Sunteți pe pagina 1din 4

Against Arrogance

Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the
God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed. 1 Samuel 2:3, NKJV. {BLJ 189.1}
If you form too high an opinion of yourself you will think that your labors are of more real
consequence than they are and you will plead individual independence which borders on
arrogance. If you go to the other extreme and form too low an opinion of yourself you will feel
inferior and will leave an impression of inferiority which will greatly limit the influence that you
might have for good. You should avoid either extreme. Feeling should not control you;
circumstances should not affect you. You may form a correct estimate of yourself, one which
will prove a safeguard from both extremes.--3T 505, 506. {PM 80.3}

(Matthew 4:8-10). Satan Tried to Make a Contract With Christ.-- [Luke 4:5-8 quoted.] This
presumptuous blasphemy, and insult to Jehovah, excited the indignation of Christ, and led Him
to exercise His divine authority, and command Satan in an authoritative, dignified manner to
desist. Here Satan, in his pride and arrogance, declared himself to be the rightful and permanent
ruler of the world, the possessor of all its glory, as though he had created the world and all the
riches and glory contained in it. He endeavored to make a special contract with Christ, to make
over to Him at once the whole of his claim, if He would worship him. {5BC 1119.11}

2 Samuel 6:16
“And as the ark of The LORD came into the city of David,
Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window,
and saw King David leaping and dancing before The LORD;
and she despised him in her heart.”
David felt that it was the service of God which Michal had despised and dishonored, and he
sternly answered: "It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his
house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before
the Lord. And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the
maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honor." To David's rebuke was
added that of the Lord: because of her pride and arrogance, Michal "had no child unto the day of
her death." {PP 711.1}
"My lord," Daniel answered, "the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation
thereof to thine enemies." The prophet realized that upon him God had laid the solemn duty of
revealing to Nebuchadnezzar the judgment that was about to fall upon him because of his pride
and arrogance. Daniel must interpret the dream in language the king could understand; and
although its dreadful import had made him hesitate in dumb amazement, yet he must state the
truth, whatever the consequences to himself. {PK 517.3}

John rebuked their selfish pride and avarice. He warned them of their unbelief, and
condemned their hypocrisy. He told them that they had not fulfilled the conditions of the
covenant on their part, which would entitle them to the promises God made to a faithful and
obedient people. Their proud boasts of being children of Abraham did not make them really
such. Their exhibitions of pride, their arrogance, jealousy, selfishness, and cruelty, stamped
their characters as a generation of vipers, rather than the children of obedient and just Abraham.
Their wicked works had disqualified them to claim the promises God made to the children of
Abraham. John assured them that God would raise up children unto Abraham from the very
stones, to whom he could fulfill his promise, rather than to depend on the natural children of
Abraham who had neglected the light God had given them, and had become hardened by selfish

1
ambition and wicked unbelief. He told them that if they were really the children of Abraham,
they would do the works of their father Abraham. They would have Abraham's faith, love, and
obedience. But they did not bear this fruit. They had no claim to Abraham as their father, or the
promises God made to the seed of Abraham. "Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is
hewn down, and cast into the fire." While they were professing to be God's commandment
keeping people, their works denied their faith, and without true repentance for their sins they
would have no part in the kingdom of Christ. Justice, benevolence, mercy, and the love of God
would characterize the lives of his commandment-keeping people. Unless these fruits were seen
in their daily life, all their profession was of no more value than chaff which would be devoted to
the fire of destruction. {RH, January 14, 1873 par. 4}

