Pride

1 John 2:16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.

The dictionary defines one form of pride as inordinate self-esteem.  The Bible and history reveal that this kind of prideful self-esteem has caused much pain, suffering, and strife throughout human history and is no virtue.  Yet, many touted experts think, and popular secular opinion seems to agree, that in materialistic self-absorbed America today low self-esteem is a problem, especially with young people. You will hear it said that teachers should be careful not to harm the self-esteem of their students.  They believe America needs more of the very thing that has caused so many problems for the human race. Jesus, in the sermon on the mount, expressed a different view of prideful self-esteem.  The first thing he said was…. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). The opposite of pride is humility and Jesus is saying that the humble are blessed.  The Matthew Henry commentary on that verse says ….” The poor in spirit are happy…….They are humble and lowly in their own eyes. They see their want, bewail their guilt, and thirst after a Redeemer. The kingdom of grace is of such; the kingdom of glory is for them.”  Paul also taught that humility is a characteristic of a Christian…. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2).  Paul warned that in the last days people would be proud, boastful, and lovers of themselves (2 Timothy 3:2).  A focus on self with pride is a value of the world; whereas, a focus on God with humility is a value of Christianity.