Monday Read: The Disease of Pride

What did Lucifer, the most beautiful of all created beings, lack that caused his fall? Nothing. He had perfect beauty, incredible power, and direct access to God's throne. Yet Isaiah records his downfall: "You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high'" (Isaiah 14:13). Pride—the desire to be equal with God—transformed the morning star into Satan himself. It's the same pride that whispered to Eve, "You will be like God" (Genesis 3:5), and it's the same pride that infects every human heart, including yours.

Pride is the sin behind all other sins. It was pride that made Cain murder Abel when God preferred his brother's offering. Pride drove the tower of Babel builders to make a name for themselves rather than glorify God. Pride caused King Saul to offer an unauthorized sacrifice because waiting for Samuel would diminish his authority before the troops. In each case, the core issue wasn't anger, impatience, or disobedience—it was the refusal to submit to God's rightful place as sovereign. Pride says, "I know better than God."

Perhaps no passage exposes pride's ugliness more clearly than Jesus's parable in Luke 18. The Pharisee prays, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get" (Luke 18:11-12). Notice he's not lying—he probably was morally superior to most people around him. But his righteousness had become a source of pride rather than gratitude, comparison rather than worship. Meanwhile, the tax collector simply beats his breast and cries, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" Jesus's verdict is shocking: the proud religious man went home condemned while the humble sinner went home justified.

Pride disguises itself in Christian clothing with remarkable skill. We become proud of our humility, proud of our theological knowledge, proud of our ministry success, proud of our spiritual disciplines. We look down on "carnal Christians" while congratulating ourselves on our maturity. We critique other churches while assuming our own is more faithful. We judge other believers' decisions while feeling confident in our own wisdom. As C.S. Lewis observed, pride is essentially competitive—it's not enough to be good; we must be better than others.

The antidote to pride isn't self-hatred but accurate self-assessment. Paul writes, "By the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment" (Romans 12:3). What areas of your life have become sources of pride rather than gratitude? Where do you find yourself comparing your spiritual maturity, theological knowledge, or moral behavior to others? The moment you feel superior to another believer, you've forgotten that "what do you have that you did not receive?" (1 Corinthians 4:7).