I have been working my way through the three volume work of William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour. It’s Gurnall’s meditation on Ephesians 6 and the armour of God. A modern version of this work has been published.
As promised, over the next few weeks, from time to time, I will share quotes from Gurnall’s work. I hope these quotes might be of encouragement and challenge to each of us. As well as to convince some of the benefit of ploughing through the 900 pages! Here’s a quote that should give us food for reflection:
“Of the two strains of pride, I think spiritual pride must be far more odious to the nostrils of God, for it is on a higher plain than carnal pride. The life of a Christian, as a Christian, is superior to the life of a man as a man. And as the natural man is proud of those things which make him seem superior in the natural state (i.e., wealth, honor, beauty), so the Christian is prone to puff himself up when he perceives that he has superior spiritual attributes.
Pride always destroys love and separates saints. Without love for all the brethren, we are bound to lose much that God wants to give. The Bible says that every saint has been given gifts to benefit the body of Christ.
So beware of pride! The only thing that will keep you from it is humility. Remember whom you wrestle with – spiritual wickedness. Their ploy is to lift you up high in order to give you a harder fall. They will try to convince you that your spiritual accomplishments are a result of your own efforts and that you deserve the credit for them. Surely you know this is not true! In case you have forgotten, think back to what you were like before the Holy Spirit came to you with gifts from God’s storehouse. How can you be proud of another’s bounty? You may be able to impress other men with your gifts, but you will not impress God. He knows where they all came from.
How can the Christian escape those persistent self-promoting thoughts? Run from them as you would from an enraged bear. Do not stand still to listen to these lies, or soon the devil will have you erecting a monument to yourself with the glory of your God-given gifts. Remind yourself daily how weak you are and how utterly dependent on God for every good and perfect gift.”
Thoughts Along The Journey 
Sometimes it is difficult to detect the entrance of spiritual pride when we are celebrating growth in grace or fruitfulness in ministry. Often others smell its ugly odor before we do. Pride if given a chance will expand quickly, sucking away the glory of God. When exposed by the Holy Spirit, pride’s ugliness should bring quick and deep repentance. Sweet smelling humility cannot survive without such repentance.
David, thanks for this section of the book. Spiritual pride is a relevant topic in a missions agency. Albert, I like that you kept the imagery of odour. We need others to let us know how we are smelling. We often get used to our own smell.
Here is a CS Lewis quote that has been powerful for me, “The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility…According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”
Another comment by Jack Miller was that most sin could be summed up in pride and unbelief. All those ‘flea bites’ might in some ways be the starting seeds of pride taking over.
Jack Miller used to summarize the Christian life by saying it was all about faith and repentance. Learning to deal with pride by turning back to the Father in repentance and receiving His forgiveness, and humbly responding to His grace.
Thank you for sharing. We too often think of the sweet aroma of praise and forget that it is overpowered by our foul odor of pride that sneaks up on us, but others can smell it a mile away! As Carolyn mentioned, it a great accountability thought.
Thanks Robin! It’s amazing how a writer from the 17th century captures what we feel and know about the devious nature of pride. How much we need the Gospel every day!