The Peril of Exalting Pride

The Bible speaks often, and solemnly, of pride. Not merely as a personal flaw, but as a spiritual problem that corrodes the soul and poisons society. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). This is no quaint proverb but a divine maxim, echoed in the ruin of kingdoms and the collapse of lives. From Pharaoh’s defiance to Nebuchadnezzar’s boastful reign, from Lucifer’s obdurate rebellion to Babel’s ill-fated ambition, Scripture is replete with warnings (both didactic and narrative) that pride is the great undoing of man. Pride refuses correction, mocks dependence, and resists submission to God. It sows discord in homes, stirs contention in offices, and incites war among nations. It is, as Augustine observed, “the beginning of all sin.” And yet, in our modern age, pride is not hidden, it is heralded. And while Christians must respond with gentleness and honor toward all people - who, like us, bear the image of God - we must not lose sight of the profound theological implications that such a public celebration of “pride” represents. To present pride as a virtue is to invert the biblical order, Isaiah cautioned: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). Biblically, pride is not synonymous with self-respect or human dignity; it is self-exaltation, a lifting of one’s own will, identity, or desires above the will of the Creator. Pride says, “I need no one,” while humility confesses, “I need Jesus.” In marriages, pride hardens. In churches, it divides. In nations, it exalts power over principle and leads to wars and ruin. Far from harmless, it is the very posture that estranges us from divine grace. Download Full Article Below:

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