Pride

Pride is ridiculous and absurd in light of a holy God. It assumes that we are self-sufficient and that we do not need God. Pride is the opposite of humility, which acknowledges that we are dependent on God for everything. Pride is from Satan and from the pit of Hell. 

God is the Creator of all things, and we are created in His image. As such, we are called to reflect His character in all that we do. However, pride distorts this image and replaces it with a distorted version of ourselves that is focused on self-promotion, self-righteousness, and self-sufficiency. This is the opposite of the biblical call to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31).

Pride is ridiculous in light of a holy God because it assumes that we are greater than God and that we can do things on our own without His help. It leads us to put ourselves first, to seek our own glory, and to take credit for our accomplishments, rather than giving credit to God.

Moreover, pride is ridiculous because it blinds us to the truth about ourselves. It causes us to overestimate our abilities and accomplishments, and to underestimate our weaknesses and failures. We become deceived by our own self-importance, and we lose sight of our need for God's grace and mercy.

In light of a holy God, pride is ridiculous because it stands in opposition to His character and His will for our lives. It leads us away from Him and into a life of sin and rebellion. But when we humble ourselves before God and acknowledge our need for Him, we can reflect His image more fully in our lives.

Pride is dangerous and destructive because it leads to a sense of superiority and an overestimation of one's abilities or importance. This can cause individuals to become arrogant and self-centered, leading them to believe that they are above others and can do no wrong. In this state, individuals may be resistant to feedback, criticism, and advice, as they believe they are always right and know what is best.

This type of attitude can cause rifts in marriage, family, and professional relationships, as others may find it difficult to work or communicate with someone who is unwilling to listen or consider the opinions of others. Moreover, pride can lead to unethical or immoral behavior as individuals may believe they are above the rules or can justify their actions based on their perceived superiority.

In addition, pride can cause individuals to become complacent, as they may believe they have nothing left to learn or achieve. This can lead to a lack of personal growth and development, which can have a negative impact on one's life and career.

Ultimately, pride can lead to a fall. When individuals are too proud, they may take unnecessary risks, ignore warning signs, and refuse to seek help when needed, which can result in failure, disappointment, and even tragedy. Therefore, it is important to cultivate humility and recognize the value of listening, learning, and truly caring about others.

Questions to answer with our counselee

• What is your understanding of pride, and how do you recognize it in your life?

• How does pride impact your relationship with God and others?

• Have you ever struggled with comparing yourself to others? If so, how has this impacted your pride?

• What do you believe about the source of your talents and abilities? How does this impact your sense of humility or pride?

• Have you ever received feedback or criticism that challenged your pride? How did you respond?

• How do you respond when others succeed or achieve more than you? Does this trigger feelings of envy or pride?

• What do you believe about the role of grace and humility in the Christian life?

• Have you ever struggled with confessing sin or admitting fault? If so, how has pride played a role in this struggle?

• What do you believe about the relationship between humility and leadership? How do you seek to cultivate humility in your leadership roles?

• How can we work together to help you identify and address areas of pride in your life, and cultivate a spirit of humility?

Stories to consider

Satan

Satan was an angel created by God, but he rebelled against God's authority because of his pride and desire for power.

Isaiah 14:12-15 provides an account of this rebellion, referring to Lucifer as "the morning star" and describing his fall from heaven: "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'"

In this passage, Lucifer's pride led him to desire to be like God and to ascend to a position of power and authority above all others. His desire for self-exaltation caused him to rebel against God and to seek to establish his own kingdom, independent of God's rule.

However, this prideful rebellion led to his downfall. God, in His justice, cast Lucifer out of heaven and condemned him to eternal separation from God. Revelation 12:7-9 describes this event: "And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him."

The story of Lucifer's pride serves as a warning about the dangers of pride and rebellion against God. It reveals that even the most powerful and beautiful beings in creation are susceptible to pride, and that pride can lead to destruction and eternal separation from God. As such, it is a call for humility, repentance, and submission to God's will, recognizing that He alone is worthy of our worship and obedience.

Haman (Esther)

The story of Haman is found in the Book of Esther in the Old Testament. Haman was an official in the Persian court of King Xerxes, and he had risen to a high position of power and influence. He was a proud man, and he expected everyone to bow down to him and show him respect.

However, there was one man who refused to bow down to him: a Jewish man named Mordecai. This angered Haman, and he decided to take revenge not only on Mordecai but on all the Jews in the Persian Empire. Haman persuaded the king to issue an edict that all Jews in the empire should be killed.

Meanwhile, Mordecai's cousin Esther had become queen of Persia, but she had kept her Jewish heritage a secret. When she learned of Haman's plot, she risked her own life to approach the king and plead for the safety of her people. The king was convinced, and he issued a new edict allowing the Jews to defend themselves against their attackers.

