Discussion Jumpstarter

Study leader reference - not a definitive answer

Question 7

Christina’s definition of pride included feeling superior to “the homeless drug addict… a gay couple… a divorced or remarried neighbor,” and also “self-reliance.” Which form of pride is more present in your life—moral superiority or self-reliant control—and how do you see it grieving the Spirit?

Another way to ask: Which pride shows up more in you—feeling morally better than others or trying to control life on your own—and how does it grieve the Spirit?

Discussion Jumpstarter

Direct Answer
Based on the teaching, pride can show up as looking down on others or as self-reliance, and either one grieves the Spirit because it exalts self instead of living humbly in God’s presence.

Support from Transcript:

Christina defines pride as “self-exaltation… thinking we are better than someone else,” giving examples like “the homeless drug addict… a gay couple… a divorced or remarried neighbor.”
She adds an important boundary: “Though we are not to condone sin, we must not think we’re more important than others.”
She also defines pride as “self-reliance… relying on one’s own strength and wisdom… rather than depending on God.”
She connects sinful attitudes to defiling the temple: Jesus’ list includes “pride,” and “they will defile us.”
Ephesians 4:30 frames the relational cost: believers can “grieve the Holy Spirit,” causing “sorrow or distress,” which “hinders our fellowship with Him.”
In Q&A she describes the experience after sin as “almost alone… like the presence of God is not really with me.”

Discussion Follow-ups Which type of pride is easiest for you to justify as “responsibility” or “discernment”? What dependence practices (prayer, confession, asking for help) would directly confront it?

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