Tuesday Night Message 2025-08-19

Understanding Pride

Defining Pride:

What is pride?

Today, the word pride has many meanings. Staying strictly within Biblical definitions, we can find three meanings for the word:

First, there is the kind of pride we have in others, such as our friends and family, when they achieve accomplishments. This is not sinful, for 2 Corinthians 7:4 sees Paul express this pride for his fellow believers in Christ, “I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.”
Next, the word pride can refer to the sense of accomplishment or satisfaction we feel after doing a good job. Within reason, this is acceptable, for Galatians 6:4 in the KJV says, “But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”
However, there is a form of pride that truly is sinful. It refers to an attitude of arrogance, self-righteousness, and conceit (or pride in self). Proverbs 8:13 makes clear God’s hatred for this sinful form of pride, “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.”

Dangers of Pride:

Why is pride harmful?

C.S. Lewis provides an excellent commentary on this evil form of pride in his book, Mere Christianity, “According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind” (p. 109).

To be clear, all sins equally condemn us before God. In this sense, there is not one sin greater than another. However, different sins produce different consequences.

Based on the quote from C.S. Lewis, how does pride affect us differently from other sins, such as lust, cowardice, or slothfulness?

Pride is the root of many sins in our lives, for it produces attitudes that convince us we know better than God, deserve better than what He provides, or are more important than He says. In other words, pride causes us to challenge God’s authority and knowledge, thus influencing our behavior to deviate from His standards and believe we are without accountability. This is seen in Psalm 10:4, “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.””

What are some consequences of pride?

Beyond the ones already discussed, the Bible lists multiple serious consequences of pride:

First, it negatively affects our relationship with and treatment of others. Philippians 2:3-4 say, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Second, it causes us to take credit for the possessions, talents, and accomplishments that God gave us. Jeremiah 9:23 says, “Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,””
Third, God will eventually bring the prideful to shame. Proverbs 11:2, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” Also, Proverbs 29:23 says, “One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.”
Finally, pride can cause severe, destructive judgment from God. Proverbs 16:5 says, “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.” Also, Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Overcoming Pride:

How do we overcome pride?

Overcoming pride starts with faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, acknowledging that our pride (along with all our sin) makes us guilty before Him and requires His forgiveness to restore our relationship with the Father. However, even as redeemed believers, there still linger in our mind old thought patterns from our flesh that produce prideful attitudes. Overcoming these attitudes requires the Holy Spirit changing our mind, as Romans 12:2 states, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” When this occurs, the Spirit gives us Christ’s thoughts, which include the following that counter pride:

First, we place God first in our lives, placing His standards, ways, and desires above ours. Proverbs 3:5-6 say, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Second, we remember that everything we have is from God; we have earned nothing on our own. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
Third, we remember that true good works that please Jesus are done to obey and bring Him glory, not to satisfy or draw praise to ourselves. Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
Finally, we rebuke any boasting within us that is not directed to God in praise. 1 Corinthians 1:31 says, “So that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.””

Reference

C.S. Lewis. Mere Christianity. Macmillan Publishing Company, 1984.

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