When reading the Bible in the Authorized Version or the New King James Bible, as well as in most other English translations, one will find that the words “pride” or “proud” are exclusively applied to wrong human conduct or emotions. This is especially true when analyzing Scriptures in the New Testament.
There, three different Greek terms are used to describe pride, but all have a slightly different underlying meaning.
In Mark 7:21-22, we read that “from within, out of the heart of men, proceed[s]… pride…”
In this case, the Greek word for pride also designates “haughtiness.”
In 1 Timothy 3:6, Paul addresses the qualifications of a minister, emphasizing that he should not be “a novice, lest being puffed up with pride, he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.” We know from the Old Testament that Lucifer, who became Satan, sinned when his heart was lifted up and became proud. The Greek term, which Paul uses in 1 Timothy 3:6, alludes to this historical fact. The word actually means, “inflated with self-deceit.”
Continue reading "Is Pride Always Condemned in the Bible? (Part 1)"