Hammer on Anvil '

A person's pride will bring about his downfall, but the humble in spirit will gain honor (Proverbs 29:23).

My blog this week addresses one of the most insidious, yet perhaps the most prevalent sin in the church: pride. Thoughts started taking shape after an encounter I had while hiking recently. I met up with a woman whom I knew slightly from a former work relationship, and she had her grandson with her. She introduced her grandson to me, and then took me aside and said, "He's the only one of my grandchildren with my DNA, so he's special." She proceeded to explain that her other grandchildren were foster kids or adopted. And yes, this woman is a Christian.

The pride in her statement was appalling! She barely knew me, yet it was important to her that I know that this grandson had her DNA -- as if foster children and adopted children are somehow not as worthy of the title "grandchild."

Fortunately her grandson came back right away, and I continued on my walk with my son and his fiance. I don't think this woman would have wanted to hear what I could have said had other people not been around.

Pride. It is what made Lucifer fall from grace when the world began, and people have been tripping over it ever since.

A pastor's wife that I know (I'll call her Julie) is very prideful of her particular choice of denomination. When I chose to pursue a different path, she incredulously said she just didn't know how I would be able to enjoy a church that didn't focus on certain spiritual gifts. Never mind that those same churches are so prideful that they would not permit me to facilitate an abortion recovery ministry (saying it was "too shameful and embarrassing") -- which is why I went elsewhere.

Julie and I worked together briefly, and she answered the phones in our office. I'll never forget the day I overheard one of her conversations. It was obvious that the caller to whom she was speaking was Catholic, and Julie felt the need to ask her if she was really a Christian. She then made some sweeping generalization that she didn't think most Catholics are truly saved.

When her conversation ended, I made my way over to her cubicle. I politely told her that it was not professional (or godly) to assume that a caller is not saved simply because they are Catholic. She had never heard that before, and seemed a bit taken aback. Apparently she had heard that lie her whole life, and chose to believe it.

In yet another venue, Julie and I were in a focus group hammering out a women's Bible study that was soon to be published. The whole point of the study was for women to be able to be transparent and address real issues in their marriages. When we got to a chapter about adultery, Julie piped up, "Well I don't think we really need to address this chapter. We're all Christians." I waited until the study was over, and again took Julie aside. I explained that this study was going to women of all walks of life -- women who have perhaps had abortions, women who have been divorced, and yes -- women who may have committed adultery. I told her that if we hope to truly minister to hurting women, we can't have that attitude that she voiced -- as if surely "a Christian woman would never do such a thing." I explained that women would shut down immediately because they would not feel safe sharing their hurts.

Again, Julie seemed incredulous. I was amazed that a pastor's wife would be so clueless and unaware of the hurts and sorrows that women experience. Yet often people like her, whose only exposure to the Christian faith is their own narrow denomination, don't care to learn about other expressions of faith, and sometimes are shockingly intolerant of the sins of others.

The bottom line here is that we ALL are sinners. And the fact that we call ourselves Christians does not mean we will never struggle. It does not necessarily mean we will never commit adultery or have an abortion or become addicted to something ungodly. Many times a person shares a wonderful story of redemption from alcohol or drugs or pornography or sexual addiction, and a listener automatically assumes that the person "did all that" before they were saved. And it simply isn't true, my friends. Our hearts are desperately wicked, and sometimes we allow circumstances to lead us down unsavory paths. The fact that we sin does not mean we were "never truly saved" (messed-up theology I have heard more times than I can count). It doesn't mean we are not Christians; it means we have chosen to give in to our flesh rather than follow Jesus in that particular instance.

Jesus tells us that if we come after Him, we must take up our cross daily and follow Him. It's not a one-time decision; it is a choice we make every minute of every day. Yes, His Holy Spirit empowers us to live godly lives, but that doesn't mean we will never sin. And we set ourselves up for a fall when we make statements like, "I could NEVER do (fill-in-the-blank)." That's precisely what today's Scripture means: Pride goes before a fall.

Remember the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18? The Pharisee "prayed" by thanking God that he was "not like other people" -- and then named off a few choice sins that others were guilty of but that he was not. The tax collector, on the other hand, wouldn't even lift his eyes to heaven, and prayed simply, "God be merciful to me, a sinner."

Let's endeavor to be like the tax collector, rather than the prideful Pharisee. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.