Chapter 11: Proud
CHAPTER 11
PROUD
He’s one of the bad guys of the Bible, the kind people love to hate because he’s just so obnoxious. You’ll find him in Luke 18: a self-righteous Pharisee who stands in the middle of a public place and prays, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even” — he points! — “like this tax collector” (verse 11).
What a jerk! That Pharisee’s sin, obviously, was pride, and pride is a major sin in the Bible. It’s so important that both James and Peter warned us, “God opposes the proud” (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).
In this chapter, we are going to look at several expressions of pride that are special temptations to believers and most likely to be tolerated sins. But here’s something to keep in mind: Whenever we start talking about people like that self-righteous Pharisee, we can easily fall into the same self-righteous attitude that annoys us so much. One of the biggest problems with pride, actually, is that we can see it in others but not in ourselves. So please join me in asking God to reveal to each of us the pride that He sees in our lives.
“I’M BETTER THAN YOU.”
The pride of the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable was what we can call moral self-righteousness. It expresses itself in assuming that we are better people, morally superior to those around us. This type of pride is not limited to believers. You can find it in any circle of society, around any issue from gun rights to environmental policy. Sadly, it is especially common among conservative, evangelical believers. Why? Because there’s so much obvious bad stuff out there — sexual immorality, lying and cheating, drunkenness, drug abuse, abortion, greed, and much more. Because we evangelicals don’t (usually) commit those particular sins, we find it easy to look down on those who do.
I’m not saying those sins I’ve mentioned aren’t serious! They are big problems for our society, and I respect those who raise a prophetic voice against them. But if we adopt an attitude of moral self-righteousness in the process, we’re falling into sin! In fact, Jesus told the parable about the Pharisee to make that point “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” (Luke 18:9).
I venture that of all the subtle sins we will address in this book, the pride of moral self-righteousness may be the most common, second only to the sin of ungodliness. That may be why it’s so difficult to recognize — because we all practice it to some degree. Some people I know seem to get a perverse enjoyment out of discussing how awful society is becoming. They are guilty of the pride of moral superiority. But so are those who roll their eyes over Christians who complain about how awful society is becoming!
Can you see how sneaky this kind of sin really is? It’s just so tempting!
So how can we guard against the sin of self-righteousness? First, by reminding ourselves that we’re sinners too — that in God’s eyes our “respectable” sins are just as bad as those blatant sins we see others doing.
Second, we can adopt the humble attitude of “there but for the grace of God go I.” No one is naturally good. We all have to say with David, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5, NIV). So rather than feeling morally superior to those who practice the sins we condemn, we should feel grateful that God by His grace has kept us from — or perhaps rescued us from — such a lifestyle.
Another way to guard against self-righteous pride can be found in the Old Testament story of Ezra. Ezra was a godly man, a scribe. Yet when he became aware of some deep sin among his people, he chose to identify himself with the people’s sin. “My God,” he prayed, “I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you … for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens” (Ezra 9:6, italics mine). Note how Ezra included himself in his confession of guilt: “our iniquities” and “our guilt.” Adopting such an attitude — a sense of “we” instead of “they” — will help protect us from self-righteous pride.
“I’M RIGHT AND YOU’RE WRONG.”
Closely akin to moral pride is pride of correct belief. You could also call this “pride of doctrine.” It’s basically the attitude that “I’m right and you’re wrong.”
Don’t get tripped up with that word doctrine. It simply means “teaching,” and it usually refers to a set of teachings that make up a belief system such as Christianity. The trouble is, not all Christians agree on doctrine. Some factions and denominations disagree passionately. And that’s when pride of correct belief comes into play. It’s not just disagreement. It’s an attitude of disdain toward those who disagree with us, a certainty that we’re right and they’re not only wrong, but also spiritually inferior or even stupid.
This kind of pride can take several forms when it comes to religious belief. Christians may look down on Buddhists or Jews. Baptists may scorn Catholics or Pentecostals. Those who take one side of a theological debate may roll their eyes at the other side. Those who don’t care much about doctrine at all may show contempt toward those who do, and vice versa. No one group has a monopoly on this kind of pride.
