What Does the Bible Say About Pride?

Pride is sometimes called the root of all other sins — the original sin that turned hearts from God. The Bible has much to say about it, and its warnings are as relevant as ever. Here's what Scripture teaches about pride, and the freedom found in its opposite.

Pride goes before a fall

One of the Bible's best-known warnings concerns pride: 'Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.' Pride blinds us, sets us up for failure, and leads to ruin. It convinces us we don't need help, don't need correction, and don't need God — and that self-sufficiency is the road to a fall. History and experience prove the warning true again and again.

God opposes the proud

The Bible states plainly whose side God is on in this matter: 'God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.' This is a sobering thought — that pride actually sets us against God, while humility opens us to his grace. God isn't impressed by our self-importance; he's drawn to lowly, dependent hearts. The proud shut themselves off from the very grace they need.

The many faces of pride

Pride isn't only obvious arrogance. It wears many disguises: self-righteousness, the need to always be right, defensiveness at correction, comparison and looking down on others, ingratitude, and refusing to admit we're wrong or ask for help. Recognising these subtler forms in ourselves is the first step to dealing with them. Often the proudest people are unaware of it.

Why pride is so dangerous

Pride is dangerous because it strikes at the heart of our relationship with God. It makes us our own god, trusting ourselves instead of him, and taking credit for what he's given. It resists correction and cuts us off from growth. At its root, pride is the refusal to acknowledge our dependence on God — which is why it's so deadly.

The freedom of humility

The good news is that the alternative — humility — is not a burden but a freedom. Humility frees us from the exhausting need to prove ourselves, to always be right, and to compare. It opens us to God's grace and to real relationships. In God's kingdom, the way up is down: 'he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.'

The Bible warns that pride goes before a fall and sets us against God, who opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Pride wears many disguises and strikes at the root of our dependence on God. But its opposite is freedom: humility opens us to grace, releases us from proving ourselves, and is the path God delights to lift up. Guard against pride, cultivate humility, and find the grace God gives to lowly hearts.