Chapter 4: Emptying “Pride”

                                    Chapter 4: Emptying “Pride”

 

 

 

Previously, we saw that Jesus Christ emptied Himself and took the form of a servant, and that the emptying of those who follow Him as disciples must be expressed through love and service.  From this point forward, we will examine, one by one before the Word of God, the specific things within us that must be emptied. The first is “pride.”

 

Emptying does not mean hiding the sin within us. It begins by exposing and acknowledging that sin before God.  When we discover pride, we must bring it before God and turn away from it.  We must expose, in the light of the Word, our desire for honor and recognition, our desire to rise above others, and our stubborn insistence that our own thoughts are right. Only then does true emptying begin. 

 

One of the most deeply rooted sins in fallen human nature is pride.  Pride causes us to forget the grace of God who saved us and to take for ourselves the glory that rightly belongs to God.  Instead of giving thanks for the place and grace God has given us, pride uses them as a platform for self-exaltation.  If we say that we serve the Lord in the workplace, at home, and in the church community, yet expect others to honor us, become angry when our wishes are not accepted, see the faults of others clearly while failing to see our own, then we must examine whether pride has taken root within us.  Pride is not merely a personality trait of having a strong sense of self-respect.  It is an orientation of the heart that puts ourselves before God and a sinful attitude that seeks to take for ourselves the glory that belongs to Him.  Therefore, unless we expose the pride within us before the Word and empty ourselves of it, no matter how much work we do or how many people we serve, it will be difficult for us to live as servants who fully embrace the mind of Christ.

 

Pride Is the Heart That Exalts Myself Above God

 

First, we must clearly define pride before the Word of God.  Proverbs 16:5 says, “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”  Scripture speaks very seriously when it says that the Lord detests the proud in heart, because pride is not merely a problem in our relationships with other people. It is a sin that damages our relationship with God.  God is the Master, yet I act as though I were the master.  What I have is God’s grace, yet I boast as though I had accomplished it myself.  God has established His order, yet I place my own thoughts and judgments above it.  This is pride.  That is why Proverbs 16:18 warns us again: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”  Pride always appears to elevate a person, but in the end it brings that person down.  At first, it may seem to bring success and honor, but ultimately it leads a person away from God, destroys relationships with others, and even makes the soul sick.  Therefore, we must examine whether pride is within us.  Am I overly sensitive to the recognition of others?  Do I become hurt when my opinion is not accepted?  Do I become jealous when someone else receives more recognition than I do?  Do I feel disappointed when people fail to notice what I have done?  When someone points out my mistake, do I immediately begin making excuses?  Do I try to teach others while refusing to learn myself?  If these questions make us uncomfortable, we should not ignore that discomfort.  It may be the very moment when God is showing us the pride within our hearts through the mirror of His Word.

 

Pride Places My Thoughts Above God’s Word

 

One characteristic of a proud person is placing the Word of God beneath his own thoughts.  Jeremiah 43 describes people who heard God’s Word but refused to accept it.  They accused the prophet of speaking falsely and acted according to their own judgment.  God had given them a clear word through His prophet, yet they placed their own reasoning and calculations above that Word.  They claimed that God’s Word was wrong and even suspected that someone else was manipulating the prophet.  We are not very different today.   When Scripture or counsel based on Scripture conflicts with our own thoughts, we must ask whether we reject it immediately before examining it in light of God’s Word.  When God’s Word conflicts with our desires, if we try to change the Word, question the motives of the person who delivered it, or accept only what we want to hear, that too may be an expression of pride.  A humble person first examines himself before God’s Word: “Lord, what am I seeing incorrectly?”  “What must I empty?”  “What do You want to break within me through this Word?”  But a proud person first judges someone else: “Why is that person saying that?”  “That teaching does not fit me.”  “I know better.”  Pride adjusts the Word to fit oneself, but humility adjusts oneself to fit the Word.

 

Pride Causes Us to Regard God’s Grace as Something Small

 

Another characteristic of pride is failing to recognize God’s grace as grace.  In Numbers 16, Korah opposed Moses and Aaron. Moses reminded them how great a grace God had already given them by setting them apart to serve at the tabernacle: “Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the LORD’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them?”  Korah’s problem was not that God had given him too little grace.  The problem was that, although he had already received great grace, he regarded it as something small.  Pride causes us to take what we presently have for granted.  We take for granted the position God has given us, the opportunity to serve, and all the grace we have received until now.  Then, looking at what another person has, we begin to ask, “Why am I not in that position?”  At that moment, gratitude disappears and comparison and complaint begin to occupy the heart.  Therefore, the path of emptying pride often begins with gratitude: “Lord, everything I have now is grace.”  “It is grace that I am able to serve in this place.”  “My abilities, opportunities, and relationships have all been given by You.”  When we confess this, we no longer mistake what is in our hands for something we earned solely by our own merit.

