Pride. The Great Sin.Paraugs
Humility versus pride
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)
As we saw yesterday, pride is thinking too highly of oneself. The opposite of pride is humility, a virtue God praised. However, it's important to note that humility does not mean to think lowly of oneself! Instead, to be humble is to have an accurate view of oneself and God.
Since God created humanity and every individual "fearfully and wonderfully" (see Psalm 139:13-14), we are valuable in His eyes. He has "crowned us with glory and honor" (Psalm 8:5). Therefore, we may appreciate our talents, skills, and virtues as gifts from God. We may understand the self we have received, meanwhile being aware that sin has damaged us, so we are not perfect anymore.
Humility also means holding other people high and God higher than anything. Other people are as important as we are, and God is infinitely more important than us. This perspective is liberating since it frees us from jealousy and worries about how others perceive us. It enables us to think less of ourselves.
What does the word ‘humility’ evoke in you? Does it sound attractive? Why, or why not?
Par šo plānu
If you were to define ‘the greatest evil,’ you might think of murder, child abuse, or human trafficking. C.S. Lewis mentions something else: pride. He considers this the ultimate rebellion against God, from which all other sins spring. In this reading plan, we want to explore what the Bible says about pride and which consequences pride has for our lives.
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