The Jews were looking for a Messiah who would establish them in their arrogance and pride,
and lead them on to victory over their enemies. Christ possessed every qualification of character
that should have induced them to accept of him; but his very righteousness stood in the way of
their acceptance; for his habits, character, and life were all at variance with the habits and
practices of the Jews. He condemned evil wherever he found it, and the untainted purity of his
life and character put to shame the wrong-doers. His course was in such marked contrast to the
course of the scribes and Pharisees and the religious teachers of that day, that they were made
manifest as whited sepulchers, hypocritical pretenders to religion, who sought to exalt
themselves by a profession of holiness, while within they were full of ravening and all
uncleanness. They could not tolerate true holiness, true zeal for God, which was the
distinguishing feature of the character of Christ; for true religion cast a reflection upon their
spirit and practices. They could not comprehend a character of such matchless loveliness as that
of Christ's. In the heart of Jesus there was hatred of nothing save sin. They could have received
him as the Messiah had he simply manifested his miracle-working power, and refrained from
denouncing sin, from condemning their corrupt passions, and from pronouncing the curse of God
upon their idolatry; but since he would give no license to evil, though he healed the sick, opened
the eyes of the blind, and raised the dead, they had nothing for the divine Teacher but bitter
abuse, jealousy, envy, evil-surmising, and hatred. They hunted him from place to place, in order
that they might destroy the Son of God. {RH, August 6, 1895 par. 10}
Jesus declared that there was no necessity for him to accuse them to the Father, for Moses,
whom they professed to believe, had already accused them. "For," said he, "had ye believed
Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how
shall ye believe my words?" Jesus knew that the Jews were determined to take his life, yet in this
discourse he fully explained to them his Sonship, the relation he bore to the Father and his
equality with him. This left them without an excuse for their blind opposition and insane rage
against the Saviour. But, though baffled in their designs, and overawed by his divine eloquence
and truth, the murderous hatred of the priests and elders was not quenched. Fear seized them, for
they could not close their understanding to the convincing power which attended the ministry of
Christ. But they were so bound by the chains of pride and arrogance that they rejected the
evidence of his divine power, resisted his appeals, and locked themselves in darkness. {3Red
35.1}
On one occasion those who were guilty of many secret sins, brought to Christ a woman who
had been taken in sin. They thought that he would pronounce judgment against her, and then they
could accuse him of taking judgment into his own hands. While they were presenting the case,
Christ was busy writing on the sand. He said nothing, and when they pressed him for a decision,
he was in no hurry to pronounce judgment. One after another came near to him to see what he
was writing, and there in the sand they saw the record of their own sins. Then Christ said to
them, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone." But not a stone was cast, and

2
they went away, leaving the woman with him. He said to her, "Where are those thine accusers?
hath no man condemned thee?" She said, "No man, Lord." Christ answered, "Neither do I
condemn thee: go, and sin no more." {RH, September 6, 1906 par. 6}
The Lord Jesus beheld the whole plot and the arrogance of the ones who had arranged it,
who were worthy of condemnation and punishment, and when they saw that he knew their lives,
they left and went out, having failed in their desire to bring about the condemnation of Christ.
{RH, September 6, 1906 par. 7}
Let no one complain. True religion is free from the exaltation of self. If we have not a sense
of our interest, heart and mind and soul, in our Saviour, if we have not the grace and the
intelligent Bible knowledge to apply to ourselves his merits and disposition of character, through
the merits of the atonement, we shall obtain no ease, on assurance. {RH, September 6, 1906 par.
8}