 

Pride Destroys Community

 

Pride does not remain confined to an individual heart. Eventually, it flows into the community.  Korah’s pride did not end as his private dissatisfaction. He gathered people and opposed Moses and Aaron.  When pride enters a community, it divides people into factions, creates suspicion, causes people to oppose leaders, and destroys the peace of the community.  Pride tries to persuade others that “I am right.”  Therefore, a proud heart easily gathers people around itself.  It communicates its dissatisfaction to others and plants suspicion in their hearts.  Eventually, an individual emotion grows into conflict throughout the community.  Therefore, before gathering people in the church, we must first examine our own hearts: “Am I speaking for the glory of God, or am I gathering people in order to force my feelings and wishes through?”  “Am I seeking the good of the community, or am I trying to build my own side?”  “Am I seeking to establish truth, or am I seeking recognition for myself?”  We must stand honestly before these questions.

 

Pride Is Often Revealed More Easily in Success

 

Pride is often revealed more easily in success than in failure.  Ezekiel 28:17 says concerning the pride of Tyre: “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.”  When the beauty, wisdom, and success a person possesses cease to produce gratitude toward God and instead become self-glorification, grace itself can become material for pride.  Ezekiel 28:5 likewise says: “By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud.”  Material possessions and success are not themselves sinful.  The problem is forgetting who gave them.  Deuteronomy 8:17–18 teaches us something very important.  We are not to say, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me,” but rather, “Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”  It is true that I worked hard.  It is true that I made an effort.  It is true that I studied and prepared.  But who gave me the life, health, wisdom, and opportunities that enabled me to do all these things?  God did.  Therefore, the more successful we become, the more humble we should become.  If we possess much, we should become more thankful.  If we have received much, we should serve more.  Success should not become a reason to exalt ourselves.  It should become a reason to humble ourselves further and serve.

 

Uzziah Became Proud After He Became Powerful

 

Second Chronicles 26 shows King Uzziah’s failure very clearly: “His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.  But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God…”  Behind Uzziah’s success was God’s extraordinary help.  Yet Scripture records that after he became powerful, his heart became proud.  This is a very important warning for us.  When people are weak, they may seek God, but when they become strong, they can easily fall into the illusion that they can live without Him.  When business is going well, when ministry is growing, when people recognize us, when we become financially comfortable, or when our influence increases, we must become even more careful.  At such times, thoughts like these can easily arise in our hearts: “This happened because I did well.”  “I accomplished this because I am capable.”  “Now I can handle things myself.”  At that very moment, we begin to turn the grace God has given us into our own ability.  Uzziah’s tragedy was not that he became powerful.  His problem was that after becoming powerful, he forgot his proper place before God.

 

Hezekiah Became Proud Even After Receiving Grace

 

Second Chronicles 32:24–25 shows us another side of Hezekiah: “In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the LORD, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign.  But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him…”  Hezekiah had experienced great grace.  His prayer had been answered, and he had experienced God’s extraordinary help.

Yet even after experiencing such grace, his heart could still become proud.  This teaches us an important lesson.  Having many spiritual experiences does not automatically free us from pride.  Rather, the more grace a person has experienced, the more humble that person should become.  “I have experienced this, so I am fine.”  “I have been a Christian for a long time, so I am fine.”  “I have done much ministry, so I am fine.”  From the moment thoughts like these enter our hearts, we may begin exalting ourselves again.  That is why Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 10:12: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”  The very moment we think we are spiritually standing securely may be the moment when we are most vulnerable to falling.

 

At the Deepest Level of Pride Lies “Self-Righteousness”

 

Pride does not appear only through wealth and success.  There is an even deeper and more hidden form of pride: self-righteousness.  In Luke 10:29, after asking Jesus a question, a teacher of the law wanted “to justify himself.”  Instead of acknowledging his shortcomings, he tried to prove that he was right.  This is religious pride.  “I have done this much.”  “I am better than others.”  “I am different from that person.”  “I know the Bible better.”  “I have believed longer.”  These attitudes may appear religious on the outside, yet at their center may lie a desire to exalt oneself.  Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18 shows precisely this.  Although the Pharisee was praying to God, in reality he was boasting about his own righteousness.  He presented his fasting and tithing as though they were his personal merits and compared himself with others.  The tax collector, however, stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and prayed: “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”  Jesus said that it was not the Pharisee who exalted himself, but the tax collector who humbled himself and sought God’s mercy, who went home justified.  A proud person clings to his own righteousness.  A humble person clings to God’s mercy.  The difference is enormous.

