The Bible addresses pride extensively, often warning about its dangers and consequences. Here are several examples from Scripture:
1. **Pride Leads to Destruction**
– *”Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”* (Proverbs 16:18, NIV)
Pride is seen as a precursor to downfall, highlighting the danger of overestimating oneself.
2. **God Opposes the Proud**
– *”God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”* (James 4:6, ESV; also 1 Peter 5:5)
These verses emphasize that God resists those who are prideful but extends His favor to the humble.
3. **Arrogance is Sinful**
– *”To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”* (Proverbs 8:13, NIV)
This passage shows that pride and arrogance are closely associated with sin and are contrary to God’s will.
4. **Humility is Exalted**
– *”For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”* (Luke 14:11, NIV)
Jesus contrasts pride with humility, teaching that humility leads to honor.
5. **Warnings Against Self-Reliance**
– *”When your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage…”* (Deuteronomy 8:14, NKJV)
Pride often manifests as self-reliance and forgetting God’s provision and authority.
6. **Examples of Pride and Its Consequences**
– *”But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.”* (Daniel 5:20, NIV)
This refers to King Nebuchadnezzar’s pride, showing how it led to his temporary downfall until he acknowledged God’s sovereignty.
7. **Boasting Rejected**
– *”Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.”* (Proverbs 27:2, NIV)
Pride is often connected with boasting, but Scripture advocates for modesty.
8. **Pride Blinds the Heart**
– *”The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights…”* (Obadiah 1:3, NIV)
This verse highlights how pride can lead to self-deception and a false sense of security.
9. **Pride is Contrary to God’s Character**
– *”The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”* (Proverbs 16:5, NIV)
God despises pride because it directly opposes His holy and righteous nature.
10. **True Greatness Comes Through Humility**
– *”Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”* (Philippians 2:3, NIV)
Pride seeks self-exaltation, but true greatness is found in humility and considering others.
The Bible consistently teaches that pride is dangerous and leads people away from God, while humility brings people closer to Him and aligns them with His will.