During the months of July and August 2023, I will be sharing a sermon series on the “Seven Deadly Sins.” According to Christian tradition, the seven deadly sins are those behaviors, or feelings, that inspire further sin. They are typically listed as: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. While there is no official listing of the seven deadly sins mentioned in the Bible, these seven specific sins are certainly addressed throughout the scriptures and represent a good summary of the sins of humanity. These seven sins are inward attitudes that affect character as well as conduct. Through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be delivered from the seven deadly sins.
Pride is listed as the first of the seven deadly sins. It has been said many times that in essence human pride is at the root of all human sin. Carl Sandburg once wrote, “We all want to play Hamlet.” Another way of saying the same thing is, “Everyone wants to lead the parade.” J. Wallace Hamilton calls it the “drum major instinct.” The drum major struts about as the band marches in unison. The drum major stands out as the leader, and the members of the band, who actually produce the music, march in anonymity.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on February 4, 1968 (two months before his assassination), delivered his “Drum Major Instinct” sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. In the powerful sermon, Dr. King spoke to his congregation about the negative results of the “drum major instinct,” which he defined as the desire “to be first, to be recognized, and to distinction.” If not controlled, Dr. King pointed out that the “drum major instinct” would become destructive, leading to a feeling that the world is all about “me.”
We learn early in life to feel that life should put us first. The first cry of a newborn baby is for attention. As a child grows up, he or she learn “cute and clever ways” to get the spotlight. Children will often disrupt a serious adult conversation in order to become the center of attention. And we all carry this forward, much too often, into our adult lives as we seek social approval and the acclaim of our peers. Even in adult life, many people live by the drum major instinct. For example, some people will not sing in the church unless it is a solo, nor will they serve unless given significant credit.
The sin of pride is at the root of many of the problems and issues we face. Pride often will cause people to lose their sense of sin. A little girl said to er mother, “When I do it, it is a bad temper. When you do it, it is nerves.” The writer of Proverbs says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).
Pride is what caused the angels to fall and in turn caused Adam to fall. Pride prompted the building of the Tower of Babel. The generation after the great flood declared independence from God. Today pride causes us to spend money for things we do not have for things we do not enjoy – in order to impress people we may not even like. Pride causes us to be blind to our own limitations and causes us to think we are self-sufficient.
Some people deny that they are sinners in need of Jesus. They are not willing to assume the role of a servant. Do you remember that Jesus – who was the Son of God – took a towel and washed the feet of his disciples including the feet of Judas? But we expect others to wash our feet!
Love that is based in Jesus Christ is the solution to the sin of pride. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:4-5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
In place of the “seven deadly sins” starting with pride, let us concentrate on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit as enumerated in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control…”