13th April 2023
The problem with pride
When pride comes, then comes disgrace…
Proverbs 11:2 (ESV)
The late biblical scholar John R. W. Stott referred to it as our ‘greatest enemy’; C.S. Lewis called it ‘the great sin’. Lewis went on to say: ‘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…it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.’ 1
Thomas A Tarrants, once Vice President of Ministry at the C. S. Lewis Institute in America wrote: ‘What Lewis said about Pride might sound like an exaggeration, but it will help us to know that it is not simply him giving us his private opinion, but summarising the thinking of great saints through the ages. Augustine and Aquinas both taught that pride was the root of sin. Likewise Calvin, Luther, and many others. Make no mistake about it: pride is the great sin. It is the devil’s most effective and destructive tool.’ 2
The sin of pride affects all of us to some degree. For example, how many times has our pride been hurt or bruised, when told that we were wrong about something we thought, believed, said, or did? Our human nature hates to admit to the consequences of our wrong decisions and actions! It’s little wonder that our courts of law are full of cases demanding the expertise of defence and prosecuting barristers. They are employed to suss out the truth of a matter when a defendant is too proud to own up to wrongdoing.
A dictionary definition of the negative aspect of pride is: An overly high opinion of one’s own qualities. The word vanity is a close bed-fellow of pride. It is excessive pride in, or admiration of, one’s own appearance or achievements.
The Bible has much to say about the sin of pride. The apostle Paul ‘hit the nail on the head’ when he wrote: ‘For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.’ (Romans 12:3 NKJV). Solomon wrote: ‘These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look…’ (Proverbs 6:16-17). And the apostle Paul, writing to his protege Timothy, explained that a church leader must not be a novice, ‘…lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.’ (1 Timothy 3:6).
The Bible is very clear about pride and how destructive it can be. The antidote to pride is humility, and this is the beautiful quality that God loves to see in his people. Jesus displayed this quality perfectly and he desires that we follow his example. Let’s seek God’s help to identify any harmful pride we may be harbouring and to eradicate it.
Prayer
Father in heaven, help us be sensitive to the lead of your Spirit with regards to the sin of arrogance and pride. Help us, please, to emulate the love and humility of Jesus our Saviour. Amen.
Study by John Magowan
1 C.S.Lewis Mere Christianity-The Great Sin pp. 107-108
2 Pride and Humility – C.S. Lewis Institute (cslewisinstitute.org)
About the writer:
John Magowan attends the Lisburn congregation of Grace Communion International, Northern Ireland.
Local congregation:
Lisburn Grace Communion
Ballymacbrennan School House
129A Saintfield Road
Lisburn
BT27 5PG
Meeting time:
Sunday 11.00 am
Local congregational contact:
Bob Beggs
Email:lisburngracecom@gmail.com
(www.grace-ni.org)
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church