Miasin.Ru
God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble
“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).
The world fosters pride in a person, this is a state of the soul that builds a whole life for itself, this is a state of the soul that, except for its own self, does not see anyone next to it. Pride is a disease of the soul. The soul lives by deception, the soul lives in the world that it invents and builds for itself. And this world is dead, there is no God in it, there is no neighbor in it, there is no life. A proud man has emptiness around him, because he is empty inside. He tries to be the best, to be in the center of all events, and his opinion becomes the only one. But this loneliness in which a proud man lives kills him. A person is blinded and deafened by himself, by his imaginary talents, achievements, merits, and he is unable to see and hear the person who is nearby. And that’s why a proud person is always alone, that’s why he’s always dissatisfied with something and condemns everyone. And then, when something doesn’t work out for him, he falls into despondency, into despair, because he cannot reconcile himself, cannot tolerate it, cannot admit his sin, his mistake. Pride is the wall behind which a person sees neither God nor his neighbor; this is the beginning of the death of the soul, because pride kills everything living in the soul and destroys all connections.
And humility is like the fullness of life. Humility is a great gift of God, which is given to those who work, who seek God next to them, who do not trust themselves and do not put themselves first and foremost. “Learn from me that I am meek and lowly in heart,” the Lord humbled himself to the point of death, death on the cross. And the source of humility is Christ himself, Who came into this world, came to man to save him from eternal death, from that pride that paralyzed the will, which closed the eyes of man, which made him unable to rejoice and see the beauty next to him.
Pride is a deadly disease that affects all people. And the Lord heals this disease in repentance. It is not immediately that a person sees his pride; it is not immediately that a person begins to suffer from the fact that he does not know how to rejoice in what he has, to thank, to appreciate. Humility is a gift of love, love for people, for everything that surrounds a person. Humility makes a person able to get up after any falls and not lose trust in God.
It is easy to be around a person who is humble because he does not demand attention, because he does not insist on his desires. He is attentive to those around him and has enough patience not to offend or disturb the peace of the people around him.
How not to judge the person who is nearby?! After all, there is sin in everyone, there is untruth in everyone. You need to not confront each other, but accept another person and find real beauty in him, accept a person and serve him, help him. This requires humility. Do not defend your rights, do not argue, do not try to prove that there is only my truth and there is nothing else around. A humble person does not argue, does not shout, but God lives inside him, because his soul is peaceful. And the Lord creates peace around the humble in the hearts of other people, helps people, gives people strength to fight sin.
The Lord brings peace to his disciples, and we leave the temple in peace. And this peace within man, God’s peace, defeats the world of sin, built on pride and self-exaltation. The Lord conquered this world, infected with sin, and brought man the peace of God in his heart.
To humble yourself, you need to trust God more than yourself. To reconcile, you need to hear more of who is nearby, see him, understand him, accept him. You need to not only hear the other person’s opinion, but also respect and value it. You must not impose yourself, your self, on those who are nearby. You need to keep peace in your heart and then people will change, then people will feel that God is nearby, because where there is peace, where there is humility, there is the grace of the Holy Spirit. The Lord promises grace to the humble, the Lord teaches us humility, because He humbles himself and forgives, and loves us, despite our ingratitude and inconstancy.
There is a peaceful spirit in the hearts of those who humble themselves. And this peaceful spirit opens a new world to man, reveals to man the peace of God and the beauty of God in his neighbor. This peaceful spirit transforms us, and we become able to be together, close to our neighbors, we become able to help each other. This Peace of Christ resurrects us to new life, it makes us capable of conquering death.
A humble person does not fight with his neighbor, he sees his sin, he repents of his sin. And God can act through such a person and gives great gifts, and the powers of God appear, and the person is not proud, does not appropriate it to himself. And the more the Lord gives strength and gifts of grace, the more humble a person becomes who sees his unworthiness and suffers from the sin living inside him.
Therefore, if we do not humble ourselves, we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we will not be resurrected, because the proud will feel bad in paradise, and he will look for who is first and who is second. Pride destroys unity, pride divides people from each other, and the Lord in the temple calls everyone to the source of humility, to the source of love. And everyone receives the priceless Love of God, which strengthens us in the fight against pride for Eternal Life, for accepting our neighbor, and loving him, and serving him as a joint heir of Eternal Life.
