What is the pride of life?

from the old testament

• The pride of life is ultimately a rejection of God’s authority and an attempt to find identity, security, and significance apart from Him. The first example appears in the Garden of Eden when Satan tempted Eve by saying, “you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). The temptation was not merely about eating fruit; it was the desire to elevate herself, determine what was right and wrong, and live independently from God’s rule. Genesis 3:6 says the fruit was “desirable to make one wise,” showing how pride often begins with believing we know what is best for ourselves better than God does (this is where we also see the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes affecting Adam and Eve).
• Pride repeatedly leads people to trust in themselves rather than God. The builders of the Tower of Babel sought to “make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4). Rather than glorifying God, they wanted to establish their own reputation and security. Likewise, King Saul’s downfall was connected to pride and a desire for human approval. After disobeying God, Saul admitted, “I have sinned... because I feared the people and obeyed their voice” (1 Samuel 15:24). His concern for his own image and status became more important than obedience to God.
• The pride of life is also seen in those who trust in wealth, power, and accomplishments. King Nebuchadnezzar looked over Babylon and declared, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). He took credit for what God had allowed him to accomplish, and God humbled him until he recognized, “the Most High rules the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:32). Scripture consistently warns that human greatness is temporary, but God alone deserves glory. Proverbs summarizes this truth: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).
• In other places, God warns against trusting in material things. For example, while promising that God would bless them if they obeyed Him (Deuteronomy 8:1–10), Moses warned the Israelites of the danger of said possessions: “Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Deuteronomy 8:11–14).
• It’s okay to have material things when kept in perspective. However, care must be taken because “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall” (Proverbs 11:28a) and “A rich man is wise in his own eyes” (Proverbs 28:11a). Having material goods can lead to the temptation that they, and not God, are the hope for a good future.
• In contrast to pride, God calls people to humility and dependence on Him. Micah summarizes God’s desire for His people: “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). True greatness is not found in elevating ourselves but in recognizing our dependence on the Lord. Those who humble themselves before God receive His guidance and grace, while those who exalt themselves ultimately fall (Proverbs 3:34; 18:12).

from the new testament

• The New Testament identifies the pride of life as one of the defining characteristics of the world’s system of values. In 1 John 2:15–17, John contrasts love for the world with love for God, explaining that “the pride of life” comes “not from the Father but from the world.” The phrase refers to boasting in what we have, what we accomplish, or who we are as though these things give us worth apart from God. It is the mindset that says, “I do not need God—I can find security, significance, and identity in myself.”
• First John 2:15–17 reads, “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 desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (emphasis added).
• John contrasts loving the world with obeying God. While the contrast appears unbalanced (love versus obey), throughout the rest of the letter he argues that obeying God manifests itself in love for others (1 John 2:10) which indicates one’s true love of God (4:21). Thus, the contrast is in putting one’s trust either in the world and its desires or in God by being willing to forsake the world’s desires to obey God.
• In 1 John 2:16, three desires are given. This question discusses the third, “the pride of life.” In Greek, the common word for “life” is zoe. Indeed, John uses that one far more often than the word he used in v 16. In v 16, he used the word bios. One may recognize it as the root word for words such as biology, biosphere, and so forth. It refers more to the physical aspects of life than the more generic zoe does.
• The one other time John uses it, He says, “if anyone has the world’s goods [bios] and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (1 John 3:17). There, John was saying that if someone has the material means to help but is unwilling to share them with someone who needs the help, that evidences a heart that doesn’t love God.
• A similar “goods” idea appears in 1 John 2:16. There, “pride” refers to arrogance, so “pride of bios” denotes arrogantly clinging to material things. In context, it’s specifically trusting in material possessions, but, as seen in other sections, it's trusting in things rather than in God. It's trusting in the world rather than in God. It's trusting in what we have rather than in God. Trusting in the material things of life is foolishness because the world is passing away, including all material possessions. Only those who live for God are placing their trust in something of eternal value.
• God calls us to trust in Him, which requires humility, not pride. Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness demonstrates the difference between sinful pride and godly humility. Satan tempted Jesus to throw Himself from the temple to prove His identity and force God to act (Matthew 4:5–7). This temptation appealed to pride—a desire to gain recognition and display power apart from trusting the Father’s plan. But Jesus responded by submitting to God’s Word: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matthew 4:7). Jesus did not seek glory for Himself; He trusted the Father and waited for the Father to exalt Him.
• Jesus repeatedly warned against the pride of life. When His disciples argued about who was greatest, Jesus said, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). He modeled this Himself by “humbling himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). While the world seeks greatness through power, recognition, and status, Jesus defines greatness through humility, sacrifice, and obedience to God.
  
• Pride blinds people to their need for God. James writes, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Pride causes people to rely on their own wisdom and strength, but humility recognizes that every good thing comes from God (James 1:17). Paul demonstrates this transformation when he says that his earthly accomplishments were “rubbish” compared to knowing Christ (Philippians 3:7–8). Rather than boasting in himself, Paul says, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (2 Corinthians 10:17). We, therefore, ought not to have the pride of life but trust in God. 
  

implications for today

The world does not place its hope in Jesus, but on what it can see, including material things. We see that hope everywhere. We see it in advertisements for new cars to replace that old car we bought the previous year. We see it in our jobs as we strive to gain more and more income. We see it in education as parents seek the best schools to provide the best futures for their children. And so forth.

Now, none of these things are bad. A car can be a necessity, and if God provides the money, then a new car can be a blessing. We must work to pay our bills, and if we have the skills to go further and get paid more, then that is another blessing from God. Education is important, and God can bless families with access to prestigious schools. None of these things are inherently bad. The issue is that the world treats the good things from God as the route to eternal happiness.

But John reminds us that the world is passing away. Cars get old because the world is passing away. Well-skilled individuals age out of work because the world is passing away. Education starts a person in a good direction, but even if they obtain success, eventually they die because the world is passing away.

John tells us to stop loving the things of the world but to love God, for only He is eternal and only living for Him lasts eternally. After the world passes away, God and His Word will remain (Isaiah 40:8). And with Him will be all those who trusted in Jesus as Savior (1 Thessalonians 4:17). They are the ones who truly will have eternal happiness.