Question 1

Why is pride considered one of the “seven deadly sins” when other things seem so much worse?

Accepted Answer

Ezekiel 28:16-17“I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings.”This Scripture passage (Ezekiel 28:1-19) was spoken against the king of Tyre, describing his pride and predicting his destruction. But the metaphoric language here seems to speak of this “prince” being thrown down from a heavenly realm. For this reason, interpreters for many centuries have considered this passage a description of the fall of Lucifer (Satan) from heaven for his prideful rebellion. If selfish pride is significant enough for God to rip a pagan king from his throne, or perhaps a fallen angel from heaven, it is certainly significant enough to do grave damage to our lives.Psalm 5:4-5O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness; you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked. Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence, for you hate all who do evil.Daniel 4:37“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.”Daniel 5:20“When his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] heart and mind were puffed up with arrogance, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.”Pride leads to a hardness of heart that, in turn, leads to an arrogant disregard for God and sin. One way or another, pride will lead to our humiliation before God.Psalm 10:4The wicked are too proud to seek God. They seem to think that God is dead.Romans 1:21Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.Pride leads to ignoring God (because you think your way is better than his) and setting a course for a life of disobedience and destruction.2 Timothy 3:2-4People will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. . . . They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.Pride can destroy our relationships faster than almost anything else, because it causes us to use others, strengthening our position at their expense. Our pride makes it increasingly difficult to consider making apologies or seeking forgiveness from God or others. It isn’t long before proud people find themselves angry and alone.Luke 18:11“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!’”Pride blinds us to our sin, inflating a person’s sense of value and self-righteousness. Such ignorance is deadly when displayed before God.Obadiah 1:3“You [Edom] 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.”Those who are proud find comfort in false security, blindly depending on anything other than God for their ultimate safety.1 Corinthians 4:6-7I [Paul] have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another. For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?Pride can infect our spiritual perspectives and quickly divide the church. This pride of association is difficult to see in ourselves but generates a subtle haughtiness that builds walls. Such pride is often based upon the important people we know, the team we are on, or our circle of friends.Acts 8:30-31Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.1 Peter 5:5In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”Pride keeps us from asking others for help. In this case, the man in the carriage had the humility to ask Philip for help. This man truly received the benefit of God’s promise to favor the humble.Proverbs 16:5The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished.Acts 12:22-23An angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God.God hates pride and will judge it severely.2 Chronicles 26:16When he [Uzziah] had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall.An inflated sense of your past successes leads to prideful behavior and, ultimately, to judgment. Don’t let the current benefits of your relationship with God ever lead you to take God for granted.

Question 2

Why must I beware of pride?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 18:27You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud.Proverbs 16:18Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.Our lives are ultimately governed by the sovereign God who created and sustains us. Our only peaceful path in life is to walk humbly with him. If we choose to go our own way, which is the first inclination of a proud person, we are headed for trouble. Prideful action invariably leads to rebellion against God and doing unjust deeds to others. Destruction always follows, whether through natural or societal consequences or God’s direct judgment.Matthew 23:12“Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”God loves those who are humble but humbles those who are proud. Humbly recognizing our need for God’s rescue is the first step toward avoiding the ultimate humiliation of his rejection. If we arrogantly turn away from God’s offer of salvation, we are choosing his humiliation and ultimate judgment.2 Chronicles 26:16-20When he [Uzziah] had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar.An inflated estimation of our success can lead to prideful behavior and, ultimately, to judgment. King Uzziah, in pride, thought his position and success as king made him immune from the standards to which all others were subject. God judged him for his presumption.2 Kings 20:12-19Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent Hezekiah his best wishes and a gift, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been very sick. Hezekiah received the Babylonian envoys and showed them everything in his treasure-houses—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his armory and showed them everything in his royal treasuries! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah . . . “What did they see in your palace?” Isaiah asked. . . . Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord: The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile.”2 Chronicles 32:24-31About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill. He prayed to the Lord, who healed him and gave him a miraculous sign. But Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him, and he became proud. So the Lord’s anger came against him and against Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah humbled himself and repented of his pride, as did the people of Jerusalem. So the Lord’s anger did not fall on them during Hezekiah’s lifetime.Hezekiah didn’t realize the envoys from Babylon were not only reconnaissance for a later invasion but also a test to reveal his pride. Hezekiah was showing off. When he was confronted about his pride and told that judgment would come to Judah after he had died, his response revealed he didn’t care what happened to others, even his direct descendants. For all the good Hezekiah did as king, he had a serious blind spot about his pride.Acts 12:22-23The people gave him [Herod Agrippa] 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.If left unchecked, pride will delude us into thinking we have almost God-like qualities that demand the respect and reverence of others. We are also in danger of setting ourselves up as god of our own lives. This sort of idolatry is especially unacceptable to God.1 Corinthians 10:12-13If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.Pride over our spiritual development can blind us to our ongoing vulnerability to temptation and lead us to commit sins we never thought we could.Numbers 22:22-23, 25, 29, 31As Balaam and two servants were riding along, Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. . . . When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. . . . “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!” . . . Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand.The next time your pride is hurt and you feel anger rising in you, don’t assume that you are right and everyone else is at fault. Balaam’s anger immediately flared up against his donkey. Balaam assumed that he was right and that the problem was with the donkey. Fortunately for Balaam, he finally realized that the donkey had saved his life. Instead of soothing our pride by justifying our actions, we should see whether we can justify our motives. This will show us if our anger is warranted and our pride overinflated.Genesis 11:4Then they said, “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.”Ezekiel 31:18“O Egypt, to which of the trees of Eden will you compare your strength and glory? You, too, will be brought down to the depths with all these other nations. You will lie there among the outcasts who have died by the sword. This will be the fate of Pharaoh and all his hordes. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”2 Corinthians 3:5It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.Power is intoxicating—with it comes recognition, control, and often wealth. Each of these feeds pride, and pride leads us away from God and into sin. This is why power so often corrupts. If you are in a position of power or authority, two things will help you use it wisely: accountability and service. Both of these require and generate humility. When you have to explain your motives to others, you will be more careful in what you do and say. When you determine to serve others with your power rather than be served, you will gain great support and loyalty from those in your care.

Question 3

In what ways can pride be healthy or appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Romans 15:17So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God.We can feel genuine satisfaction for what God has done through us. Notice that Paul was proud not of what he had accomplished on his own but of what God had accomplished through him.Jeremiah 9:23-24This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!”1 Corinthians 1:30-31God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”2 Corinthians 5:12-13Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, . . . it is to bring glory to God.Like Paul, if we take pride in anything, we ought to take pride in the God we serve. We should always keep the spotlight on God’s saving mercy and grace toward us.Galatians 6:14As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.Pride is appropriate when it causes us to be grateful to God for his gifts. When we look at our spouse, or children, or talents and our heart wells up with gratitude to God, he is pleased. Then our focus is on him and not on ourselves.