In the Holy Scriptures, the passion of pride (Greek ὑπερηφανία) is denoted by various concepts, conveyed in the Russian translation by such words as “arrogance,” “arrogance,” “arrogance,” “empty glory,” “pomposity,” “puffiness.” They are all different types of one basic phenomenon - pride.
Arrogance:
The fear of the Lord hates untruth, pride, arrogance (ὕβριν) and the ways of the evil one; I also hated the corrupt ways of the wicked (Prov. 8:13).
The evil one out of arrogance (ὕβρεως) does evil, but those who know themselves are wise. (Prov. 13:10).
What benefit did arrogance (ὑπερηφανία) bring us, and what did wealth among pride bring us? (Wis. 5:8).
For the Lord has sworn by himself, says the Lord God of hosts: for I abhor all the arrogance (ὕβριν) of Jacob, and I have hated his villages and will reject the city with all its inhabitants (Amos 6:8).
Arrogance:
And I will punish the whole universe for evil (Ἐντελοῦμαι τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ὅλῃ κακὰ - lit. I will determine (glorious commandment) the whole universe evil), and the wicked for their sins, and I will destroy arrogance (ὕβριν) without lawful and will humble the arrogance (ὕβριν) of the proud (ὑπερηφάνων) . (Isa. 13:11).
This is to them because of their arrogance (ὕβρεως), because they reviled and magnified themselves over the people of the Lord Almighty (Zeph. 2:10).
The Lord of hosts decreed to take away all arrogance (ὕβριν) of the glorious and to humiliate everything that is glorious on earth (Isa. 23:9).
I will bring the wickedest of the nations, and they will take possession of their houses. And I will put an end to the arrogance (φρύαγμα) of the mighty, and their holy things will be profaned (Ezek. 7:24).
Instead of saying to you: “If the Lord wills and we live, we will do this or that,” you, in your arrogance (ἀλαζονείαις), become vainglorious (καυχᾶσθε): all such vainglory (καύχησις) is evil (James 4 :15-16).
Pompousness (pompous):
For people will be lovers of themselves (φίλαυτοι), lovers of money, proud, arrogant, insolent, pompous (τετυφωμένοι) (2 Tim. 3:2-5).
Puffiness:
We have heard about the pride (ὕβριν) of Moab - he is very proud (ὕβρισεν), about his arrogance (ὕβριν) and his arrogance (ὑπερηφανίαν) about the exaltation (ὑψώθη) and the arrogance of his heart (Jer. 48: 29).
This passion is completely foreign to God, His plan for the world and man, created in the image and likeness of the Creator.
At the same time, in the text of Holy Scripture, pride is presented descriptively - there is no clear definition of this passion. In order to highlight a holistic definition, it is important to consider the qualities and distinctive features of pride that Holy Scripture highlights. His texts note that this passion is completely foreign to God, His plan for the world and man, created in the image and likeness of the Creator (see Gen. 1:26). Thus, it is not characteristic of either God, or primordial man, or the angels.
The book of wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach, says: Pride (ὑπερηφανί) was not created for people (Sir. 10:21), and also: He did not command anyone to act wickedly and did not give permission to anyone to sin (Sir. 15:20), therefore pride does not come from God: everything that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride (ἀλαζονεία) of life - is not from the Father (1 John 2:16). For this reason, pride becomes the main sign of resistance to God and the hallmark of the wicked: Pride of the eyes and haughtiness of the heart, which distinguishes the wicked, is sin (Prov. 21:4).
Among the six vices that are so displeasing to God that the wise Solomon uses the word “hatred” to express the Creator’s attitude toward them, pride takes first place: These are the six that the Lord hates, even seven that are an abomination to His soul: proud eyes (ὀφθαλμὸς ὑβριστοῦ) [21], a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises evil plans, feet that are quick to run to evil, a false witness who speaks lies and sows discord among brothers (Prov. 6:17-18). In the Psalter, the prophet and psalmist David says: I will not tolerate the proud (ὑπερηφάνῳ) of the eyes and the haughty in heart (Ps. 100:5).
The Apostle Paul clarifies that the danger of pride lies in the fact that in the form of exaltation it closes the possibility of knowing God - as opposed to humility, which destroys pride: The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but powerful in God for the destruction of strongholds: with them we overthrow plans and all exaltation (ὕψωμα) rebelling against the knowledge of God, and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:4-5).
