Pride and Conceit

People can take pride in practically anything—their looks, possessions, intelligence, job, sophistication, family connections, even their religion. Does God deny us the enjoyment of being attractive, of owning a home or car, of having a good education, of having some achievements in life? Of course not. None of these things is wrong in itself. When the Bible talks about pride and arrogance, it is talking about making an idol—a god—of these things. It is talking about thinking of ourselves so highly that God has no place in our lives.

Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don't speak with such arrogance! The LORD is a God who knows your deeds; and he will judge you for what you have done. 1 Samuel 2:3Close1 Samuel 2:3 "Stop acting so proud and haughty!  Don't speak with such arrogance!For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done;  he will judge your actions. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

Love the LORD, all you faithful ones! For the LORD protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes all who are arrogant. Psalms 31:23ClosePsalms 31:23 Love the LORD, all you godly ones!  For the LORD protects those who are loyal to him,  but he harshly punishes the arrogant. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn your back on evil. Then you will gain renewed health and vitality. Proverbs 3:7CloseProverbs 3:7 Don't be impressed with your own wisdom.  Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

The LORD despises pride; be assured that the proud will be punished.

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. It is better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud. Proverbs 16:5-19CloseProverbs 16:5-19 The LORD detests the proud;  they will surely be punished. Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin.  By fearing the LORD, people avoid evil. When people's lives please the LORD,  even their enemies are at peace with them. Better to have little, with godliness,  than to be rich and dishonest. We can make our plans,  but the LORD determines our steps. The king speaks with divine wisdom;  he must never judge unfairly. The LORD demands accurate scales and balances;  he sets the standards for fairness. A king detests wrongdoing,  for his rule is built on justice. The king is pleased with words from righteous lips;  he loves those who speak honestly. The anger of the king is a deadly threat;  the wise will try to appease it. When the king smiles, there is life;  his favor refreshes like a spring rain. How much better to get wisdom than gold,  and good judgment than silver! The path of the virtuous leads away from evil;  whoever follows that path is safe. Pride goes before destruction,  and haughtiness before a fall. Better to live humbly with the poor  than to share plunder with the proud. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin. Proverbs 21:4CloseProverbs 21:4 Haughty eyes, a proud heart,  and evil actions are all sin. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

The day is coming when your pride will be brought low and the LORD alone will be exalted. In that day the LORD Almighty will punish the proud, bringing them down to the dust. Isaiah 2:11CloseIsaiah 2:11 Human pride will be brought down,  and human arrogance will be humbled.Only the LORD will be exalted  on that day of judgment. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

"I, the LORD, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and the haughtiness of the mighty." Isaiah 13:11CloseIsaiah 13:11 "I, the LORD, will punish the world for its evil  and the wicked for their sin.I will crush the arrogance of the proud  and humble the pride of the mighty. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

"Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked; but the righteous will live by their faith." Habakkuk 2:4CloseHabakkuk 2:4 "Look at the proud!  They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked.  But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.* OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

"God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.

"God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them." Matthew 5:3-5CloseMatthew 5:3-5 "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,*  for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn,  for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble,  for they will inherit the whole earth. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

Jesus prayed this prayer: "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike." Matthew 11:25CloseMatthew 11:25 At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

"Anyone who wants to be the first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else." Mark 9:35CloseMark 9:35 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, "Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

The world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. 1 John 2:16Close1 John 2:16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

The worst kind of pride is spiritual pride. Jesus understood this, knowing that people who appear religious can be incredibly vain. One of his classic parables looks at this problem, promising a blessing not on the spiritually proud but on those who humble themselves before God.

Jesus told this story to some who had great self-confidence and scorned everyone else:

"Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector. The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: `I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don't sin, I don't commit adultery, I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.'

But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, `O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored." Luke 18:9-14CloseLuke 18:9-14 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer*: `I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don't cheat, I don't sin, and I don't commit adultery. I'm certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, `O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

The Book of God's Promises -- Copyright, 1999 by J. Stephen Lang. All rights reserved, used with permission.