The Sins We Ignore: The Quiet Sin That Blinds Us Most
Pride is a quiet intruder. It rarely barges in loudly — instead, it slips under the surface, disguising itself as confidence, ambition, or independence. Left unchecked, pride can poison our hearts, distort our relationships, and cloud our view of God.
The Bible warns us in Proverbs:
“First pride, then the crash — the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.” (MSG, Proverbs 16:18)
We nod at verses like this, but how often do we really stop and take pride seriously? We shake our heads at the “big” sins, while pride sits comfortably in the pew next to us. Let’s explore what pride really is, why it’s so dangerous, and how we can replace it with the humility of Christ.
Pride in the Beginning
The story of pride begins in the very first pages of Scripture. In Genesis 3, the serpent whispers to Eve:
“You won’t die! God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.” (MSG, Genesis 3:4–5)
That phrase — “you’ll be just like God” — reveals the heart of pride. Eve looked at the fruit, found it desirable, and believed the lie. She ate. She gave some to Adam. And in that moment, their eyes were opened — not to glory, but to shame.
Pride promises freedom, wisdom, and greatness, but it always delivers brokenness.
What Pride Really Is
Not all pride is sinful. There is such a thing as healthy pride — the joy of seeing your children grow, the satisfaction of hard work, the fulfillment of using your God-given gifts.
But the pride Scripture warns against — hubris — is something far darker.
Proverbs 16:18 (MSG) tells us: First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.
This kind of pride is arrogance. It’s inflated self-importance. It resists correction, blinds us to reality, and places self on the throne where God belongs.
Pride shows up in many subtle ways:
A lack of empathy — failing to see or care about the needs of others.
Entitlement — expecting special treatment or privileges without merit.
A craving for admiration — needing constant validation to feel worthy.
Dismissiveness — downplaying the accomplishments of others.
Resistance to correction — treating feedback as an attack rather than an opportunity to grow.
It doesn’t always look ugly. Sometimes it looks polished and respectable. But beneath the surface, pride separates us from God and from each other.
Why Pride Is So Dangerous
C.S. Lewis called pride “the complete anti-God state of mind.” In Mere Christianity, he argued that pride is the root of all other sins — because it sets us in opposition to God Himself.
The story of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4 is a sobering example. After building Babylon into the marvel of the ancient world, he declared:
“Look at this, Babylon the great! And I built it all by myself, a royal palace adequate to display my honor and glory.” (MSG, Daniel 4:30)
But even as the words left his mouth, a voice from heaven stripped the kingdom from him. He lived like an animal until he lifted his eyes to heaven and acknowledged God’s sovereignty. Pride had lifted him high — and pride brought him low.
That’s what pride does. It makes us believe we are bigger than we are, and that God is smaller than He is.
The Way of Jesus
If pride is the sin that lifts us too high, humility is the virtue that brings us back to truth.
Paul wrote to the Philippians:
“Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” (MSG, Philippians 2:3–4)
Then he points us to the example of Jesus:
“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.” (NLT, Philippians 2:6–7)
Humility is not self-hatred. It’s not denying your gifts. It’s seeing yourself rightly — valuable as a child of God, but not exalted above Him.
Steps Toward Humility
Overcoming pride isn’t a single moment of surrender — it’s a daily posture. These steps give us a framework, but the real transformation comes as we slow down, reflect honestly, and allow God to shape us.
1. Practice Self-Reflection
Humility starts when we’re willing to be honest with ourselves. That means not only celebrating what we do well, but also naming the weaknesses and blind spots we’d rather keep hidden. Pride wants us to live with a distorted self-image — either puffed up or weighed down — but reflection gives us balance. It’s hard work, because it requires listening to others, accepting correction, and admitting our limits. But when we practice reflection consistently, we create space for God’s Spirit to bring healing and perspective. In the upcoming sections, as we come to a close of this blog, I introduce a supplemental resource to help you slow down long enough to see where pride might be shaping your reactions more than you realize.
2. Build Interpersonal Skills
Pride thrives when life revolves around “me.” But humility grows when we step outside of ourselves and truly invest in others. Listening without rushing to respond, showing empathy instead of indifference, practicing gratitude instead of entitlement — these small disciplines transform how we relate to the people around us. It also means owning our mistakes instead of covering them up and embracing service as a lifestyle, not a checkbox. Every time we choose to put someone else first, pride loses a little more ground. The supplemental resource provides guided prompts that challenge you to identify relationships where humility could breathe fresh life and invite God to reshape the way you connect.
3. Shift Your Perspective
At its core, pride narrows our vision until we see only ourselves. Humility widens the lens to see God’s greatness and the beauty in others. Shifting perspective means celebrating someone else’s victory without envy, learning to ask for help instead of pretending we can do it all, and slowing down long enough to notice God’s fingerprints in creation. This shift requires practice — it won’t happen by accident. But as we keep leaning into humility, we begin to see life differently: contribution matters more than credit, service more than recognition, wonder more than control. The journaling prompts in the supplemental resource are designed to help you practice this shift, so humility becomes more than an idea — it becomes a lifestyle.
The Ongoing Journey
Humility is not mastered once; it is practiced for a lifetime. Even Paul confessed:
“At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, ‘My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.’” (MSG, 2 Corinthians 12:8–9)
The journey away from pride isn’t about perfection. It’s about returning, again and again, to the grace of God. Every fall is a reminder that His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
Let’s Put It Into Practice
To help you take this deeper, I’ve created a companion guide called The Sins We Ignore: A Self-Reflection Guide to Overcoming Pride. This resource walks you through a personal inventory, Scripture reflections, practical action steps, and journaling prompts so you can move beyond simply reading about pride to actively confronting it in your daily life. It gives you space to name where pride shows up, consider how God’s Word speaks to it, and choose intentional practices of humility. Think of it as a week-long journey you can return to as often as needed. You can purchase this additional resource if you’d like a tool to guide your steps.
My prayer is that as you use it, you won’t just learn about humility — you’ll begin to experience the freedom and peace that come when we lay pride down at the feet of Jesus.