If you’re proud, then the answer is “yes”. (James 4:6)

God Opposes The Proud, But Gives Grace To The Humble

What an incredible statement.  Of all the things that could be opposed to me, nothing could be worse than having God opposed to me.

• “For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low” (Is 2:12)
• “The Lord tears down the house of the proud” (Prov 15:25)
• “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. (Prov 16:5)
• “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.  Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” (Prov 8:13)

What Is Pride?

The bible says that Moses was “more humble than anyone on the face of the earth” (Num 12:3 NIV)  The weird thing is that the book of Numbers was written by Moses.  Is it possible to be more humble than anyone on the face of the earth and to write about how humble you are? Yes, because humility is seeing yourself for who you really are.  Pride is seeing yourself for who you aren’t.  Pride either thinks of yourself more highly than you ought or more lowly than you ought.  Both are pride.  Humility thinks of oneself “with sober judgment… according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Rom 12:3)

Examples Of Pride

• Anytime we look at others in a condescending way, it’s pride. (Phil 2:3)
• “‘Scoffer’ is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride.” (Prov 21:24)
• When we get angry with other people’s driving, it’s usually pride.  When we get angry with other drivers because we think they are inferior to us because of their driving, that’s pride.
• Unrighteous judgement (judgement without mercy) is pride.  It looks at the speck in the other’s eye, when there’s a log in their own. (Matt 7:3-5)
• Pride avoids being confronted, because pride seeks to be seen as better than we really are.
• Most offenses are actually wounded pride.
• Pride likes to hide behind the veneer of transparency (“my life is an open book”) while failing to be vulnerable (let people in to help).
• Pride conceals sin.  A prideful person leads a double life so they can appear a certain way to different people.
• Exaggeration is pride because it’s lying to make ourselves look better.
• Complacency is pride.  It’s an “I don’t care” attitude.  “I’m fine to stay the way I am, even though I know God wants me to change.”  Not caring what God thinks is exalting ourselves above God.  It’s pride.
• When I walk into a room and suck everyone into my problems and my life and me, me, me, it’s pride.  It’s pride because it says that I’m the most important person in the room.  “Give me all your attention.”
• Self pity is pride.  Self pity arrogantly believes I’m so bad that I’ve out sinned God’s grace.  Self pity and condemnation are a belief that God’s grace isn’t good enough, so I need to add to it by focusing on myself and how bad I am.
• When we look down on others at work who aren’t as good as us at what they do, or because they don’t work as hard as us, that’s pride.
• Intellectual pride looks down on those “morons” who aren’t as smart as us (1 Cor 8:1) or who don’t adhere to the particular ideology we do.  Politics and religious beliefs are often believed in a prideful, condescending way.
• Family pride is believing our mom, dad, brothers, and sisters can do no wrong.  Family pride isn’t honest about the weaknesses of their family and takes pride in how much better their family is than the other families they know.
• Pride keeps us from admitting we’re wrong.  Pride is defensive, because acknowledging weakness wounds our pride.
• Pride likes to hide behind “I confess my sins to God” when the bible also says we should confess our sins to each other (James 5:16)
• Pride clings to independence and keeps us from asking for help.
• Pride loves to ridicule and laugh at people for how “stupid” they are.
• And maybe the most dangerous of them all, religious pride, boasts in our morality or our service to God, instead of rightly boasting in the cross. (Gal 6:14)

Are you proud?

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:10)