In the hardness of their hearts, the proud neglect God, going so far as to reject Him: In his arrogance, the wicked neglects the Lord: “he will not seek”; in all his thoughts: “There is no God!” (Ps. 9:25). They do not fear the wrath of God, being confident in their impunity - they say in their hearts: “I will not be shaken; “No harm will befall me from generation to generation,” “God has forgotten, He has hidden His face, He will never see it” (Ps. 9:27, 32).
The passion of pride leads to the complete rejection of God, as a result of which He, as Holy Scripture repeatedly notes, opposes the proud.
The passion of pride leads to the complete rejection of God, as a result of which He, as the Holy Scripture repeatedly notes, opposes the proud: God resists the proud (ὑπερηφάνοις) (James 4:6, also: Proverbs 3:34, 1 Peter 5:5). He who is in a state of arrogance of heart is so morally disgusting in the face of Divine mercy that Scripture calls him vile: Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination (ἀκάθαρτος) to the Lord (Prov. 16:5) - these words indicate that pride and arrogance is a deviation from God’s prescribed path for man. The Holy Scripture says that pride causes people to lose God's mercy and fall away from Him (Rom. 11:18-20).
For this reason, this sin is not only disgusting in the eyes of God, but also hateful to people, since the one who does things with arrogance acts wrongly: Pride (ὑπερηφανί) is hateful to both the Lord and people, and is criminal against both... (Sir. 10:7) .
The Old Testament considered the fear of God to be the opposite of arrogance, arrogance and pride.
The Old Testament considered the fear of God to be the opposite of arrogance, arrogance and pride: The fear of the Lord hates untruth, pride, arrogance (ὕβριν) and the ways of the evil one; I also hated the corrupt ways of the wicked (Prov. 8:13).
Therefore, Holy Scripture determines that pride is certainly subject to the judgment of God and entails disgusting punishment.
This is said especially often in the books of the prophets: The proud (ὕψος) views of man will decline, and the lofty things of mankind will be humbled; and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts is coming on all that is proud (ὑβριστὴ)[33] and arrogant (ὑπερήφανον) and on all that is exalted (ὑψηλὸν), and it will be humiliated... (Isa. 2:11-12), I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked because of their iniquities, and I will put an end to the arrogance of the proud (ἀνόμων), and will destroy the arrogance (ὕβριν) of the oppressors (Isa. 13:11).
Some texts of the Holy Scripture directly indicate what specific punishments God sends to those who exalt themselves: As much as she was famous and luxurious, give her so much torment and sorrow. For she says in her heart: “I sit as a queen, I am not a widow and will not see sorrow!” Therefore in one day plagues will come upon her, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned with fire, because the Lord God is strong, who judges her (Rev. 18:7-8).
The Holy Scripture says not only that the righteous judgment of God awaits the proud, but also that the Lord Himself acts as a judge over the wicked who transgress what was commanded to them: Our brothers, having now endured a short torment, according to the covenant of God received eternal life, and you according to the judgment of God you will suffer righteous punishment for arrogance (τῆς ὑπερηφανίας) (2 Mac. 7:36); You, who created everything and rule over everything, are the righteous Master: You judge those who do anything with insolence and arrogance (τοὺς ὕβρει καὶ ἀγερωχίᾳ) (3 Mac. 2:3).
It is also noted that sometimes God, for the sake of admonishing the proud, does not punish sinners for other sins, so that the vain and arrogant do not consider righteous punishment as a reason for their exaltation and do not become rigid in pride: Do not take revenge on us for their uncleanness, and do not punish us for defilement, so that The wicked were not vain in their thoughts, nor did they exult in the exaltation of their tongue, saying, We have trampled down the house of holiness, as the houses of filthiness are trampled under foot (3 Mac. 3:14).
Holy Scripture shows that pride becomes the source of all wickedness and evil.
Holy Scripture shows that pride becomes the source of all wickedness and evil. For example, from arrogance (ὕβρεως) comes discord (Prov. 13:10); through his pride (ὑπερηφανεύεσθαι) the wicked persecutes the poor (Ps. 9:23); his mouth is full of curses, deceit and lies; under the tongue is its torment and destruction; sits in ambush outside the courtyard, kills the innocent in hidden places; his eyes spy on the poor; lies in wait in a hidden place, like a lion in a den; lies in wait to capture the poor; he grabs the poor man, dragging him into his net; bends, fits, and the poor fall into his strong claws (Ps. 9:28-31).
