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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Dear Rev. Graham: I find myself doing an inner perspective of my life every year after Easter and promising myself that I will live a better life, refrain from sinful ways and declare myself cleansed once again. I was telling one of my church friends about my renewed commitment and she cautioned me about the sin of pride, but are we not to have a sense of pride about living a good life among others – having a sense of self-respect? – S.R.

Dear S. R.: The first of the seven deadly sins is pride. It naturally comes first – for as we read in Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes … before a fall” (NKJV). Pride is often the mental and moral condition that precedes almost all other sins. All sin is selfishness in some form, and pride consists essentially of undue self-esteem, delighting in the thought of one’s own superiority over others.

The pride that God loathes is not self-respect or a legitimate sense of personal dignity. It is that revolting conceit which swaggers and struts in the presence of God – and it is an abomination to Him. The Bible says, “The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure” (Psalm 101:5, NKJV).

Some take pride in their looks, others in their race, others in their business, others in their social life. In other words, pride may be spiritual, intellectual, material, or social. The most repugnant of these four is spiritual pride.

When we begin to feel that we are self-sufficient, we are on dangerous ground. Spiritual pride, because it trusts in one’s own virtue rather than the grace of God, is earmarked for God’s judgment. This is why the Bible tells us, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. … A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor” (James 4:6; Proverbs 29:23, NKJV).

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)