Why is it bad to have a big ego?

Genesis 11:4“Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

Isaiah 14:13-15“For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.”

Isaiah 42:8“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.”

Acts 12:20-23Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod’s country for food. The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod’s personal assistant, and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!” Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.

Humility is the key to true greatness. Pride seeks to elevate us above others, even God. It’s foolish to try to steal the glory that only God deserves. That’s what happened when people tried to build the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), when the Israelites worshiped idols, and when Herod accepted worship as a god. These people all suffered the consequences of their pride and outsized ego.

Proverbs 30:11-14Some people . . . are pure in their own eyes, but they are filthy and unwashed. They look proudly around, casting disdainful glances. They have teeth like swords and fangs like knives. They devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among humanity.

Daniel 5:20When his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] heart and mind were puffed up with arrogance, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.

Luke 18:9-12, 14Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.” . . . Those who exalt themselves will be humbled.

A prideful ego often leads to a hardened heart that arrogantly disregards God and the reality of our own sin. This ultimately robs us of a right relationship with him.

2 Corinthians 10:12Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!

Egotism is a sinful exultation of oneself.

Obadiah 1:3“You have been deceived by your own pride because you live in a rock fortress and make your home high in the mountains. ‘Who can ever reach us way up here?’ you ask boastfully.”

Pride finds comfort in false security as opposed to trusting in the living God.

Matthew 23:11-12“The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

John 13:3-5Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

Earthly praise doesn’t impress God. If we want to follow God’s will for his people, we must serve others, seeking others’ needs first. Jesus washed his disciples’ dirty feet, which were caked with the dust of the road and the dung of animals. It was a disgusting task, left only for the lowest servants. But Jesus saw that need and met it. He calls us to do the same.

Proverbs 16:18Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.

Ultimately, humiliation and destruction follow pride. Pride lifts us up for a fall.