The greatest killer of love for God is love for self. Pride is the deadly expression of believing in your own strength, wisdom, or abilities above God’s. In this verse, there are three “A’s” that pride produces in our lives: arrogance, avoidance, and abandonment. We will look at each briefly.
First, pride produces arrogance. The Hebrew of the first part of this verse literally reads that the one who does not seek God is as “wicked as the height of his nose.” Can you picture that? Pride is like someone with an abnormally large nose. He is so full of himself that he can’t see past his own two nostrils!
Like the big nose, this is what pride does: it focuses all your thoughts inwardly and selfishly. Someone did you wrong? You must take revenge. You don’t get what you want? You’re entitled to it. Do you see the danger in this? When your head gets so full of your own desires and self-declared “needs,” your vision becomes so narrow that you miss the point of your life: to live for God, and not for yourself.
And this will inevitably lead to the second production of pride: avoidance. The psalmist says that “in the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him.” This is actually very logical. How can someone who is so focused on themselves ever make time for God? There is great application here for us, a caution against seeing our time as primarily ours. Think about the measure of your day. Is there time for seeking God in it? Do you have a regular, daily time of prayer and reading the Word? If you honestly assess your life, what do you spend time on? What is the first thought and desire when you get out of bed? Be careful to not allow self-absorption to turn into a drastic lack of seeking God. Our tendency to rely on ourselves for purpose, strength, success, and control in our lives ironically keeps us from depending on the One who knows exactly what we need. Do not allow your nose of self-interests and self-desires to become so big you can’t bow your face to the ground in worship of God!
If not stopped, ongoing pride may lead to this last devastating effect in our lives: abandonment. Notice the thought life of the person described in this psalm: “all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’” This is no longer a casual “I forgot about God” due to becoming so focused on ourselves; this is an outright rebellion against Him because we believe in our own power and self-direction. In reality, this is like the very first sin of the Garden: throwing off God’s authority and Word in exchange for becoming wise in our own eyes. This is subtle; it doesn’t happen in one day. Rather, continued avoidance of seeking God due to focusing on our own dreams and desires will slowly produce in us an apathy towards the things of God, and, in turn, will cause us to no longer sense our need for Him. Why trust God for my needs when I can do it myself? Why pray when I have so much to do? Most of us will not readily admit to having such blatant thoughts, but isn’t this the underlying current of our lives when we don’t seek Him?
In application, let us be careful to avoid the pitfalls of pride today. Instead, let’s heed the words of our humble Savior who strongly reminds us: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24).
Or, as the psalmist would put it, don’t have such a big nose.
Over time, discovering someone’s true character will either create trust or distrust in a relationship. For instance, a healthy marriage is built on years of trust demonstrated by loyalty, fidelity, and kindness to one another. As soon as one of these is broken by an act of selfishness or lust, trust is decimated.
This principle holds true in our relationship with God—except we are the only ones whose character needs improvement. Have you ever thought of this? God’s character is perfect. He is perfectly good, trustworthy, loving, kind, just, patient, and faithful. David phrases it this way: those who know your name put their trust in you. In other words, the more you know who God is for you in Jesus Christ, the more you should trust Him.
There is an old song that says “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, and to take him at his word” Now how could the hymnist write this line? Because she knows the character of her God. How can you ever take someone at his word if you do not first trust where he will lead you? Oh! The good news is that our God will always lead us into His goodness and mercy; in fact, they follow after us! (Ps 23:6) There is nothing sweeter than to trust in the One who pursued us “while we were enemies” (Rm 5:10). ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus today!
I love the other reason David gives for why he has put his trust in God: for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. Note how the LORD is in all-caps: this stands for Yahweh, God’s covenant name with Israel. Anytime God’s name is mentioned in this way, it should remind us of His never-ceasing, faithful, irrevocable, covenant love for His people. David understands this when he declares Yahweh has not forsaken His people.
Hear this today beloved: if you are in Jesus Christ, if you have trusted in His sweet, precious name, then your God will never forsake you. Like a good Shepherd keeps the sheep within his pen at all times, there will never be a moment your God lets you slip out of His sight. Though at times you may feel lost at sea, the Anchor of God’s grace keeps you steady-bound. And though often your own mind tempts you to despair and doubt these very promises, the Holy Spirit is your everlasting Comforter, always drawing you back toward the true light of Jesus Christ.
