What are the signs and symptoms of pride? If you were to list the manifestations of pride, what traits would make the list? Until I carefully studied 1 Peter 5, I would not have associated worry with pride. It is easy to see the link between worry and unbelief, but how are worry and pride related?[1] The connection between the latter is not as intuitive as the former because worry tends to accompany a lack of confidence. Although coupling worry with pride may not be an obvious connection, it is a clear implication of the words of the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5:5–7.[2]
A significant motif in the book of 1 Peter is the identity of Peter’s audience as spiritual exiles who have been chosen by God (1:1, 17; 2:11; 5:12). Peter explicitly refers to them as “sojourners and exiles” (2:11) who are living in a hostile world that is not their ultimate home. Closely related to the theme of exile is the experience of suffering. Peter writes extensively about suffering, and he addresses it in each of the five chapters (1:6–7; 2:19–25; 3:14, 17; 4:1, 12–19; 5:9–10). Peter’s emphasis concerning suffering is not general but specific, namely, persecution for being a Christian.
In his final chapter of the letter, Peter turns his attention to the community life of these beloved but persecuted exiles. The church is not an insignificant topic throughout the epistle. For Peter, the people of the church are living stones (2:5), and the church is a spiritual house (2:5), a royal priesthood (2:5, 9), a chosen race (2:9), a holy nation (2:9), a people of God’s own possession (2:9), the people of God (2:10), the household of God (4:18), and the flock of God (5:2).
As Peter addresses their community life, he urges the elders (pastors) to feed and oversee the flock with willingness (5:1–4), the younger members to submit to the older members with humility (5:5a), and for everyone to be characterized by humility (5:5b–7).[3] After bringing up the issue of humility, Peter expounds upon the topic by asserting that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (5:5). This exposition gives the reason for humbling themselves. He charges these exiles to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God in order that they might be exalted by Him at the proper time (5:6). This telos indicates the result of humbling themselves.
When I first studied these verses carefully, I was not surprised by anything up to this point; then I noticed the connection between 5:6 and 5:7. As often as I had heard 1 Peter 5:7 quoted or referenced, I never understood it in the context of 1 Peter 5:6. An appropriate question to ask regarding 1 Peter 5:6 is as follows: how does one humble himself before the mighty hand of God? Peter’s answer in 1 Peter 5:7 is by “casting all of your anxieties on him because he cares for you.”
It is not hard to imagine what was causing anxiety for Peter’s audience. After all, he frequently alluded to their fiery trials (4:12; 1:6–7) and suffering (2:19–21; 3:13–17; 4:13–16, 19; 5:9–10). Surely, they faced great temptation to be worried and anxious about their hardships, but yielding to that temptation would be a form of pride. On the other hand, casting their worries and anxieties on the Lord would be an act of humility.
Thomas R. Schreiner writes helpfully on this truth. It is a lengthy quote but worthy of careful consideration:
Believers humble themselves by casting their worries on God. Conversely, if believers continue to worry, then they are caving in to pride. How can anxiety and worry be criticized as pride? We can see that it might be a lack of faith, but does it make sense to identify worry as pride? Worry is a form of pride because when believers are filled with anxiety, they are convinced that they must solve all the problems in their lives in their own strength. The only god they trust in is themselves. When believers throw their worries upon God, they express their trust in his mighty hand, acknowledging that he is Lord and Sovereign over all of life.[4]
Peter concludes 5:7 with an incredible word of encouragement: “for He (God) cares for you.” Depending on the English translation that you are using when reading 1 Peter 5:7, it can be easy to miss Peter’s emphasis. For example, the King James Version reads, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” A cursory reading of this translation might lead one to think that Peter used the same Greek word twice. However, he employs two different Greek words. Casting all your “cares” (μεριμναν, merimnan) for He “cares” (μελει, melei) for you.
Thus, in the KJV, the first word for “cares” (μεριμναν) refers to our anxieties and worries.[5] The last word “careth” (μελει) means to be concerned for or to be of interest to someone.[6] In Mark 4:38, this lack of concern is what the disciples had in mind when they frantically woke Jesus from His sleep in the boat as they faced a fierce storm: “Teacher, do you not care (μελει) that we are perishing?”
The Christians to whom Peter was writing were tempted to be anxious because of persecution. We may not be facing persecution, but we do face the temptation to be anxious about the concerns of this life. Peter reminds us that holding on to our worries is a form of pride. It shows that our trust is in ourselves. We feel that we must solve our own problems. Humility, on the other hand, casts these worries upon the Lord, knowing that He cares for us.
Warren W. Wiersbe quipped that “the average person is crucifying himself between two thieves: the regrets of yesterday and the worries about tomorrow.”[7] When we experience turmoil and uncertainty, our natural response is to look to ourselves for the solution that will give us peace. Yet. this failure to cast our worries on the Lord not only leads to more anxiety but also represents an expression of pride. The humble person entrusts his or her anxieties to the Lord because He is sovereign and omnipotent and truly cares for us.
For those of us who are parents, we face the temptation to worry about the future of our children, especially regarding their health, relationships, and careers. In prayer, we must learn to daily cast our worries on the Lord and trust Him to meet their needs. If you are facing a health crisis or financial uncertainty, Peter encourages you to humble yourself before the Lord and cast your anxieties upon the one who cares for you. It is also instructive that the context of 1 Peter 5 is the local church. One of the ways that we can practice the kind of humility that Peter emphasizes is by asking our brothers and sisters in Christ to pray with us.
For many Christians around the world, persecution is a daily reality. If you find yourself in the midst of such trials of your faith, take comfort in this passage of Scripture that the Lord cares for you. Peter encourages us that suffering and persecution are only temporary, but the glory that we will share with Christ is eternal (5:9–10).
God is concerned about you—you matter to Him. What a comfort it is to know that God cares about us and our worries! The next time you are tempted to be full of worry, resist the urge to rely upon yourself in pride for a way out; rather, commit your circumstances to the Lord. He gives grace to the humble and promises to exalt them in His perfect timing. Do not look to yourself for peace in times of uncertainty but look to your mighty God.
[1] Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman, 2003), 240–41.
[2] Throughout this exposition, I primarily used two English translations: the King James Version (KJV) and the English Standard Version (ESV). Unless otherwise noted, the translation employed is the ESV.
[3] Peter is apparently using “elder” differently in 5:1 than in 5:5. In the former, Peter is referring to the spiritual elders (pastors) who were responsible for leading the congregation; in the latter, Peter seems to be referring to the elderly “in terms of age.” See Robert E. Picirilli, James, 1, 2 Peter, and Jude, The Randall House Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Randall House, 1992), 207.
[4] Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, 240–41.
[5] William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, third edition (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 632.
[6] Arndt, et.al., Greek-English Lexicon, 626.
[7] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1996), 28.
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