Understanding Pride
We are told in Proverbs 6:16 that there are six things that the Lord hates. In the very next verse, 17, the first is haughty eyes, which is pride. Pride is the original sin that goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Man wanted to be like God (pride) more than he wanted to be with God. God even says in Proverbs 18:12, “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.” James 4:6 says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Pride can sometimes disguise itself as humility. We all struggle with pride. Pride is more than being boastful. Pride manifests in many ways, such as refusing to repent, being unable to admit when we are wrong, being unwilling to submit to authority, controlling behavior, criticizing others, being highly sensitive, having an excessive need for recognition, praise, or credit, showing no interest in others, and being concerned only with oneself. There are too many to list, but you get the idea. Pride also shows up in subtler ways, such as feeling superior to others based on education, financial status, or even spiritual maturity.
Embracing Humility
Now that we understand what pride is, we need to understand its opposite: humility. The biblical definition of humility is an honest, lowliness-of-mind posture that recognizes our complete dependence on God rather than relying on our own self-righteousness.
Philippians 2:5-9 says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.”
Jesus, the Son of God, who left His throne in heaven, stated in Matthew 20:26-28, “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Jesus was humility in the flesh. We must give everything to God and be willing to exchange our independence for dependence on Him. We must allow Him to live through us and accomplish His will in our lives. The way we serve others, treat others, speak to and about others should project the love of Christ. He is our perfect example of how to love others and live a life of humility. Will we fail sometimes? Of course we will, but we need to repent, get back up, and keep running our race. David said in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit in me.” We should pray daily, asking the Lord to reveal areas of our lives where a spirit of pride is operating, and ask Him to root it out of our lives. The more time we spend in His Word, the more we will know Him, and our lives will begin to change and look more like Him. Let us be mindful today of our actions, words, and attitudes toward others and ask Jesus to help us to be more like Him.
Scriptures related to humility:
- Philippians 2:3-8
- Matthew 11:28-30
- John 13:14-16
- Matthew 20:26-28
- Matthew 23:12
- Micah 6:8
- James 4:6
- 1 Peter 5:6
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