Who Does God Oppose?

Did you know that God opposes the proud (the one who boasts, the one who inflates himself) but gives grace to the humble (the one who is modest, the one who sees herself rightly)?

Opposition isn’t always a bad thing if you’re the bigger, stronger person, and if you’re the one who’s right.

In case you’re wondering about this particular situation, God is bigger, and God is right.

Why is God against pride? Pride is a lie. It’s wrong. Pride is an overestimation of one’s worth. Pride is self-focused instead of God-focused. In pride, a person sees herself incorrectly.

God wants us to see ourselves correctly. He made us in his image, imago dei. He wants us to see that we are shaped like Him. Like God, we are made to be creators and caretakers. We are made to be in relationships, filled with compassion for others, and desiring to serve. Pride gets in the way of that purpose. It leads us to serve ourselves. It makes us think we deserve all the glory and all the good.

Pride often leads a person to despise those who seem to be “beneath” them. Pride is a puffing up (be careful- that can be burst) instead of a settling down (secure- in the rootedness of God’s purpose).

Humility is for what we are designed. That’s why we get excited about giving gifts and hanging out with friends over a good meal. In humility, we have a right view of ourselves: imago dei, in God’s image, one who lives out of agape love in relationship with others.

Pride keeps a person isolated and alone in order to keep up the facade. Humility brings people together in order to live life God’s way.

Check out Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, and 1 Peter 5:5, and consider your own heart’s pride or humility. Don’t open the door to God’s opposition. Live humbly in His grace!