In our social and cultural context in the United States, we have arrived at that time of year when government officials, corporations, organizations, companies, and individuals all bow their knee to gender ideology and declare their support for the LGBTQ+ by hanging rainbow flags and tweeting statements of support. Yes, it is June. And it is Pride month, as it has come to be known.
I was not shocked or surprised, then, when I opened my Google browser and noted at the bottom of the homepage their signaling statement of affirmation for Pride month. But for some reason, the way they worded their statement really struck me this time. It was a simple hyperlinked statement: Honoring Pride.
What struck me was that for so long pride has been advocated against. It’s not good to be prideful, we’ve been told. Nobody likes to be around a prideful person because they are obnoxious, we’ve heard. An oft referenced verse from the Bible states that pride goes before destruction (Prov. 16:18) and any thoughtful parent has had a conversation with their children about not being prideful and the harm that attitude can cause. But here we are in a modern context. Honor Pride.
Honor is defined as high respect or great esteem. Normally, we save honor for those people, events, or actions which are good, beautiful, and true. But now, we are taking an attitude that is a vice and elevating it to important or even sacred status. The Lord warns against these shifts through the prophet Isaiah:
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness;” Isaiah 5:20
Certainly, the focus of this month is pride in one’s gender/sexual identity. It is an unashamed declaration that I determine my own self. That I decide who I am on a fundamental level. That I am god of my gender and sexuality. These thoughts follow with a subsequent decadent nationwide celebration in which the masses are encouraged to give a nod of homage and affirm the members of the LGBTQ+ movement so as to minimize or dismiss all shame. Affirm me, is the mantra. Honor my pride in who I am, is the command. But at what cost does this honoring of pride ultimately have? At best, delusion, confusion, emptiness, depression, and anxiety. At worst, both temporal and eternal ruin.
Don’t believe me? Reflect on these warnings from scripture to those swept up in pride. I share this not to intentionally anger anyone but to highlight that affirming or delighting in pride has significant consequences. My hope is that one may pause, think, and turn towards the truth and light in Jesus Christ because I care too much for ruin to come upon any human soul, especially when there is a remedy.
“For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, all that is lifted up – and it shall be brought low;” Isaiah 2:12
“I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.” Isaiah 13:11
“The Lord of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth.” Isaiah. 23:9
“Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured he will not go unpunished.” Prov. 16:5
Pride is, at its core, setting oneself against God and His design. It is declaring that I am my own god. That I determine my own reality. That I determine what is right, wrong, true and false. In the words of C.S. Lewis, “Pride is the complete anti-God state of mind.” Maybe you can start to see the irony of the title of the month of June. But what is the end result of honoring something that is detestable before a holy God? I think you see in the scripture that it is not a good outcome.
However, there is more to this story. And that is that God, in his mercy, made a way for sinners (like me and you) to be reconciled to God if we humbly repent before the Lord and trust that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our pride on the cross and rose again to give us eternal life. The key operative word is humbly. Humility is what God is seeking.
“One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.” Prov. 29:23
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Matt. 23:12
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5
You may be staunchly displaying pride in your gender/sexuality or pridefully affirming those that delight in Pride month. But pride in ones gender/sexual identity will only leave one empty and hopeless. Any feelings of approval or affirmation will ultimately fade. Put your identity in Christ. I implore you, on behalf of Christ, to humble yourself, repent, and be reconciled to the God who is full of mercy and loves to pardon sinners. Only He can free you from the bondage of pride.
So, while our nation makes calls to honor Pride, I am calling for humble repentance before the true God. Will you honor Jesus Christ? Or Pride?
Jason
