Pride: Contending for Supremacy

So, we pickup where we left off the other day.

Why does God hate pride so passionately?

Here's why:

"Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him. Charles Bridges once noted how pride lifts up one's heart against God and 'contends for supremacy' with Him. That's a keenly insightful and biblical definition of pride's essence: contending for supremacy with God, and lifting up our hearts against Him. For purposes of personal confession, I began adopting this definition of pride a few years ago after I came to realize that, to some degree, I'd grown unaffected by pride in my life. Though I was still confessing pride, I knew I wasn't sufficiently convicted of it. So rather than just confessing to God that 'I was proud in that situation' and appealing for His forgiveness, I learned to say instead, 'Lord, in that moment, with that attitude and that action, I was contending for supremacy with You. That's what it was all about. Forgive me.' And rather than confessing to another person, 'that statement was prideful on my part; will you please forgive me?' I began saying, 'what I just did was contending for supremacy with God,' and only then asking for the person's forgiveness. This practice increased a weight of conviction in my heart about the seriousness of this sin. Pride takes innumerable forms but has only one end: self-glorification. That's the motive and ultimate purpose of pride - to rob God of legitimate glory and to pursue self-glorification, contending for supremacy with Him. The proud person seeks to glorify himself and not God, thereby attempting in effect to deprive God of something only He is worthy to receive. No wonder God opposes pride. No wonder He hates pride. Let that truth sink into your thinking."

Humility: True Greatness

As many of you know, Ron Starcher has been preaching during our Sunday evening services. He has been walking us through the old testament book of Habakkuk. This past Sunday he spent some time on the issue of pride and arrogance and how God is directly opposed to pride. As he was preaching, I was convinced that I needed to pick up the little book by C.J. Mahaney entitled "Humility". So, this week I am reading this little book...in fact, I read most of it while waiting in the doctor's office.

I thought I would share with you some of his thoughts from chapter two which is called "The Perils of Pride". It will probably take about 4 or 5 posts to capture what I want to share with you...so look for these posts over the next week.

First, let me begin by quoting one of my favorite writers John Stott:

"at every stage of our christian development and in every sphere of our christian discipleship, pride is the greatest enemy and humility our greatest friend".

And someone once said:

"humility is the jewel from which all other godly characteristics flow from".

The First Sin
"Pride has quite the history, one that precedes Adam and Eve. Pride, it seems, was the very first sin. Isaiah 14 records the downfall of a king, but not a mere earthly ruler. This king is the embodiment of God-defying arrogance, but the language used here apparently references the rebellion and fall of Satan himself. In Isaiah 14:13, the motivation behind Satan's rebellion is exposed: 'You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high'. Led by the prideful Lucifer, powerful angelic creatures possessing beauty and glory far beyond our comprehension arrogantly desired recognition and status equal to God Himself. In response, God swiftly and severely judged them. Pride not only appears to be the earliest sin, but it is at the core of all sin. 'Pride,' John Stott writes, 'is more than the first of the seven deadly sins; it is itself the essence of all sin.' Indeed, from God's perspective, pride seems to be the most serious sin. From my study, I'm convinced there's nothing God hates more than this. God righteously hates all sin, of course, but biblical evidence abounds for the conclusion that there's no sin more offensive to Him than pride. When His Word reveals those things 'that the Lord hates' and 'that are an abomination to him', it's the proud man's 'haughty eyes' that head up the list (Prov. 6:16-17). When the personified wisdom of God speaks out, these clear words are emphasized: 'I hate pride and arrogance' (Prov. 8:13). And consider the divine perspective on pride revealed in Prov. 16:5: 'Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.' Stronger language for sin simply cannot be found in Scripture."

Why is Scripture's language so strong against pride?? Why does God hate pride so passionately??

We will pickup here tomorrow!!