Proverbs 8:13. The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
Hate isn’t always a bad thing. We should hate evil. Especially pride and arrogance.
Ironically, it is often our own pride and arrogance that makes us hate pride and arrogance. We hate those who are boastful and those who act like a know-it-all, not because these sins are damaging to them and to the community, but because they are annoying to us. We hate pride and arrogance in others because we think we are better than them, not because these sins are an affront to God.
The truth is all of us have the disease of pride and arrogance living in us don’t we? We are all born in Adam, the original narcissist. Like our forefather, we all think we know better than others and even better than God himself. We think that our successes are our own doing. Our hard work. Our intelligence. Our morality. Our knowledge of good and evil. But nothing is further from the truth. And no attitude is deadlier than arrogance. It is a relationship killer. A perspective killer. A wisdom killer. A spiritual killer.
That’s why the cure for pride is the fear of the Lord. Fear of the Lord (wisdom) keeps us in proper standing before God. He is God and we are not. Every good thing we’ve ever had, every success we’ve experienced, every victory we’ve achieved was his grace alone. A grace that teaches our hearts to fear not flaunt. When we can see that all is grace, then and only then will arrogance begin to melt away. Pride will slowly shrivel up and die. Mercy and forgiveness will overflow to others. Humility will replace hubris.
Just as there was no room for pride and arrogance in Jesus’ heart, so too there is no room for pride and arrogance in the Spirit of Christ living in us. The truth is that you cannot be a Christian without first repenting of your pride. The gospel calls us to repent of both our evil and our good. Our bad deeds and our good deeds. Our unrighteousness and our self-righteousness. No proud person can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Saving faith and repentance require humility as a starting point.
Yet the seeds of pride remain embedded in our flesh, and still the cure is the fear of the Lord. Faith in Christ and in his new heart within us. In Christ we never need to be arrogant. Christ and his cross are our only boast, our only pride, our only status and success. When you know that you are Christ’s pride and joy, you never need to take pride in anything other than that.
You: In what ways are you arrogant?
You in Christ: How does knowing that all is grace keep your heart from pride?
Christ in you: Where is Christ in you pointing out your pride to you? How can you use gratitude to replace arrogance?
Pray: Father, fear of you keeps me from arrogance and pride. May your grace always keep me humble. Amen.
To Live is Christ 