 

The Word Is a Mirror That Reveals Our Pride

 

How, then, can we discover our pride?  Deuteronomy 17:19–20 emphasizes keeping God’s Word near, reading it throughout one’s life, and living in the fear of God.  It says that by doing so, one’s heart will not be lifted above one’s brothers.  God’s Word is a mirror that shines into our hearts.  The purpose of reading Scripture is not to discover what is wrong with someone else.  “That person needs to hear this verse.”

“There is someone like that in our church.”  “There is someone like that in my family.”  If we read Scripture this way, we may read the Word and still fail to discover our own pride.  The Word must first be applied to me.  “Lord, I see myself in this Word.”  “Lord, I am this person.”  “Lord, this pride is also within me.”  When we stand before the Word in this way, emptying begins.  Emptying pride does not mean claiming that I am not a proud person.  Rather, it means acknowledging that I am capable of pride and exposing that pride before God every day.

 

Pride Appears in Arguments and Conflict

 

First Timothy 6:3–5 describes those who do not follow sound teaching and connects pride with controversies, quarrels, envy, strife, malicious talk, and evil suspicions.  A proud heart can make us obsessed with unnecessary arguments in order to prove that we are right.  That is why a proud heart finds it difficult to apologize.  “I was wrong.”  Those few words can be extremely difficult to say because we think that apologizing makes us smaller.  But the gospel teaches us the way of becoming low, because Jesus Himself humbled Himself.  Humility is not defeat.  Humility is acknowledging God’s sovereignty.  Humility means acknowledging that I cannot judge everything correctly, that I do not know everything, and that sometimes I need to listen to others.

 

The Pride of the Corinthian Church Prevented Them from Seeing Sin as Sin

 

In 1 Corinthians 5:1–2, Paul rebukes the Corinthian church because, although serious sin existed among them, they had become proud rather than grieving over it.  This passage shows us another frightening aspect of pride.  Pride not only leads us to sin; it can prevent us from recognizing sin as sin.  We sin, yet make excuses.  We do wrong, yet first talk about what someone else did wrong.  When rebuked, instead of repenting, we defend ourselves.  And gradually, our hearts become hardened.  The most frightening condition is to sin and no longer feel sorrow over it.  “What did I do wrong?”  “Doesn’t everyone do something like this?”  “That person did wrong too. Why are you only criticizing me?”  When we begin rationalizing our sin this way, pride grows deeper.  Therefore, a person who lives a life of emptying repents first when he discovers his sin.  Repentance comes before excuses.  Examining oneself comes before judging others.  Seeking God’s mercy comes before defending oneself.

 

Saul Changed from Humility to Pride

 

Whenever I meditate on the problem of pride, I think of King Saul.  Saul was not proud from the beginning.  In 1 Samuel 15:17, Samuel said to Saul: “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel?”  At first, Saul considered himself small.  But after becoming king and gaining power, his heart began to change.  Here we discover a very important truth.  Humility is not something we acquire once and then possess permanently.  Being humble today does not guarantee that I will be humble tomorrow.  Depending on God today does not guarantee that I will depend on Him tomorrow.  Therefore, we must examine ourselves every day.  Saul’s first failure appeared when the circumstances before his eyes became greater to him than God’s Word.  When the Philistine army gathered and the people began to scatter, Saul became afraid.  He could not wait for the time God had appointed and offered the sacrifice according to his own judgment.  Circumstances overwhelmed faith.  When his eyes shifted from God to the situation, he began placing his own judgment above God’s Word.  Pride can begin exactly this way: “The situation is too urgent. I have no choice.”  “I need to use my own judgment and handle this.”  “If I follow the Word, I will lose something.”  “Let’s make an exception just this once.”  But the moment circumstances become greater to us than God’s Word, we begin relying on ourselves rather than God.

 

Saul Exalted His Own Name Above God’s Glory

 

Another aspect of Saul appears in 1 Samuel 15:12: “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor…”  If God had given the victory, Saul should have given glory to God.  Instead, Saul erected a monument for himself.  This is the essence of pride.  It is making what God has done appear as though I did it.  It is explaining God-given grace as my own ability.  It is using God-given success as a tool for exalting my own name.  Even more tragically, after Saul disobeyed God, rather than sincerely repenting, he tried to preserve his honor before the people.  He asked Samuel to “honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel” (v. 30).  The opinion of people had become more important than God.  This is pride in its final form: knowing that I am wrong before God while still wanting to appear good before people.

