Pride—What does the Bible say?

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TL;DR:

Pride is a sin and makes us have a distorted view of ourselves. God warns us that destruction comes as a result of pride.

from the old testament

  • The sinful, arrogant, haughty, insolent, self-reliant attitude or spirit that causes a person to have an inflated or puffed up view of themselves is known as pride and is a sin (Proverbs 21:4).
  • The clearest and most pronounced example of pride in Scripture is Satan. A former angel, he was not content with his status or station. Isaiah 14:12–15 is often seen as referring to Satan and reveals pride as the root of Satan’s downfall. The phrases "I will ascend" and "I will set my throne on high" show the prideful ambitions Satan held. Ezekiel 28:17 also emphasizes pride as Satan’s demise. His desire to rise above God led to his being cast down, demonstrating that pride precedes destruction (Proverbs 16:18).
  • Satan tempted mankind as well (Genesis 3:1–5; see also Revelation 12:9). Pride was the main temptation Satan used to get mankind on his side. The temptation to "be like God" was not to be in the "image of God" for man and woman were already made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Satan's temptation was for man to be independent of God, self-reliant (Genesis 3:5). Instead of relying on and trusting in God and His Word, Adam and Eve succumbed to Satan's lies and sinned against God (Genesis 3:6). Instead of acknowledging God's authority through grateful worship, mankind sought to exalt themselves to a status of equality with God Himself.

from the new testament

  • The proud do not have a correct or sober estimation of themselves, their abilities or their positions (Romans 12:3). They see themselves as over and above others and believe themselves to be pre-eminent.
  • Mankind has brought a curse on both the world and themselves through both Adam's fall and our own prideful disobedience (Romans 5:19; 8:20–21).
  • In direct opposition to the spirit of pride, Jesus came to earth in humble circumstances and humility of spirit (Luke 2:11–12).
  • Although being God Himself, in humility, He took on the form of a servant and sacrificed His very life in order to reconcile us to God (Philippians 2:5–11; Romans 5:10). For those who believe in Him, Jesus Christ has reversed the effects of mankind's fall and given them eternal life (John 3:15). He has brought peace where there was separation, love where there was hatred, approval where there was shame, forgiveness where there was guilt, and life where there was death (1 Timothy 2:5–6; Ephesians 2:13; Romans 8:1, 38–39; John 10:10).
  • Through the perfect obedience of Christ, we are counted as righteous before God (Romans 3:21–26; 2 Corinthians 5:17–21); through the humiliation and sacrifice of Christ, our sin is atoned for (Ephesians 5:2); through His resurrection, we are granted eternal life (Romans 6:5) and exalted to sit in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Our pride resulted in our disgrace and death. Christ's humility and obedience results in our honor and exaltation.
  • Conversion alone is not a guarantee against the temptation to be prideful. Even the apostle Paul was given a mysterious thorn in his side to keep him from becoming proud (2 Corinthians 12:7).

implications for today

The result of pride is contention, shame, death, and destruction. We can see all of these disastrous consequences in both Satan and mankind. Even though God has allowed Satan to roam the world for now, his end is certain (Matthew 25:41). Likewise, the result of mankind's pride was enmity between man and God, shame, guilt, and death (Genesis 3:8; Romans 5:12; 6:23; Colossians 1:21). Pride has disastrous consequences, but we need not suffer them. Jesus came to offer salvation and rescue (John 3:16–18)! We are saved by God’s grace when we put our faith in Him and therefore are no longer at enmity with God; rather than eternal death, we are destined to eternal life (Ephesians 2:1–10).

Believers do still struggle with sin and suffer its earthly consequences (James 1:12–15). But we also have the indwelling Holy Spirit who is transforming us into the likeness of Christ (Romans 8:28–29; Philippians 1:6). We need never fear that God will abandon us when we sin; He is faithful to cleanse and restore (1 John 1:8—2:6; Jude 1:24–25). We do need to intentionally seek to put our sin to death and to instead live as God would have us live (Colossians 3:1–17). Thus we are called to willingly choose humility over pride (Philippians 2:1–11; James 4:6–10; 1 Peter 5:6). We do so knowing that a proper perspective of self—humility—is not a matter of sheer willpower, but of God’s work of sanctification in us (1 Corinthians 15:10; Galatians 3:2–3; Philippians 2:12–13). We must be reliant and dependent on God for our strength if we are to make any progress at all in the Christian life (2 Corinthians 12:9–10). As we grow in knowledge and good deeds, we may be tempted to glory in ourselves. This continues to be the trap Satan sets for us. Therefore, we must be constantly alert and on guard against the temptation to pride, self-reliance, and self-righteousness (1 Peter 5:8; Romans 12:16). It is not by our own strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us that we are able to imitate Christ's humility and thereby love and serve God, our neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and even our enemies (Matthew 5:44; 22:37–39; John 13:34–35; 1 Corinthians 13:1–7; Galatians 6:10). Whereas pride is focused inward on loving and serving oneself, Spirit-filled love is directed outward toward loving and serving God and others.

understand

  • Pride leads to destruction.
  • Pride is a sin and gives us an inflated view of ourselves.
  • God calls us to live in humility, rather than pride.

reflect

  • When have you felt tempted to place yourself above others or act independently of God's guidance?
  • How can you recognize and respond to moments when pride is influencing your thoughts or actions?
  • What steps can you take to foster humility in areas where pride has taken hold in your life?

engage

  • How does pride influence the way we interact with others and with God?
  • What does pride reveal about humanity?
  • What does the example of Christ’s humility teach us about how we should respond to pride in ourselves and others?