The first thing to share about pride is that God is debased (we are beginning with God which is an insult to pride). “They [sinful man] have within themselves”, wrote Calvin, “a workshop graced with God’s unnumbered works and, at the same time, a storehouse overflowing with inestimable riches. They ought, then, to break forth into praises of him but are actually puffed up and swollen with all the more pride.”(Institutes 1.5.4) God, in the minds and hearts of ungodly man, is dethroned. They endeavor to un-god God. In his place are a myriad of idols; they are erected to fill the void that exists within the breast of man. He was created to worship and since the Fall, God is no longer his chief good (so he thinks). Creation is worshiped then, instead of the Creator. What is usually the case is that man worships himself.
Humanity ascends, in their minds at least, into the very heavens and occupies the now vacant throne. Pride lifts man up to lofty heights; heights that mere mortals were never intended to reach. But alas, the higher they advance, the farther they will fall. It will be realized that they were foolish, blind, deceived, and arrogant. They chased a vapor that soon evaporated. The truth, the true light will dispel all darkness and reveal every idolatrous deed. Those farthest from God are nearest to hell (Is. 14:12-22; Ez. 28:12-19).
Pride debases God by opposing and attacking Him directly. “Pride sets a man in opposition against God. Other sins are aversions from God, but this sin is a coming against God. In other sins a man flies from God, but in this sin a man flies upon God.”(Thomas Brooks, “The Unsearchable Riches of Christ” in The Works of Thomas Brooks, 6 vols. (Banner of Truth, 1980), 3:42) This is done, not necessarily consciously, when God’s wisdom, knowledge, plans, and purposes are called into question. Pride mocks God’s laws and contemns his justice. It even impugns his mercy, grace, patience, and love. Humanity governed by pride will try to tarnish the majesty and glory of God and defame his name thereby ruining his repute (Rom. 1:21-23, 25). Prideful man is a god unto himself, therefore, he is disobedient and evil (Mk. 7:21-23). “Pride is Satan’s disease... humility makes a man like to angels, and pride makes an angel a devil.”(Brooks 3:45)
God is not only demeaned by pride, but it exalts man. Our iniquitous nature pushes God down while elevating self. How deplorable. Self-deification is the result (in our minds that is). This cosmic treason harkens back to Eden where the devil whispered to then un-fallen Eve, “You will be like God” (3:5). This lie was believed then and has been ever since. Humanity deludes itself into thinking that they are like God. This of course is not the God of the Bible, but merely an idol fashioned by the hands and minds of sinful men.
Deified man now sees itself as sovereign, wise, and unfailing. As such, we deserve honor and glory. We become our own authority, standard, rule, focus, goal, aim, reason for living, truth, judge, and deliverer. John Bunyan said it this way, “the nature of sin, as sin, is not only to be vile, but to hide its vileness from the soul.... thus sin puffs up man with pride, and a conceit of themselves, that they are a thousand times better than they are.”(John Bunyan, “The Acceptable Sacrifice” in The Works of John Bunyan, 3 vols. (Banner of Truth, 1991), 1:704) Humanities religion surmounts to this: love myself with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and love myself as myself. God help us!
Not only does pride lift one up, but in so doing, it devalues others. Look at Luke 18:9-12. The “religious” Pharisee looked down on the lowly tax collector. His pride caused him to be glad that he was unlike other men. Pride tends to make one think more highly of oneself than it should. We paint ourselves in such a beautiful light that all others pale in significance.
This is not all. There are many other expressions of pride.
· Pride is a continuing lust fed by self-love (1 Jn. 2:16)
· Pride always minimizes faults and denies weaknesses
· Pride enslaves man to self
· Pride desires recognition but finds it hard to give others honor (Lk. 18:9)
· Pride is unsubmissive; it rejects authority (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
· Pride substitutes man’s compassion and feelings in the place of God’s revealed truth, holiness, justice, and wrath
· Pride is even so bold, arrogant, insolent, and irreverent that it will judge God, his actions, and even misinterpret his will or word (1 Sam. 23:7; 24:4,10; 26:8; 2 Sam. 7:3-5)
· Pride is a monster that lives inside the heart and is almost untamable, unstoppable, and unconquerable (Prov. 16:18; 1 Pet. 5:5)
· Pride leads to and causes: greed, ambition, boasting, hatred, strife, lying, ingratitude, selfishness, conceit, self-confidence, self-deceit, gossip, hypocrisy, judgmentalism, stubbornness, complaining, disrespect, un-accepting of correction or reproof (1 Cor. 8:1-2; Phil. 2:3; Gal. 5:26; Rom. 1:30; Jm. 4:16; Lk. 16:15; Col. 2:18-19)
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