 

The Path of Emptying Pride Begins with Repentance

 

How, then, can we turn away from pride?  We find an important answer in Hezekiah.  Second Chronicles 32:26 says: “Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart…”  Hezekiah also became proud.  But he acknowledged his pride and repented.  Here we find hope.  The goal of a believer is not to say, “I have become a person who is never proud.”  Rather, it is to become a person who, upon discovering pride, immediately brings it before God.  “Lord, I was proud.”  “I exalted my own name.”  “I desired the recognition of people more.”  “I judged others.”  “I mistook Your grace for my own ability.”  “Even when I was wrong, I made excuses.”  We confess these things honestly before God.  This is where emptying begins.  Not by hiding sin, but by exposing it.  Not by concealing pride, but by acknowledging it.  Not by asserting our own righteousness, but by seeking God’s mercy. 

Humility Is a Life That Lowers Oneself in Order to Exalt God and Others

 

Proverbs 16:19 says: “Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.”  Scripture does not teach humility as despising ourselves.  Humility is willingly lowering ourselves in order to exalt God and love our neighbors.  Jesus did this.  Though He was in very nature God, the Lord humbled Himself and took the form of a servant.  He washed His disciples’ feet.  Therefore, emptying pride does not simply mean thinking, “I am not an impressive person.”  It means choosing love over my rights.  It means seeking opportunities to serve rather than seeking special treatment.  It means exalting God’s name rather than displaying my own.  It means choosing the peace of the community rather than proving that I am right.  And it means rejoicing when someone else is lifted up.  This is the mind of Christ.

 

Pride Cannot Remain Where Love Dwells

 

First Corinthians 13:4 describes the nature of love: “Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”  Where genuine love exists, pride cannot remain.  Pride says, “I must be exalted.”  Love says, “I want you to flourish.”  Pride says, “I must be recognized.”  Love says, “It is enough that God receives the glory.”  Pride says, “I must prove that I am right.”  Love says, “I will seek first to understand and serve.”  Pride lowers others in order to exalt itself.  Love lowers itself in order to seek the good of others.  Therefore, emptying pride does not simply mean suppressing our self-esteem or indiscriminately putting ourselves down.  It means rightly recognizing who we are before God, confessing that all glory comes from Him, and no longer placing our own righteousness, honor, and rights at the center of life.  It means regarding obedience to God’s will as more important than proving that I am right, and finding greater joy in giving life to and serving others than in receiving recognition myself.  Ultimately, the opposite of pride is not self-deprecation but the humility of Christ. 

 

Jesus humbled Himself, took the form of a servant, and obeyed the Father’s will even to death on a cross.  Therefore, emptying pride does not mean regarding myself as worthless.  It means emptying myself of the desire to be my own master and descending to the place where I serve others with the mind of Christ.  This is the essence of “emptying.”  It means not hiding the pride within me, but exposing it before God and acknowledging that it has been controlling my thoughts, words, and actions.  And as the Holy Spirit shines the light of the Word upon the pride within my heart, I bring each expression of that pride before God and ask to be filled with the humility of Christ.  Pride continually says, “Exalt yourself.”  But the gospel says, “Exalt Christ.”  Pride says, “People must recognize me.”  But the gospel teaches us to be satisfied with the truth that God knows us.  Pride says, “I must defend my rights.”  But the love of Christ sometimes leads us to empty ourselves of the desire to insist upon our rights and instead choose the good of others.  Therefore, every day we should ask ourselves: “Why am I saying this right now?”  “Am I truly acting for the glory of God, or am I acting to protect my pride?”  “Am I trying to establish truth, or am I trying to prove that I am right?”  “Am I speaking in order to help the other person, or am I exposing that person’s fault in order to display my own righteousness?”  Emptying pride begins by standing honestly before these questions. 

 

Pride is so subtle that it is difficult to recognize it within ourselves.  Pride may be hiding even at the very moment we think we are humble.  We may easily judge and condemn the pride of others while failing to see the pride within ourselves.  Therefore, the first step in emptying pride is not discovering the pride of others but examining our own hearts before God.  Just as David prayed, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts,” we too must ask the Holy Spirit to shine into the deepest places of our hearts (Ps. 139:23).  We must pray that the Lord will reveal even the pride we cannot see.  Then we begin to understand that pride is not a sin found only in unusually arrogant people. It resides in every human heart that seeks to place itself at the center.  A high position does not automatically make a person proud, nor is pride found only in those who possess much.  Even a person who possesses nothing can be proud.  Conversely, a person may possess much and still live humbly, acknowledging that everything has come from God. 

