Pride. The Great Sin.Sample

What is pride?

“You said in your heart,
'I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God [...]
I will make myself like the Most High.’” (Isaiah 14:13-14)

If you are proud, you think too highly of yourself and exalt yourself above others. This is aptly depicted in Isaiah 14. These words are about the king of Babylon, but unfortunately, they also apply to countless others. They describe the essence of human pride or even universal pride. For heavenly beings have also been guilty of this. When humans were not even created yet, a group of angels rebelled against God. Possibly, Isaiah 14 is also about them.

Humans often think we have all the answers and can get along just fine without God. But if we consider for a moment who God is and who we humans are, it immediately becomes clear how absurd it is to equate ourselves with the Most High. Compared to Him, we are but “dust on the scales” (see Isaiah 40:15).

We prefer to phrase things subtly and compare ourselves to our colleagues, neighbors, or family members. But the essence of pride remains the same: we tend to feel better and more important than someone else. Better and more important than we are.

Do you recognize these descriptions in your character? How do you feel about that?