There are some things that God simply will not tolerate—pride is one of those things.

James 4:6 (ESV)
⁶  But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Haughty eyes are one of the seven things that Solomon said God hates (Proverbs 6:17), and we should understand why He is so perturbed by it.  He is not only aware of all of our weaknesses and shortcomings, but He also knows how harmful being arrogant can be to our souls, as well as others.

Does anyone have the right to be prideful?  Paul puts it into perspective when dealing with the arrogant saints at Corinth by asking them these questions:

1 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV)
⁷  For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

While Paul probably had the spiritual gifts possessed by the saints at Corinth in mind, these questions could be asked of all of us in general.  What do any of us have that we did not receive?  Whatever we accomplish in life; whatever talent we have or possessions we accumulate, it is all because of what we received, either from God or man.  Think about it.  From a physical standpoint, do you have anything that you gained completely on your own?  The answer is no.  Anything you possess, someone helped you along the way.  Whether it was an employer willing to hire you or a teacher who helped you get the education you needed to land a lucrative job, you did not achieve anything all by yourself.

Spiritually speaking, this is just as true.  Maybe you are a great song leader, an outstanding preacher, or a top-notch Bible class teacher, someone has given you aid to reach those heights.  Whether it was someone who taught you how to lead singing or even a brother who served as an example of how to do it, you did not become a great song leader all by yourself.  If you excel in teaching, it is because of the knowledge you possess, but how did you attain that knowledge?  Someone helped you.  If you say, your knowledge of the Bible was self-taught, still you needed access to God’s Word to gain the knowledge.  Where did you get that?

Even if we convince ourselves that we have had no human help achieving our accomplishments here on earth, we cannot deny the divine aid we have received from God.   After all, James reminds us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…” (James 1:17). 

The problem with pride is that not only is it sinful in itself, but it also paralyzes us and prevents us from growing and going forward in Christ.  Paul tells us to forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead, pressing on toward the goal (Philippians 3:13-14).  Do you know who is not going to do that?  It is the arrogant person who thinks he has already arrived at the goal.

Perhaps the greatest problem with being arrogant is that it prevents us from seeing our sins and thereby causing us to fail to repent, leaving us in our sins.  Jesus gave a parable about this.  We usually call it the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Luke 18:9-14).  The Pharisee was arrogant, only seeing the good that he did while pointing out the sins of others.  The Publican recognized he was a sinner and asked for mercy.  Concerning the Publican, Jesus said, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.”  Then Jesus gave the warning that all those who are arrogant should heed.

“…for everyone that exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.”

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.