Part 4: Pride

1 John 2.16, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."

Pride is the first and oldest sin. We read in Isaiah 14.12-14, "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’"

Satan, or Lucifer as he was called before his fall, wanted to be God. He was not humble enough to take his place as an angel and joyfully serve God. Instead he tried to take the place of God. His pride caused him to lose his place in heaven, and his opportunity to serve and worship God.

Pride caused the fall of man. Genesis 3.4-6, "The serpent said to the woman, 'You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate."

Adam and Eve, saw the opportunity to become more than what God had designed them for. They were deceived and lead into the same sin that Satan fell with, pride, and the desire of wanting to be like God. Wanting to advance themselves over God.

Pride in English is defined as, "a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc." The Greek word is alazonia and directly translated it means "vainglory". This is excessive elation or pride over one's own achievements, abilities, etc;"

It is pride, boastfulness, arrogance. It is seeing yourself as worth more or deserving more and better than everyone else. You see yourself above everyone else. You look down on others. I don't remember where I read this, "when you're looking down on everyone else, it's impossible to look up at God." Pride is taking the place of God.

We see this word several times in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word is ga'on and it's used as an antonym for humility. We see it several times in Proverbs.

Proverbs 8:13, "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate."

Proverbs 11:2, "When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom."

Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling."

Proverbs 29:23, "A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor."

Each time it talks about how God hates pride, how pride leads to dishonor, destruction, and humbling.

Pride opens the door for Satan because it removes the need for God. Anything that removes the need for God is going to give Satan a foothold. We only have two options, serve and exalt God, or don't. If we choose not to, we, by default, choose to serve Satan. Anything that is not of God is Satan's.

In pride we take God's place from Him in our lives. We see no need for Him, because we can't see Him as we look down on everything else. Instead our intelligence, our abilities, our past achievements take His place. Our lives are not lived to the glory of God, but to the glory of self. We just live, we don't live fully alive. I've quoted this many times, "The glory of God is man fully alive." If we aren't living for the glory of God, then we live for the glory of Satan.

Pride leads to destruction as we read about in Proverbs. God hates pride because it takes the place that only He can occupy. As I've been writing this I've been thinking about Psalm 46.8-10, "Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. 'Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'"

I think of Job 38.3-5, "Now gird up your loins like a man,and I will ask you, and you instruct Me! Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it?"

God calls for humility, Jeremiah 9.23-24, "Thus says the LORD, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the LORD."

Humility is how we serve God and others, Philippians 2.3-8, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

We are to be humble, not proud in ourselves. We are to look at ourselves modestly and not arrogantly. We are to be proud of God, to boast about the greatness of God. Pride in God will keep us from pride in ourselves. Jesus set this example. Satan tried to get the foothold of pride in the life of Jesus, look at the temptation in the wilderness. But Jesus refused to allow Satan to have any access into His life. Jesus removed the foothold of pride, and so must we.

Jesus set the example, let's imitate Him.

Peace be with you