It Comes Before the Fall…
The struggle against pride really is a uniquely Christian struggle. For most of us, raised as we were in a Western society vastly shaped by the Christian faith, it would seem that everyone would be leery of pride. Pride is the enemy; humility, as hard as it is to understand, is the right attitude to cultivate. But throughout history and across the world, this has not always been so. Many, many societies and cultures through the ages have celebrated pride and considered humility as weakness. Consequently, recognizing pride as sin is something that arises from biblical teaching and challenges the Christian to see the world in a different way.
Now, it’s true that much of contemporary American society retains this awareness of the evils of pride—in polite society, hubris, smugness, and conceit are still frowned upon. But, think of how this is slipping: the idolatry of celebrity, the prioritization of self-esteem, the proliferation of social media’s attention on “me”.
In God’s grace, however, you and I live in a time where we have the benefits of hearing from the wisdom of Christian thinkers who have considered the horrors of pride. May you learn from their wisdom…
___________________________
“Pride is your greatest enemy, humility is your greatest friend.”— John R.W. Stott
“The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind… it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.” — C.S. Lewis
“Pride is the great sin. It is the devil’s most effective and destructive tool.” — Tomas Tarrants
“A person wrapped up in himself makes a small package.” — Harry Emerson Fosdick
“What is the origin of our evil will but pride? For pride is the beginning of sin. And what is pride but the craving for undue praise? And this is undue praise: when the soul abandons Him to whom it ought to cleave as its goal, and becomes a kind of goal to itself. This happens when it becomes its own satisfaction. And it does so when it falls away from that unchangeable good which ought to satisfy it more than itself.” — St. Augustine
“Let us watch against pride in every shape—pride of intellect, pride of wealth, pride in our own goodness, pride in our own deserts. Nothing is so likely to keep a man out of heaven, and prevent him seeing Christ, as pride. So long as we think we are something, we shall never be saved.” — J. C. Ryle
“Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.” — C.S. Lewis
“The first and worst cause of errors that abound in our day and age is spiritual pride. This is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christ... Spiritual pride is the main spring or at least the main support of all other errors. Until this disease is cured, medicines are applied in vain to heal all other diseases.” — Jonathan Edwards
“The essence of Gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.” — Timothy Keller
___________________________
As you prepare for worship this week, read Acts 12:20-23.
1. Why is this passage included in the Bible? Note that Tyre and Sidon were not inhabited by Jews.
2. This is not the Herod who reigned during Jesus’ birth, but a grandson. Can we discern any character traits from this passage? Note: it is a small sample, and we shouldn’t draw too many conclusions from a few verses.
3. Why is Herod’s dress and attire described in verse 21? What might the author be trying to communicate?
4. Speculate on the reasons why the crowd would have reacted as they did to Herod’s speech?
5. Verse 23 begins with “immediately”. What is being conveyed here?
6. Notice the reason why Herod was “struck down”. Why would this have generated such a response by God?
7. Can you think of similar situations in life? Perhaps your own or in society as a whole?
