Pride- Arrogance, To be elevated
The bible clearly states that if you elevate yourself you are proud, but if you are elevated in deed and in the eyes of your peers then you are honored.
- Proverbs 18:12 NIV
12 Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor.
- Proverbs 11:2 NIV
2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.
- Proverbs 29:23 NIV
23 A man’s pride brings him low,
but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.
There is little else that I find more repulsive than arrogance. What I understand of Arrogance is a belief that you are entitled to preferential treatment or circumstances. I believe this self-entitlement is the denial of our own fallacies and weaknesses which bring us to (Repentance) or the understanding that we need a Savior –Christ Jesus. I believe this is why pride is so damaging, because it directly separates us from God.
- Psalm 10:4 NIV
4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
One of the uses for the Hebrew word Pride is also used interchangeably used to name Lucifer. So pride can either mean to shine brightly, or to be self- righteous. We all know that in the story of the fall, Lucifer was both the one who shone the brightest, and the one with a pride-full heart.
Aristotle makes yet another distinction between a proud man, proud being a man who is given honor by what he deserves, and a vain man, who believes himself deserving of what the proud man is honored for, without any honor within himself.
- Aristotle: “Honours and dishonours, therefore, are the objects with respect to which the proud man is as he should be. And even apart from argument it is with honour that proud men appear to be concerned; for it is honour that they chiefly claim, but in accordance with their deserts. The unduly humble man falls short both in comparison with his own merits and in comparison with the proud man’s claims. The vain man goes to excess in comparison with his own merits, but does not exceed the proud man’s claims.”
From Aristotle’s views pride is in part a comparison that a man does within his own heart, which places himself either in accordance with the truth of himself, or to an extreme towards excessive pride or undue humility.
Jesus demonstrated this kind of undue humility, which is what set Him apart from many of the theologians and astute keepers of the law in his day, the law being with no separation from the principals which are believed to be right or wrong according to God. I believe that Jesus was teaching us that if there were ever a choice between the two, undue humility would be the best decision, as it leaves room to elevate others, which is called love born of sacrifice. He said in John 15:9-17 –
9″As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
“13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
But what if the word life in John 15:13 was substituted for pride? How much differently would we act had Jesus asked us to lay down our pride? In an average life, when have we ever called to lay down our life? So far we are all still here. How many times have we hopelessly and stubbornly clung to our pride without budging? How many times have we seen our loved ones hurt, and still clung to what we thing we are entitled to have? Weather what we believe we are entitled to be honor, or space, or possessions, or attention, or compassion. When we take a realistic look at what we deserve, using the bible as our standard for what is right and wrong, we barley deserve the breath we take each day.