Paul pinpointed this form of sin when it arose in Corinth over the issue of eating food that had been offered to idols. Some Corinthian Christians were really bothered by this practice, but others insisted that it wasn’t a problem. They argued that because they didn’t worship the idols, they were free to eat the food. And Paul didn’t disagree with them, but he did object to their attitude.
“Now concerning food offered to idols,” he wrote, “we know that ‘all of us possess knowledge.’ This ‘knowledge’ puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). Paul didn’t question their “knowledge” — their conviction that eating food offered to idols was not a problem. But he called them on their pride of correct belief and urged them to adopt an attitude of love instead.
Am I suggesting that correct belief doesn’t matter or that we shouldn’t defend our strong convictions? No. I believe we should all seek to understand Scripture and know what we believe in. But we should hold our convictions with humility and respect, realizing that many thoughtful and godly people believe differently.
We’re all human and humans make mistakes, so there’s always the possibility we could be wrong. But even if we’re right, being “puffed up” with pride makes us wrong … and sinful.
“LOOK AT ME!”
The Scriptures teach that there is generally a cause-and-effect relationship between hard work and success in any endeavor, whether in academics, athletics, business, or profession. For example, Proverbs 13:4 says, “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” Paul urged Timothy regarding his ministry, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved” (2 Timothy 2:15). And Paul himself was a tireless, disciplined worker (see 1 Corinthians 9:26-27; Philippians 3:12-14).
However, the Scriptures also teach that success in any endeavor is under the sovereign control of God. As 1 Samuel 2:7 puts it, “The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts” (see also Psalm 75:6-7).
This explains why two students in the same major can both work diligently, yet one excels and gets top grades while the other barely gets above average. God may have given one more intellectual ability than the other or brought him into the world in a family that challenged and stimulated his intellectual growth. Whatever the cause, the ability to achieve or succeed ultimately comes from God. There is no such thing as the “self-made” person. From a human point of view, that person may appear to have succeeded by talent and tenacity and hard work. But who gave him those qualities? God.
To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “Who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Maybe we should ask ourselves that question. What do we have that we did not receive from God? Nothing. Our intellect, our natural skills and talents, our health and energy, and our opportunities to succeed all come from God.
So you’ve got to wonder: Why are so many people so incredibly proud of themselves? Why are they so determined to show they’ve done better than others?
More important, why aren’t they giving God any credit?
You see pride of achievement in all kinds of settings. Musicians showing off their Grammys. Valedictorians displaying their GPAs. Athletes waving around their trophies. Pastors one-upping each other over attendance records. One kid waving a test paper at another. Executives flaunting their company cars. The showing off can be the blatant “Look at me; I’m so great” stuff. It can be an offhand statement or even a “humblebrag” tweet that hides a boast inside a falsely modest statement.
Unfortunately, you’re just as likely to see it in Christians as non-Christians.
To me, one of the more obnoxious people is the blustery sort of person who lets everyone know that the secret to his success in school or business or ministry or whatever is his hard work. You expect that from an unbeliever, but when it comes from a Christian, it really is offensive.
And then there are the Christmas letters. You’ve seen them, right? Some of them are basically long lists of prideful boasts — from Mom’s promotion at work to Dad’s new book to Rachel’s acceptance to an Ivy League school to little Daniel’s Little League championship. Such letters basically shout, “Look at what a wonderful family we are. Look what we achieved. We just must be better than other people! You should envy us.”
Now, am I saying we should never be happy about our blessings? Absolutely not! Should we never share our milestones with others? No again. I’m not even saying we should never admit to being happily “proud of ourselves.”
I’m just saying we need to keep a close eye on how we think about our achievements. Are we falling into the sin of crediting only our own hard work and virtue? Are we using our achievements to subtly (or not so subtly) make other people feel like “less than” or losers? Most importantly, are we ignoring the ultimate Source of all good things in our lives?
