Pride And Scripture

The Bible describes pride as sin. Pride goes before destruction (Prov. 16:18), puts one in an unhealthy relationship with God (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6), and may 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 for doing it. God plans to humble the proud (Matt. 23:12).

Christian theologians have dealt with the very idea of pride mainly within the tradition of Augustine, who viewed pride because the first sin and thus 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 will be the beginning of sin.” The verse has later been deemed questionable in meaning. Nonetheless, with this basis Augustine proceeded to see december Satan as portrayed in Ezekiel and Isaiah as principally motivated by pride. “Your heart became proud because of your beauty” (Ezek. 28:17, NIV). What led Satan to his fall was likewise the downfall of the mankind inside the garden of Eden. Augustine felt that pride rolling around in its extreme is the unpardonable sin (Green, 1949). He wrote extensively about their own struggles with pride, describing becoming his greatest temptation.

Study regarding pride has been the subject of great interest to Christians in monastic traditions and later on towards the Pietists. Bernard of Clairvaux from the Steps of Humility said that people may take steps upward should they pursue humility; in case they pursue pride, their steps may lead downward, following the lifetime of Satan. Bernard shows that there are 12 steps that can lead one through the beginnings of pride-curiosity-to its most unfortunate expression, habitual sin. The intervening steps are frivolity, foolish mirth, boastfulness, singularity (planning to all ends to demonstrate oneself superior), conceit, audacity, excusing of sins, hypocritical confession, defiance, and freedom to sin. The initial step of pride (curiosity) will be the last step of humility (downcast eyes). The very last step of pride (habitual sin) needs to be the basis of true humility (driving a car of the Lord).

Bernard’s outline is actually sermonic in tone and designed being an instructive tool for aspiring monastics. However with all its medieval format, his description of pride rings true. Modern psychology doesn’t need much to enhance his outline. Pride elevates the self, seeks to own one’s worth recognized by others, which is unaware of obvious personal faults. The proud person has difficulty functioning interpersonally, since they does not receive or process feedback from others inside a satisfactory manner. Nor does the proud person fare well inside the task to be other-centered. Pride forms an important element in the psychological construct of narcissism.

Pride, psychologically considered, is defensive anyway. By definition pride is very little fair and true estimate of self; it is an overestimate. Which means the proud body’s motivated to cover a subconscious a sense inferiority or perhaps motivated to overcompensate for actual inadequacies. Pride could be part of an ill-formed procedure for social interaction; the proud person may genuinely feel his / her pride is the best way to dealing with self among others and could 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 experience that created deep personal insecurities in which the pride is compensating.
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