Pride

"Faithful to Christ – A Challenge to Truly Live for Christians"
A book by Charles Spurgeon

T here is nothing the human heart falls into as easily as pride, and yet there is no sin that is more frequently, more emphatically, and more eloquently condemned in Scripture.

Pride is unjustified. It stands upon the sand, or worse than that, it puts its foot upon the waves of the sea that give way beneath its step — or worse still, it stands upon bubbles that soon must burst beneath its feet. Of all things, pride has the worst foothold. It has no solid rock on earth on which to place itself. We have reasons for almost everything, but we have no reasons for pride. Pride is something that should be unnatural to us, for we have nothing to be proud of.

Pride is foolish. It brings no profit with it. There is no wisdom in self-exaltation. Other sins might have some excuse, for people might seem to gain by them. People might make excuses and find temporary worldly benefit in greed, pleasure, and lust, but the person who is proud sells his soul cheaply. He opens wide the flood-~ gates of his heart to let people see how deep the flood within his soul is, but then suddenly it flows out and all is gone; nothing is left. For one puff of empty wind, one word of sweet applause — the soul is gone, and not a drop is left.

In almost every other sin, we gather up the ashes when the fire is gone, but here, what is left? The covetous person has his shining gold, but what does the proud person have? He has less than he would have had without his pride, and he has gained no advantage whatsoever. Pride does not win any crowns. No one, not even the lowest people on earth, honor it.
All people look down on the proud person and consider him less than themselves.

Pride is the most unreasonable thing that can exist. It feeds upon itself. It will take away its own life, that with its blood it may make a ribbon for its shoulders. It weakens and undermines its own house so that it can build its pinnacles a little higher, and then the whole structure tumbles down. Nothing proves people to be so foolish as pride.

Pride is inconstant. It changes its shape. It takes all forms in the world. You can find it in any manner you choose. You can see it in the beggar’s rags as well as in the rich man’s garments. It dwells with the rich and with the poor. The man without a shoe on his foot may be as proud as if he were riding in a chariot.
Pride can be found in every rank of society — among all classes of people. Sometimes it is an Arminian and it talks about the power of the creature. Then it turns Calvinist and boasts of its imagined security, forgetful of the Maker, who alone can keep our faith alive.

Pride can profess any form of religion. It may be a Quaker and wear no collar to its coat. It may be a churchman and worship God in splendid cathedrals. It may be a Dissenter and go to the common meetinghouse. It is one of the most diverse things in the world. It attends all kinds of chapels and churches. No matter where you go, you will see pride. It comes up with us to the house of God. It goes with us to our houses. It is found in business and in leisure, in the streets and everywhere.

Let me hint at one or two forms that it assumes. Sometimes pride takes a doctrinal shape. It teaches the doctrine of selfsufficiency. It tells us what we can do, and will not admit that we are lost, fallen, debased, and ruined creatures, as we are. It hates divine sovereignty and condemns the doctrine of election.

Then, if it is driven from that, it takes another form. It acknowledges that the doctrine of free grace is true, but does not feel it. It acknowledges that salvation is of the Lord alone, but still it urges people to seek heaven by their own works, even by the deeds of the law. When driven from that, it will persuade people to add something to Christ in the matter of salvation. When that is all torn up and the poor rag of our righteousness (Isaiah 64:6) is all burned, pride will get into the Christian’s heart as well as the sinner’s. It will flourish under the name of self-sufficiency, teaching the Christian that he is rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing (Revelation 3:17). It will tell him that he does not need daily grace, but that past experience will suffice for tomorrow. It tells him that he already knows enough, toils enough, and prays enough.

Pride will make him forget that he has not yet attained. It will not allow him to press forward to the things that are before, forgetting the things that are behind (Philippians 3:12-14). It enters into his heart and tempts him to set up an independent business for himself - and until the Lord brings about a spiritual bankruptcy, pride will keep him from going to God.

Pride has ten thousand shapes. It is not always that unfriendly and formal gentleman that you picture. It is a vile, creeping, manipulating thing that will twist itself like a serpent into our hearts. It will talk of humility and speak about being dust and ashes. I have known people to talk about their corruption extremely well, pretending to be completely humble, while at the same time they were the proudest reprobates who could be found this side of the gulf of separation.

O my friends! You cannot tell how many shapes pride will assume. Look carefully around you, or you will be deceived by it, and when you think you are entertaining angels, you will find you have been receiving devils unawares (Hebrews 13:2). The true throne of pride everywhere is the heart of man. If we desire, by God’s grace, to put down pride, the only way is to begin with the heart.
...

HU