In some sense, pride is the foundational sin. As Bible commentator William Barclay declared, “Pride is the ground in which all the other sins grow, and the parent from which all the other sins come.” With pride, we can justify any other form of rebellion against God’s commands.
Pride may also have literally been the first sin to pollute God’s creation. Many a theologian has speculated that what caused the angel Lucifer to rebel against God was pride—he would rather reign in hell than serve in heaven. We thus follow the Devil’s well-worn path into sin when we put our thoughts, feelings, and desires ahead of serving God. And how easy it is to slip into pride!
For those who are struggling with pride, it is not enough just to overcome this sin — it must be replaced with its opposing virtue, humility.
Humility is a quality every Christian should possess.
But what, exactly, is humility?
Is humility thinking that you have no value or that you are the worst person who ever lived? Is it abasing yourself and cutting yourself down every chance you get?
No, of course not. Humility is being realistic about the human condition. This means we recognize that whatever advantages we possess were given to us by God. It means we recognize that as sinners we are not so different from other people. And most importantly it means we recognize that, compared to God Himself, we are not marvelous at all.
It has been said that humility is not only about thinking less of yourself but also about thinking of yourself less. Of course, thinking of yourself less is no easy task. So insidious is pride that one can even become proud of being humble. (At that point, though, you are not really humble anymore!)
Still, humility is possible for us to achieve. It is possible when we surrender our pride to the Holy Spirit’s ministrations. He will make us humble. And as He does so, He will make us more like Christ.
5 Steps to Overcome Pride
If you need to think less of yourself and think of yourself less, begin the spiritual healing process now. The Holy Spirit will help you identify ungodly pride in your life and replace it with Christ-like humility.
Are you struggling with a form of sinful pride?
We have outlined a five-step process in the free ebook, PRIDE: IT’S ALL ABOUT ME, to help you work through the repair of that area of your life.
[Download PRIDE: IT’S ALL ABOUT ME for free now!]
