Pride Goes Before a Fall.

By John Troppello

A well-known Bible verse about pride is found in Proverbs 16:18–19.

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.”

Another verse about pride is found in Proverbs 13:10 in the NLT.

“Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.”

God does not like arrogance. You can read more about that in Proverbs 8:13 in the NKJV.

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way, and the perverse mouth I hate.”

I’m sure we all have been proud at various times in our lives. I know I’ve been proud of my accomplishments. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But at those times when I’ve let pride rule my heart — and my behavior — that’s wrong.

Pride can have negative consequences in various aspects of life. Here are 10 dangers of being prideful:

1. Alienating Others

Excessive pride can push people away, as it may come across as arrogance or superiority.

2. Hindered Growth

Pride can hinder personal growth and learning, as it often prevents one from acknowledging their mistakes.

3. Damaged Relationships

Prideful individuals may struggle to apologize or admit fault, leading to strained relationships.

4. Missed Opportunities

Pride can make it difficult to seek help or collaborate with others, causing missed opportunities for success.

5. Ignoring Feedback

Prideful individuals may disregard constructive criticism, preventing self-improvement.

6. Overconfidence

Excessive pride can lead to overconfidence, increasing the likelihood of making poor decisions.

7. Isolation

Pride can lead to isolation as people may avoid someone who constantly brags or belittles others.

As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. Isaiah 66:13

Going through life most people fell alone. They feel as if there is no one by their side to help them. Depression and sorrow set deep inside their hearts with loneliness. People feel abandoned when they are going through a difficult time in their life. The world is seeking comfort in the things of this world and are unable to find what it is that they need. Everyone is focused upon self, rather than helping others out. 

Isaiah quotes God saying that just like a mother comforts, He will bring comfort to them, even in Jerusalem. 

Mothers are sometimes known to be the soft and caring one in the family, who are quick to bring comfort. They are the ones who stay by the side of a child when sick or injured, while the father works. 

Many children, however, do not have a mother that can be by their side. Divorce has separated them, leaving them alone. It gets even worse when one becomes an adult and is on one’s own. 

Jesus promised that there would be trouble in the life of every believer. The moment troubles arise in a person’s life, it is common that everyone else pulls away and leaves them on their own. Most don’t know what to say or how to bring comfort, since they are dealing with their own problems all the time. 

Despite the fact that people will abandon and run the other direction, God is right by the side of the believer to bring peace and comfort. He knows what one is going through and holds that person close to His heart and side. He brings a comfort that the world cannot know nor understand. 

You will have days of trouble, in which you feel all alone with no one by your side. The world will focus on its own troubles and leave you to yourself. During those times run to God and lean on Him. 

Accept His comfort that He will give you by His Holy Spirit. Hold on to His promises that all the troubles will come to an end some day and that He is by your side and has overcome the world. God is with you to comfort you day and night, never ending and never leaving you, nor forsaking you. 

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know the comfort God provides; that you will know the peace God brings; that you will know that God is always by your side; and that you will remember all of God’s promises to you.

1 Timothy 2:5

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”

King James Version (KJV)

What is the definition of sin?

Answer.

Sin is described in the Bible as transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4) and rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7). Sin had its beginning with Lucifer, probably the most beautiful and powerful of the angels. Not content with his position, he desired to be higher than God, and that was his downfall, the beginning of sin (Isaiah 14:12-15). Renamed Satan, he brought sin to the human race in the Garden of Eden, where he tempted Adam and Eve with the same enticement, “you shall be like God.” Genesis 3 describes Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God and against His command. Since that time, sin has been passed down through all the generations of mankind and we, Adam’s descendants, have inherited sin from him. Romans 5:12 tells us that through Adam sin entered the world, and so death was passed on to all men because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Through Adam, the inherent inclination to sin entered the human race, and human beings became sinners by nature. When Adam sinned, his inner nature was transformed by his sin of rebellion, bringing to him spiritual death and depravity that would be passed on to all who came after him. We are sinners because we sin and we sin because we are sinners. This passed-on depravity is known as inherited sin. Just as we inherit physical characteristics from our parents, we inherit our sinful natures from Adam. King David lamented this condition of fallen human nature in Psalm 51:5: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

Another type of sin is known as imputed sin. Imputed sin is the result of our having been credited with the guilt of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:18). To impute is “to take something that belongs to someone and credit it to another’s account,” and imputed sin is Adam’s guilt attributed to or credited to us. All human beings are counted as having sinned in Adam and thus deserving the same punishment for sin as Adam. After Adam’s sin, everyone was subject to death, even before the Mosaic Law was given, because of imputed sin, which affects our standing before God.

God used the principle of imputation to benefit mankind when He imputed the sin of believers to the account of Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty for that sin—death—on the cross. Imputing our sin to Jesus, God treated Him as if He were a sinner, though He was not, and had Him die for the sins of the entire world (1 John 2:2). It is important to understand that sin was imputed to Him, but He did not inherit it from Adam. He bore the penalty for sin, but He never became a sinner. His pure and perfect nature was untouched by sin. He was treated as though He were guilty of all the sins ever committed by the human race, even though He committed none. God then imputed the righteousness of Christ to believers and credited our accounts with His righteousness, just as He had credited our sins to Christ’s account (2 Corinthians 5:21).

A third type of sin is personal sin, that which is committed every day by every human being. Because we have inherited a sin nature from Adam, we commit individual, personal sins, everything from seemingly innocent untruths to murder. Those who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ must pay the penalty for these personal sins, as well as inherited and imputed sin. However, believers have been freed from the eternal penalty of sin—hell and spiritual death. We now also have the power to resist sinning. Now we can choose whether or not to commit personal sins because we have the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. When we do sin, the Spirit convicts us (Romans 8:9-11). Once we confess our personal sins to God and ask forgiveness for them, we are restored to perfect fellowship and communion with Him. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

We are three times condemned due to inherited sin, imputed sin, and personal sin. The only just penalty for this sin is death (Romans 6:23), not just physical death but eternal death (Revelation 20:11-15). Thankfully, inherited sin, imputed sin, and personal sin have all been crucified on the cross of Jesus, and now by faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

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