride in you, then they are but a hairsbreadth away. They can spring up at any time and destroy the work of Christ in you and in others around you. Beware lest this happen to you or your church and family! Even when we are not practicing these sins, we are still in rebellion against His degrees and His best for us when pride is ruling our thoughts and actions.
A person’s pride cancels out relationships, growth and purpose in life. People who practice arrogance and condescension toward others will not surrender to God as Lord. They think of themselves as self-reliant, which is a slap to the face of God (Psalms 10:4). Pride sets us up as a god when there is only One God. God wants our obedience, love and trust. We cannot do that when we are too full of ourselves!
We need to see how harmful and destructive pride and its various forms are in the life of the Christian and the church. We have to take the initiative to remove our Will and allow the Spirit to break us down. If we don’t, we will break down and the church will break down. We cannot be afraid to see things from God’s perspective, neither can we be afraid to allow Him to work in us and grow us for His purpose. We have to allow the Spirit and our obedience and diligence of study in the Word to develop our spiritual maturity in the nature of God. Yet, most Christians choose to develop their character on how others around them act and their own presumptions of the Christian life rather than in His Word.
We cannot see the value nor get a grasp of the promises of God until we surrender our pride and Will to Him. Make the determination to be His and do not allow your self-will to be in His way! Allow Christ to take you beyond your hopes and dreams (John 3:5).
© 2002 R. J. Krejcir www.intothyword.org
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