God hates sin, not sinners. He hates sin because of what it does to the sinner (redeemed and unredeemed). For the redeemed, yielding themselves to sin can lead them back into the dominant control and slavery they have been set free from. For the unredeemed, sin piled upon sin takes them deeper into sin and farther from a sensitivity to God and need for salvation. Sin at its most basic form means to "miss the mark" Romans 2:23 tells us we have all done this. So in essence sin is sin is sin. But there are some sins God’s Word identifies as more destructive than others, in fact "deadly." Pride is the first on the list of the seven deadly sins: It finds its origin in Satan himself, who through pride rose up against God and was cast down by God, taking a third of the angels with him (Isa. 14:12-14). Pride does the same thing in us. It causes us to rise up against God and God to cast us off. Proverbs reminds us God hates pride (Prov. 6:16-19; 8:13; 16:5,18) Paul reminds us of its devastating power in (Rom. 1:29-31). The good news is, God hates the sin, but loves the sinner. Therefore, anyone who finds themselves caught up in sin (and especially the sin of pride), has a great hope; "But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6) Humble yourself before the Lord today, and you’ll find Him full of grace and mercy for you.

Dr. William Burnham is pastor of Point of Grace Church in Covington. He can be reached at burnhamw@charter.net.