Questions Answered in This Article
What does the Bible say about pride?
The Bible teaches that pride is an abomination to the Lord and leads to a separation from Him (Proverbs 16:5).
Moreover, the Christian experience is often marred by our tendency to take credit for the blessings and graces we receive from the Lord. When we have moments of prayerful engagement or acts of service, it's easy to shift our focus from Christ to ourselves, admiring our feelings and graces rather than acknowledging Him as the source of all goodness. In essence, the warning against pride is not merely about behavior modification; it is a call to an ever-deepening reliance on and humble adoration of Christ, who embodies fullness of grace and truth.
Proverbs 8:13, Proverbs 16:5
How do we know grace is truly from God?
True grace comes from God’s fullness through Christ, not from our own efforts or pride (John 1:16).
It is crucial to distinguish between self-generated feelings of holiness and the true work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we become aware of our blessings, we must resist the inclination to take pride in our achievements or spiritual experiences. Instead, we should cultivate a heart that consistently redirects any compliment or recognition back to Christ, understanding that without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). This acknowledgment helps to keep our hearts humble and reliant upon God's grace, ensuring that we do not confuse our experiences with the source of true grace.
John 1:16, John 15:5
Why is humility important for Christians?
Humility is crucial for Christians as it aligns our hearts with God’s will and keeps us from pride (James 4:6).
As we live out our Christian lives, humility helps us to appropriately view ourselves in relation to God and to others. It allows us to serve and love others genuinely, rather than from a place of self-importance or boastfulness. Furthermore, humility opens our hearts to the transformative work of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to grow in faith, love, and obedience. Thus, cultivating humility is not just about self-deprecation; it is about elevating Christ and recognizing His Lordship in every aspect of our lives.
James 4:6
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. - Proverbs 8:13
What a monster of pride is man! How full of that cursed venom, is human nature! We cannot receive any grace or blessing from the Lord--but corrupt nature is prone to be proud of it, and to boast in it! No one is exempt from this. I appeal to your hearts. I refer to your experience.
- When your heart has been enlarged in prayer;
- when your soul has been carried out in humblings, meltings, longings, aspirings, etc.;
- when you have heard the Word with warm affections and heavenly joy;
- when your tongue has with sweetness and liberty, talked of Christ to others;
- when your hand has been stretched forth to do any good work;
now in all these, have you not found pride very busy? Have not you been ready to stroke yourself with pleasure, and to reflect with delight: "Well, now the Lord loves me indeed! Surely He loves me better--now that I find myself so holy, and feel myself so heavenly!"
But where is our precious Jesus all this while? We have looked at ourselves--until we have lost sight of Him! We have been admiring our vile selves for our graces--instead of being in raptures with Christ, who is altogether lovely, in whom all fullness of grace dwells, and out of whose fullness we receive grace upon grace!
"Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD..." - Proverbs 16:5
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