 

Therefore, emptying pride is not about changing our outward circumstances.  It is about emptying ourselves of the desire to be our own masters and acknowledging that God is the Lord of our lives.  It means refusing to mistake the grace we have received for our own merit and recognizing that our wisdom, abilities, possessions, and positions have all been entrusted to us by God.  Such a person does not boast when successful.  When failure comes, he does not blame others.  When praised, he gives glory to God.  When corrected, he first examines himself.  When he discovers another person’s fault, he shows mercy rather than condemnation.  Even when serving costs him something, he seeks a way to serve in love.  These are the fruits that appear in the life of a person who has emptied himself of pride.  Ultimately, emptying pride does not mean eliminating the “self” within me.  It means entrusting myself completely to God.   And it means filling the emptied place with the mind of Christ.  It means seeking God’s will above my own will, God’s glory above my own glory, and the good of my neighbor above my own rights. 

 

Therefore, today again, we should pray before God: “Lord, empty me of the desire to prove that I am right.  Empty me of the desire to be recognized by people.  Empty me of the desire to exalt my own name.  Empty me of the desire to insist upon my rights.  And fill that emptied place with the humility and love of Christ.”  When this prayer becomes our life, pride gradually begins to lose its power.  Then, at last, we begin to descend to the place of a servant that Jesus showed us and become people who serve our neighbors not merely with words, but with our lives. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Principles and Practical Guidelines for Emptying “Pride”

 

 

 

How, then, can we empty ourselves of pride in everyday life?  Pride is not a sin that disappears through a single decision.  Therefore, every day we must examine our hearts with the help of the Word and the Holy Spirit.  The principles and practical guidelines for emptying pride at home, in the church, and in the workplace can be summarized as follows.

 

1.       When you discover pride, repent immediately before God.

 

Just as King Hezekiah of Judah honestly repented of the pride of his heart and the wrath of the Lord did not come upon the people in his days, acknowledge that you cannot overcome pride by your own strength.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your pride and lead you to repentance (2 Chron. 32:26).

 

2.       The more successful you become, give glory to God rather than exalting your own name.

 

When you experience good results in your workplace or ministry, do not use them as opportunities to exalt your own ability and name.  Rather than erecting a monument for yourself as Saul did, acknowledge that everything was God’s grace and return thanksgiving and glory to Him (1 Sam. 15:12).

 

3.       Receive with gratitude the place and mission God has entrusted to you.

 

Do not, like Korah, regard the place God has entrusted to you as insignificant while desiring a higher position.  In the church and workplace, receive your place and responsibility as God’s grace.  Rather than always seeking to teach, become a person who also knows how to learn and serve (Num. 16:9).

 

4.       Do not use your spiritual life as a basis for boasting in your own righteousness.

 

Guard against the attitude of the Pharisee who made his fasting and tithing the basis of his righteousness and judged others.  Rather than boasting about how long you have been a Christian, your biblical knowledge, your service, or your dedication, seek God’s mercy like the tax collector (Lk. 18:13).

5.       Choose the lower place of service rather than the higher place of recognition.

 

Rather than pursuing positions where people will recognize and exalt you, humble your heart among the lowly.  At home, in the church, and in the workplace, willingly serve even in places where no one notices you (Prov. 16:19).  Yet there is something we must never forget in all these practices.  We cannot empty ourselves of pride through our own willpower and effort alone.  Indeed, even the thought, “I will make myself humble by my own strength,” can become another form of pride.  Therefore, even in emptying pride, we need God’s grace and the help of the Holy Spirit.

 

True emptying is not an act of self-imposed suffering through which we try to make ourselves low.  It is acknowledging our weakness before God and entrusting ourselves to the rule of His Word and Spirit.  As we keep God’s Word near and live in reverence before Him, the Holy Spirit reveals the pride within us and helps us learn the humility of Christ (Deut. 17:19–20).  Therefore, every day we should pray: “Lord, show me the pride within me and lead me to repent before the cross.  Help me not to depend on my own strength, but to seek the help of the Holy Spirit.  Empty me of the desire to be my own master.”  Emptying pride is the path of discipleship in which we depend upon God’s grace and, at the same time, obey that grace by humbling ourselves every day.  When the Holy Spirit helps us, we can live at home, in the church, and in the workplace not by exalting ourselves, but by exalting Christ and serving others in love.