The Subtlety of Pride

Also He (Jesus) spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men - extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.'" (Luke 18:9-11)

How many times have I read these verses and not really seen myself as the Pharisee? The irony was that I would often look with disdain at such a prideful attitude, an unwitting display of my own self-righteousness. Pride is definitely one of the subtle sins that must be confronted if we're going to grow in Christ-likeness. In Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, Jerry Bridges directs our attention to four expressions of pride that are especially tempting to believers.

Moral self-righteousness manifests itself when we have a feeling or moral superiority with respect to other people, usually those committing flagrant sins. Bridges reminds us that we can guard against self-righteousness "by seeking an attitude of humility based on the truth that 'there but for the grace of God go I.'...No one is naturally morally upright. Rather, we all have to say with David, 'Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me' (Psalm 51:5). Rather than feeling morally superior to those who practice the flagrant sins we condemn, we ought to feel deeply grateful that God by His grace has kept us from, or perhaps rescued us from, such a lifestyle." (p. 91)

Another expression of pride is doctrinal pride, manifested when our particular belief system makes us spiritually superior to those who hold other beliefs. "I'm not suggesting that we should not seek to know the truths of Scripture and develop doctrinal convictions about what the Scriptures teach; I am saying that we should hold our convictions in humility, realizing that many godly and theologically capable people hold other convictions." (pp. 92-93)

The pride of achievement is subtle because of the relationship between our hard work the any success we experience, in any area of our lives. Scripture reminds us that any success is under Sovereign rule: Now who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? (I Cor. 4:7) "You have nothing that did not come to you as a gift form God. Our intellect, our natural skills and talents, our health, and our opportunities to succeed all come from God. We have nothing that will enable us to achieve success that we did not receive from God." (p. 94) "Second, we should learn that all recognition, regardless of its immediate source, ultimately comes from God. It is God who puts down one and lifts up another (see Psalm 75:6-7). Putting these two principles together causes us to say, 'All is of grace.' I deserve nothing, and all I do receive, including recognition, is only of His grace. Therefore, if I don't receive it, I will not fret." (p. 96)

Finally, the pride of an independent spirit causes us to resist authority and have an unteachable attitude. "The Bible...is quite clear on the issue of submitting to authority. Of several Scriptures we could look at, the one that speaks most clearly to the subject is Hebrews 13:17: Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (p. 97) We are to submit ourselves to those who have our best interests at heart and who can help us grow into mature Christians.