Posts
Is Pride a Sin?
I was watching TV the other and this show came on where they were interviewing people and asking them if they thought Pride was a Sin. It was very interesting to see how many people said no. This racked my brain a bit and had to blog about it.
Actually, there is no Biblical list of seven deadly sins, for God has made it abundantly clear throughout scripture that all and any sins (transgressions of God's Law) are deadly and will result in our damnation.
Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
James 2:10
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
The 7 Deadly Sins are:
1. Pride
2. Avarice (Greed)
3. Envy
4. Wrath
5. Lust
6. Gluttony
7. Sloth
The characteristics that are considered to be the seven deadly sins can be described this way: Pride is the exaggerated opinion of one’s worth in comparison to God and others and a willful oblivion to one’s flaws. Envy is the unhealthy longing for the possessions, abilities, or status of another. Gluttony is excessive indulgence in the pleasures of food and drink. Lust is extreme desire for sexual and sensual gratification. Anger is manifested by fits of wrath and rage due to intolerance of others. Greed is an insatiable desire to acquire material goods. Sloth is an almost pathological laziness which hinders productivity and good health. Anyone possessing some of these vices was considered evil; anyone who possessed all of them was utterly doomed.
PRIDE: This is the unwillingness to look at one's faults honestly, or of esteeming ourselves greatly based on an excessive consciousness of abilities or worth. This is vanity, and is often euphemistically called, 'self respect.'
Seeing ourselves as we are and not comparing ourselves to others is humility. Pride and vanity are competitive. If someone else's pride really bothers you, you have a lot of pride.
What makes any sin deadly?
The Seven Deadly Sins as set forth in literature -- pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, and sloth -- are by no means an exhaustive list of sins. We have already established that all unrighteousness is sin, but the book of Proverbs also lists seven things that God hates: “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16-19) Yes, God has indicated that these are things that he despises and that every wrong is sin -- but He has also provided a remedy: “‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18). God has promised to make us pure and white and whole; this cleansing and purification was provided through, His Son, Jesus Christ. There was no contribution from man. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). All we need to do is believe that Christ died for us and accept Him as Savior and Lord. If God has provided a remedy for sin, how can it be deadly? The deadliness of sin was erased through the death of Christ and the shedding of His blood. God loves us so much that He sent His Son to earth for the express purpose of accomplishing this. However, if we do not believe and accept what God has offered, than any sin we commit will be deadly. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son” (John 3:16-18).
After reading this blog on the topic of "Is Pride a Sin", I ask you this question:
Is "Pride" a Sin?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Last tuesday in church we were told to leave our pride, insecurities and selfishness at the door. Not sure if its a sin or not but if we didnt have pride we might as well not have self esteem.
Self esteem is over rated...our esteem should be in Christ. As for pride it's interesting you should ask...I just listened to a podcast sermon this morning that dealt with this very issue. There are examples in scripture of a pride that is good. It is the pride we have for others success. The pride that is bad is the type that elevates ones self to a higher level and it is usually at the expense of others. Pride that our job, skills, ministry, abilities or talents are superior to anothers is the kind that comes before a fall...the "SIN" kind.
Post a Comment