Pride vs. Humility

Pride vs. Humility
Deadly Sin and Heavenly Virtue

"Likewise, you younger members, be subject to the presbyters. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for: "God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble." 1 Peter 5:5 and 6

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

"Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but (also) everyone for those of others."
Philippians 2:3-4

Pride is the 1st of the 7 deadly sins and Humility is its opposite heavenly virtue.

Pride is when you give yourself credit for things that God has done. It’s bringing praise and honor to yourself instead of God who is really the one accomplishing something though you. Do you ever hear yourself saying, “I’m the best. I’m always right. I’m the greatest. I’m more talented that you.”   If you have mouthed these words, then it shows you have a big ego.  In other words, you’re saying, “It’s all about me and my interests and I’m above everyone else.” It may even lead you into thinking that you are even superior to God. False pride takes on the form of self-worship also known as arrogance. This is when you pretend you are better than everyone else and are unwilling to admit mistakes. It means bragging about how good you have it.

When you think only of yourself, you are being conceited. It can mean being unkind to people by being hurtful or sarcastic to them or even angry with them because they aren’t doing what you were planning on doing. It may mean you are talking too much, thinking that what you have to say is more important than what anyone else has to say. You may even feel the need to act out with bizarre behavior or dress differently to get noticed because you want the attention. It is thinking you don’t need other people or feel so down on yourself to the point that you think you have no gifts, talents or special abilities. In this case you are not respecting who you are or what you can do without getting the approval from others. You are rather wanting others to acknowledge that you are a more important human being.

When you have such a high value placed on yourself, it usually means you have a low value of others. When you are self-concerned and overly consumed with yourself and your own desires, you are in your own little world and become selfish or not other-concerned people that God has called you to be.  Selfishness can ruin friendships, work relationships and, ultimately, pulls us further from Christ and lead to despair and lonliness. To be Christ-like, you must put others before yourself.


Humble people live differently than proud people. To them, it is all about God and putting your relationship with God at center stage. When you are humble, you have the attitude that you need God and that you can accomplish things only under God’s power and authority. Being humble has to do with respect for yourself without having it confirmed by others and not trying to seek outside approval. It’s a matter of controlling what you say or holding your tongue. Having true humility is putting others first and ahead of yourself. It’s offering help to others as well as accepting help given to you. It’s accepting each other for who they are and supporting each other with their struggles and problems. You shouldn't think of yourself first but think of other people ahead of yourself. Your friends are just as important to God as yourself.  It is selfish to want your way all or most of the time.  I'm sure you've heard, "It is so much more wonderful to give than to receive," and it is really true.

Thinking of others and caring about your friend's interests and concerns is what you are called to do.  It is a call to unity, a call to be others-focused.It is better to put others’ needs before your own.   It is easy and natural to look after and care only for yourself, but the Lord wants you to look out for more than just number one.  He tells you to love your neighbors. Understanding that everyone is equal in God’s eyes will help you walk in true humility. It allows you to work better together with those in your church, neighborhoods and communities when you realize that your needs are not any greater than the needs of another.  It is easy to get so wrapped up in yourself-your schedule, your problems, your stresses—that you do not take time to think about what others around you are going through. So each day, ask the Lord to give you a humble spirit and an eye for the needs of others.

Why is it difficult for you to love our enemies? It is because of pride. You think to yourself: how can I love someone who does not see my kind gestures, does not understand what a wonderful person I am? How will I do good unto someone who does not value me?  And how do you love your enemies or someone you find hard to love? What is the key? Humility.

Try to be nice to someone, no matter how the other person acts towards you;  try to do something good for him or her without expecting anything in return. If you are able to do this, an entirely new world will open up to you, a higher world, and you will feel the extraordinary power and energy of love that you get from God and the Holy Spirit within you. Then you will clearly realize that it is much more wonderful to give than to receive – both things and feelings.  How is your sensitivity toward other people? Do you take time to care about the needs of your friends and family? Sometimes we get so absorbed with our own personal problems we forget that others are hurting inside and may need our attention. The strange thing about it is that when we give love and concern to others, we usually forget about our own problems. Who can you make feel special or like royalty today? How can you show them that you care about them?

We are all imperfect people and we can turn our brokenness over to God and find love and support in a community of other not so perfect people. You can walk a mile in someone else's shoes and seek God’s will above all else.  Just don’t forget that all your capabilities and skills come from God. You will then have peace with God and others. After all, the humble will inherit the earth.