Pride: The Thief Of Faith

The chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!”.
Matthew 27:41-42

Pride. It is a deadly weed that grows rampant on the earth. It is one of the seven things God hates (see Proverbs 6:16-19).

The pride of men nailed Jesus to the cross.

Pride hurled abuses as he suffered and died.

Pride watched with curious detachment as he uttered his final words. Martin Luther, outspoken critic of the pride and self-righteousness that infected his own day, comments on the cause and condemnation of pride.

WALK WITH MARTIN LUTHER
“Pride is really the haughtiness of Satan against the name and word of God.

“People who claim to be wise in matters of faith pompously exalt themselves, regarding God himself as nothing and all others in comparison to themselves as mere fools. When this happens there is no humility and no fear of God.

“At present there are many such haughty people. They have discovered that they are learned or are otherwise esteemed by the people in points on which they take pride. In fact, they are destitute.

“Such people are enemies of God and must be overthrown, for they have excluded themselves from the kingdom and grace of God.”

WALK CLOSER
Those who called for Jesus’ death were the religious leaders of his day. They were content with the spiritual status quo, proud of their spiritual heritage and blind to their spiritual need.

Pride will cause you to say with the chief priests, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself.”

Only by abandoning pride can you say with the centurion, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54).

Are you too proud to admit you are lost in your sins? Then beware—you are too proud to see the kingdom of heaven.

Is your pride really worth that?