PRIDE: THE ROOT AND ESSENCE OF SIN

"THE FACTS OF THE MATTER"

"A weekly letter of encouragement to business and professional men and women"

December 09, 2009

PRIDE:  THE ROOT AND ESSENCE OF SIN

I just learned of a friend of mine (who took a church from nothing to 1200 people in three years) who has fallen into sexual immorality.   Over the years he has been secretly plagued with deeply-rooted unresolved issues, which in his pride he has consistently refused to divulge, deal with, and be held accountable for.  It was these root issues that eventually led to his undoing.

I finally got him on the phone, having escaped with his wife to the Caribbean , “Dwight, it is hell.  I may not have a marriage.  Our lives are changed forever.”  In our brief but intense conversation he said nothing about defacing the Name of God or about the 1200 people he had deeply offended.  No, it was all about him and his discomfort; his embarrassment.  In a word, raw, untamed pride. 

So just what is pride? It is the very root and essence of sin.  And how does it manifest itself?  By putting ourselves rather than God at the center, as manifested by our boasting, high-mindedness, arrogance, and drawing attention to our skills, accomplishments, possessions or position.  At its root is rebellion against God in that we take unto ourselves the honor and glory that is his due.  This is precisely what King Herod did, and it cost him his life: “[King] Herod…delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man.’ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.” (Acts 12:21-23 – Selected)  Is there any doubt that "God opposes the proud"? (James 4:6)

The insidious nature of pride and God’s concern that it not control us is brought home in his dealing with the Apostle Paul.  God had given him extraordinary revelations and knew that if he did not injure him, he would loose him to pride.  “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”  After pleading with God three times – without success - to remove the thorn, [God] “said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”  Paul’s conclusion?  “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  (2 Cor 12:1-10 – Selected)

God warned Israel of pride that could easily engulf  them with the “success” he would give them after crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land, “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’  But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.”  (Deut 8:17, 18)   Why the warning?  Because, God emphatically instructs us, “I will not yield my glory to another.”  (Isa. 48:11b)

QUESTIONS YOU MAY WANT TO ASK YOURSELF IN EVALUATING YOUR “PRIDE QUOTIENT”:

• Are the words, “I am sorry,” and “I am wrong” part of my vocabulary?  (Matt. 23:12)
• Whom do I really credit for my success?  God or myself?  (Psa. 33:16-19; Zech 4:6)
• What is my attitude toward the less fortunate; the less accomplished; the less attractive? Disdain? Judgmentalism? Avoidance? Or compassion?  (Matt. 9:36; Lk. 18:9-14)
• In conversation, do I purposely step back from the limelight, or do I maneuver the focus toward myself?
• Is my planning and decision-making bathed with prayer and the counsel of godly people?  Or do I plow ahead on my own?  (Prov 15:22; 20:18; James. 4:13-16)
• Am I resting in who I am in Christ, or am I still trying to prove myself and impress others?  (Eph. 2:4-9)

Because pride is such a menacing force for all of us, an exercise you might consider is praying your way through the following passages: John 13:1-17; Luke 18:9-17; Philippians 2:5-8.

My prayer is that you are having a great week!

R. Dwight Hill