Can I Be Humble Before God and Proud Toward People?

4 October 2025

*This article is part of “Dialogues,” where real questions from people are answered by AI and then reviewed by theologians for clarity, accuracy, and faithfulness to Christian teaching.

Question

“What if I show pride toward other people but remain humble before God? And what if I avoid other sins, yet pride still lingers in my heart?”

Answer

The Bible consistently teaches that love for God and love for others are inseparable. To be humble before God but prideful toward people is a contradiction in biblical terms, because how we treat others reveals the reality of our relationship with Him.

1 John 4:20 puts it plainly: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” Our humility before God must flow outward into humility and love toward others.

Even if someone avoids outward sins, pride itself is named in Scripture as a sin that separates us from God. James 4:6 warns, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Likewise, 1 Peter 5:5 calls believers to “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.” Pride is not neutral—it places us in opposition to God’s grace.

Pride Is More Than an Attitude Toward Others

It is tempting to think of pride as something small if it does not lead to theft, violence, or other visible wrongs. But biblically, pride is a heart posture that resists dependence on God and diminishes love toward people. It blinds us to our need for grace, exalts the self above others, and undermines the unity that Christ calls His church to embody.

The prophet Obadiah writes against Edom: Obadiah 1:3 — “The pride of your heart has deceived you.” Pride deceives us into thinking we are right with God while excusing contempt toward others. True humility cannot stop at private devotion but must shape how we speak, serve, and forgive.

The Illusion of a “Sinless” Life

Some may say, “I don’t commit other sins—only pride.” But this is itself a form of self-deception. Scripture teaches that all people continue to struggle with sin: 1 John 1:8 — “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Pride not only stands as a sin on its own but also blinds us to other sins we commit—sins of thought, word, and omission.

When someone repents of pride, the Holy Spirit often reveals deeper layers of sin previously hidden from sight: harsh words, lack of compassion, judgmental attitudes, or neglect of love. Repentance is not a sign that we were nearly perfect, but that God is opening our eyes to the depth of our need for His mercy.

Humility Is Central to Christian Life

Jesus linked love for God and love for neighbor as the greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37–39). He humbled Himself even to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:8), setting the model for His followers. To claim humility before God while refusing humility toward others is to miss the heart of Christ’s example.

Instead, the Spirit calls us to practice humility in both dimensions—bowing before God and serving others in love. When pride surfaces, the gospel does not call us to denial but to repentance and renewal in Christ.

Reflection Questions

• Do I see any areas where pride toward others reveals a lack of humility before God?
• Am I tempted to think of myself as “mostly without sin,” instead of continually in need of grace?
• How can remembering Christ’s humility on the cross reshape my attitude toward others this week?

Conclusion

The Bible does not allow us to separate humility toward God from humility toward people. Pride, even if it does not manifest in outward sins, is itself a sin that blocks us from God’s grace—and it often blinds us to many other sins we commit without realizing it. The good news is that through repentance and reliance on Christ, our eyes are opened, and we are freed both from pride’s deception and from hidden sins. True devotion to God will always bear fruit in humility, repentance, and love toward others.