Sins of Pride!

Satan is working on all fronts especially the family to destroy any good. When a culture undermines a family they remove the support system. When we become born again we can overcome the family disfunction by becoming the family of God in Christ. We no longer depend on bio-family to be our support, it is Christ and others who love Him who are our family.

One of the most difficult situations is when one person in a godless family becomes born again. This person wants to obey God's word, loving Him with their whole heart, but the bio-family structure comes against that resolve to follow Christ.

Even more difficult is when a person from a church-going family becomes born again and the family remains cultural Christians. The born again believer who wants to follow hard after Christ is mocked and rejected for their past sin that Christ forgave because the church-going cultural Christians enjoy believing the follower of Christ has not changed. Perhaps because the cultural Christian has not change in all their years of attending church.

When we see that someone is jealous of us for the change that Christ did in us, it is an indication that the cultural Christian was never born again. Those who love the Lord are excited when Christ changes the life of a sinner.

The sad reality is that cultural Christians love their sense of superiority but they do not love God. They cling to their traditions and reject the radical Christian who wants to discover the heart of God through His Word. The authentic Christian wants to obey everything in the Bible, they confess often in order to grow in holiness and love each new growth spurt.

However, the cultural Christian hates these growth spurts in the authentic Chrisitan. The cultural Christian walks in the world appearing just like an unbeliever while adding a little religiosity to their life to feel exalted by others.

In the presence of a crowd, they will say all the things that make them seem spiritual while in the shadows they are mocking and demanding the one who loves the Lord. God calls these people double-minded and without conscience. Those who show one face to those they wish to impress and another to those they demean are double-minded not to mention hypocrites.

James 1:22-25

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."

Matthew 23:5 "5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others."

Matthew 6:1

"Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."

Those who elevate themselves to appear special will always be jealous of the radical believer. They hate that the Bible is used in every discussion and the desire to figure things out through the Bible is disdained by the superficial cultural Christian.

Elevating one believer above another or self above anyone is to violate the word that we are to love all brothers and sisters. No born again believer is higher than any other, all are indwelt by Christ, it is only Christ who is elevated above all.

Matthew 6:1-16

"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven…"

Those who elevate themselves, mock and demean others for their stand for the Word are full of pride. It was pride that got the devil and his demons thrown out of heaven. It is pride that will keep men from being with Christ and pride that sends people to hell.

When we have mercy and faith we know how much God saved us from and we love Him above all others.

No one is impressive to us even though we love the brethren, it is only Christ Who is to be worshiped.

Luke 7:47-48 "47 Therefore I tell you, because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”…"

The woman who washed the feet of Christ was doing an act of worship, it was an act of humility to show that Christ is God.

When we hold Christ above all people and all things we no longer are impressed with anyone, only Christ is glorified. When we love Christ we love people, we can never be rude or mean to those we love. Christ in us gives us grace, mercy, and all the fruit of His Spirit to walk in love. If this fruit is not present then neither is the Holy Spirit.

When self is on the throne then God cannot be. When Christ is on the throne then no one else is elevated but Him.

Galatians 5:22-23

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law."

This fruit is the character of Christ and of any man (man meaning man or woman, as in mankind) who has Christ living in them.

So many people elevate others in a sort of longing glance because they want to be close to those who are elevated in the eyes of others. They believe their association with the elevated ones will rub off on them, also elevating them. A sort of vicariously living another person's elevated status through the association with them.

The problem is the desire to be elevated like God. This was Satan's ploy to Eve in the garden, "you can be like God", he said to her.

When God's word is seen as a book of suggestions rather than His Word that carries power, it becomes nothing more than a prop, useless to change a life.

Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Romans 10:17 - So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16 - All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Acts 20:32 - And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 - For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received [it] not [as] the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Those who think they have not done a sin big enough to confess or feel ashamed, have not been born again. The biggest sin of all is pride, if that were the only sin then it is enough to send a person to hell.

If we want to be acceptable to God we must confess our sins often to be cleansed, 1 John 1:9, growing in holiness and we must view the Word of God as the truth to be sought after and followed to please Him.