But with all our aspirations, and in all our researches, we should remember that arrogance is
not greatness, nor is conceit knowledge. Human pride is an evidence, not of strength, but of
weakness. It reveals not wisdom, but folly. To exalt reason unduly is to abase it. To place the
human in rivalry with the divine, is to make it contemptible. {RH, January 19, 1886 par. 11}
The world is teeming with errors and fables. Novelties in the form of sensational dramas are
continually arising to engross the mind; and absurd theories abound which are destructive to
moral and spiritual advancement. The cause of God needs men of intellect, men of thought, men
well versed in the Scriptures, to meet the inflowing tide of opposition. We should give no
sanction to arrogance, narrow-mindedness, and inconsistencies, although the garment of
professed piety may be thrown over them. Those who have the sanctifying power of the truth
upon their hearts will exert a persuasive influence. Knowing that the advocates of error cannot
create or destroy truth, they can afford to be considerate and calm. {GW92 170.1}
It is not enough for our ministers to have a superficial knowledge of the truth. Subjects which
are handled by men who have perverted their God-given powers to tear down the truth, are
constantly coming up for investigation. Bigotry must be laid aside. The Satanic delusions of the
age must be met clearly and intelligently with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
He who guides the planets in their courses, and upholds the worlds by his power, has made
provision for man formed in his image, that he may be little less than the angels of God while in
the performance of his duties on earth. God's purposes have not been answered by men who have
been entrusted with the most solemn truth ever given to man. He designs that we should rise
higher and higher toward a state of perfection, seeing and realizing at every step the power and
glory of God. Man does not know himself. Our responsibilities are exactly proportioned to our
light, opportunities, and privileges. We are responsible for the good we might have done, but
failed to do because we were too indolent to use the means for our improvement which were
placed within our reach. {GW92 170.2}
The study of the Bible is superior to all other study in strengthening the intellect. What fields
of thought the youth may find to explore in the word of God! The mind may go deeper and still
deeper in its research, gathering strength with every effort to comprehend truth; and yet there is
an infinity beyond. {MYP 253.1}
Those who profess to love God and reverence sacred things, and yet allow the mind to come
down to the superficial and unreal, are placing themselves on Satan's ground, and are doing his
work. If the young would study the glorious works of God in nature, and His majesty and power
as revealed in His word, they would come from every such exercise with faculties quickened and
elevated. A vigor would be received, having no kin to arrogance. By a contemplation of the
marvels of divine power, the mind will learn that hardest but most useful of all lessons, that

3
human wisdom, unless connected with the Infinite and sanctified by the grace of Christ, is
foolishness. {MYP 253.2}
Avoiding Extremes of Self-confidence (counsel to an executive).--If you form too high an
opinion of yourself, you will think that your labors are of more real consequence than they are,
and you will plead individual independence which borders on arrogance. If you go to the other
extreme and form too low an opinion of yourself, you will feel inferior and will leave an
impression of inferiority which will greatly limit the influence that you might have for good. You
should avoid either extreme. Feeling should not control you; circumstances should not affect
you. You may form a correct estimate of yourself, one which will prove a safeguard from both
extremes. You may be dignified without vain self-confidence; you may be condescending and
yielding without sacrificing self-respect or individual independence, and your life may be of
great influence with those in the higher as well as the lower walks of life.--3T 506 (1875).
There is in human nature a tendency to run to extremes and from one extreme to another
entirely opposite. Many are fanatics. They are consumed by a fiery zeal which is mistaken for
religion, but character is the true test of discipleship. Have they the meekness of Christ? have
they His humility and sweet benevolence? Is the soul-temple emptied of pride, arrogance,
selfishness, and censoriousness? If not, they know not what manner of spirit they are of. They do
not realize that true Christianity consists in bearing much fruit to the glory of God. {5T 305.4}

Those who shall seek to compel men to observe an institution of the papacy, and trample
upon God's authority, are doing a work similar to that of the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees in
the days of the Apostles. When the laws of earthly rulers are brought into opposition to the laws
of the Supreme Ruler of the universe, then those who are God's loyal subjects will be true to him.
{RH, January 1, 1889 par. 7}
The National Reform movement, that the world and the church have linked hands to bring
about, will manifest the same oppression, haughtiness, arrogance, and intolerance which have
prevailed in past ages. The powers of human councils then assumed the prerogatives of Deity,
crushing under their despotic will, liberty of conscience and the right of individual responsibility;
and imprisonment, exile, and death followed for all who opposed their dictates. {RH, January 1,
1889 par. 8}
The days will come when the righteous will be stirred to zeal for God because of the
abounding iniquity. None but divine power can stay the arrogance of Satan united with evil
men; but in the hour of the church's greatest danger most fervent prayer will be offered in her
behalf by the faithful remnant, and God will hear and answer at the very time when the guilt of
the transgressor has reached its height. He will "avenge his own elect, which cry day and night
unto him, though he bear long with them. {Mar 262.4}
The substitution of the false for the true is the last act in the drama. When this substitution
becomes universal, God will reveal Himself. When the laws of men are exalted above the laws of
God, when the powers of this earth try to force men to keep the first day of the week, know that
the time has come for God to work. He will arise in His majesty, and will shake terribly the
earth. He will come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity. The
earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. {Mar 262.5}

S-ar putea să vă placă și