Pride is a common theme in the Bible. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, there are numerous examples of individuals and groups who demonstrate pride in various ways. In some cases, pride leads to downfall and destruction, while in other cases, it is recognized and overcome. Here are some examples of pride in the Bible and what we can learn from them.
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Examples of Pride in the bible
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The Arrogance of the Tower of Babel Builders: Genesis 11:1-9
The story of the Tower of Babel is a classic example of pride leading to downfall. In this story, a group of people decided to build a tower that would reach the heavens in order to make a name for themselves. However, God saw their arrogance and confused their language, causing them to abandon the project and scatter across the earth. This story reminds us that pride can lead to foolish and selfish ambitions that ultimately result in failure.
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The Pride of King Uzziah: 2 Chronicles 26:16-21
King Uzziah was a successful and powerful king, but his pride got the better of him. He entered the temple to burn incense, a task reserved for the priests, and was struck with leprosy as a result. This story shows us that even those in positions of power and authority can fall prey to pride and should remain humble before God.
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The Arrogance of King Ahab: 1 Kings 21:1-16
King Ahab coveted a vineyard owned by a man named Naboth and was willing to use his power to take it from him. When Naboth refused to sell, Ahab’s wife Jezebel arranged for him to be falsely accused and stoned to death. This story shows us that pride can lead to a sense of entitlement and a willingness to use others for personal gain.
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The Pride of the Pharisees: Luke 18:9-14
The Pharisees were known for their religious piety, but Jesus often criticized them for their pride and hypocrisy. In this story, Jesus tells of a Pharisee who prayed in public, thanking God that he was not like other sinners, including a tax collector who was also praying. The tax collector, on the other hand, humbly acknowledged his sinfulness and asked for God’s mercy. This story reminds us that pride can lead to a self-righteous attitude and a lack of compassion for others.
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The Arrogance of Goliath: 1 Samuel 17:41-51
Goliath was a giant Philistine warrior who challenged the Israelites to send a champion to fight him. When David stepped forward to accept the challenge, Goliath mocked him for his size and lack of weapons. However, David defeated Goliath with a single stone from his sling. This story shows us that pride can lead to underestimating others and overconfidence in our own abilities.
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The Pride of Paul in His Ministry: 2 Corinthians 11:16-33
Paul was a highly respected leader in the early Christian church, but he struggled with pride at times. In this passage, he lists his accomplishments and qualifications as an apostle, but also acknowledges his weaknesses and hardships. This story shows us that even those who are devoted to God and serving others can struggle with pride and should remain humble before Him.
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The Pride of the Proverbs 31 Woman: Proverbs 31:25-31
The Proverbs 31 woman is often held up as a model of virtuous womanhood, but even she is not immune to pride. In this passage, she is praised for her many accomplishments and attributes, but the final verse reminds us that her fear of the Lord is what truly sets her apart.
The Pride of Satan: An Example of Excessive Arrogance
(Isaiah 14:12-14)
“How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'”
(1 Timothy 3:6)
“He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.”
(Ezekiel 28:17)
“Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.”
(1 John 2:16)
“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”
(1 John 2:15)
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.”
The Pride of the Pharisees: A Warning Against Hypocrisy
(Matthew 23:25-26)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”
(Matthew 23:27-28)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
(Luke 18:11-13)
“The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'”
(James 2:9-10)
“But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”
(Matthew 5:19)
“Therefore, anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
The Pride of King Nebuchadnezzar: A Lesson in Humility
(Daniel 5:20-21)
“But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.”
(Daniel 4:37b)
“Those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”
(Psalm 138:6)
“For though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; but the proud he knows from afar.”
(Proverbs 16:5)
“The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”
(1 Peter 5:6)
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
The Pride of Job: Finding a Balance Between Self-Respect and Humility
(Job 42:1-6)
“Then Job replied to the LORD: ‘I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, “Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?” Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, “Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.” My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.'”
(Romans 12:3)
“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”
(Proverbs 27:2)
“Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.”
(Matthew 23:12)
“All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
(James 4:6)
“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.'”
The Pride of God’s People
(John 14:1)
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”
(1 Timothy 4:4)
“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.”
(2 Corinthians 10:17)
“But, ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.'”
