Why is pride considered one of the seven deadly sins?

Pride is considered one of the seven deadly sins because

• It glorifies oneself and not God
• It is selfish
• It rages against all wise counsel
• It is not submissive to authority
• It is judgmental
• It leads to discrimination

Let us explain each of the aforementioned points to gain a deeper understanding of the sinful nature of pride.

#1. Pride is a sin because it glorifies oneself instead of God

A proud person believes in his heart that he is self-sufficient. He believes that all that he has been able to achieve and acquire in life is attributed to his abilities and efforts. According to him, he is the reason behind his success, not God or any other person. So, instead of glorifying God, he takes all the credit for all his accomplishments.

God warned the children of Israel to always remember that it was because of Him that they became prosperous, not through their own abilities and efforts. This is what the Bible says in Deuteronomy 8:17–18.

“Then you say in your heart, My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth’. And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant, which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

By taking all the credit for their success, proud people make the deadly mistake of taking God’s glory. 

In Isaiah 42:8, we are warned that God does not share His glory with anyone. This scripture says:

“I am the LORD; that is My name; and my glory I will not give to another, nor my praise to carved images.”

The outcome of taking God’s glory is spelt out in Isaiah 2:11–12, which says

“The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up, and it shall be brought low.”

Failure to glorify God also means making Him your opponent, as recorded in James 4:6, which says

“But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: ‘God resists (opposes) the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”  

In other words, God makes it His business to oppose all that you do. How far do you think you can get with such opposition?

Something worth noting in the same verse is that, your pride causes you to miss out on God’s grace. This is because God only ‘gives grace to the humble’.

The story of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, is a case in point. Even after witnessing the power of God manifested through Daniel, Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego, he failed to glorify God. As a result, he had to be condemned to the wilderness until he acknowledged God’s sovereignty over the entire universe. We read this in Daniel 4:28–34, which says:

“All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months, he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The King spoke, saying, ‘is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?’ While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.’ That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. And at the end of the time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever.”

#2. Pride is a sin because it is selfish

In any given situation, a proud person only pursues his own interests, even if it means infringing upon the rights of others. This is because they have a false sense of self-importance, which makes them believe that they are better than everyone else. They also suffer from the problem of superiority complex. For instance, you’ll find such people jumping queues just to get ahead of everyone else.

A proud person never hesitates to manipulate the system in order to suit his interests. Even if it means bending or breaking established rules; the proud will always push and shove until their agenda is realized.

As Christians, we have been called to not only look into our own interests but also those of others. This is recorded in Philippians 2:3–4, which says

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.”

This call is also repeated in Galatians 5:26, which says

“Let us not become conceited, provoke one another, or envy one another.”

#3. Pride is a sin because it rages against all wise counsel

Proud people never take advice from any quarter because they believe that they ‘know it all’. If you have dealt with a proud person before, you will agree with me that in any discussion you have ever had, their opinion ‘must always carry the day’. Their ‘all-knowing’ attitude is totally misplaced because no one knows everything.

Their ‘elevated status’ makes them contend with any wise counsel, even when it is for their own benefit. This is recorded in Proverbs 18:1, which says

“A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment.”

The Bible warns the proud against their ‘all-knowing’ attitude in Proverbs 26:12 by saying this:

“Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

A favorite scripture I like sharing with anyone I sense is proud is Proverbs 3:5-7, which says:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil.”

#4. Pride is a sin because it is not submissive to authority

A proud person finds it very difficult to submit to authority, especially when those in charge make decisions that are unpopular with him. In most cases, you will find them fomenting dissent at the workplace, in the local church, or even on the political scene.

Consequently, proud people are the authors of rebellion in many places, including the Bible. Let’s examine just one of them.

In the book of Numbers 16, we find a rebellion against Moses as engineered by some very proud fellows by the names Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On. This is what the scripture says:

“Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron and said to them, ‘You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?’”

According to Korah and his company, Moses and Aaron were being dictatorial and therefore had to be cut down to size. These people forgot that it was God Himself who had appointed Moses and Aaron to be in charge of the Children of Israel. However, because they were appointed to serve alongside Moses and Aaron in the ministry to the people, their egos became inflated. They came to the false belief that they were equal to Moses and Aaron. This was the deadliest mistake they ever made.

After daring Moses to a ‘contest’ for God to choose whom it was that would lead the congregation, Korah and company got swallowed up by the earth—they, their wives, their children, and all their property. We read this in Numbers 16:23–35, which says:

“So the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘’speak to the congregation, saying, ‘get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’ Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.’ So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents with their wives, their sons, and their little children.

And Moses said, ‘By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the LORD.’

Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, ‘Lest the earth swallow us up also!’

And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.”

#5. Pride is judgmental and clothes itself with a false sense of self-righteousness

A proud person is always quick to judge others, forgetting that they also fall way below the standards they set for themselves. They are good at pointing accusing fingers at the shortcomings of others, and yet they also stand accused of the same by God.

We can pick the story of the righteous Pharisee and the tax collector as recorded in Luke 18:9–14 to explain this point. This is what the Bible says

“Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterous, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In this passage, Jesus teaches that in order to be forgiven, we must humble ourselves before God, and trust in His mercies only, not our works of ‘righteousness’.

#6. Pride is a sin because it leads to discrimination

Proud people believe that they are more important than others, and hence they look down upon them. This may take on a racial or tribal dimension where one race, tribe, religion, or denomination considers itself superior to the others.

The outcome of this prejudice is discrimination in terms of the way members of either race, tribe, religion, or denomination are treated. Those considered superior receive better treatment, while those categorized as inferior get mistreated. This action sows seeds of bitterness in the hearts of those who are mistreated. This bitterness may, at times, lead to revolts with disastrous outcomes.

In the Bible, we come across mistreatment of widows from gentile communities during the administration of assistance by the early Church leadership. There was this misconception that the ‘Jewish widows’ should receive special treatment because of their descent.

We read this in Acts 6:1, which says

“Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.”

Similar prejudice also plays out in Galatians 2:11–13, where it says:

“Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.”

In these instances, we see Peter separating himself from the gentiles because they were considered impure, and hence mingling with them would cause defilement.

Conclusion

In this article, we have identified some of the reasons why pride is considered one of the seven deadly sins highlighted in the Bible. Consequently, we have established several things about pride, including the following: Pride glorifies self instead of God; pride is selfish; pride does not listen to counsel; pride is not submissive to authority; pride clothes one with a false sense of self-righteousness; and pride breeds prejudice. As Christians, we must work hard to keep pride from driving us away from God and our fellow brethren in the face of our achievements. We must constantly keep in mind that we owe it all to God—our lives and all our possessions. I leave you with the words recorded in Deuteronomy 8:18, which say:

“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant, which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

As it applied to the children of Israel in those days, so does it apply to us today.

I hope the information was helpful. Thank you.

Related Post: Are there biblical stories that show the consequences of pride

You can buy us coffee as a thank-you gesture by clicking on this link: Buy Me a Coffee

Are you a born-again Christian? If not, kindly say the following prayer from the bottom of your heart, and you will get saved.

Prayer to become a born again Christian

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and hereby ask for your forgiveness;

I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that you are the only begotten Son of the living God.

I believe that you were sent of your Father to the earth to save sinners like me.

I now accept you as my personal Lord and Savior.

Come into my heart and baptize me with The Holy Spirit.

Thank you for saving me.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen!”

Congratulations friend! You are now a born-again Christian!

Welcome to the Family of God!

Benediction

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.”

(Numbers 6:24-26)

Shalom.

Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/