Godly Pride (1 Cor. 5:11-13)

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
(2 Corinthians 5:11-13, NASB)

Pride is a sin. The Bible says so. One of the more familiar passages dealing with pride is Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” And according to the apostle John, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."

Throughout God’s word, men made disastrous decisions because of pride. Cain killed Abel because he was angry that the Lord honored his brother’s sacrifice over his own. Because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, the latter’s pride almost annihilated every Jewish man, woman, and child in Persia.

And yet, Paul writes of how he was giving the church in Corinth “an occasion to be proud” of him. Is that arrogance? Is that a sin?

I think there’s such a thing as godly pride. It’s that pride that shines a light on God instead of man. It’s that pride that says, “It’s all God’s. His gifts. His talents. His provision.”

For example, in 1 Chronicles, we read of how Jehoshaphat’s pride—his pride in God—led to the removal of false idols: “So the LORD established the kingdom in his control, and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. He took great pride in the ways of the LORD and again removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah” (7:5-6).

I can say to my brother or sister in Christ, “I’m so proud of you,” when they’ve done something that honors God. And when someone commends me for something I’ve done, I can say, “Thank you. God is so good!”

We can be proud of what God does through us always remembering that it’s about Him. Not about us.