THE SIN THAT GETS US ALL!

Good and upright is Yahweh; therefore He instructs sinners in the way.  May He lead the humble in justice and may He teach the humble His way. 

Psalm 25:8-9

In my daily Bible reading recently, I have been running into the words “pride” and “proud”.  It is clear from the Bible that God is totally against all sinful human pride.  The dictionary defines “pride” as “an undue sense of one’s superiority equated with such words as arrogance, conceit, haughtiness, vainglory and vanity.”  C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianitydescribes pride as “a spiritual cancer that eats up the very possibility of love, contentment or even common sense.”  PrIde is at the root of ALL sin.  It’s choosing “I” over God or anyone else. 

Just how seriously does God view pride?  Here are a few of the many verses that tell us.

-       Psalm 31:23 “Yahweh guards the faithful, but repays fully the one who acts in lofty pride.”

-       Proverbs 6:16-17 “There are six things which Yahweh hates, even seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty/proud eyes…”

-       Proverbs 16:5 “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to Yahweh.”

-       Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.”

-       Proverbs 29:23 “A man’s lofty pride will bring him low, but a lowly spirit will take hold of glory.”

-       Daniel 4:37 “All His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”  Read Nebuchadnezzar’s story in Daniel 4!

-       1 Peter 5:5 “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Pride can be forgiven and even conquered with God’s help.  Someone has said, “Swallow your pride, it’s non-fattening.”  It’s also the right thing to do!

Bob Kulp