The Pride Factor

By Chubie Ujah

The Pride Factor is a book inspired by decades of learning and being taught of God, through Men, His word, and the Holy Spirit. The Book goes in-depth into the biblical meaning and implications of pride. It also details the various ways that pride manifests, and how we can identify symptoms of pride. Furthermore, it describes some of the consequences of pride, and ways to ensure we avoid the snare of pride as believers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669845041

Chubie Ujah

Chubiyojo (Chubie) Justice Ujah is the President and Founder of Xtremelife Ministry International, a non-denominational outreach Ministry. He became born again at the age of nine and has gone on to love and serve the Lord ever since. He started Preaching at the age of 17, two years after he had been filled with the Holy Spirit. With a teaching ministry that has spanned over 19 years, Chubie Ujah teaches the word of God with simplicity, and with a strong desire to communicate spiritual truths with precision and accuracy. He holds a bachelor's degree in Microbiology, with Diplomas in Theology, Film Production, and Sound Production, and a Master’s Degree in Music Business. He is also a Music Director, a worship leader, and a recording artist.

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WHAT IS PRIDE?

Pride can simply be defined as the consciousness of one’s dignity; the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s importance.

Romans 12:3 (NKJV)

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Romans 12:3 (NLT)

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

The Bible didn’t say, Don’t think of yourself at all. It just says, Don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought to. As the New Living Translation (NLT) puts it, Don’t think you are better than you really are. We have seen pride defined as the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s importance. Breaking it down simply, the first aspect is the consciousness of one’s dignity, and then the second aspect is the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s importance. So when we think of ourselves too highly, or we are excessively self-aware, that is Pride.

Let us take a look at a passage we will be referring to often during the course of this study;

Philippians 2:5-11 (NKJV)

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It is important to note that before Jesus could humble Himself, He first had to know who He was. The New International Version (NIV) puts it this way:

Philippians 2:6-8 (NIV)

6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!

Humility is not a lack of self-esteem, and it is not a lack of self-identity, rather It is an awareness of who we are, and then making a conscious decision not to dwell on it or be driven by it.

Let us take a look at a few more translations of the same passage

Philippians 2:5-8 (WEB)

5 Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-8 (MSG)

5 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. 6 He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. 7 Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! 8 Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.

But made himself of no reputation. First of all, the Bible makes us understand that Jesus knew who He was. He was in the form of God, He was in the class of God, He was equal with God, but then He decided to take on the form of man, and then made Himself of no reputation. If a person is poor and has never achieved anything in life, and that person is humble, it’s nothing special because life has humbled that individual, and circumstances have humbled him or her. Such a person has no reputation, they have no achievement, they have no finances. So naturally, they are aware of who they are and who they are not. Such persons are not necessarily humble, but they are just living and behaving as a consequence of their circumstances and class. However, when the same person has achieved all of these things, and they decide to bring themselves down, that is humility. A lot of people we think are humble may not be humble, they may just be living their class, behaving and acting at their level. That is why we see some people that seemed humble when they had nothing, but then when they began to have money and rank, their attitude changed. Why? Their attitude changed to reflect their new circumstances and class. So humility is not just being low, no, it is first knowing who you are, understanding where God has placed you, and what God has made you, and then bringing yourself down, below your level.

According to Strong’s Greek Dictionary, The Greek word for Humbled tapeinoō; means to depress; to humiliate (in condition or heart): — abase, bring low, humble (self).

Humility is self-humiliation. So instead of letting people or circumstances do it to you, you choose to do it yourself. "He made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant". Can you beat that? It didn’t just say taking the form of a servant, it said taking a form of a bondservant, a bondservant is a slave. Jesus took the form of a slave, came in the likeness of a man, and being found in appearance as a man He humbled himself. Now think about this; He was God. He humbled Himself to become a man, and then the Bible says; being found in appearance as a man even as a man, He still humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. At every point Jesus found himself, He abased Himself. This is humility.

THE EXEMPLARY HUMILITY OF JESUS

To gain the right perspective about the humility of Jesus, it is important that we consider a few things. Jesus created everything in the universe, visible or invisible. Let us take a look at a few verses:

John 1:1-3 (NKJV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Someone might say, Well, the verse says the Word created everything, well, Jesus is the Word (Logos) of God. We see Him called the Word of God in other places in the bible

Revelation 19:11-13 (NKJV)

11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

And Also in the first epistle of John:

1 John 5:7 (NKJV)

For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

Now Going back to our text in John1:3 it says All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians he says:

Colossians 1:15-17 (NKJV)

15 He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Jesus is the creator of all things, Satan and his cohorts inclusive. Remember He didn’t create them as evil, they chose to become evil. Just like every newborn baby is born innocent, but as they grow they can choose the path of sin or the path of righteousness; it doesn’t make God responsible for their actions or their conduct simply because He