Lesson 75. The Pride of Life

The pride of life is something very firmly woven into every sphere of my activity, into my heart, and into my thoughts. It is not some universal mind, but something within me—and it is me myself. This term can describe everything that makes me especially important and significant in my own eyes. I believe that I am superior to other people, and I am so certain of this that I begin to build my life around this understanding. And if someone better or stronger than I am suddenly appears, I assume that his condition is only temporary. I immediately find many faults and shortcomings in that person, bring him down in my own estimation, and can confidently discuss him with a small circle of friends around my kitchen table.

I also have my own opinion about how the world should be arranged. I am convinced that everyone should understand me at once, serve me, respect me, take me into account, do everything the way I want, refrain from arguing with me, and treat me in a way that makes me feel good and comfortable. With this worldview, I arrange my daily life, start a family, find a job, make friends, and simply live. If everyone understood what a wonderful heart beats within my chest and learned more about me, I think I would become very famous and could present my views to a wide audience.

There is nothing shameful about my pride. It is a fairly respectable condition of my heart, and it protects me from outside enemies. Various means of assistance become available to help me achieve my goals, and weak people cannot withstand my ambitions. Evil speaking, cunning, violence, treachery, revenge, resentment, arrogance, indignation, bribery, deceit, and much more—all these things help me reach my goals and solve various problems very quickly.

The only group of people whom I find very difficult to deal with are believers in Christ. They are so fanatical and proud in matters of religion, and exalt their God so highly, that they consider Him the most important Being in this world. They do not understand that they have been blinded and deceived by their pastors, who think only about money and seek merely to take everything from them. Yet among these believers are some whom I cannot understand at all. Although these people irritate me, their faithfulness and tact surpass those of many people I know. Still, they are very strange.

It is very difficult to give pride a full and precise definition; it is extremely broad and varied. One thing can be stated plainly about it: it is sin. It is impossible to overcome pride through my own strength, nor is there any point in trying. Just as the leopard cannot change its spots, so I cannot do good when I am accustomed to doing evil. Something greater than this sin is needed. And only love is greater than it.

For example, if I am in a dark room and have a large shovel, how long will it take me to throw all the darkness out the window? I think even an entire lifetime would not be enough. But if I turn on the light, it deals with this task very quickly, without any great effort.

God is Light—the true Light. By His presence, He dispels every kind of darkness. He grants freedom from the power of sin and replaces it in the best possible way. But God is great and inaccessible. He hates sin. And I was born in sin and live in it. How can I know the great God when I am so small? This is why Jesus was sent into our world: so that in a human body He might reveal to us the true beauty of God’s character. In Jesus, God and His nature were revealed to us.

If I can give a complete definition of sin, organize every aspect of it, and explain its structure and principles of influence, what will that change within me? It will increase my knowledge, but it will not solve the problem of sin. Yet when I begin to study God’s love, it illuminates my mind like a lamp and cleanses my heart. We can speak about sin or pride for a long time, but wickedness will not disappear or diminish because of this. But when I turn my eyes toward love and begin to explore it, I am transformed into its likeness.

The plan of salvation has one important feature. When we behold God, study His character, and come to know His love, we are transformed. I simply read about Jesus, and my life changes. I study the science of love, and the Spirit of God transforms me from glory to glory. It may seem that I see no obvious changes within myself, but they are taking place. It is like the growth of a tree. The process begins with a tiny sprout that is very tender and weak, yet it has strength from God and a purpose. Then the roots become stronger, the trunk grows firmer, and the plant reaches upward. The changing seasons renew its foliage. The moment comes when the first blossoms appear on the tree—the forerunners of fruit. At last, the long-awaited harvest ripens. With what interest a person tastes the first fruit! What does it taste like? How nourishing is it? After the fruit has been tasted, the tree is declared suitable or unsuitable for food. If I plant a sweet cherry tree, I do not expect apples or cacti from it; I expect sweet cherries of a particular variety and flavor. When God places the seed of love within me, He knows what the fruit will be. I do not need to surprise Him by showing that I am not a pear tree or that I am not what I wanted to be. Love makes me into what God desires. If I do not like myself, this does not mean that the Lord sees me in the same way. He knows how to care for His trees and what fruit to expect from them.

But unlike a tree, I have the right to choose. I can stop my growth and destroy myself. I can accelerate my development and achieve excellent results. I can trample the neighboring sprouts and mix them with the mud. I can do much that is evil and much that is good. But if I behold the Sun of Righteousness, I grow and am transformed.

The law of beholding states: I am transformed into that which I behold. If I behold sin, I will become part of it; if I behold Christ, I will become like Him. I cannot change the influence and power of this law, but I can use its power either for my benefit or to my harm. The choice is mine. There is no need to search for darkness. It is everywhere that has no source of light. Sin does not need to be learned; it lives wherever there is no love, wherever there is no God. Turn off love in your heart, and the pride of life will fill it to overflowing without any effort on your part.

To love, I need the power of love. I must have access to the Source of this blessing, and I need knowledge and understanding of how love works and how great and mighty it is. But pride and selfishness require no special knowledge. They come by themselves and give the heart bitter experience, revealing themselves in every thought and in every understanding, although they know how to give the outward facade of my nature a respectable appearance.

Love is God’s light; it is life for the soul, eternal joy, and purity in relationships. It is the complete absence of pride and the absolute opposite of selfishness. Where love is, there is God; and where God is, there is perfect love. He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God. The science of love is learned not amid the uncleanness of sin, but in God’s atmosphere, where He tenderly takes me into His arms, covers me with His righteousness, and keeps me from evil. I live amid the corrupting influence of the world, but within me is an entirely different life, governed by different laws—the laws of Eternity, love, and happiness. And with His Own hand, God writes in my heart a new life story entitled “Love.”

1. Please read 1 John 2:15–17; Jeremiah 13:23; Galatians 6:7–9; Acts 2:38; Acts 5:31–32; Romans 8:6–9; Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 2:14–16; and 2 Corinthians 3:17–18, and consider these verses in the light of our lesson.

2. What did you understand from this lesson?

3. What does repentance mean? See Revelation 3:19.

4. Why do we need to have the mind of Christ?

5. What happens when a person beholds the glory of the Lord?

6. What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Is it necessary?

7. How do you understand the expression “the pride of life”?