"There is no tongue that can express, or heart that can conceive the horrid sins and miseries that pride has ushered in among the children of men." (Brooks)
Pride is one of the most, if not the most horrible sin that any human being can be guilty of. This may sound a bit extreme because usually what first comes to our minds are the gross sins of homosexuality and sexual perversion. While it is true that these are grievous sins as they defy even the light of nature, these sins are not even mentioned in the list of things that God particularly hates in Proverbs 6.
"Theses six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren." ( Prov. 6:16-19).
If you notice carefully you will see that number one on this list of sins which God hates is the sin of pride - "a proud look". Why is that? Consider; pride is the sin that turned an archangel into a devil. Pride is the sin that led Israel to reject all the prophets that God sent to warn them of their evil ways.
"Thus says the Lord: 'In this manner I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people who refuse to hear My words, who walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be just like this sash which is profitable for nothing'…. Hear and give ear: do not be proud, for the Lord has spoken….But if you will not hear it, my soul will weep in secret for your pride;" (Jer 13: 9,10,15,16)
Pride is the sin that caused the Pharisees to reject Jesus as their Messiah and crucify Him instead. Pride is the sin of the church of Laodicea that led to their incredible blindness. What a horrible sin is this thing then which turns angels into devils, rejects God's servants, spurns all admonitions, puts Truth Incarnate on a cross, and leads one into a completely false estimation of themselves! How we need to give heed to the apostolic injunction:
"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." (1Cor 10: 12).
When we consider how grievously we have all sinned against our gracious Lord, how great the debt of sin and iniquity from which we have been forgiven, the price it cost our Lord Jesus to atone for our sins, how could we ever be proud of ourselves? If we are to boast of something, let us boast in the Lord and of who He is and of what he has done for us.
Let us examine ourselves regularly in this regards and learn to spot the workings of this evil in our heart. One quick test; how do you react when someone criticizes you for something? Is your initial reaction one of resentment and indignation; how dare they say this to ME. Then pride is at work in your heart. You see anger is a fruit that grows on the ROOT of pride. Why do we get angry when someone criticizes us? Our pride is hurt. The fact that the accusations may not even be well founded really doesn't matter. Your reaction is what matters. If the accusation is unfounded don't worry about it. God will vindicate you. Our Lord Jesus was falsely accused and learned to commit His case to His Father. He left it to Him to acquit Him.
Ask the Lord to show you this sin in your heart. Pray for meekness and humility of mind and heart. It is so precious to Christ. Remember:
"God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble". (James 4:6).
Let us pray to become a humble people for this is one of the marks of all of His children.
In Christ Jesus,
Dan
Copyright © 1999 Sovereign Grace Bible Church