The subtle sin of pride: How it sneaks into our Christian lives

Pride is everywhere. We’re not just talking about rainbows and parades, although everything from my local Ikea store to the utility truck perpetually parked across my street is emblazoned with flags magnifying this most controversial of attitudes. I’m speaking less about visual displays and more about the heart. Temptations towards pridefulness brood within so much of our societal discourse: accusations of nationalism and cultural appropriation, the rampant matriarchy-versus-patriarchy wars, and the new generational phenomenon of parental estrangement. But what is the heart behind pride, and how can Christians stand apart by recognising its sinfulness, even as the world increasingly mischaracterises it as an acceptable, even admirable, expression of love?

Biblically speaking, pride is a heart posture that exalts the self over God. 

Biblically speaking, pride is a heart posture that exalts the self over God. A prideful heart seeks to satisfy personal gain, desires or recognition over and above obedience to God’s will and glory. Pride blinds us to our true station as fragile, fallible, vulnerable created beings. The Bible describes human life as a mist or vapour, here today and gone tomorrow (James 4:14), and people as made from dust (Genesis 2), lower than the angels (Psalm 8:5). Although our souls are worth the shed blood of Jesus, apart from salvation humanity would be eternally separated from God because of sin. The only good in us is God (Luke 18:19). So when we lift ourselves, our will, status or identity, above Him, we commit grave error.

Ultimately, a prideful heart revels in self, believing that one can exist and even prosper without God at all—a fallacy of eternal proportions. One example in Scripture is King Nebuchadnezzar. In Daniel 4, he looks out from his royal palace over Babylon, proclaiming, “By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendour” (Daniel 4:30). Immediately afterwards, God takes not only his kingdom but also his sanity and very humanity. Nebuchadnezzar is left “eating grass like a cow and drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws” (Daniel 4:33). It isn’t until he has spent seven years in this humbled state that he repents, correcting his heart posture and putting himself and God in their rightful places, confessing, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven… and those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (Daniel 4:37).

By contrast, the Bible describes Moses as the most humble man on earth (Numbers 12:3). Although he lives in royalty during his youth, once Moses encounters God, he consistently pursues and obeys Him—not perfectly, but faithfully. Aware of his own weakness, Moses doesn’t cling to it as definitive but allows God’s will, power and presence to shape his attitude and identity. The dramatic result of Moses’ closeness to and reliance on God is described in Exodus 33:11, where he speaks with God face to face. He spends so much time in God’s presence that God’s radiance transforms his face. The people are so disturbed by the radiance in Moses’ countenance that they are afraid to come near him, so he covers his face with a veil whenever he is among them, removing it only when he is alone with God (Exodus 34).

This is an important picture for believers of how humility, while drawing us closer to God, can repel others.

This is an important picture for believers of how humility, while drawing us closer to God, can repel others. Other humble figures in Scripture, such as John the Baptist and Jesus Himself, are also portrayed as outliers—peculiar figures who were not embraced by the world. Likewise today, rejecting pride can make us the world’s enemy, revealing that we serve a different Master. Scripture repeatedly contrasts pride with humility (Proverbs 29:23; 1 Peter 5:5; John 3:30). The humble are rewarded with God’s presence to such an extent that it transforms both their character and how they are perceived by others. If sincere humility has this effect, surely this is the banner Christians should celebrate and cling to, rejecting pride and drawing near to God so that He will draw near to us (James 4:8).

Nevertheless, in the Church, just as in the world, we accuse one another of stealing ethnic identities that were not chosen by us but ordained by God. We say that someone shouldn’t wear a particular hairstyle because it belongs exclusively to another group. We claim that a culture is inherently sinful because of its ancestors’ historical errors. We imply that one gender is more problematic and another more desirable. We refuse forgiveness because someone has sinned against us too deeply. We cling to identities rooted in heritage, sex or generation, using them as measures against one another rather than seeking the good in all people and traditions insofar as they lead to God’s unity and glory.

If pride pits us against God and each other, unity is a significant way Christians can pursue humility in Christ.  “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” Colossians 3:12-15 NLT Our human tendency is toward comparison, accusation and criticism, but humbly seeking unity glorifies Christ, making us stand apart from the world. Rejecting pride by drawing near to God can estrange us, but time in God’s presence will produce the desire toward harmony and unity that pulls us back together in Him. Changing from the world’s image to Jesus’ image, we’ll shine like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden so that everyone will praise our Father in heaven (Matt 5:14-16), and the glory will  be fully His.