And at the same time, the proud robs and punishes himself. Pride is destructive for a person, since passion darkens the mind and deprives it of wisdom. Thus, the prophet Ezekiel, proclaiming the word of God to the ruler in Tire, testifies that pride causes the proud to lose wisdom: Because of your beauty your heart was lifted up (ὑψώθη), because of your beauty you destroyed your wisdom (Ezek. 28:17).
Loss of wisdom indicates that a person is stricken with stupidity. He who trusts in himself is a fool (Proverbs 28:26), and the words of a proud man will fall upon him like a scourge: in the mouth of a fool is the scourge of pride (ὕβρεως); but the lips of the wise guard them (Prov. 14:3).
The passion of pride has such a destructive effect that it takes possession of the entire human makeup, paralyzes its will and suppresses freedom of thought.
The passion of pride has such a destructive effect that it takes possession of the entire human makeup, paralyzes its will and suppresses freedom of thought. Pride, penetrating into the whole nature of a person, striking him, as the king and prophet David shows, is also manifested in his outer appearance, his words and actions: That is why pride (ὑπερηφανία), like a necklace, has surrounded them, and insolence, like an outfit, dresses them ; their eyes have rolled out of fat, thoughts are wandering in their hearts; They mock everyone, viciously spread slander, talk down to them; They raise their mouth to heaven, and their tongue walks across the earth (Ps. 73:6-9). Pride is not ashamed of itself, but, on the contrary, those who are proud reveal their wickedness and untruth, as someone shows by the clothes they wear.
Pride leads a person to a false idea of himself - to deception: For whoever thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, deceives himself (Gal. 6:3) and, as a result, to defeat by his “opinion” and deception by himself : For you say: “I am rich, I have become rich, and I have need of nothing”; but do not know that you are miserable, and pitiful, and poor, and blind, and naked (Rev. 3:17).
The essential quality of pride is its insatiability. Not content with any success, she, on the contrary, seeks more and more praise and exaltation.
Pride has its root cause in the fallen supreme angel, who rejected God and became His opponent.
“The first sin, according to Scripture,” says St. Hesychius of Jerusalem is pride.” Pride has as its root cause the fallen supreme angel who rejected God and became His opponent - Dennitsa, who carried away many other angels who were subordinate to him and followed him. The prophet Isaiah testifies to this: And he said in his heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mountain in the assembly of gods, on the edge of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” (Isa. 14:12-13). Interpreting this passage from the Holy Scriptures, many holy fathers correlated it with the devil, but there were also those who believed that in this case we were talking about the Babylonian king.
So St. Ambrose of Milan understood pride as the devil, Rev. John Cassian also correlated this quote with him, and St. John Chrysostom especially notes that some interpreters, his contemporaries, cite this passage in relation to both the devil and the Babylonian king. At the same time, St. John adheres to the interpretation that is used “in relation to hostile forces, because Christ also says: I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning (Luke 10:18).” So he writes: “It is amazing that Satan, although he was an incorporeal force, shone in the morning and was sent to all languages, fell from heaven. Do you see when a proud memory is awakened in him? See how this most evil seed, first sown by Satan, has grown and grown.” Blazh. Jerome of Stridon directly attributes these words in the book of the prophet Isaiah to Lucifer.
Blzh. Augustine insists that this biblical passage must be applied exclusively to the devil, and not to the Babylonian king. And the Roman interpreter Cassidor also correlates these words with Satan. And this series of holy fathers and interpreters could be continued. Although there is another point of view that interprets this passage from Scripture not in an allegorical, but in a historical sense, relating these words to the King of Babylon (For example, St. Ephraim the Syrian, A.P. Lopukhin).
In this brief narrative of the Lucifer’s falling away from God, there is no detailed explanation of the “mechanism” of the emergence of an evil intention in the consciousness of the Angel, but only its motivating motive is described.
It can be noted that the virtues with which the Lucifer was adorned by his Creator inspired him with the proud thought that he was no lower than God himself and could exist independently of Him: “Your pride (δόξα) with all your noise has been cast into the underworld; The worm lies beneath you, and the worms are your covering. How you fell from the sky, Lucifer, son of the dawn! broken upon the earth, trampling down the nations” (Isa. 14:11-12). In this case, the word “δόξα” is used to denote pride. And this may confuse a modern person, since “δόξα” is used in a positive sense, but in ancient Greek the word “δόξα” is also seen in the sense of small or empty fame or “to imagine oneself is better than.”
