The Problem with Pride

I had to laugh when I heard the story of two men who approached the great British preacher, C. H. Spurgeon, one day and told him, “Spurgeon, we have reached sinless perfection.”

“Really?” he asked.

“Yes,” they said, “We are absolutely perfect.”

Spurgeon was holding a pitcher of water at the time, and he poured it on their heads. When they began to react like any other sinners would, he found out just how perfect they were.

You see, the people who walk around claiming to have reached sinless perfection are victims of one of the most powerful yet subtle sins: pride. None of us will reach sinless perfection—not in this life. Granted, before we were Christians, we were under the control and power of sin. We went along with whatever our sinful natures dictated. But something dramatic happened when we received Christ. We were changed. The Bible says that we became new creations in Christ. Old things passed away and all things became new (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). That is not to say we still don’t struggle with sin and temptation. The Scripture clearly teaches that we will sin and that we will have lapses.

Although the Bible tells me I will sin, there is a difference between sinning and being sorry for it, and sinning habitually, persistently, and continually. If someone claims to be a Christian and yet continues in sin, my question is whether that person has ever been truly converted. Some people wonder whether such a Christian ever could lose his or her salvation. I would suggest that another question should be asked instead: Did he or she ever experience salvation to begin with?