Welcome to the Hope Bible School verse-by-verse Bible study of 1 John. This is Jeff M Newman. Get a new lesson every other week on Mondays at 12:00 PM Pacific.
In Lesson 44 we are going to study the last part of 1 John 2:16 which says, “...and the pride of life—is not from the Father, but is of the world.”
Let’s read the entire verse:
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Now, let’s take a look at the definition of the words.
pride (212. alazoneia ) means boasting, arrogant display, ostentation, or braggadocio. Thayers Greek Lexicon defines pride in this way, “an insolent and empty assurance, which trusts in its own power and resources and shamefully despises and violates divine laws and human rights. The Amplified version says that pride is, “assurance in one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things.”
of life (979. bios) means God's gift of physical life, animating all creation "to live and move and have its being (R. Trench) or the manner in which that life is spent.
is not (3756. ou, ouk, ouch) means objectively negates a statement, "ruling it out as fact." (HELPS Word-studies).
of the Father (3962. patér) means of God the Father.
but (235. alla) means otherwise or on the other hand.
is of world (2889. kosmos) means from something ordered or an ordered system like the universe or creation. Here, "the world" doesn't refer to the physical planet, but rather a way of thinking and living that is contrary to God's intentions and is shaped by Satanic values. (HELPS Word-studies).
How do you know if a person has the “pride of life?”
They will boast in their own power and resources rather than putting their trust in God.
They will shamefully despise God’s laws and arrogantly display this belief to all those around them, rather than glorifying God.
They will desire status and recognition for themselves rather than for God.
They will elevate and choose their own ways over God ways.
They will believe that their achievements are based on their own doing rather than because of God.
The pride of life is not of God the Father but is part of the Satanic ordered system that is against God’s will.
Now, let’s going to go over some verses that will show you:
God’s view on pride.
Examples of pride.
How to combat pride.
Let’s start with verses related to God’s view on pride.
In Proverbs 8:13, we read that pride is a form of evil and God hates it.
Proverbs 8:13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.
In Proverbs 16:5, we read that a person who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD. This means that God intensely dislikes, abhors, and has a strong aversion to pride. This verse also shows us that pride will be punished.
Proverbs 16:5 Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD; be assured that they will not go unpunished.
In Proverbs 16:18, we are warned that pride precedes a downfall and will ultimately lead to destruction.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
In Isaiah 2:11, we learn that God will ultimately bring down human pride and arrogance. You can either humble yourself before God or be humbled on the day of judgment.
Isaiah 2:11 Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled. Only the LORD will be exalted on that day of judgment.
In James 4:4-6, we learn that God opposes the proud, and if you are proud, you are an enemy of God.
James 4:4-6 You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy? 6 But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Next, let’s go over some verses that give us examples of pride.
In Genesis 3:5, we see the serpent, or Satan, tempting Eve by saying that if she ate the fruit, then she would be like God, knowing good and evil. Both she and her husband ate the fruit. They desired to be wise, god-like, self-sufficient, and independent. This is pride.
Genesis 3:5-6 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
In Isaiah 14:13-14, we read about Lucifer, or Satan's, desire to exalt himself above God and make himself like God. Instead of submitting to God’s authority, he wanted to take God’s place. This is the pinnacle of pride.
Isaiah 14:13-14 “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
Combating the pride of life.
In 2 Chronicles 7:14 and James 4:10, we learn that if we want to combat pride we need to humble ourselves before God, pray to Him, seek Him, and turn from our wicked ways. To humble ourselves means to recognize that God is the ultimate authority and to completely depend upon His grace.
2 Chronicles 7:14 and if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
In Proverbs 3:5-6 we are called to trust in the LORD with all our heart. This means putting complete faith in God’s commands and not trust your own understanding. This will help you combat pride.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
In Isaiah 55:8-9, we learn that God’s ways and thoughts are different and higher than ours. In order to combat pride, we need to recognize this and not think that we have it all figured out on our own.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways "My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
In Philippians 2:3-8, we learn that in order to combat pride we should do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride. We are to look out for the interests of others. Our ultimate example of this is Jesus. He emptied Himself and took the form of a servant and went to the cross to pay for our sins.
Philippians 2:3-8 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.
In conclusion, we learned that the pride of life is when a person boasts in their own their own power and resources rather than trusting God. The person that has the pride of life will draw attention to themselves rather than glorifying God. They desire status and recognition for themselves rather than for God.
God hates arrogant pride and opposes the proud, who are His enemies. He promises to punish everyone who is proud in heart, saying that pride comes before destruction and will lead to a fall.
We see examples of pride when Adam and Eve ate the fruit God commanded them not to eat because they wanted to be like God and obtain wisdom. Another example is Lucifer, who desired to exalt himself above God and make himself like God.
To combat pride, we need to humble ourselves before the Lord, trust in Him with all our heart, and acknowledge Him. We must recognize that His ways and thoughts are not our own; they are higher than ours. We should do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride but instead look to Jesus, the ultimate example of humility. He demonstrates humility by dying on the cross in obedience to the Father and serving humanity through His sacrifice.
Let’s read the full verse that we are studying one more time.
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world.
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Thank you and God bless you,
Jeff M Newman
(Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash)
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