We have all heard the saying, “Pride goes before a fall”. The origin of this saying is taken directly from the bible, something that a lot of people do not know. Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” This is just one of the many verses in the bible that talks about pride. The bible warns every Christian to be extremely careful about being prideful. Pride is one of those sins that creeps into our lives without us even knowing it is there.

To understand why pride is so dangerous in the life of a Christian we first need to understand the definition of pride. The dictionary defines pride as “a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.” In other words, pride is simply the feeling of being proud of your own actions and feeling superior to others in a certain aspect of your life. Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” This is a warning to all Christians that pride can take us away from the wisdom of God and make us act according to our thoughts.

There are many Christians who think that once they are saved, they no longer need to worry about being prideful. This is far from the truth. Once we are saved we are all in danger of being self-righteous and prideful. We start condemning other sinners for their actions and we start thinking that we are better because we have accepted Jesus Christ. This is exactly what the Bible warns us about. We are in no position to judge others and think that we are better than anyone because the truth is, we are all sinners. Matthew 7:1-2 says “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” We can easily fall into the trap of becoming prideful Christians and judging everyone instead of loving everyone as Christ loves them.

In the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus explains how pride can get in the way our your spiritual life. In Luke 18:9-14 He said, “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Jesus captured exactly what it means to be prideful and self-righteous in this parable. The moment you start thinking that you are better than someone else in any aspect of your life, especially when it comes to your walk with Christ, you have fallen into the sin of pride.

There are many examples of bible heroes who have fallen from grace because of their pride and walked away from the plan that God had for their lives. The same can happen to us if we are not careful especially when it comes to comparing our spiritual walk with another Christian. The only way to avoid this from happening is by confessing our sins to Jesus. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Living a life free of pride is almost impossible as humans because of our sinful and self-seeking nature. The only way to make sure that pride doesn’t lead to our downfall, which could lead to us walking away from the plan that God has in our lives, is by confessing our sins to Jesus Christ and by asking him to help us live a life of humility.