The reason for the fall of the devil lies in his free will to become like God.
Interpreters and holy fathers relate these words of the prophet exclusively to the devil. So the famous exegete Origen writes: “What is said in many places, and especially in Isaiah, about Nebuchadnezzar, also cannot be understood in relation to this man; because Nebuchadnezzar the man did not fall from heaven, was not a star, and did not rise in the morning above the earth.” The reason for the fall of the devil lies in his free will to become like God. Seeing his exceptional position among other angels, the power and strength given to Dennitsa erased all “borders” between him and God.
The interpreter of the Holy Scriptures, Origen, wrote: “This prophecy very clearly shows that he who was formerly a star and rose in the morning fell from heaven. If he was a creature of darkness, as some think, then how then is it said that he was a star? Or how could he rise in the morning without having anything luminous in himself... Consequently, the devil was once light... And only then he committed treason and fell, and his glory turned to dust.” Consequently, the motivation of the devil, before his fall from the spiritual world, should have been good, and then turned into its opposite.
The Holy Venerable John of Damascus in the book “An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith” writes the following: “Of these angelic powers, that angel who stood at the head of the supermundane rank and to whom God entrusted the protection of the earth was not created evil by nature, but was good and created for good , and did not receive from the Creator even a trace of evil... He was carried away, he was followed, and with him fell countless angels subordinate to him. Thus, they, having the same nature as the angels, became evil at will, willfully deviating from good to evil.” The words: “from good to evil” indicate that, having initially had a good motivation to approach God out of love, he, having lost the sense of the distance between the Creator and creation, fell into pride.
Because of pride, the devil was the first to sin among the incorporeal intelligent beings - angels, before the appearance of man. He was the first to sin among all rational beings, after the appearance of man, since, out of envy of man’s bliss, he contributed to his fall with his deceitful speeches. Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil (Gen. 3:5).
Having believed the false promise of the forefathers, as before, Dennitsa himself had a proud decision, contrary to the will of God, and this manifested “a clear departure from God and a hostile rebellion against Him.”
The Holy Scripture calls pride a sin, which entails condemnation of the person guilty of it along with the devil.
Thus, pride made the first angel an enemy of God and cast him down from heaven. Therefore, the Holy Scripture calls pride a sin, which entails the condemnation of the one guilty of it along with the devil, and warns with the words of the Apostle: lest one become proud and fall under condemnation with the devil (1 Tim. 3:6).
The fact that pride did not exist in the primordial world, that it arose, as the Holy Scripture shows, as a result of the rejection of God by the fallen angels and man, who repeated this sin and chose life outside of God, defines one of the main properties of pride - the rejection of God.
The Holy Scriptures, when depicting people possessing the passion of pride, describe various manifestations of this state, which is reflected in the entire being of a person.
Describing the appearance of such a person, Holy Scripture indicates physiological and mental characteristics. Describing his eyes (eyes, gaze), Scripture notes: haughty eyes (Ps. 17:28), proud eyes (Proverbs 6:17), oh, how arrogant are his eyes, and how lifted are his eyelashes! (Prov. 30:13), he who lifts up his eyes boldly is an abomination to the Lord (Prov. 27:20), there is no fear of God before his eyes (Ps. 35:2), winks with his eyes when plotting evil (Ps. 35:19), squints your eyes to devise deceit; biting his lips commits a crime (Prov. 16:30), the eye that mocks the father and neglects obedience to the mother (Prov. 30:17), his eyes spy on the poor (Ps. 9:21), closes his eyes from the beggar (Prov.28:27), even the eyes of men are insatiable (Prov.27:20).
Describing the mouth, tongue, and speech: a mouth that speaks arrogantly (Dan. 7:8), a flattering mouth, a lofty tongue, those who say: “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; Who is our master? (Ps. 11:4-5), lying lips, which speak evil against the righteous with pride and contempt (Ps. 30:19), maliciously spread slander, speak condescendingly (Ps. 73:8), the word of their tongue is the sin of the mouth them, let them be caught in their pride for the oath and lies that they utter (Ps. 59:13), the words of his mouth are untruth and deceit; he does not want to come to his senses in order to do good (Ps. 35:4); arrogant speeches, impudent words (1 Sam. 2:3), King David wrote “the proud have hidden a snare for me”; “they have sharpened their tongue like a snake; the poison of the asp is under their lips” (Ps. 139:4), they spew out insolent speeches; all who practice iniquity magnify themselves (Ps. 93:4), speak arrogantly with their lips (Ps. 16:10), and gnash their teeth at him (Ps. 36:12).
