Pride, evil of

Pride is viewed as a great evil because it involves pretending to a greatness and glory that belong rightly to God alone.

The sinfulness of pride

It is condemned as evil

1 Samuel 15:23; Proverbs 21:4; James 4:16 See also Mark 7:22–23; Romans 1:29–30; 2 Corinthians 12:20; 2 Timothy 3:1–2; 1 John 2:16

For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”

Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the guides of the wicked— are sin.

As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.

It is a characteristic of Satan

Ezekiel 28:2; 1 Timothy 3:6 See also 2 Thessalonians 2:4 the antichrist

“Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.’ Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god.

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as the devil.

Warnings against pride

In the book of Proverbs

Proverbs 16:5, Proverbs 16:18 See also Proverbs 3:7, Proverbs 3:34, Proverbs 6:16–17, Proverbs 11:2, Proverbs 25:6–7, Proverbs 25:27, Proverbs 26:12, Proverbs 27:1, Proverbs 29:23

Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD; be assured that he will not go unpunished.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Elsewhere in Scripture

Psalm 119:21 See also LEV 26:191SA Leviticus 2:3; Psalm 12:2–3; Jeremiah 9:23–24 Psalm 5:5, Psalm 40:4, Psalm 138:6; Isaiah 5:21; Jeremiah 13:15–17; Matthew 23:12 parallel Luke 14:11 Jesus Christ's teaching on pride; Romans 12:16; 1 Corinthians 10:121PE 1 Corinthians 5:5; James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34

You rebuke the arrogant — the cursed who stray from Your commandments.

The gospel excludes pride

Romans 3:27 See also Luke 18:9–14; Romans 4:2–3, Romans 11:17–20; 1 Corinthians 1:26–31; Ephesians 2:8–9

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith.

Godliness involves rejecting pride

Proverbs 8:13 See also Psalm 101:5, Psalm 131:1; Romans 12:3; 1 Corinthians 13:4; Galatians 6:14

To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.