God hates human pride. He detests human arrogance. Indeed, one could argue that pride and arrogance are the fundamental sins according to Scripture, for all other sins result from exalting our own judgments, our own opinions, our conceptualization  of our own best interests, above God’s Law.

Consider some examples of the ways pride and arrogance cause us to act:

• Pride keeps a struggling couple from seeking help in their marriage.
• Pride keeps a father from confessing to his child that he acted harshly.
• Pride causes us to lash out when others confront us with our sins.
• Pride causes us to look for and find even imaginary weaknesses and faults in those who oppose us.
• Pride causes us to label those who differ from us on theology or politics or public policy as morons or morally corrupt or unworthy of being listened to.
• Pride causes a pastor to care more about his reputation than about those in his care.
• Most of all, pride keeps us from humbling ourselves before God, acknowledging that He created us, He knows us, He knows what is best for us – and that He alone can tell us how to be right with Him.

So we can see why God hates pride. But Scripture tells us He not only hates the sin of pride. He also detests those who exhibit pride:

“Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 16:5 ESV). Or, as the NIV renders the first clause: “The LORD detests all the proud of heart.”

Those of us brought up on platitudes like, “God hates the sin but loves the sinner” shrink back from such harsh statements. We’re tempted to slough them off as characteristic only of the Old Testament. But it is Jesus Himself who says, “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:41-42). It is Jesus Himself who tells us that He will say to many on the Last Day, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Just so with the arrogant in heart; they will not go unpunished. Jesus will see to that on the Last Day. For they are an abomination to Him, and their sin is not atoned for. “And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:17).

But praise God there is hope for the proud – or none of us would be saved! Our gracious Lord invites us to confess our sins, to humble ourselves before Him, to admit that we are not worthy now to come into His holy presence and we can never make ourselves worthy. He commands us to repent of our arrogance and to acknowledge Jesus as our Savior, our Master, and our Treasure.

Have you made that most important confession, that humbling of yourself before God? Guess what? Your battle against pride and arrogance has only just begun. Welcome to the continual, day-to-day, hour-by-hour fight.

Engage in this fight by, first, testing yourself regularly: Do I think of myself more highly, or simply more, than I ought? Am I humbled today by the glory, majesty, wisdom, love, power, and mercy of the Lord? Do I see myself today as deserving of God’s condemnation, yet embraced by Him solely because of His mercy? Am I thinking today, “How can I be served?” or, “How can I serve?”

Then, second, think of those around you who seem arrogant and prideful. Some perhaps are hindering your work, hampering your ministry; some perhaps are even attacking you. Pray for God to grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:25-26). Pray that nothing in your response to their arrogance would drive them further from God. Know that God will punish that sin – so don’t be dismayed or disheartened by their opposition. He will bring down the proud – either through humbling them via salvation or through punishing them directly. Ensure that you don’t have a preference for their personal punishment.

So, Christian, be at peace. Serve faithfully. God will deal with all the proud, all the arrogant. Put to death that desire for self-exaltation. Continue to humble yourself before Him, without worries. Delight in your dependence on Him – and trust Him to exalt you at the proper time (1 Peter 5:6).