The deadliest vice
“It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” – Saint Augustine
In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes the following observation concerning pride, “There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it in ourselves, the more we dislike it in others.” We tend to think that people are proud of being wealthy, smart or beautiful. But that is not true. People are proud of being wealthier, smarter and more beautiful than others. If everyone was equally wealthy, smart or beautiful, there would be nothing to be proud about. It is the comparison that makes us proud, the pleasure of being above everyone else.
The worse kind of pride though is not material, but spiritual. The devil simply delights in a proud Christian. If your religious life has you thinking (if even for a split second) that you are “good”, or worse yet, “better” than anyone else; you can be sure that you are being acted upon by the devil himself. The real test of being in the presence of God is this: you either see yourself as insignificant in comparison to His majesty, or you completely forget about yourself altogether. It should therefore come as no surprise that Scripture is replete with warnings against pride. Proverbs 16:18 tells us, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” The Lord tells us to, “learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” (Matthew 11:29) The antidote for pride, is humility. Humility does mean having a low opinion of oneself. It can simply be thought of as pride in God: But “he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 10:17)
In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes the following observation concerning pride, “There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it in ourselves, the more we dislike it in others.” We tend to think that people are proud of being wealthy, smart or beautiful. But that is not true. People are proud of being wealthier, smarter and more beautiful than others. If everyone was equally wealthy, smart or beautiful, there would be nothing to be proud about. It is the comparison that makes us proud, the pleasure of being above everyone else.
The worse kind of pride though is not material, but spiritual. The devil simply delights in a proud Christian. If your religious life has you thinking (if even for a split second) that you are “good”, or worse yet, “better” than anyone else; you can be sure that you are being acted upon by the devil himself. The real test of being in the presence of God is this: you either see yourself as insignificant in comparison to His majesty, or you completely forget about yourself altogether. It should therefore come as no surprise that Scripture is replete with warnings against pride. Proverbs 16:18 tells us, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” The Lord tells us to, “learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” (Matthew 11:29) The antidote for pride, is humility. Humility does mean having a low opinion of oneself. It can simply be thought of as pride in God: But “he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 10:17)
