TacticalChristianity.org
  • HOME
  • TACTICS
  • STRATEGY
  • E-BOOKS
  • REVIEWS
  • QUOTES
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG

At the Heart of Pride

11/29/2015

 
Picture
​“The LORD detests all the proud of heart …”  (Proverbs 16:5).
 
As the old saying goes: at the heart of pride, just as at the heart of sin, is “I.” There is nothing wrong with a healthy self-identity, of course, or with the use of personal pronouns, but the point the saying makes is that we can get into a world of trouble by making ourselves the center of the universe.

In that sense, it is as we begin to elevate the personal “I” above others, and ultimately place ourselves ahead of God in our view of things, that self-identity morphs into pride and pride into sin.  Consider, for example, the words of the prophet Isaiah spoken against the king of Babylon. Since medieval times, at least, these verses have often been thought to be also spoken metaphorically against the  power behind that king’s throne in the form of Satan himself, but the identity of the one addressed is not as important as the clear picture of pride the words give us, because the picture applies wherever pride is found:

“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! 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. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High'” (Isaiah 14:12-14).

When we separate out the statements of the one whose attitude of pride is condemned in these verses, we get a striking picture of self-identity gone terribly wrong, of the personal pronoun out of control:

“I will ascend to the heavens”
“I will raise my throne above the stars of God”
“I will sit enthroned on the mount of the assembly”
“I will ascend above the tops of the clouds”
“I will make myself like the Most High.”
 
Wrongful pride always involves the expression of one or more of the four aspects of self-elevation –  focus on person, possessions, position, or power.  In this case, we see excessive focus on all four very clearly.  The constant use of the first person pronoun is the first thing we notice, and although, as we said above, there is nothing wrong with use of the “first person” in speech, when we so obviously put our person  first – before all others – there is clearly a problem. 
 
The second thing we notice is the element of possession: "my throne" and the element of position. In every statement we see a dissatisfaction with present position and  a desire to be elevated.  The desire for position  is not the same as that for power. Numerous studies have shown, for example,  that office workers will often give up responsibilities and privileges they have –  accept an actual loss of power – to  gain a new title that gives them more status.
 
But power is also an aspect of pride which cannot be ignored.  There is a clear lust for power in all of the statements of the prideful one, culminating in the desire to be not only elevated, but also to be like God himself, to have God-like power.
 
Throughout  Isaiah 14:12-14 we see the focus on person, possessions, position and power that reveals  the heart of sinful pride.  Notice, too, that other than desire for power like God, there is not a single mention of anyone else in any of these statements  – every statement begins with an expression of self-identity and ends in a goal of self-elevation.
  
By contrast, think  of the many statements of Christ in his earthly life that reveal the very opposite attitude.  “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45) and “… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10) are only two examples of this pride-less  state of mind.

When we look at other individuals in the Bible who were close to God, we find the same attitude.  Take King David, for example. David’s humility is often clear in his writings and the biblical books that speak of him.  His position as king did not affect his view of himself relative to God, and David often doesn’t refer to himself as “I” or “me” but as “Your servant” (Psalm 119:23, etc.)  – the very opposite attitude to that described by Isaiah.  

For the Christian, this attitude is a vital one. If, like Paul, we are to say: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20), then the person whose identity we seek is not our own self,  the position we seek is  not an elevated one, our possessions are viewed as being for the benefit of others as well as ourselves, and the power we seek is only to help others.
​
Whenever we realize that the ongoing focus of our thoughts or speech is on our own self, our possessions, our position relative to others, or some power we may seek, we should remember the words of Isaiah, and that it is precisely these things that lie at the heart of wrongful pride. 


Comments are closed.

    Blog

    Follow @tacticalbelief

    RSS Feed

    For a smart browser-bookmark showing new blog postings, click on the RSS Feed icon above.  For more details on RSS Feed, click here.

    Author

    Unless otherwise stated, blog posts are written by R. Herbert, Ph.D., who writes for a number of Christian venues – including our sister site: LivingWithFaith.org.

    Categories

    All
    Archaeology & The Bible
    Bible Study
    Character
    Difficult Scriptures
    Discipleship
    Encouragement
    Family
    Fellowship
    Forgiveness
    Giving
    God
    Gratitude
    Great Commission
    Growth
    History & The Bible
    Knowledge & Wisdom
    Leadership
    Love
    Obedience
    Overcoming
    Persecution
    Popular Culture
    Positive Living
    Prayer
    Problems
    Relationships
    Service
    The Church & The World
    The Life Of Jesus
    Warriors Of The Way
    Women Of Strength

    Picture
    - Charter Member -

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013

     

©  2014-2019 TacticalChristianity.org.