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What is the pride of
life?
.
The pride of life can be
defined as anything that is “of the world,” meaning anything that leads to
arrogance, ostentation, pride in self, presumption, and boasting - the first
example of the temptation of the pride of life occurs in the Garden of Eden,
where Eve was tempted by the serpent to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit
of the tree of knowledge of good and evil
Got
Questions Ministries
The phrase “pride of life” is found only once in the Bible, in 1 John 2:16.
But the
concept of the pride of life, especially as it is linked with the “lust of
the eyes” and the “lust of the flesh,” appears in two more
significant passages of Scripture — the temptation of Eve in the Garden and the
temptation of Christ in the wilderness (Matthew 4:8-10).
John
makes it clear that anything that produces the pride of life comes from a love
of the world and “if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not
in him” (1 John 2:15).
The
first example of the temptation of the pride of life occurs in the Garden of
Eden, where Eve was tempted by the serpent to disobey God and eat the forbidden
fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Eve
perceived that the fruit was “good for food,” “pleasing to the eye,”
and “desirable for gaining wisdom” (Genesis 3:6).
She
coveted the fruit in three ways.
First,
it was appealing to her appetite. This John refers to as the “lust of the
flesh,” the desire for that which satisfies any of the physical needs.
The
fruit was also pleasing or delightful to the eye, that which we see and desire
to own or possess.
Here is
the “lust of the eyes” John refers to.
Finally,
Eve somehow perceived that the fruit would make her wise, giving her a wisdom
beyond her own.
Part of
Satan’s lie was that eating the fruit would make her “like God, knowing good
and evil” (Genesis 3:5).
Here is
the essence of the pride of life — anything that exalts us above our station
and offers the illusion of God-like qualities, wherein we boast in arrogance
and worldly wisdom.
Eve
wanted to be like God in her knowledge, not content to live in a perfect world
under His perfect grace and care for her.
Satan
tried these same three temptations on Christ during His 40 days in the
wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).
He
tempted Jesus
- with
the lust of the flesh, bread for His hunger (verses 2-3),
- the
lust of the eyes, “all the kingdoms of the world with their splendor” (verses
8-9), and
- the
pride of life, daring Him to cast Himself from the roof of the Temple in order
to prove that He was the Messiah by an ostentatious display of power that was
not in the will of God or His plan for the redemption of mankind (verses
5-6).
But
Jesus, though He was “tempted in every way, just as we are” (Hebrews 4:15),
resisted the devil and used the Word of God to ensure victory over him.
Christians
have always been, and will always be, lured by the same three temptations Eve
and Jesus experienced.
Satan
doesn’t change his methods; he doesn’t have to because they continue to be
successful.
He
tempts us with the lust of the flesh — sexual gratification, gluttony,
excessive alcohol consumption, and drugs, both legal and illegal, as well as
the “deeds of the flesh” about which Paul warned the Galatians, “sexual
immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy,
fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies,
and things like these” (Galatians 5:19-21).
He
tempts us with the lust of the eyes — the endless accumulation of “stuff” with
which we fill our homes and garages and the insatiable desire for more, better,
and newer possessions, which ensnares us and hardens our hearts to the things
of God.
But
perhaps his most evil temptation is the pride of life, the very sin that
resulted in Satan’s expulsion from heaven.
He
desired to be God, not to be a servant of God (Isaiah 14:12-15).
The
arrogant boasting which constitutes the pride of life motivates the other two
lusts as it seeks to elevate itself above all others and fulfill all personal
desires.
It is
the root cause of strife in
families, churches, and nations.
It
exalts the self in direct contradiction to Jesus’ statement that those who
would follow Him must take up their cross (an instrument of death) and deny
themselves.
The
pride of life stands in our way if we truly seek to be servants of God.
It is
the arrogance that separates us from others and limits our effectiveness in the
kingdom.
The
pride of life “comes not from the Father, but from the world.”
And, as
such, it is passing away with the world, but those who resist and overcome the
temptation of the pride of life do the will of God, and “the man who does
the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).
Got
Questions Ministries
seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by providing biblical, applicable, and
timely answers to spiritually related questions through an internet presence.
GotQuestions.org is a ministry of dedicated and trained servants who have a desire to assist others in their understanding of God, Scripture, salvation, and other spiritual topics. We are Christian, Protestant, evangelical, theologically conservative, and non-denominational. We view ourselves as a para-church ministry, coming alongside the church to help people find answers to their spiritually related questions.
We will do our best to prayerfully and thoroughly research your question and answer it in a biblically based manner. It is not our purpose to make you agree with us, but rather to point you to what the Bible says concerning your question. You can be assured that your question will be answered by a trained and dedicated Christian who loves the Lord and desires to assist you in your walk with Him. Our writing staff includes pastors, youth pastors, missionaries, biblical counselors, Bible/Christian college students, seminary students, and lay students of God’s Word.
GotQuestions.org is a ministry of dedicated and trained servants who have a desire to assist others in their understanding of God, Scripture, salvation, and other spiritual topics. We are Christian, Protestant, evangelical, theologically conservative, and non-denominational. We view ourselves as a para-church ministry, coming alongside the church to help people find answers to their spiritually related questions.
We will do our best to prayerfully and thoroughly research your question and answer it in a biblically based manner. It is not our purpose to make you agree with us, but rather to point you to what the Bible says concerning your question. You can be assured that your question will be answered by a trained and dedicated Christian who loves the Lord and desires to assist you in your walk with Him. Our writing staff includes pastors, youth pastors, missionaries, biblical counselors, Bible/Christian college students, seminary students, and lay students of God’s Word.
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