In the end, the Jews were victorious, and Haman was executed for his treachery. However, there was a twist of irony in his downfall. Haman had built a tall gallows on which he planned to hang Mordecai, but the king decided to hang Haman on the same gallows instead. The gallows had become a symbol of Haman's pride and hatred toward the Jews, and it ultimately became the instrument of his own demise.

The story of Haman serves as a warning about the dangers of pride and the consequences of seeking revenge. Haman's pride led him to believe that he was invincible and that he could do whatever he wanted without consequence. However, his arrogance blinded him to the truth, and he was ultimately undone by his own schemes.

King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel)

Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon and was considered to be one of the most powerful rulers of his time. However, his pride and arrogance caused him to lose sight of the fact that his power and success were ultimately due to God's sovereignty.

In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar has a dream in which he sees a great tree that reaches up to the heavens. An angel comes down and declares that the tree will be cut down, leaving only a stump. When Nebuchadnezzar asks for the interpretation of the dream, the prophet Daniel explains that the tree represents the king himself, and that God will humble him in order to teach him a lesson.

Despite Daniel's warning, Nebuchadnezzar continues to pridefully boast about his accomplishments and his own greatness. As a result, God causes him to lose his sanity and he is driven out into the wilderness, where he lives like an animal for seven years. Finally, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges that God is the true ruler of the universe, and his sanity is restored.

Nebuchadnezzar's story serves as a warning about the dangers of pride and the importance of acknowledging God's sovereignty in our lives. Like Nebuchadnezzar, we may be tempted to take credit for our own accomplishments and to believe that our success is due to our own abilities. However, the truth is that everything we have comes from God, and it is only by His grace that we are able to succeed.

Moreover, Nebuchadnezzar's story demonstrates God's mercy and willingness to forgive those who humble themselves before Him. Despite Nebuchadnezzar's pride and arrogance, God was willing to forgive him and restore him when he finally acknowledged his dependence on God. This serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of humility and the need to continually submit ourselves to God's will.

Pharisees (Gospels)

The Pharisees were a religious group in first-century Judaism who were known for their strict adherence to the Jewish law and their emphasis on outward displays of piety. However, their pride and self-righteousness led them to reject Jesus as the Messiah, even though He fulfilled many of the prophecies and signs that pointed to His identity.

One of the main reasons the Pharisees rejected Jesus was their belief that they were already righteous and did not need a Savior. They prided themselves on their knowledge of the law and their ability to keep it, and they saw Jesus as a threat to their religious authority. They could not accept that someone from a humble background could be the promised Messiah, and they were blinded by their own sense of superiority and self-importance.

Jesus often rebuked the Pharisees for their pride and hypocrisy, calling them out for their love of money, their legalism, and their failure to show mercy and compassion to others. In Matthew 23, Jesus says, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence...You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean."

Despite Jesus' many signs and teachings, the Pharisees continued to reject Him, and their pride ultimately led them to conspire to have Him put to death. Even after Jesus' resurrection, many of the Pharisees refused to believe in Him, preferring to cling to their own sense of righteousness and self-importance.

The story of the Pharisees serves as a warning about the dangers of pride and self-righteousness. When we believe that we are already righteous and do not need a Savior, we become blind to our own sinfulness and fail to recognize our need for God's grace. Like the Pharisees, we may become so consumed with our own religious traditions and beliefs that we miss the true message of the gospel and reject the very One who came to save us.

Verses for study

Pride

• Proverbs 16:18: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling."

• James 4:6: "But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, 'God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'"

• Psalm 10:4: "The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, 'There is no God.'"

• Proverbs 8:13: "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate."

• Proverbs 11:2: "When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom."

• Proverbs 21:4: "Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, is sin."

• Proverbs 29:23: “A man's pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor."

• Isaiah 2:12: "For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be abased."

• Isaiah 13:11: "Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless."

• Philippians 2:1-11: Be like Jesus. Even He humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross.

• 1 Peter 5:5-6: "You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time."

Put off | Put on

"to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Eph. 4:22-24 ESV)

• Put off: Satan; temptation; sin; slavery; false teachers; idols; selfishness; anger; gossip; foolishness; blaming God; guilt and shame

• Put on: God; repentance of my sin or forgiveness of another’s sin; Jesus; repentance unto salvation; Holy Spirit; sanctification; fruit; spiritual gifts; spiritual disciplines; identity in Christ; healthy emotions

Resources

“Gospel Treason” by Brad Bigney

“Passions of the Heart” by John Street

“From Pride to Humility: A Biblical Perspective” by Stuart Scott