Pride: Good and Bad: Christian Theology Series

By Robert Lloyd Russell

Learn How To Achieve A More Consistent Christian Life.

As humans, we all have a common problem. 

Like rust to steel, pride is to our lives.  Although there are examples of good pride in the Bible, most of the time pride is a negative part of our being.

This important topic by award-winning author Robert Lloyd Russell includes:

A clear presentation of the problem of pride

Obstacles to victory over pride

Tests for self-examination

Solutions for dealing with pride

The results and benefits of humility

The reality that God can and does use imperfect people

Examples of five kinds of good pride   

Understanding the problem of pride is a vital part of gaining consistent spiritual victory as we live our daily lives. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: LCL Company NW
• Release date: Feb 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201002053

Robert Lloyd Russell

Robert Lloyd Russell has won 11 awards for Christian nonfiction books.  His writing mission is to help readers develop a “Living Theology and Dynamic Discipleship.”  He is also the Editor of transcribed messages of martyred missionary Jim Elliot.  In his professional career as a Business Management Consultant, Russell was known for making complex issues easy to understand, and he carries that unique skill into his writing.  His writing has been praised by a wide variety of readers – from prisoners to well-known theologians from a wide variety of perspectives. He describes himself as just a simple ABC kind of guy: Author—Blogger—Consultant.  His daily “Abundant Life Now” blog at http://robertlloydrussell.blogspot.com/ has been read in over 200 countries and translated into over 100 languages.  Visit his author website http://booksrlr.com/ and receive a free gift when you sign up for his occasional Newsletter. 

Book preview

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

PRIDE: Good and Bad

First edition 2022-February-14 – 2022.06.04, 2023.08.20

Copyright © 2022 Robert Lloyd Russell

Written by Robert Lloyd Russell

All Rights Reserved Worldwide ~ Permission granted to quote small portions in any Christian assembly such as for use in preaching, small groups, bulletins, newsletters, and teaching materials when attribution included.

Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from:

NKJV ~ All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Other Scripture portions as noted are from:

DRB ~ Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899, public domain.

KJV ~ King James Version,1909, public domain

AMP ~ Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987, 2015 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.

NASB ~ Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

NIV ~ The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission.

GNT ~ Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) Copyright © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.

TLB ~ The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. The Living Bible, TLB, and the The Living Bible logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers.

MSG ~ Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

NASU ~ New American Standard—updated (nasu) © 1995 ~ Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked NASU are taken from the New American Standard Updated.

NLT ~ Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.

NET ~ NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

ESV ~ Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

NOTES: [1] For consistency and clarity, names and pronouns of God have been capitalized throughout including in Bible versions which do not follow that practice. [2] The author capitalizes three other words: Word when speaking of God’s Word; Church when speaking of the Church universal; and Cross when referring to the Cross of Calvary. [3] Italicized words and [bracketed words] in Scripture have been added by the author. [4] The author does not abbreviate the names of Bible books since abbreviations can be unknown to some readers. [5] The author chooses to use a lot of Scripture quotations based on his belief that the Word of God and the Spirit of God are the two dominant factors in changing lives and growing the lives of Christians.

We hope you enjoy this book. Robert Lloyd Russell’s goal is to provide high-quality, thought-provoking books that connect truth to real life needs and challenges. For more information on his other books based on Biblical interpretation and application, please visit his author’s website booksrlr.

If you find value in this book, please consider writing an online review. The author would be grateful.

We hope you enjoy this book. Robert Lloyd Russell’s goal is to provide high-quality, thought-provoking books that connect truth to real life needs and challenges. For more information on his other books based on Biblical interpretation and application, please visit his author’s website https://booksrlr.com/

If you find value in this book, please consider writing an online review. This would be very much appreciated by the author.

Examples of Reader Responses

The writings of Robert Lloyd Russell have received a warm reception by a wide variety of people as seen in the quotes below. His books have received 11 national and international literary awards.

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☆☆☆☆☆ He writes clearly so that the material is easily understood by both clergy and laity... Very edifying to read. ~ William J. Petersen: Emeritus Senior Acquisitions Editor for Baker Book House and Fleming H. Revell.

☆☆☆☆☆ I loved the book... It is very well written and very understandable. ~ Bob G., inmate

☆☆☆☆☆ I find it most inspirational... You make the reader think, and that is a great talent. ~ Evelyn Cox, homemaker

☆☆☆☆☆ First there was Tozer with The Knowledge of the Holy, and then Packer gave us Knowing God, and now Russell has taken us further. ~ Dr. Earl D. Radmacher, General Editor, Nelson Study Bible/New King James Study Bible [regarding eBook "GOD’S NATURE: Sonlight Sunlight / print book GOD LIGHT: Sunlight Sonlight"]

☆☆☆☆☆ The definitive work on Psalm 1:3. Mr. Russell has a tremendous gift for analogy. The most impressive thing is the way he has built off of existing undeniable Scriptural concepts. I am very impressed with his use of certain Scriptures, such as with regard to trees being deceptive in appearance... His work is very interesting, very clear, and intensely practical. ~ Ronald B. Allen, Senior Professor of Bible Exposition, Dallas Theological Seminary [regarding an early draft of "GOD’S CHILD: Like a Tree"]

Dedication

To

All God’s Children

Who Recognize

Their Struggle

With PrIde.

1.

Why This Book?

PrIde goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. He who heeds the Word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

Proverbs 16:18-20

During the last several years I have used an automatic response to the question, What is the next book you are working on? My consistent tongue-in-cheek reply has been "Humility and How You Too Can Obtain It." The response is usually a chuckle and sometimes a skewed look at me.

Not only is the humor in the title immediately obvious to most, it also presents a profound truth: the moment you think you are humble you are showing your prIde.

This elusive quality of humility is humbling in itself. When you think you have achieved humility, it is really your prIde that you are expressing.

When I use the word prIde in this book, I use an upper case I to remind myself that at the center of every form of human prIde is the appropriate letter I, since prIde is all about self-centeredness. If any short description exemplifies the culture of our day, it is self-seeking and prIde. There is, however, such a thing as good pride, which we also consider in this book.

This book is written by someone unworthy to write on the topic. But I believe it is a necessary topic to discuss and that God uses flawed servants to do His work.

While I realize that this book, or any other teaching, will not cure the human attribute of prIde, my trust is that the reader will be able to understand and appreciate the enormity of the problem of prIde in all of our hearts to a greater degree.

There is a huge dichotomy involved because the greater humility a person possesses, the more aware of their prIde and arrogance they become.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, said, That demon of prIde was born with us, it will not die an hour before us.

This book is intended to shine light on this tough area of our human nature as well as provide some practical tips for dealing with our innate prIde.

There is a story regarding Spurgeon. You may well be aware that he spoke every Sunday for many years to literally thousands of church attendees. Keep in mind that this was before the days of microphones!

The legend is that following one sermon he was greeting his parishioners as was his habit. One elderly lady said to him, "Charles Haddon Spurgeon, I want you to know that was the finest sermon I