“Pride, we may be sure will keep us out of God’s presence, because it would not suffer angels themselves to stay in it” (Edward Pelling, 1692).
Pride is such a horrible thing that it takes spiritual things and turns what is truly good in reality and makes it appear as if it is not all that important. On the other hand, pride will also take what is not important at all and make it appear as if it is the greatest good. This is to say that the proud heart is so blind that it will not view eternal things as of the utmost importance and yet it will view earthly things as if they are the greatest good. Pride views all things as they relate to self and the loves and desires of self, though it views that in terms of this world for the most part. Pride will take eternity into consideration, but the present time consumes it and so it will not view eternity as that important but is simply an afterthought.
Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The heart that God in His great mercy has broken from a ruling pride has a proper view of eternity. The humbled heart sees the kingdom of heaven like a great treasure and will give all of its earthly goods and earthly honors in order to obtain that field. This parable is not intended to show that a person must sell all he has in order to purchase the kingdom, but more like what a person must repent of in order to have a proper view of the kingdom. The Gospel is not to purchase the eternal glory of God, but instead it gives this as a free gift. But the person that sees the glory of eternal things will turn from worldly things and that repentance is seen, but also that repentance is absolutely necessary. The repentance does not purchase eternal glory, but it shows that one has seen eternal glory by faith. The soul that is blinded by pride does not see eternal glory as what is the most important, though it may see it in some dim way for a short time. But the proud will not continue in that and will not persevere in seeking eternal glory, but instead worldly things take the attention and distracts from what is truly important.
The point of both parables is quite clear. The person that truly sees the true kingdom is one that gives up all worldly things in terms of trust and affection. The proud, however, value the esteem and honor of the world more than eternal things, though many seem to think that they can have both. This is a great deception and even delusion. A person will leave the world in terms of affection and in view of what it is if that person has a true sight of eternal things with eternal values. The proud self, though, will seek religious things in order to obtain honor for self even now. The proud self may seek religious things with great energy and devotion but only in order to obtain the honor of men.
John 5:44 “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?
The point of the teaching of Jesus is quite clear. Unregenerate men cannot truly believe when they seek glory from one another and yet not the glory that is from God alone. The Pharisees were men who sought the honor of men in all of their religious rigidity. As Jesus taught about them in Matthew 6, they did all of their religious deeds in order to be seen by men. They prayed in order to be seen by men, they gave alms in order to be seen by men, and they also fasted in order to be seen by men. This is to say that they did all of their religious deeds for themselves and their own pride because they simply wanted men to think highly of them and to honor them. They sought glory from one another and did not seek the glory from the one and only God.
At the root of this enormous pride is a very vile and wicked heart that desires to use God and the things of God for the honor and glory of self rather than being humbled before reality and seeking to be an instrument of the glory and honor of God in this world. Living for the honor of self in the things of religion is a monstrous evil and an incredibly proud thing to do. However, the pulpits in our land are full of people seeking to be exalted in the eyes of others. Our seminaries are full of those who are teaching and writing for their own honor. Our churches are full of those who are “serving” for their own honor. The spirit of the Pharisee, which is a horrid pride, is alive in our land.
God Loves... Himself 
January 11, 2014 at 7:14 pm |
It is very interesting to read the above musings. The two paragraphs after the John 5:44 quote describe our pastor very accurately. He outwardly projects a great love for souls and the work of the church, but something appears to be very wrong. The entire ministry seems to be driven by pride in self and building a big church. This bothers me greatly. Do you think this is common in our churches today?
January 11, 2014 at 9:32 pm |
I do believe this is common in the professing “church” of our day. Ministers can be driven by so many things that appear to be spiritual and good, but in fact they are driven by a love for the honor and applause of men. One can be driven to practice evangelism, but not do it because one loves Christ, but instead because one wants to be known as a soul winner. This type of evangelism can be nothing more than using Christ to make a name for self. It can be using men as evangelistic numbers and trophies rather than trying to get them to see the truth of God and how God changes hearts. Evangelism can be nothing more than the acts of religious men who love their honor and esteem in a local church or within Christiandom and so they use evanglism (in name) to use men to get them to pray a prayer for the glory and honor of self. In that sense evangelism becomes nothing more than the acts of love men show toward the great idol of self.
April 5, 2014 at 3:28 pm |
Richard,
Just came upon your blog after discovering today about God loving Himself.
I am having a great time doing personal repentance, deliverance and inner healing.
I like what I read here after just a few minutes, especially your church observations. People remain blinded for all the usual self stuff, sin and iniquity.
I have prayed to come out of Babylon, yet so few seem to even see the need to say the prayer , much less actually come out of her. So we have all these religious branches of Babylon which are in different stages of assimilation.