Can any Christian take pride in their actions.  Paul suggests you can.  In this blog post, I examine what the Bible tells us about pride and its flip side, humility and how both qualities reveal on what, and in whom, men and women find their security.

Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else… (Galatians 6:4)

Greek word translated is καύχημα; kauchéma (Strong’s 2745) and means ‘boast’; properly, it is the grounds for boasting; in other words pride, self-glorification or exultation.

Pride is almost always a negative quality in Scripture but in his letter to the churches of Galatia, Paul, within a narrow definition, says a person can take some credit for their actions.  This is an important point, because the follower of Christ is not a puppet, God continues to grant license to make poor decisions along with wise ones, and do evil along with good.

The context of the head quotation is sin.  Paul continues by restating the Law of the Harvest:

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.(ibid 6:7)

Therefore, this is all regarding the auditing of one’s actions for which each person is responsible. All are held accountable for the choices made in response to the circumstances of our lives (for which none are held either responsible or accountable).   And those choices should be aligned with God’s purposes (thus, the opposite of sin).

 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Faith is a gift and being God’s handiwork, all are to align themselves to God’s purposes. (None are saved by work but all for work).  In this, along with faith come other gifts, and not all are ‘charismatic’; life itself is a gift, along with each person’s unique abilities.  God equips everyone and never asks to do something impossible. Gifting is unique and complete.

Consequently, God expects everyone to use His gifts to the full as illustrated in the ‘Parable of the Talents’, in which Jesus outlines correct stewardship of that gifting.

The context is the end times.  Jesus has taken his disciples across the Kidron valley and up onto the Mount of Olives which afforded a spectacular view of the Temple.  As they looked back to Jerusalem, Jesus began to unfold the end of time and the events leading up to his second coming.  Then, beginning with the parable of the ‘Parable of the Ten Virgins’, Jesus says ‘at that time, the Kingdom of Heaven will look like…’. Having described the first judgement time when the doors will be shut and some left outside, and exhorting everyone to keep watch, ‘because you do not know the day or the hour’, he says ‘again’ and gives another example, this time of the second judgment, where at the Bema, Jesus awards and penalizes each person’s deeds.

‘Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.  The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.  So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.  But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money… (Matthew 25:14-18)

The bag of gold is a talent (τάλαντον talanton, Strongs 5007), which signifies a measure of coins, representing a huge fortune amounting to 6000 silver denari (or if gold, thirty times that value).  Two things are to be noted; first, it is God that bestows and does so bounteously; and secondly, there is no equality; the conferral ‘is according to his ability’.  What happens then is the master returns and expects that the gold to have been put to use yielding an increase; he expects a return on his investment.  The servants with five and two bags, have both doubled their fortune, by ‘putting the money to work’, but the man with one bag, simply cached and returned it, explaining:

“Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  So, I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.” (ibid 25:24-25)

The fearful servant knows the calibre of his master yet will not take risks; whereas the first two servants are complimented and invited to ‘come and share your master’s happiness’, the third servant is rebuked,

“You wicked, lazy servant! So, you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

 ‘“So, take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.  And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (ibid 25:26-30)

The master expects him to take a risk, so therefore Jesus is teaching that his Father also expects Christians to be risk-takers.  Each should embrace this life with all the gifts as given.  While in mortal life is not found the reward – and nor are the gifts in themselves rewards – everyone is required to live life to the fullness of their ability, for God’s glory and honour.  That said, if any should think that this is recipe for self-indulgence; while salvation is dependent on faith, the evidence of faith is loving God and keeping his commandments (John 14:15).  God expects all to put him and others before the self, that is service that Jesus models, not self-service!

Therefore, the reward for doing the work God has prepared for each person is realised in the eternal; moreover, it sets the nature of eternity for each person:

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.  If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.  If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

Anyone can boast in doing the right thing, but in this he or she must give credit; the foundation of satisfaction in making Godly decisions is tempered by giving the glory to God for His preparedness!  It is He that maps each life and gives the wherewithal to respond.  And as this looks different for everyone in the temporal, spiritual success can never be measured by men and women, only by God; subsequently, in the head quotation, Paul specifically forbids comparison, not least because it is meaningless without a measure.

No one can take credit for his or her parents, the genes they gave their offspring or the country of birth and heritage.  One’s physical appearance, colouring and pre-disposition to disease, all our God-given. But many deny this truth (against all logic) and take pride such things, for example their personal beauty or nationality.  Equally, many feel condemned by the ‘accident’ of their birth that gave them genetic disorders or plain features.  Such insecurity can lead people to construct an ideal persona for themselves, whereupon they spend a lifetime seeking that ideal in futility and disappointment.  As a result, many feel worthless; in this Ha Satan, the Accuser is given a role.  Licensed by God, he utters condemnation.  Satan may not even need to lie, but simply point out how great the gulf between the ideal self and true God-given self.  Shame and dissatisfaction find a fertile seedbed in the insecure that are apart from God, whereas those secure in God accept themselves.

This acceptance that God created each person to be unique and perfect in character and ability is the antidote to pride for each person is complete and finished in God.  Thus their worth is also God-given.  In faith there is no such thing as self-esteem, but God esteems those he call sons (and this is gender neutral).  There is a psalm that expresses the intimate relationship between Creator and his precious creature made in his image, and it begins ‘You have search me, Lord God, and you know me.’

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful(Psalm 139:13-14)

In the context of this Paul calls Christians to examine themselves and bring this examination to God in prayer.  One might ask brothers and sisters in Christ to offer their observations, but the process of any spiritual audit is between oneself and God.

For pride to exist in men and women, there has to be a denial of God and his provenance; also of complete dependence on Him, which is the standing between humankind and the Creator.

The overriding characteristic then of the Christian is one of humility not pride.  This is shown by the fruit of the Spirit (Galatian 5:22-23), especially in gentleness, kindness and self-control.  A temperate character is not prideful and proud people are those with something to prove, always striving to be a better version of themselves.

For the follower of Christ such pride denies the work of Christ, who has brought his ‘fullness’ (in Greek: πλήρωμα pleroma, Strongs 4138, meaning completeness or fulfillment).  As the Lord over all (except Him by who Jesus was appointed), he declares all clean and guiltless.  It is those that would shame that are now themselves shamed.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.  In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self-ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:9-15)

Can any have pride and it be Godly? Yes, in thankfulness to God for all that is He has given, and once aligned to his purposes.  But only then in prayer to God, can any dare to boast, knowing that He cannot be mocked.  People cannot better themselves through self-improvement but, by making righteous choices and fully engaging the ability that is God-given, they can work for their eternal betterment.  All can take the credit because God credits everyone for good work.