Greater Grace
“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
James 4:6-10
Pride is an insidious sin. It is important to recognize that not all pride is inherently sinful. It is possible to be proud of the good things God is doing in your life or in the lives of others. There is a proper boasting. Paul says in Proverbs 6:4, “But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.” There is a happiness and thanksgiving in boasting in the good things that God has given you or who God is. This is why it is appropriate to boast in the Lord. “God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Cor 1:28-30).
Notice Paul contrasts boasting in human accomplishments and human efforts versus boasting in the Lord. He notes that in ourselves we have nothing to boast about. However, it is perfectly appropriate for us to boast in the Lord. Sinful pride is self-righteousness or conceit in your own strength or your own accomplishments. Pride takes credit for the things that God has given you and the things that God has done. Notice what God says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Why does God oppose the proud. It is helpful to think of how pride infects a person’s heart. Pride tells God, “I don’t need you.” And “I did it on my own.” Pride causes us to not see the need for God’s grace, to not ask for God’s grace, and to not want God’s grace.
Pride brings destruction and God’s judgment. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov 16:18). What is the answer to this? The antidote to pride is humility. If a person is proud, he doesn’t think he needs grace, so he cuts himself off from it. Humility puts a person in a place to be receptive to God’s grace. Notice what James says, “Submit to God, resist the devil, draw near to God, cleanse your hands, purify your hearts, be wretched, mourn, and weep, humble yourself before the Lord.” There are things that God tells us that we need to do if we are going to put ourselves in the place to be receptive to God’s grace.
We cannot demand God’s grace. Grace is undeserved favor. However, we can put ourselves in a place to be receptive to God’s grace and to put ourselves in a place to be receptive to God’s grace if he gives it to us in his mercy. God is pleased to meet with us when we put ourselves in a place to reject pride and humble ourselves before God. God is concerned with the posture of our hearts.