Speaking about the heart, the Holy Scripture notes: arrogance of the heart (Proverbs 21:4), a heart that formulates evil plans (Proverbs 6:18), they think evil in their hearts, they take up arms every day in battle (Psalm 139:3), they have become hardened heart of this people, and with difficulty hear with their ears, and close their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, that I may heal them (Isa. 6:10, Matt. 13:15 , Acts 28:27), and the pride of Israel was humiliated in their eyes, and for all this they did not turn to the Lord their God and did not seek Him (Hos. 7:10); speak from a feigned heart (Ps. 11:3), left them to the stubbornness of their hearts, let them walk in their own thoughts (Ps. 81:13), each walked in the thoughts of his evil heart, serving other gods, committing evil deeds in the eyes of the Lord God ours (Bar. 1:22).
The Holy Scriptures also describe in some detail the portrait of a proud man.
The Holy Scriptures also describe in some detail the portrait of a proud man. The wicked man, the wicked man, walks with lying lips, winks with his eyes, speaks with his feet, makes signs with his fingers; deceit is in his heart: he plots evil at all times and sows discord. (Prov.6:12-14). That is why pride surrounds them like a necklace, and insolence dresses them like an outfit. Their eyes roll out of fatness, and thoughts wander in their hearts! (Ps. 73:6-7).
The Holy Scripture indicates the characteristic features of the manifestation of pride in relations with neighbors, expressed in contempt. When Saul was chosen to be king, the Holy Scriptures note the contempt with which some people reacted to this choice: And the wicked people said: Shall he save us? And they despised him and did not bring him gifts; but he seemed not to notice it (1 Samuel 10:27).
The proud rejoice in the stumblings of others: But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together; Scolders gathered against me, I don’t know why, they vilified me and didn’t stop; with hypocritical mockers they gnashed their teeth at me (Ps. 34:15, 16).
King David speaks of the exaltation of the wicked in their hearts: Good! [good!] to our liking! ...we have swallowed him up (Ps. 34:25). My enemies speak evil of me: when will he die and his name perish? And if anyone comes to see me, he tells a lie; his heart contains untruth, and he goes out and interprets. All those who hate me are whispering among themselves against me, plotting evil against me: the word of Belial came against him; he fell ill; he will not rise again. Even the man who was at peace with me, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, lifted up his heel against me. But You, Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up, and I will repay them. (Ps. 40:6-11).
Pride manifests itself in quarrels, strife and strife. From arrogance comes strife (Prov. 13:10); The arrogant incites strife (Prov. 28:25), deceit is in his heart: he plots evil at all times, sows discord (Prov. 6:14), the quarrel of the arrogant is bloodshed, and their abuse is unbearable to hear (Sir. 27: 15) etc.
A sign of pride is also stubbornness and perseverance.
A sign of pride is also stubbornness and perseverance. And not to be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious race, unsettled in heart and unfaithful to God in their spirit (Ps. 77:8).
Arrogance is a manifestation of pride. And now we consider the arrogant happy: those who practice iniquity are better off, and although they tempt God, they remain unharmed (Mal. 3:15). Blessed is the man who puts his hope in the Lord and does not turn to the proud or to those who turn aside to lies (Ps. 39:5) Also, the persecution of other people is one of its manifestations. Out of his pride, the wicked persecutes the poor: let them be caught in the tricks that they themselves invent (Ps. 9:23); Let not the foot of pride come upon me, and let not the hand of the sinner drive me out (Ps. 35:12). The wicked spies on the righteous and seeks to kill him (Ps. 36:32).
In the Holy Scriptures, the passion of pride is considered as a negative quality in a person, leading him to destruction.
Thus, based on the qualities and distinctive features of pride noted in the Holy Scriptures, we can conclude that pride is a sinful passion that is not inherent in human nature by nature, arose under the influence of the devil, through the Fall and the temptations of the world, manifested in neglect, oblivion and loss of fear God, moving away from Him, expressed in an ever-increasing exaltation of oneself over others, due to incredible gluttony, which does not remain without punishment from God. In the Holy Scriptures, the passion of pride is considered as a negative quality in a person, leading him to destruction.
Author: Monk Kirill (Popov)
