Yes, I am aware that today’s title may come across as scandalous and offensive to many. But I believe that this is backed by scripture. To wit:
“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”Proverbs 16:18 NKJV
And:
“Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.”Proverbs 18:12 NKJV
Pride is one of the absolute worst sins one can commit, if not the worst sin. Yes, all sins are sins, and there is no such thing as a “small sin.”
So as not to appear one-sided, I will first mention a major pride-related sin that absolutely must be addressed: homosexuality. The western world has set aside the entire month of June not only to celebrate sin, but also to worship it as if it were a god, because that is what it has become. Just the name “Pride” month should send out alarm bells for all believers. And I would argue that, on the basis of pride alone this should raise alarm bells for people who say they believe in Jesus, but somehow are also pro-gay marriage. Certainly such persons are familiar with the 10 Commandments as well as the famous verse from Proverbs, with which I opened up today’s post.
““You shall have no other gods before Me.”Exodus 20:3 NKJV
“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”Proverbs 16:18 NKJV
Even if one’s mind is so warped, even as a “straight” person that they think gay “marriage” is acceptable, certainly I would hope that they would understand that worshiping anything earthly and elevating it to the level of the Lord is blasphemous, even if it’s something they happen to like or agree with!
But that’s beside the point: the Bible makes it abundantly clear homosexuality is a sin and those who persist in it will not enter the kingdom of heaven, period.
“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.”Leviticus 18:22 NKJV
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”I Corinthians 6:9-10 NKJV
And for those smart alecks who like to claim that Jesus never addressed homosexuality, I present you the below: (and yes, Jesus is speaking here)
“And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.””Matthew 19:4-6 NKJV
As an aside, I question anybody who rejects the authority of the book of Genesis on account that it contradicts the theory of evolution. If the book of Genesis was false, why then would Jesus quote from it? Further, I put to you that not only is the book of Genesis authoritative, but it was written by God Himself. If it were not, why then would Jesus quote from it? Therefore, I believe that He also believes that marriage is to be between one man and one woman. As such, He is pro-biblical marriage, and not pro-gay “marriage,” and certainly not pro-homosexuality.
Before I move to my next point, I do want to remind you that there is still redemption available from homosexuality and from all sexual sin. The point is not only to expose and diagnose, but also to provide hope. For any homosexual reading this, you are not a sinner exclusively because you’re a homosexual, although that is part of the reason. You are a sinner, just like the rest of us, because of the sin of Adam and Eve. All humanity falls short of God‘s standard for holiness.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”Romans 3:23 NKJV
To share examples from the Bible, here is a basic recap of why we are sinners and how we got to this point. First, the command:
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.””Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV
Next, the temptation and the disobedience that changed the course of human history forever:
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”Genesis 3:1-6 NKJV
Next, the accountability from God:
“Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.””Genesis 3:9-13 NKJV
Finally, the consequences (and they were indeed harsh, but it’s the reality of the situation):
“So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”Genesis 3:14-19, 22-24 NKJV
That was the diagnosis. Here is the cure:
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”John 3:14-16 NKJV
“Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.””John 6:29 NKJV
“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”Philippians 1:6 NKJV
And cap off my encouragement for those who no longer want to be homosexuals, I give you the full context of one of the earlier versus that address this topic, with the subsequent verses that provide the message of hope. Really pay attention to the last part of the below passage:
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”I Corinthians 6:9-11 NKJV
So, as promised, I would get to the main point. Although I may not have nearly as many Bible verses to address the below like I did the above, also because pride of homosexuality is sin upon sin, I do believe that the below still needs to be brought into the light, because all sins are bad. Just because it is “only” one sin, instead of “sin upon sin” like pride of homosexuality is, does not make people who are guilty of the below more justifiable than those who are guilty of the above. True justification comes only from Jesus Christ.
“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”Proverbs 16:18 NKJV
“He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.”Luke 1:51 NKJV
I believe, based on what Bible says about pride, it is a sin to be proud (as a parent) of one’s children. I say this because this kind of pride screams: “look at how good a job I did raising this child! Look at how good a parent I am!” This kind of pride is not really about the child (only in part, if at all); it’s about the parents exalting themselves.
I say this for two reasons: 1.) there are countless parents who parented their children the best way they knew how, and their children turned out terrible, and it grieve those parents wondering what they did wrong for their child to turn out the way that they did. 2.) unfortunately in this day and age, with the breakdown of the family, especially over the last half century plus, there are even more parents where it was obvious that they did not raise their child correctly, or in some cases at all. And then they wonder why their child is either as screwed up as they are, or a rebel.
