To begin: In Your Opinion What Is Spiritual Pride?
This was a really great explanation of what spiritual pride is.It's pride in the sense that you hold a greater spiritual understanding than other people you communicate with. This is predominantly manifest in both liberal and conservative circles and often those who accuse others of it have it themselves. It's sort of like the statement "I'm so much more humble than you are, you just don't even know what humility is compared to me..."
It's a very ironic sort of thing.
It's pride in the sense that you hold a greater spiritual understanding than other people you communicate with. This is predominantly manifest in both liberal and conservative circles and often those who accuse others of it have it themselves. It's sort of like the statement "I'm so much more humble than you are, you just don't even know what humility is compared to me..."
It's a very ironic sort of thing.
Because they came to think that the rules were a good in an of themselves, and forgot that the real goal was love of God and neighbor.How is it that the Pharisees being religiously observant in the extreme were so far off the mark? Why did Jesus so revile them?
But both sides think they're absolutely right and aren't afraid to get offended over someone disagreeing with them.Good definition. I think it is a far bigger problem in the evangelical and charismatic churches though.
Yes, and I've found it's really easy to be drawn into arguments. This is ego.... taking offense at what someone says is often a reaction of pride, not always, but often (in my case) in my case it is. A different kind of pride then what I warn against here but pride none the less. The outcome of it is no less injurious either. Bickering, insulting, disparaging remarks, etc., etc. No matter how these are veiled they are evil. It should be no less a surprise to find that this 'creature' is still alive and well in my flesh than to discover I'm still attracted to beautiful women. It's just a fact of life.But both sides think they're absolutely right and aren't afraid to get offended over someone disagreeing with them.
The answer is twofold; Christ stood for being reviled and persecuted out of love for his persecutors; He wanted salvation to come to everyone, but also because judgment would be His alone in the end. That's both comforting and humbling in itself.Yes, and I've found it's really easy to be drawn into arguments. This is ego.... taking offense at what someone says is often a reaction of pride, not always, but often (in my case) in my case it is. A different kind of pride then what I warn against here but pride none the less. The outcome of it is no less injurious either. Bickering, insulting, disparaging remarks, etc., etc. No matter how these are veiled they are evil. It should be no less a surprise to find that this 'creature' is still alive and well in my flesh than to discover I'm still attracted to beautiful women. It's just a fact of life.
The cure for me, I'm learning is to allow Christ to live through me. I keep harping on the same thing! It's true though. In my current circumstances I am dealing with a paranoid delusional person about 5 hours a day and the things that come out of this individuals mouth are difficult to deal with in the extreme. It is a most joyous occasion when I reach the end of myself under these difficulties and rest in Christ. For no matter how I try to handle insult and injury with my own intellect I utterly fail and fall into sin. It's quite literally impossible for me to love this person, who, at times has even physically attacked me. This kills me (my ego) and Jesus than stands in my place pouring out through me His Spirit and life. He can handle being spit upon, reviled, accused and even physically assaulted without retaliation. I can not, not at all.
God is good.
10 The LORD will lay bare his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.
(Isaiah 52)
however, standing for the truth is many times mis-labeled as "wanting to be right".One thing that certainly happens when pride grips us, is, we want to be right. This desire can be so strong it skews our perspective till all we are doing in a conversation is finding more fuel to prove our points rather then seeking truth. The reason. We already have the truth, or so we assume. That assumption is what creates all the conflict amongst us as individual believers and various denominations. We even go so far as to judge a person based upon their denominational affiliations.
I remember hearing a preacher say. "During the rapture no Charismatic will be taken into heaven - pause - they'll be turned into Baptists on the way." I've never been affiliated with the charismatic church but, do believe in the gifts. Then it was insulting. Now it's just funny.
All the sins we commit are no doubt in some fashion linked to pride the root which caused all the mess this world is in today.
not 100% true.Guess I'll attempt to answer my own question: It seems to me that the Pharisees turned worshiping God into a system, made it mechanical, added traditions (additional rules and practices) not in the word, and, apparently they ended being conscious of other men and man's attitude towards their behavior more so than having a heart for God. Lacking in mercy and compassion and instead doling out rules on how to please God, instead of promoting a relationship with God through devotion.
It's pretty obvious none of us has a corner on the truth. We have our belief's based on scriptures and we often disagree. The most important issue in my book is (as you know) "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" knowing this "God is Love" and "Love covers a multitude of sins"however, standing for the truth is many times mis-labeled as "wanting to be right".