“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble…. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you’” (James 4:1–6, 10; all Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version unless otherwise indicated).

Is there a sin that is worse than all others? Many Christians think homosexuality or abortion is the worst sin of all. Many will say that premarital sex, smoking, drinking alcohol, or taking drugs are really serious. In most cases, when a person defines certain sins as being worse than others, they will choose one that does not tempt them.

Perhaps one of the worst sins is one that almost all of us have, but few confess. We do not notice it in ourselves, but we recoil when we see it in others. That sin is pride. Say the words “gay pride,” and many Christians will point out how they have combined two things that the Bible calls “abominations” (Leviticus 18:22; Proverbs 6:16–17; 16:15). What about pride in my nationality, abilities, accomplishments? Pride in my family?

Perhaps this is the danger in pride. If we see it in ourselves, we usually think of it as a good thing. I am proud of my grandchildren; isn’t that a good thing? I take pride in my work. I can be proud of my country or proud of my heritage. Here is where the danger lurks. Pride is so prevalent and can become so deceitful that we do not recognize when it has gone too far. Pride in one’s country has led to numerous wars. Pride in one’s family may blind us to their shortcomings or tempt us to justify them when they make mistakes.

Humility is one of the most essential Christian virtues, since it preserves us from the dangers of pride. James tells us to humble ourselves before the Lord. God is the source, reason, and focus of our humility.

Pride and faith simply do not mix. A proud man will not seek God’s help. Pride will tempt a person to try to solve problems on his own before seeking God’s help and wisdom. The proud man will seek God’s help only as a last resort. Pride rejects God’s help. Pride will even deny that we need help from God or anybody else. (After all, what do they know? They’re not as smart as me, are they?)

The proud look is counted as an abomination in Proverbs 6:16–17. Sure, we will keep the homosexual from a place of leadership in our churches. However, if a proud man comes in, boasting of his achievements and abilities, we will probably put him in charge of the Sunday school department; we might make him the new pastor or church board chairman; or, we might give him a thriving television ministry.

Pride is not dangerous merely because it is the absence of humility. Pride is dangerous because it leads to other sins. As James writes, pride leads to greed: I think I deserve something more than you do. This may lead me to go out of my way to fulfill my selfish desires. Suddenly, pleasure-seeking leads to the sin of covetousness, which leads to fighting, quarreling, and eventually murder. Many of humanity’s bloodiest wars were fought over nations’ craving for more land and resources. World War II began when Germany invaded Poland seeking Lebensraum (area to live). Ethnic pride led Hitler and others to believe that they deserved that land more than the people who were already there; tragedy followed.

Pride may also tempt us to seek friendship with the world, thereby creating enmity with God. We might think we deserve to be liked more than other people are, so we seek their approval. We try to convince others to like and admire us. We can become so convinced that we deserve people’s respect and approval that we might compromise our convictions to fit in. We think we deserve the things of the world and the admiration of others, so pride leads us to avoid God as the source of all that matters.

Do not be fooled. Pride is deadly. It will destroy your relationships. It will lead you away from God. It will kill your soul. Seek to cultivate humility instead.

“The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea-bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind” (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity).

Copyright © 2019 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.