Tim Keller said, “Pride is the carbon monoxide of sin. It silently and slowly kills you without you even knowing it.” If you spend time in the Scriptures, you’re aware of the perils of pride, but I’m not sure we’re mindful of the carnage it causes. If we were, we’d be more intentional about dealing with it in our own lives. It’s been said that pride is the “sin of all sins” because it was pride that caused Lucifer to say, “I will make myself like the Most High” (Isa:14:14). In Eden, the Enemy tempted Eve by appealing to her pride. He said, “You will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5).
Unfortunately, to some degree, we all have a glory hound mentality. In a Genesis 3 world, it comes hardwired in us. To complicate matters, we live in a culture where selfies, likes, and our number of social media followers feed our pride. If you’re on social media you’re probably aware of people who are constantly attempting to draw attention to themselves. Examples of prideful behavior are everywhere while humility is in short supply. But pride always loses what it seeks. A prideful person seeks honor but brings disgrace on himself. Solomon described it this way:
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” (Prov. 11:2).
In Proverbs 25, Solomon illustrated the human propensity for seeking praise and recognition by writing about honey: “If you find honey, eat just enough—too much of it, and you will vomit” (v.16). If honey represents recognition and praise, Solomon warned too much of it will make us sick. Human beings are not capable of receiving excessive amounts of praise and honor without damage being done. Our egos and psyches weren’t wired to handle fame.
Solomon’s most quoted words on the topic of pride are, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). Time and again, the Scriptures warn about the dangers of pride. Ultimately, pride puts us at odds with God because it demonstrates a lack of submission and foolishly attempts to take the recognition that is due to God alone.
The remedy for pride is humility—which Jesus modeled for us. Because of our inclination towards pride—believers have to continually be on guard. If we are serious about dealing with pride we’ll need to spend ample time in the Scriptures and pay special attention to the passages that speak about the topics of pride and humility. John 13 and Philippians 2 are good places to start. We’d also do well to habitually pray for a humble heart and ask God to reveal areas of pride in our character. God is the only one worthy of constant praise and recognition. It’s our purpose to bring glory to Him—and not ourselves. I’ll leave you with a couple of things to think about:
Thoughts to ponder:
In what areas of your life are you most inclined to struggle with pride?
Why is humility the only appropriate response for a Christ-follower?
