Our Empowering Pride

We will encounter all of these evils in various forms in the other sins.  But is only when we know the working of pride in us that we see how deeply the sins are interwoven.  Here is the keystone of the arch, and once we recognize that it runs through almost everything that we do, everywhere in our natures, we are in a better position to fight the other sins.  This is the importance of the warning of Dorothy Sayers, that "the devilish strategy of Pride is that it attacks us, not in our weakest points, but in our strongest.  It is preeminently the sin of the noble mind."  Not only of the noble, but also of the righteous.  Self-rightesouness is a common and peculiarly loathsome form of Pride.  When we encounter it in the noble mind, Pride is like a taint or flaw.  It suffuse the whole character of the person, even where that character is apparently noblest or strongest.  If it lies so pervasively in the best, it must lie at least equally so in us.

Pride is in our Envy, persuading us that we deserve better than we have, even to be other than we are, and so inciting us to pull down whatever we perceive to be superior to us.  Pride is in our Anger, in which we adopt a position of superiority from which our scorn and obstinacy, and even our elation, will not let us be budged.  Pride is in our Avarice, prompting us to display ourselves in 'an extravagant array of clothing,' as the Parson puts it in Chaucer's tale, and in 'keeping up great households,' which we do not need.  Pride is in our Gluttony, in the display again of an 'excess of divers meats and drinks; and especially in 'certain baked meats and made-dishes,' as the Parson says with his usual spirit, 'burning with spirituous liquors and decorated and castellated with paper, and in similar waste.'  Pride is in our Sloth, in our assurance that we may get by with a minimum of effort and find achievement and reward by sluggishness.  Pride is in our Lust, in our scant regard for the flesh and feelings of others, and our belief that we may dehumanize them and ourselves and still be regarded as human.  Pride is the sustainer of our sinning, the reinforcer of all its motives.

Henry Fairlie, The Seven Deadly Sins Today, 44.

I have to say again that I have truly enjoyed re-reading this book!  As I get older, I find that I am less concerned with reading all the new and exciting books.  I find that I know what most of them say from their dust jacket (how's that for pride!).  Truly Solomon was right that there is nothing new under the sun.  By application there is really nothing new written about the Christian life and the Church that has not been thought of before.

Increasingly I am enjoying deep and thoughtful books and writers who make me slowly think through what is written.  I guess somewhere along the way I got old and boring!

Our culture promotes and encourages misplaced pride in all of us.  From our consumerism to our view of government and its role in "promoting the common good" (whatever that means to you) our Western Culture promotes, encourages, and lives by feeding our pride.

Is there any wonder why most of us do not see it?  Is there any wonder why Americans are known as the most pompous, foolish people on the planet?

Take some time to think and pray through the above passage.  How is your life marred by pride?  How does pride feed those sins that you just cannot seem to shake?  How does pride keep you from walking with God in humble reliance on the Holy Spirit?

We need grace!  Lord, I need grace.  Help us to see our sin so we can repent of our sin against You and find our rest in Jesus Christ's love and righteousness.  Truly He is enough!