Another aspect of the pride of achievement is the inordinate desire for recognition. All of us appreciate credit for a job well done. Who doesn’t appreciate a little applause or a well-placed compliment? But what is our attitude when we do something well and don’t receive recognition? Are we willing to labor in obscurity, doing our job “as to the Lord” (Colossians 3:23, KJV), or do we become disgruntled over the lack of recognition?
Two principles from Scripture can help us guard against a sinful desire for recognition. First, we should remember the words of Jesus in Luke 17:10, “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” When we have done a job well or served faithfully over a long time, our attitude should be, “I have only done my duty.”
Second, we should learn that all recognition, regardless of its immediate source, ultimately comes from God. It is God who puts down one person and lifts up another (see Psalm 75:6-7).
Putting these two principles together causes us to say, “All is of grace.” I deserve nothing, and all I do receive, including recognition, comes only by the grace of God. Therefore, if I don’t receive it, I will not fret.
“YOU CAN’T TELL ME ANYTHING.”
Before starting this book, I sent a proposed list of “acceptable” sins to about fifteen people in Christian ministry and asked them to add to the list any I had overlooked. From two who minister to students and young adults, I received a suggestion that I include the pride of an independent spirit. This spirit expresses itself primarily in two areas: resistance to authority, especially spiritual authority, and an unteachable attitude. Often these two attitudes go hand in hand. They reflect the pride of those who believe they know it all!
When I was young and single, I lived with two different families who had young children. I now remember with shame how I used to silently judge the way they were raising their kids. I was young and single with absolutely no experience in rearing children, yet I thought I knew more than they did.
In The Navigators’ ministry, we often encounter a similar attitude among new and inexperienced staff. These folks are usually assigned to an intern role, serving under the direction of an experienced staff person. Yet they often come in with an attitude that they know more about the ministry than the person who is to train them.
The Bible is quite clear on the issue of submitting to authority. Of several Scriptures we could look at, the one that speaks most clearly to the subject is Hebrews 13:17: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
The writer of Hebrews probably had in mind the spiritual authority of elders in a local church. However, the principle of submission and teachability applies in any situation where someone is under the tutelage or training of a more mature believer. And it is the pride of an independent spirit that makes us unteachable or unsubmissive, no matter our age.
I well remember the night I was first exposed to the teaching of Hebrews 13:17. At the time I was a fairly new naval officer, so I understood the concept of military authority. But the idea of submitting to a spiritual authority was a new and radical idea to me. I am grateful that God exposed me to this principle when He did. It so happened that the very next night I came in contact with The Navigators’ ministry, which stresses one-to-one discipling and mentoring. Because of this new idea, I was teachable and responded readily to the challenges of being discipled by another person.
The Bible strongly teaches the value of a teachable attitude. Proverbs, in particular, has a lot to say about the subject. The first few chapters of Proverbs, for example, use the example of a father-son relationship to stress the value of being willing to learn from those more mature in faith (see, for example, Proverbs 3:1; 5:1; 7:1).
To give balance to this section, let me say that teachability doesn’t mean becoming a clone or a carbon copy. It doesn’t mean not thinking for yourself. It simply means being humble enough to admit you don’t know everything and to listen to those who can help you grow.
Remember that all of us, young and old, are susceptible to the subtle sins of pride. So I urge you to pray over this chapter, asking God to bring to mind any of your prideful tendencies. As you do so, keep in mind God’s promise from Isaiah 66:2:
These are the ones I look on with favor
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,
and who tremble at my word. (NIV)
Your Turn
“God opposes the proud.” (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5)
ENGAGE
1. This chapter lists four common varieties of sinful pride. Give examples of each from your own experience — either what you’ve seen in others or what you’ve battled in yourself.
2. From this chapter as a whole, what are some effective ways to guard our hearts against sinful pride? Can you think of any others?
3. Why does God hate sinful pride? How does it minimize His work in our lives?
BRING IT TO GOD
Pray over this issue of pride, asking God to open your mind and heart to ways you’ve let pride infect your attitudes. If any come to mind, confess them to the Lord.