Pride is one of those sins that are especially deceptive because they often hide behind virtue. Usually, the proud person is frequently the last one to recognize it.
My preaching colleague, Gardner Hall, posted a short but powerful piece a few weeks ago that speaks to this universal challenge; he entitled it The Arrogant “We.”
What is the arrogant “we”?
It is used to elevate our group above others, as if we were superior to them due to our shrewdness, our piety, or our superiority in other respects.
We hear the arrogant “we” often in the religious world:
• “We are the only ones who keep the Sabbath.”
• “We are the only ones who go door-to-door.”
• “We are the original church.” (Several groups make this claim.)
Sometimes I’m afraid we hear it among brethren I know:
• “We are the only true church.”
• “We don’t use those mechanical instruments.” (The word “mechanical” is pronounced with special disdain.)
• “We are the only ones who emphasize Bible study.”
• “We are the only ones who partake of the Supper every Sunday. We aren’t like those religious groups that don’t respect God’s word.”
The arrogance is often evident in the tone of voice used when saying the word “we.” It is as if we were lifting our heads—and our noses in particular—when we say it. “We aren’t like those people out there!”
That is how the Pharisees were. Their collective attitude is illustrated by the Pharisee’s prayer in Luke 18. I am going to slightly alter the wording of the quote from the first-person singular to the first-person plural because this individual’s attitude reflected that of many Pharisees. The passage, of course, is Luke 18:11–12: “We thank You that we are not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers. We fast twice a week; we give a tenth of all we earn.”
Notice three errors associated with the arrogant “we.”
1. It fails to give glory to God. Anything we achieve in the spiritual realm comes from God and from what He has taught us.
2. It makes us repulsive to others. Arrogant people are not appealing to the lost world.
3. It reveals a heart that is far from God. One of the fundamental elements of discipleship under Christ is humility. The “arrogant we” reveals that we are far removed from the humble carpenter of Galilee.
Of course, not all uses of “we” are arrogant. For example, “We try to follow the Bible as carefully as we can.” But if we’re honest, we recognize that many “we’s,” especially on social media, are arrogant. It’s insidious. We need to even be careful of thinking something like, “We’re not arrogant, like those who use the arrogant we!”
Beware of the arrogant “we.”
Be humble!
Gardner’s post reminds me about the story of a Bible class teacher studying the parable of the Publican and the Pharisees in a children’s class.
After thoroughly examining the parable, explaining the danger of pride and the need for humility, and making several applications, she closed the class. She said: “Now, children, let’s bow our heads and thank God we’re not like the Pharisee.”
Yes, pride is deceptive.
“The Arrogant We” may have many other applications besides our religious affiliation. It may manifest itself in our country, communities, schools, and families.
The ultimate danger of the insidious sin was well stated by C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, “As long as you are proud, you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”
Indeed, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (Jas. 4:6).
Finally, as the prolific author anonymous expressed it: “Pride is the only disease that makes everyone sick except the person who has it.”
–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman
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