What is pride in the Bible?

Pride is the very essence of sin; the creature lifted up out of its place and God dethroned from His; and for this the stroke must come.

Pride is in every human heart; it runs in man's blood; all are afflicted with this disease, though by too many, sadly, it is regarded as an ornament rather than a blemish. The Word of God says simply of "a high look, and a proud heart," so much thought of in the world, that they are sin (Prov. 21:4). They are hateful to God (Prov. 6:16-17; 16:5).

The sin of selfishness, of which we spoke last, may be specially described as the sin most unlike Christ; but the sin of pride is directly of the devil. The one is anti-Christian, the other is Satanic. In 1 Timothy 3:6 we read that being lifted up with pride was the cause of "the condemnation of the devil"; and in Ezekiel 28 we read the detailed account of how the heart of one who was once "full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty" was lifted up because of his beauty, and his wisdom corrupted by reason of his brightness, and who therefore fell from heaven to hell.

Verses 13 and 14 are most striking. Notice the five-fold repetition of "I will." The very essence of sin is the assertion of the will of the creature against the Creator… The complete contrast to this is found in Philippians 2, where the One who was "the Most High," whose throne was "above the stars of God," who could not "ascend," since there was no place higher than the one He occupied, descended and took the form of a Servant. Satan sought to exalt himself and is to be abased. Christ humbled Himself, and He is, and shall yet be, exalted.

When we talk of having very sensitive feelings, and being hurt by remarks of others, it is often only pride, and shows how miserably we are taken up with ourselves. Another variety of pride is shown in outward adornment, dressing after the fashion of the world… Another variety is being puffed up by any gifts God may have given me.

Pride of gifts. If once (like Hezekiah) we call in spectators to see our treasure and applaud us for our gifts, then it is high time for God to send some messengers to carry these away from us, which carry our hearts from Him… Pride of gifts hinders the receiving of good from others. Pride fills the soul, and a full soul will take nothing from God, much less from man.

God gives grace to the humble while He resists the proud. The wise king of old had noticed that "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18); though he does not tell us why it is so. Here we get the explanation. The proud get no grace from God but rather resistance. No wonder they go down.

Thus pride causes the opposite effect to that which man intends by it. He wants to exalt himself, but actually brings himself low… But the humble in spirit, who seek no place of distinction, no honour in the world, are yet upheld by such honour as God in grace puts upon them. They honour God: He honours them. This is beautifully seen in such men as Joseph and Daniel, while the opposite is seen in such as Absalom and Haman.

Appreciation of Christ is our only sure and holy deliverance; for pride hides itself under so many veils, which may deceive itself as much as others… Grace gives true lowliness, which consists not so much in thinking all the evil we can of ourselves as in thinking of Christ and not of ourselves at all.

Unbelief is not humility, but thorough pride. It refuses to believe God because it does not find, in self, a reason for believing… When God declares His love, and I refuse to believe because I do not think myself a worthy enough object, I make Him a liar and display the inherent pride of my heart… Christ took the sinner's place, on the cross, that the sinner might take His place in the glory… Thus, self is totally set aside, and this is true humility.