The Lord, in His abundant Mercy, comes to you day and night and joyfully enters your soul when it is open to Him. Even the greatest struggles do not prevent our Lord from coming to you. But one thing, especially, keeps you away from God, and that is Pride.
Pride is the mother of all sins and, simply put, is the equivalent of selfishness. It is a way of giving yourself as the main concern. The problem with this is that you were created by God for the purpose of giving yourself away. It is in your very nature to become a gift to others.
And only by giving yourself to God and others do you discover who you are and, in that act, become who you were created to be. So when there is pride, in your attempt to care for yourself, you actually have the effect of destroying yourself. Pride leaves you with yourself and leaves no room for another, not even for God. This study will help you understand many more things about this topic.
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A Reflection on Pride and Humility
Two of Jesus’ parables give special emphasis on humility. The Parable of the Guests (Luke 14) explains how being humble would avoid the embarrassment of a guest. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18), explains that a humble person pleases God more than a proud one. Both parables end with the same phrase:
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
These parables and other biblical passages make it clear that humility is a virtue, but it is still difficult to define. Is humility an idea? A feeling? A state of mind? A way to respond to situations? Any combination of these? Before we can effectively practice this virtue, we must understand its nature.
Nature of Humility and Pride
Both humility and its opposite, pride, stem from our attitude toward ourselves. If we see ourselves as fundamentally imperfect and therefore dependent on God, we will think, speak, and act humbly. On the contrary, if we consider ourselves perfect and self-sufficient, we will think, speak and act with pride.
The difference in attitude is obvious in the behavior of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The first filled in the self-congratulatory sentence of him: “I’m not like the others: swindlers, unfair, adulterers, not even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on everything I get”. The latter focused on his imperfection: “God have mercy on me a sinner!”
In contemporary culture, with its emphasis on self-esteem and self-admiration often to the point of narcissism, we can be tempted to see the Pharisee as a normal person, and the tax collector as a psychological challenge. Furthermore, we may believe that we should take unreserved pride in our accomplishments, including our educational and professional achievements and our successes as spouses and parents. But if we examine that point of view closely, we will see that it is flawed.
What Does Success Depend On and How Is It Related to Pride and Humility?
The main components of success of any kind are talent and effort. The first is not something we create, it is a gift bestowed by God. The latter is partly a matter of our choice and partly a result of the training, encouragement, and example of parents, teachers, and others.
Therefore, we should feel good about ourselves for choosing wisely, but more importantly, thankful to God for our talents and to the influential people in our lives for their guidance.
The key to replacing pride with humility is understanding the role of others. Acknowledge before all God, above our achievements. The reward for doing so is laid out in the two parables: “Everyone who humbles himself will be exalted”. The supernatural sense of those words is obvious. The natural sense is not so obvious:
- All those who feel humble will appreciate the limitations of their knowledge and will be motivated to overcome them.
- All those who are humiliated will be more open to other people’s insights and will be more likely to grow in wisdom.
- Anyone who is humbled will be more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and will be more likely to listen to them.
- All who are humiliated will be more aware of their own weaknesses, mistakes, and failings, and therefore more likely to forgive others.
6 Different Forms of Pride in the Bible
Here are 6 forms of pride that we must recognize. The first three forms of pride are obvious. The second three are less flashy. Pride is a serious sin. It can be egregious but understated. Because it is so deceitful, we often ignore our pride. Pride awareness is essential as it hinders our relationship with God.
God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6b)
There are 6 forms of pride taught in the Scriptures that we must recognize. Because we expect pride when we are successful, the first three ways are more obvious. Since we don’t expect this feeling when we fail, the second three ways are less conspicuous.
1. Self-Exaltation: Pride Gives Credit to Itself
When a person is successful and gives credit to himself, takes pride. This is the athlete who shouts: “I am the greatest”. This is the scientist who proclaims: “I’m the smartest”. This is the politician who boasts: “I am the only reason for our success”. God reminds us that all good things come from him.
Do not be fooled, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, it descends from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1: 16-17)
Our human tendency is to give ourselves credit when we succeed. We attribute our physical beauty to our healthy diet and constant exercise. We believe our work ethic created our financial success. We applaud our kindness for our many friendships.
Jesus warns that God will humble those who exalt themselves. All good things come from God. We don’t contribute anything. God fulfilled everything, including everything that pertains to our salvation.
Because by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your doing; it is a gift of God, not the result of works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)
Never get excited. Self-exaltation is the first form of pride.
2. Self-Promotion: Pride Appreciates the Credit of Others
Instead of exalting themselves, some let others exalt them. But accepting the credit of others is another form of pride. When we present our virtues and success so that others can complement us, we feel proud.
Jesus rebuked those who exhibited their righteous behavior to promote attention. Beware of practicing your righteousness in front of other people to be seen by them, because then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
So when you give to those in need, don’t blow trumpet in front of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. (Matthew 6:1–2).
A few years ago, I taught some at a vacation Bible school. On the fourth day, I told them a moving story that illustrated the gospel. I invited the children to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Almost all the children responded by raising their hand. That day, our teachers led many dozens of children in prayer to receive Christ.
Afterwards, about 30 adults told me that my gospel presentation was amazing. I never once exalted myself, but my soul welcomed the praise of others. That day, I was consumed by sinful pride. Never promote yourself. Self-promotion is the second form of pride.