Have you noticed that as you grow you run into new kinds of sins that are more subtle and hidden? As we mature we don’t wrestle as much with obvious sins like lying and ungodly speech. This can trick us into thinking that we have conquered the major sins in our lives. Yet growth brings with it a whole new set of vices. The 16th-century Christian teacher John of the Cross called these spiritual vices. They are spiritual versions of the seven deadly sins. These vices block our spiritual growth and oneness with God. Thus, they are spiritual enemy number one! The first spiritual vice John describes is spiritual pride.
We develop spiritual pride in our spiritual accomplishments and spiritual growth. This can especially apply to our spiritual disciplines. We find ourselves being critical of others for not having enough devotion. We may also dislike praising others for their maturity because we are hoping we get recognized. We also hope others will recognize our devotion so that we might look better to others. Obviously, it is good for others to notice our growth and compliment and encourage us, but the difference is that humility means we aren’t focused on self-exaltation.
Another indicator of spiritual pride is a resistance to recognizing one’s faults. Or we could go too far in the other direction and be condemning and angry with ourselves over our sins because we think of ourselves as better than that. We may even want to remove our faults so we can feel better about ourselves or so we can be viewed as spiritually superior to others. Instead, it is wiser just to admit our weaknesses and depend on His grace and power.
One antidote to spiritual pride is keeping one’s focus on comparing oneself to Jesus instead of others. This reminds us who we are before God, which is the definition of humility. If we truly want to be Christlike, then we will be like him who:
“being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name.” Phil. 2:8-9 (NIV)
God promises He will do for us something similar to what He did for His Son. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10 (NIV). Therefore, we can joyfully embrace humility. If Jesus humbled himself and he was sinless how much more should we humble ourselves with all our weaknesses, especially our weaknesses in faith and love? The good news is that God mostly wants us just to recognize our spiritual pride and then humble our hearts. We are not devalued because we have spiritual pride. Instead, He will honor our desire for humility and lift our hearts. He will continue to fill us up with His fullness. As we embrace more humility we will find more freedom from self and peace in our desires.
Have you recognized areas of spiritual pride? Do you honestly examine yourself for spiritual pride? How do you respond when you find it?