It was never God‘s design for the family structure to be broken up, and it was never His design for the family to be toxic. Especially as we approach closer and closer to the day of Jesus Christ’s return, I would venture to say that to have been born and raised in a “good” family at all is becoming even more and more and more a privilege. I was not, and neither was my wife, for entirely different reasons. And that’s just the two of us. There are countless other stories, not only of people that I have known over the years, but even more of so many other people that I have never even met, of broken, abusive, neglectful families where the parents did not do their job, and the children rebelled. And I would venture also to say that, even in such situations, the parent still holds pride, thinking that they raised their child “right” when the evidence is laid bare that they clearly did not.
Additionally, I believe it’s a sin to be proud to be a citizen of one’s own country. Note: this is not to be confused with being happy, joyful, grateful, and ecstatic to be a citizen of one’s own country, especially if it is a good country. To wit: I am very privileged to be a citizen of the United States of America, especially in this time. But being proud to be a citizen of one’s country, what that screams is “I deserve this.” It is impossible to be both proud and grateful at the same time. And the truth is, no, we don’t deserve this. There are so many people across other parts of the world who either live in poor countries or countries with oppressive regimes (they often go hand in hand), who would beg to switch places with me. Does this mean that, if we are proud to be a citizen of even an excellent country because we think we deserve it, that those who are citizens of far inferior countries that they deserve their lot in life also?
Additionally, I happen to be in a country where the same people who claimed to be proud citizens of this country also claim to have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ as their Lord, King, and Savior. And we know that we do not deserve Jesus Christ’s grace, for the completed payment of sin via His shed blood on the cross for our horrendous sins which would immediately disqualify us from getting to spend eternity with the Lord Jesus in heaven, and instead condemn us not only to death but to an eternity of suffering and torment with the devil and all his demons in the hot, outer darkness known as hell. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory over sin and death through His Son our King and Savior Jesus Christ, who paid the full, complete atonement on our behalf. (A paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 15:57, here is the verse below)
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”I Corinthians 15:57 NKJV
The point is, if we know we don’t deserve heaven, then how can we say we deserve America, or any other excellent country? Now, do not misinterpret what I say: I think we should be happy, grateful, and ecstatic to be citizens of the United States of America, and for those of us who support our current president, I absolutely think we should be happy, grateful and ecstatic. But one troubling thing I have seen ever since Mr. Trump took office, is the utter arrogance of the conservatives acting like we deserve this, much in the very same way I saw the utter arrogance of the liberals in 2021. Sure, one can nitpick and say, well, the 2020 election was rigged and so the liberals were wrong to celebrate, let alone be arrogant, and I would agree 100% with all of that. Meanwhile, the 2024 election was decided 100% fair and square. Still, that doesn’t give any of us license to be arrogant and proud, acting like we deserve this. We don’t. If we are sinners who deserve death and hell in the afterlife, then by the same token, we deserve pain and suffering and immediate consequences of our actions in this life as well (which the world likes to call instant karma). It is exclusively by God’s grace through Jesus Christ that we have any shot at all at missing hell and entering heaven and enjoying fellowship with the Lord for eternity, and it is exclusively by God’s grace that we even have an earthly country that is good and excellent at all, let alone the privilege of living here.
I think this one sentence bears repeating: it is impossible to be proud and grateful at the same time.
As a disclosure, God has been convicting me yet again about my fandom of the Chicago Cubs. Until recently, they’ve been having a great season, and I’ve been excited. There were times during the season when the team showed not only flashes but real potential to be a serious championship contender. However, sports fandom also is idolatry. After all, the first Commandment from the book of Exodus goes thus:
““You shall have no other gods before Me.”Exodus 20:3 NKJV
We are commanded to bring everything to the cross of Jesus Christ, to surrender every thought, desire, obsession, dependency, etc., fully and completely to God. This isn’t optional.
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”II Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV
And probably the most challenging thing is, even when those of us who do a self examination unearth all the different sinful thoughts and desires, and bring it all to the cross, there remains yet far more that need to be surrendered. Secret sins are called secret sins for a reason.
“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.”Psalms 19:12 NKJV
“You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.”Psalms 90:8 NKJV
Two morals of this story: 1.) while it is not a sin to enjoy anything on this earth, provided that the thing of enjoyment is not in end of itself sinful, we need to be super vigilant regarding the things that we enjoy. If our devotion to any of those things matches, let alone supersedes, our devotion to God, then it is sin. And unfortunately, I believe I crossed that line with following and rooting for the Chicago Cubs lately. 2.) secret sins are a thing, and the scariest thing about it is that it goes to show the depth of one’s sin without one’s knowledge.
This has indeed been a long post, but I do this for the following reason:
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”Ephesians 5:11 NKJV
We need to expose all darkness, and not only what we think or feel should be exposed, although those definitely should be exposed. But I would be remiss if I didn’t also close this post with some encouragements. I have two swaths of scripture that my wife and I have periodically prayed, especially in times of need, that are good to pray that I will also share below:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”Psalms 23:1-6 NKJV
“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV
Additionally, I would recommend that we all pray the below concerning addressing secret sins:
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”Psalms 51:7-12 NKJV
