Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12)
“The Danger of Pride”
Our verse for today reveals to us the danger of pride. Proverbs 16:18 states, “Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” We might could say that pride is the root of the works of the flesh. Pride is more than an action, it’s a stance or a condition of opposition toward God.
This was a primary issue with the Corinthian church to whom Paul is writing. There were factions within the church and they placed prominence to spiritual gifts rather than love (1 Corinthians 1:10; 13:1-3). The church was leaning toward trust in themselves rather than selfless service to God and others.
Thus, Paul gives an Old Testament example of the children of Israel in the same chapter of today’s verse. They had too much confidence in themselves. As a result, they fell in the wilderness and succumbed to idol worship.
All of us are not immune to temptation and we must be on guard against the lures of the world and our tendency to obey the lusts of the flesh. We must remain humble and take heed to God and fully rely on Him in prayer so that we will not fall like the children of Israel did in the wilderness.