The Great Sin

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” 

—Philippians 2:5-8

Pride. It’s at the root of every other sin. It’s the sin at the center of Satan’s fall from heaven. C.S. Lewis, the great Christian author, wrote about the danger and subtly of pride. Pride is what keeps man from God. C.S. Lewis called it “the great sin.” In his book, Mere Christianity, he wrote,

“According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.

Does this seem to you exaggerated? If so, think it over. I pointed out a moment ago that the more pride one had the more one disliked pride in others. In fact, if you want to find out how proud you are the easiest way is to ask yourself, ‘How much do I dislike it when other people snub me, or refuse to take any notice of me, or shove their oar in, or patronize me or show off?’

The point is that each person’s pride is in competition with every one else’s pride. It is because I wanted to be the big noise at the party that I am so annoyed at someone else being the big noise. Two of a trade never agree. Now what you want to get clear is that Pride is essentially competitive—is competitive by its very nature—while the other vices are competitive only, so to speak, by accident. Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looing, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better-looking than others. If every one else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking there would be nothing to be proud about. It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone”—C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 95.

Last of all, and this is where it all ties together, he writes, “For, of course, power is what Pride really enjoys.” He says, “The Christians are right: it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began. Other vices may sometimes bring people together: you may find good fellowship and jokes and friendliness among drunken people or unchaste people. But Pride always means enmity—it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God.

In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that—and, therefore, know yourself ass nothing in comparison—you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” —C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 95-96.

Pride is like a flaming fire inside a house and the only way it can be extinguished is by dousing it with grace. Pride by its nature destroys, but grace gives life.

Jesus had all the reason in the world to be proud, but He wasn’t. He humbled Himself by putting on flesh. The Creator put on His creation and the sovereign eternal God limited Himself by entering into time. The God who is more infinite than space walked on dusty roads in the Middle East. The God who never grows tired or hungry had to eat, drink, and sleep. And His ultimate act of humility was going to the cross—giving Himself up for the sins of men. How amazing is our God!

What about you? How is your pride? Have you considered yourself more highly than you ought? Have you humbled yourself in the sight of God? God the Son humbled Himself for your salvation and you have to humble yourself to have it.

May our pride perish and may the humility of our Savior be our aspiration. May the name of Christ be seen in and through us for the glory of God’s great and awesome name. Amen.