The Sin of Pride

The Sin of Pride

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. (NIV) 

          Pride is something that God absolutely hates. The person who has pride lacks humility and therefore is unwilling to submit their will to that of God’s. There are times when an individual may take pride in a completed project, the success of a friend, the birth of a child, or some other accomplishment in life either for themselves or others. The pride that God hates, however, separates us from Him due to its sinful nature. Pride was what entered Lucifer’s heart from the very beginning and caused his downfall because he wanted to be like God, even though he created nothing other than total chaos, destruction, wickedness and deception. Isaiah 14:12-15  ⁽¹²⁾How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! ⁽¹³⁾ You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. ⁽¹⁴⁾I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” ⁽¹⁵⁾But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. (NIV)

When pride overtakes a person, they grieve away the Holy Spirit. They no longer listen to the voice of God but think that they can do everything within their own power. They take comfort in their own wisdom, which can, in turn, make them foolish. They are often arrogant and so full of self that even if they were in danger of harm, their haughtiness would have them to forsake wise counsel. Such pride and egotism were reported as contributing factors to the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

Numerous iceberg warnings had been sent to the captain and wireless operators, but due to the Titanic being considered an “unsinkable” ship and their years of experience, the warnings were ignored and 1,503 people were reported as having died as a result (Encyclopedia Titanica, 2011). Just like the Titanic, many people are on a collision course with an iceberg because they are looking at God’s warnings in the Bible, news, and nature, but are ignoring them due to their over-inflated egos. They refuse to humble themselves and turn from sin. Psalm 51:17 My sacrifice, O God is a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. (NIV) God wants His people to have a heart of humility. When we have a humble heart, that’s when we are the nearest to God because we are then able to hear His voice and be receptive to the moving of the Holy Spirit.