What Does “Pride Comes Before the Fall” Mean?

The phrase “pride comes before the fall” is derived from a Proverbs verse. According to Proverbs 16:18, “pride comes before ruin, a haughty mind before a fall.” Many of us have heard this statement, but we don’t fully understand what it means. This is why it is critical to look at the context to understand what “pride comes before the fall” implies.

Understanding the Situation

Understanding the context of this verse aids in comprehending its significance. The root of the adage “pride comes before the fall” may be traced back to the original sin. When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, they decided to defy God, resulting in the fall of mankind. Instead of listening to God, they opted to pursue their own thoughts and the serpent’s seduction. “‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent replied to the woman,” the serpent added. ‘Because God knows that if you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, understanding good and evil’ (Genesis 3:4).

Pride Comes Before the Fall
Pride Comes Before the Fall

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Take note to the serpent’s remarks, “you shall be like God.” To put it another way, the serpent tempts Adam and Eve to become their own “god.” This proposition piqued Adam and Eve’s interest. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was excellent for food and pleasant to the eye, and also desired for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it,” the Bible says of Eve’s actions immediately following the serpent’s seduction. She also shared some with her husband, who was present, and he ate it. Then both of their eyes were opened, and they realized they were nude; so they wove fig leaves together and created themselves clothes” (Genesis 3:6-7). As a result, she ate the fruit, and her husband ate the fruit, resulting in the fall of man.

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When we look back at the first fall, we see that it was caused by pride. They defied God and fell as a result of their pride. In this manner, we may see why pride comes the fall. It is possible that the writer of Proverbs was referring to the primordial fall of man in Proverbs 16:18.

This phrase, however, does not just apply to the pride linked with the first fall of man; it also applies to us now.

Pride Comes Before the Fall

When we get overconfident in ourselves, we will inevitably fall. Even if it doesn’t happen right away, it will happen eventually. According to the Bible, “to fear the Lord is to loathe evil; I despise pride and arrogance, bad behavior, and perverted speech” (Proverbs 8:13). God, according to the Bible, despises pride. This suggests that all pride stems from sin. There is no such thing as God-glorifying pride.

Instead of being arrogant, we should be humble and praise God. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or arrogant conceit,” Paul says. Rather, esteem others above yourself in humility, not looking to your own interests but to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). As Christians, we must live in humility and follow the Lord with all of our hearts. There is no place for pride in the life of a Christian since it will only alienate us from God and harm our relationship with Him.

Because pride will eventually cause us to fall, pride comes before the fall. We shall fall if we are proud, just like the original sin. We must choose to build a heart of humility rather than a heart of pride. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s powerful hand, so he may hoist you up in due time,” the Bible reads (1 Peter 5:6). As we can see from this text and many others throughout Scripture, God desires that we be humble and nurture a humble heart. While this might be difficult, God can help us if we turn to Him and ask for His assistance.

Pride has become the standard in the twenty-first century. Many people have been self-conscious about their looks, accomplishments, or amount of followers as a result of social media. Having pride will only lead to a fall, which will reduce the individual to humility. Pride forces us to turn our gaze away from Christ and onto ourselves. As we can see, focusing inside can only lead to nothingness and disaster.

We cannot find satisfaction, joy, or serenity in ourselves. Pride causes us to lose sight of Christ and distorts our understanding of happiness. Only in Christ can we find true satisfaction, pleasure, and serenity. We shall grow further apart from the Lord if we choose to pursue our own sinful nature. Pride is present in the sinful body, and it is something we must avoid in our life. Allowing pride to infiltrate our souls can eventually corrupt our bones and lead our hearts to become calloused to the Lord.

According to Psalm 10:4, “the wicked man does not seek him in his pride; in all his thoughts there is no space for God.” According to this Psalm verse, the wicked man is full of pride and has no room for God. This demonstrates that pride is destructive and leads us astray from our Creator. Living a sinful life, such as a life of pride, will eventually lead to our fall, for God utilizes the fall to bring us back to Him. God utilized the fall, like the initial sin of mankind, to compel humans to seek Him out. God did not create the fall, but He did rectify the situation so that we may be returned to Him.

Thus, “pride comes before the fall” suggests that pride will lead us to lose our grasp and fall, as stated in Genesis 3 and Proverbs 16:18. Pride comes to a fall because it causes us to turn away from God. The instant we move away from God, we believe we no longer require Him. This is what pride does: it convinces us that we don’t need God when, in fact, God is everything we need. If you are struggling with pride, seek God’s aid. He will assist you in your battle against pride.

We’ve all felt proud at some point in our lives since it’s in our sinful nature. Despite the fact that the world has normalized pride as acceptable and even a “positive thing,” it is not. Pride is a sin that must be dealt with as such. As we all know, pride precedes the fall, which comes with it the guarantee that only terrible would happen from pride. When we live in pride, God will humble us. Because we are Christians, we do not need to live a life of pride, but rather a life of humility. We should seek to emulate Jesus since He is the epitome of humility. As Christians, may we always follow the Lord and endeavor to live in accordance with His humility.

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