(Hebrews 12:28)
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”
(1 Peter 4:10)
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
The Dangers of Pride: Lessons on the Consequences of Arrogance
(Proverbs 15:25)
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)
“The LORD tears down the house of the proud, but he sets the widow’s boundary stones in place.”
(Ezekiel 28:6-8)
“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god, I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor. They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas.”
(Psalm 10:4)
“In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.”
(2 Chronicles 26:16)
“But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.”
Overcoming Pride: Lessons on Humility and Submission to God
(Matthew 18:4)
“Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
(1 Peter 5:5)
“Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.'”
(James 4:6-7)
“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
(James 3:13)
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”
(Colossians 3:12)
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
The Blessings of Humility: Lessons on the Rewards of Putting God and Others First
(Matthew 5:5)
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
(Matthew 23:12)
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
(Proverbs 15:33)
“The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”
(1 Peter 5:6)
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
(Luke 14:11)
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Examples of Pride and Humility in the Bible:
The Humility of Jesus: Philippians 2:5-8
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
The Pride of Nebuchadnezzar: Daniel 4:28-37
“All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, ‘Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?’ The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, ‘This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.’ At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.”
The Humility of Moses: Numbers 12:3
“Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.”
The Pride and Repentance of David: 2 Samuel 12:13-14
“Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Nathan replied, ‘The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.'”
The Humility of John the Baptist: John 3:30
“He must become greater; I must become less.”
Examples of Pride and Arrogance in the Bible:
The Arrogance of the Tower of Babel Builders: Genesis 11:1-9
“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’
But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’
So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.”
The Pride of King Uzziah: 2 Chronicles 26:16-21
“But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in. They confronted King Uzziah and said, ‘It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.’
Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead.
When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him.
King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house—leprous, and excluded from the temple of the Lord. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.”
The Arrogance of King Ahab: 1 Kings 21:1-16
“Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
Ahab said to Naboth, ‘Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.’
But Naboth replied, ‘The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors.’
So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, ‘I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.’ He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat.
His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, ‘Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?’
He answered her, ‘Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, “Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.” But he said, “I will not give you my vineyard.”‘”
Jezebel his wife said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him. In those letters she wrote:
“Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them bring charges that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”
So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.
Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”
The Pride of the Pharisees: Luke 18:9-14
“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:
‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.'”
The Arrogance of Goliath: 1 Samuel 17:41-51
“Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him.
He said to David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
‘Come here,’ he said, ‘and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!’
David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s,
Examples of Pride of Life in the Bible:
The Temptation of Jesus: Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV)
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
The Rich Young Ruler: Matthew 19:16-26 (NIV)
16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony,
19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
The Parable of the Rich Fool: Luke 12:13-21 (NIV)
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”
15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.
17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to
store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.
19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
The Warning Against Worldliness: 1 John 2:15-17 (NIV)
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
The Vanity of Life: Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 (NIV)
1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”
3 What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
7 All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.
8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
11 No one remembers the former generations,
and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them.
Examples of Good Pride in the Bible:
The Pride of Paul in His Ministry: 2 Corinthians 11:16-33
“I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!
Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move.
I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”
The Pride of Nehemiah in Rebuilding the Wall: Nehemiah 2:17-20
“Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.’ I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, ‘Let us start rebuilding.’ So they began this good work.
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. ‘What is this you are doing?’ they asked. ‘Are you rebelling against the king?'”
The Pride of the Proverbs 31 Woman: Proverbs 31:25-31
“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”
The Pride of Job in His Integrity: Job 27:5-6
“Far be it from me to admit that you are right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity. I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.”
The Pride of the Israelites in Their God: Psalm 44:1-3
“We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our ancestors; you crushed the peoples and made our ancestors flourish. It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.”
Examples of Spiritual Pride in the Bible:
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector: Luke 18:9-14
“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The Pride of the Sadducees: Acts 4:1-3, 5:17-18
“Acts 4:1-3 – The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.
Acts 5:17-18 – Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.”
The Pride of the Corinthians: 1 Corinthians 4:6-7
“Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”
The Warning Against Boasting: James 4:13-16
“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.”
The Pride of the Laodicean Church: Revelation 3:14-22
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and sal
