Arrogant Abomination
Proverbs 16:5; 1 Peter 5:1-7
It’s not a popular topic to speak against. You see, it’s a trait that our society holds as one of its respectable sins. It can get one voted into public office. It promotes one to CEO of the company. It helps junior officers to make their way up the chain of command. It assists husbands to “win” dominance in the homes and wives to get their way. It is often touted as what it means to love oneself, in modern self-help parlance. And it builds churches – or at least, adds large numbers to religious organizations and fellowships. In fact, I can say from years of experience, it lingers in the shadows just behind the doors and just around the corners in many ecclesiastical establishments. It’s not a popular topic to speak against, but today, as we look at installing an elder and deacons, I’m going to address it because we need to hear it. Now, I recognize this could backfire, because when we point a finger, there are three more pointing back at us. It could also be misunderstood, thinking I’m targeting someone, when I’m actually dealing with a temptation. But I’m taking the plunge.
Arrogance: St. Augustine, in his seminal work, “The City of God,” maps out salvation history, among many other things. While he was describing Adam and Eve in the garden, he addresses the fall, explains that Adam and Eve fell because their will had been perverted before the act. And what was it that perverted their will? “What is the origin of our evil will but pride?” Whether we agree or not, it is a telling observation. Pride was either the original sin, or – at the least – was quickly on board. And so, Augustine diagnosis pride as “the craving of undue exaltation” when the “soul abandons God to whom it ought to cleave as its end, and becomes a kind of end to itself.” The proud soul becomes “its own satisfaction, and “falls away from the unchangeable good which ought to satisfy it more than itself.” Then he moves on and shows how pride often “casts about for the shelter of an excuse even in manifest sins…pride seeks to refer its wickedness to another.” I am my own satisfaction, my own goal. And then I shift the blame – it's all your fault. There are more traits that support pride, like entitlement – thinking that my wants are oughts and musts because I deserve them, I’m entitled to them, etc. In leadership it’s ugly. In Christian leadership it is devastating. And it’s an arrogance of the heart, Matthew 15:18-21. Arrogance of heart, where it originates, and from which it grows (James 1:14-15). No blameshifting allowed. But how does God see arrogance, pride?
Abomination: תּוֹעֵבָ֖ה Toevah – abomination. In Leviticus 18, God lays out a list of sexual sins that are prohibited. Only one of the them, pointedly, is described as toevah and it is a man who lies with a man as with a woman (18:22). But finally, all of these sins are collected under the descriptor as abominable, abhorrent. And, now we come to Proverbs 16:5 we find that arrogance of heart – no matter how much it is favored in our societies – is as abhorrent to Yahweh as are sexual sins! In fact, there are very few sins that God specifically targets in a singular way, but both James and Peter tell us pride is a special sin that God targets, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5b). The one who is arrogant of heart is an abomination to Yahweh, be assured he will not go unpunished. But now we must turn to examine the archetype.
Archetype: Diane Langberg in her video “Narcissism and the System it Breeds” says about the Narcissist, “He has many gifts but the gift of humility.” Humility is not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought but thinking with sober judgment (Romans 12:3). And humility surfaces as Peter is describing church leadership. For example, "not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock" (1 Peter 5:3). Though he is focusing primarily on elders in this passage, he gets down to the rest of us, showing that leadership leads the way, "not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock...Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:3, 5b-7. And why is this so important? Because of our Lord Jesus: Philippians 2:
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 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 emptied himself, by 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. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
And so, arrogance of heart, pride is the polar opposite of God. Pride is actually anti-Christ!
Let come at this another way. When I do pre-marriage sessions I always ask the young couple, "What's the chief end of your marriage?" And they light up with an "aha" and say, "To glorify God and enjoy him forever."* That's humility. It's the same for the rest of us. Sunday School teachers, what's the chief end of your Sunday School teaching? To glorify God and enjoy him forever! Women's ministry leaders, what's the chief end of your work? To glorify God and enjoy him forever! Deacons, what's the chief end of your deaconing? To glorify God and enjoy him forever! Elders, what's the chief end of your being elders? To glorify God and enjoy him forever! Pastors, what's the chief end of all our pastoring? To glorify God and enjoy him forever!
Let's pray.
*For those unfamiliar with Presbyterians, our Westminster Shorter Catechism is a doctrinal work that uses a question-and-answer format. The first question and answers goes like this: "What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever."
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