Pride or Grace
If you have been with me for a while, you know this saying, “I am a recovering Prideaholic.” It’s true, thankfully recovering and have been clean and sober for a while now...but the reality is I am a Prideaholic. Pride is a weakness of mine, and it has crippled me in the past. It took many years of maturity and wisdom to get to a point to be able to see it clearly for what it was and to start doing something about it. Today I feel like I have been blessed with a new superpower; it’s pride detection. Because I was the master of pride and false humility and knew that game inside and out, I can not see it and detect it nearly immediately. It’s fascinating when God heals and transforms us from or out of something how we can have new eyes to see.
In today's reading and study, we see Paul dive deep into this pride divide and lead towards Grace. Remember, one of the critical audiences of this message are the Jews, the religious once’s how have been living by the law and might have a bit of a big head, and a bit of pride stored up due to their knowledge. And don’t forget Paul’s past. My guess is Paul had a massive pride detector, and Paul would have been a recovering Prideaholic as well.
“Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” - Romans 3:27-28 NIV
Right there it is...there is no boasting because you have done nothing to deserve it. No works, no effort, no discipline, no NOTHING to be justified...the justification is by faith alone, no law or works.
For me, a part of the transformation from being a Prideaholic was wrestling through my brokenness. I was diving into the deep and dark realities of how jacked up I was and facing the actual existence of my sin. The might of been some areas externally that lead me to thinking I was good, and boastful...but pealing all the layers away I was left with the reality I was a sinner in need of a savior, and I had nothing to be boastful about. Pride is washed away by Grace - they can not coexist. If we are fully aware of our need for God’s loving grace, and receive His Grace then pride is extenguished. But, we have to become fully aware of grace, and fully receive it.
We see here as Paul brings in the Jewish hero Abraham in Romans 4. Watch this, geared towards those focused on law and works (leads to pride)
“For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.” -Romans 4:14-15 NIV
Law, heritage, works, etc, etc is worthless. Come all puffed up with your pride and arrogance and that just brings wrath, that faith is meaningless. But, the promise comes through true faith, wrapped in grace.
“Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.” - Romans 4:16 NIV
You and I are Abrahams offspring! God can and will do immesuarably more in and through us than we can hope, dream or imagine. As we walk into this day may we think of our daily actions that are building our legacy. We are the sons and daughters of many nations, and building more sons and daughters of nations.
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”” - Romans 4:18 NIV