6. But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
While English translations of the Bible give us a general understanding of the messages written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit, often times, only when understanding the original Hebrew or Greek text do we gain the full weight of each message. Whether they be warnings, guidelines, or spiritual principles, understanding the gravity of each statement is what ultimately aligns our hearts with God. A perfect example of this is when it comes to the sin of pride.
On the surface, the words “God resists the proud” seem simple enough to fully understand the gravity of the text. Some Bible translations use the word opposes instead of resists. Either way, many believers reduce the meaning to “God doesn’t like pride.” Those words drastically oversimplify the message James is conveying. And oversimplifying what God means, far too often leads to underestimating the weight of a sin.
Let us start with resists/oppose. In English both words are used interchangeably and generally mean to act against, stand in the way of, or abstain from. Both words are a translation of the Greek word antitassó, and antitassó carries much more definitive weight than our English equivalents. It is obvious that James chose this word intentionally.
Antitassó is an ancient military word which has multiple layers of meaning. In once sense, it refers to placing a soldier in a specific rank or formation for a specific purpose — for example with orders to attack or to resist. In antiquity, the word was also used to describe the action of “intensely disagreeing” ( Strong’s 498).
This is where the true weight of James 4:6 becomes clear. God is not merely acting against, standing in the way of, or withstanding the prideful person. He does not simply “dislike” pride. God has set Himself in a battle formation to intensely disagree with the prideful. In other words, God is at war against the proud.
Now let’s take a look at what “the proud” actually means. Strong’s Greek Lexicon G5244 tells us the word in James 4:6 is hyperēphanos, and in one sense means showing oneself above others. This aligns with the standard English definition of pride — having a high opinion of of one’s own dignity, importance, or superiority. This is typically what English speakers think of when they hear the word proud/pride.
But hyperēphanos carries an even deeper, more dangerous meaning. In another sense, it means to despise or treat others with contempt. This is much closer to the Biblical meaning of pride — and the reason God hates it. This posture reflects the exact attitude Satan had when when he exalted himself above God. It is the very nature he used to influence Adam and Eve with when he said to Eve in Genesis 3:5 “you will be like God.” And it is also the attitude we see in many of the prideful today.
Pride may be an invisible sin, but is a sin nonetheless. It leads to entitlement and becomes the justification of other sins such as greed, covetousness, gluttony, and even anger. It disguises itself to the beholder as integrity and even moral strength — as if its own standards define what is godly. A prideful person may even have a good heart and show good intentions, yet remain completely unaware of the spiritual blindness pride creates. A blindness that blocks them from humility — the realization that they have become the center of their own universe — making them unable to see their true condition from God’s perspective. In its more severe state, the prideful replaces God’s will with one’s own will, and may even attribute that will to God Himself. This is the type of pride we see in Saul.
Saul, the first king of Israel, is a perfect example of how a person can begin humble — even timid — and yet allow success to turn humble beginnings into a life shaped by pride. In 1 Samuel 15:17, Samuel reminds Saul of where he came from: “Is it not true, though you were insignificant in your own eyes, that you became the head of the tribes of Israel? For the LORD anointed you as king over Israel.” Saul is described as “a young and handsome man… taller than any of the people” (9:2). Yet when the time came for him to be presented as king, he could not be found. Scripture tells us he was hiding behind the Israelites baggage (1 Samuel 10:22).
But such shy humility would not last long before Saul embraced his kingship. As retribution for the repeated attacks by Amalek against the weak and vulnerable Israelites during the Exodus, God commanded Saul to “go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not” (1 Samuel 15:3). Instead, Saul spared Agag, the Amalekite king, and kept the best of the sheep, oxen, and lambs (15:9). Even though Saul claimed the soldiers had taken the animals to sacrifice to the Lord, his deflection was actually entitlement, making it a rebellious act against God’s command — the justification made no difference.
Verse 23 shows us how God feels about such pride when Samuel delivers the Lord’s judgment: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou has rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected you from being king.”
Although entitlement and living by his own rules were acts of pride, what Saul did next shows how pride completely disregards God. As if oblivious to God’s reason and judgment against him, Saul says “I have sinned: yet honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people… and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.
Here we see that pride is concerned with appearance, not repentance. And worship that flows from pride is nothing more than vanity. It is so vain that Saul did not even say “the Lord my God.” To Samuel he said, “the Lord your God.” Saul’s pride was so spiritually blinding and self-centered that he was completely unaware that he was piling offense on top of offense toward God. This is an example of using God’s name in vain, because his worship of God was empty — mere actions meant to appease God, without any love for God.
We have all seen, at some points, the pride of Saul in ourselves, and possibly even someone we have known all or most of our lives. It is the moral superiority that uses God to justify a position, the kind that makes statements such as “God told me that you need to…” The Holy Spirit works directly in the life of a believer to correct and transform that believer. He does not use self-appointed go-between’s to conduct His work of regeneration. God does not judge the way we judge. But pride will speak for God not realizing how distant the heart is from God.
Pride can distort discernment and lead a person to speak in God’s name, while presenting themselves as if they carry His authority. This is a false narrative and a false authority — one that God ended with the prophets. Such pride only leads to loss. Approximately twenty-seven years passed between Saul’s acts of pride, and David becoming king, yet God’s judgment still came to fruition. Mistaking personal preference for God’s will, especially when it affects others or carries consequences, can ruin relationships and is deeply offensive to God. It leads to the same type of judgment we saw passed on Saul — even in our world today it may come in the form of loss of work or relationships, loss of influence within social circles, and most devastating, loss of intimacy with God.
The good news is that until God calls one of His children home, even harsh judgment is an opportunity to make a correction and walk through His open door that leads to the gift of grace. God gave entrance to the Ark for one hundred years before finally closing the door Himself. This means that even in our generation, the most prideful person has an entire lifetime to repent and come to God — though only God knows how long that lifetime will be. The opportunity remains to humble themselves before God and receive His gift of grace.