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The 5 Signs of Pride

Should a Christian man have pride in his work, family, and craftsmanship?

What is the difference between the sin of pride and the healthy confidence I have as a man?

These are the questions I wrestle with along with many men who are Christians. At work, men want to have pride they are doing a great job but wonder if staying humble about their performance puts them at a disadvantage compared to others who are self-promoters. As we study the Bible, we see a clear definition of the sin of pride and learn we can still have strength and confidence as a Christian.

The Ugly Sin of Pride

All 49 places in the Bible, pride is never mentioned as a good thing. The most familiar scripture about pride is often quoted incorrectly as “Pride goes before the fall.” Proverbs 16:18 is actually “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Read: 3 Important Things when Following Jesus

The sin of pride is when a man has more confidence in himself than anyone – even God. When a man allows his pride to grow into having a haughty spirit or on-going personality of arrogance, he is breaking the first commandment behaving as he is his own authority and thus important than God (Exodus 20:1-4).

The 5 Marks of a Prideful Man

You may think that your level of pride is not to the level of destruction or breaking one of the Ten Commandments. Maybe not, but honestly consider these five marks of a prideful man.

A man with the problem of pride is easily defensive and perceives feedback and criticism from others as a personal attack. A man with the problem of pride is quick to talk about his success and importance while ignoring the contributions of others. A man with a problem of pride trusts his judgment and decisions over anyone else’s. A man with the problem of pride cannot admit his mistakes and avoids talking about his failures and sins. A man with the problem of pride has lost his fear of God. “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13)

The only solution to pride is humility. C.S. Lewis wrote:

“If pride is an exalted sense of who we are in relationship to God and others, humility is having a realistic sense of who we are before God and others.”

The Good News of Strength and Confidence.

Christian men should be humble but this does not mean we are to be weak and easily intimidated by others. Our strength is in God and doing His will. We are to be humble about our abilities and exceedingly confident in God’s power and strength working within us. Repeatedly, God told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous” as Joshua led the people of God into the promised land. The Apostle Paul once was full of pride as Saul the Pharisee, but later learned there is greater strength in serving God. Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth:

We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. (2 Corinthians 5:12 – NASB)

The Greek word Paul used for “proud” is kauchēma which means to have a reason to give glory to God or to boast appropriately. Christian men, you make others proud and give others a reason to boast appropriately when you live out your faith and demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

Should a Christian man have pride in his work, family, and craftsmanship?

A Christian man knows he is a child of God, given abilities and gifts, all to be used for God’s glory. In a relationship in God through Jesus Christ, a man finds his greatest strength and confidence.

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Paul Arnold is a husband, father, grandfather, and currently serves as a chaplain to a senior living facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He hosts several podcasts – Man to Man (career advice for men) and Pardon the Confusion (Sports) that are found on iTunes and www.redcircle.com Now Read This: Top 5 Blog Posts for 2019

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