Pride And Scripture
The Bible describes pride as sin. Pride goes before destruction (Prov. 16:18), puts one in an undesirable relationship with God (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6), and definately will yield a regrettable end (Prov. 29:23). Nebuchadnezzar was judged for his proud spirit (Dan. 4), Haman was beset with pride (Esther 5), and Pharaoh fell because of it. God promises to humble the proud (Matt. 23:12).
Christian theologians have dealt with the thought of pride mainly within the tradition of Augustine, who viewed pride because the first sin and therefore spent a great deal of his energy on discussing it. The keystone of his argument would have been a text in Ecclesiasticus that reads, “pride is the beginning of sin.” The verse has later been viewed as questionable in meaning. Nonetheless, for this basis Augustine proceeded to view december Satan as portrayed in Ezekiel and Isaiah as principally motivated by pride. “Your heart became proud out of your beauty” (Ezek. 28:17, NIV). What led Satan to his fall was likewise the death from the humanity within the garden of Eden. Augustine felt that pride in its extreme will be the unpardonable sin (Green, 1949). He wrote extensively about his own struggles with pride, describing it as being his greatest temptation.
The research into pride has additionally been the main topic of great interest to Christians in monastic traditions and then on the Pietists. Bernard of Clairvaux from the Steps of Humility said that people will take steps upward if they pursue humility; but when they pursue pride, their steps may lead downward, following the course of Satan. Bernard implies that you’ll find 12 steps that can lead one from the beginnings of pride-curiosity-to its worst type of expression, habitual sin. The intervening steps are frivolity, foolish mirth, boastfulness, singularity (going to all ends to show oneself superior), conceit, audacity, excusing of sins, hypocritical confession, defiance, and freedom to sin. The first task of pride (curiosity) may be the last step of humility (downcast eyes). The last step of pride (habitual sin) should be the first step toward true humility (driving a car in the Lord).
Bernard’s outline is obviously sermonic in tone and designed as a possible instructive tool for aspiring monastics. But all its medieval format, his description of pride rings true. Modern psychology does not have much to include in his outline. Pride elevates the self, seeks to own one’s worth identified by others, which is unaware of obvious personal faults. The proud person has difficulty functioning interpersonally, since he / she won’t receive or process feedback from others in the satisfactory manner. Nor will the proud person fare well within the task to be other-centered. Pride forms an important aspect in the psychological construct of narcissism.
Pride, psychologically considered, is defensive naturally. By definition pride is not a fair and true estimate of self; it’s an overestimate. Hence the proud body’s motivated to hide a subconscious a sense inferiority or perhaps is motivated to overcompensate for actual inadequacies. Pride might be section of an ill-formed method of social interaction; the proud person may genuinely feel their pride is the ultimate way to dealing with self yet others and might be unacquainted with flaws that preclude the pride. Pride thrives on deference and praise from others. It may have its roots in parental overindulgence or even in a credentials that created deep personal insecurities in which the pride is compensating.
More info about christian church denominations have a look at our new web page