Finally, note our responsibility in this verse: Yahweh does not forsake those who seek him. Not that your salvation and assurance is kept by how well you seek God; rather, seeking Yahweh is the posture of someone who truly has experienced God’s grace. Do you have a desire to be with the Lord? Does the thought of simply seeing His face conjure emotions of awe and longing? Oh beloved, how I pray for you to love seeking Jesus. Like searching for a priceless treasure, our souls will not be content until we find Him. We could travel the whole world and see all its beauties but never be satisfied until we have beheld the Son of God. But here is the good news: He is not hidden. Indeed, the light of the world has come; we only need to look into the Word and “behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29).
To end, make these lines of hymnody your prayer to God today, for you know His sweet name, and you have put your trust forever in Him:
Yesterday (5/16/23) I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the Vatican. A place filled with immense history and colossal influence, it is the center of Catholicism and home to the Pope. Millions come here every year to pray, make pilgrimage, or simply admire the architecture and history. In this post, I would like to share my experience in the Vatican as well as offer some interpretive thoughts as a Protestant visiting this historic place.
To be clear upfront, I am unashamedly a Protestant, Evangelical Christian. By that classification, I align with the Reformers of the 1500’s and 1600’s such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Martin Bucer. These men spent their lives defending and promoting central evangelical doctrines such as “justification by faith alone” and “sola scriptura.” Not only would the Reformers argue that these doctrines are biblical—and central to understanding the true gospel—but they would also say that central Catholic doctrines (e.g., transubstantiation, prayers to the saints, salvation infused by sacraments) are unbiblical and, in reality, detrimental to the essential elements of the gospel. I will get into these issues as I walk through my experience, but suffice it to say, as a Protestant, I did not come into the Vatican as a neutral observer (in fact, no one does).
The Walkthrough
The Vatican itself is its own country within Italy. So when you come upon the domain, you can quickly tell you are near the Vatican when you see the massive brick walls surrounding the entire estate. As we passed by in the car, a line of people wrapped around the walls waiting to enter. Our trip guide had bought us express tickets, so we were fortunate enough to enter right away.
Upon entering the walls, we followed the line of people through security and into the main lobby. On a TV screen videos of the Pope were displayed, showing his most recent visitations. After ascending a huge escalator, we walked out on a massive terrace on which you could see St. Peter’s Basilica in the far distance. The Basilica was clearly the focal point of the first stop, and, as our tour guide explained: “no building in Rome can be built above it.” It was clear from this point that the entire tour would revolve around getting to this building.
On the way there, we traversed through countless rooms full of artifacts, statues, paintings and tapestries—multiple displays to flaunt the history and decadence of the Roman Church. The ceilings were ornate, filled with paintings and depictions of various events throughout the Bible or saints in the Church (see photo below). The whole time the line of people never died down (and this was supposedly a slow day).
Finally we arrived at the famous counterpart to St. Peter’s Basilica: the Sistine Chapel. We were not allowed to take pictures while in the Chapel as it is a “holy place,” nor were we supposed to talk. However, at one point the crowd got so loud that an official had to speak over the intercom: “Silencio…Silence…No pictures…”
On the ceiling and walls of the Chapel Michaelangelo’s famous paintings served as the central attraction drawing everyone’s eyes. “The Last Judgment” and “The Creation of Adam” are the two most famous pieces. Apparently, the Pope forced Michaelangelo to paint against his wishes, for Michaelangelo neither favored nor appreciated the power and prestige of the Roman Pontiff.
St. Peter’s Basilica
Upon exiting the Sistine Chapel, we were led through several flights of stairs downward to an outside exit. As soon as we turned right, the grand Basilica appeared. Ornate and decorated with statues of saints on top, this Basilica is the central focus point of the entire Catholic Church.
Once we entered we immediately noticed the beauty of the architecture, mosaic tiles, and expressive statues. I will let the pictures do the speaking and make small comments along the way.
The golden ceilings captivated our attention and demanded that our gaze be lifted upwards, symbolic of the beauty of heaven.
These Baroquean pillars are supposedly built directly on top of the Apostle Peter’s tomb after he was crucified upside-down by Emperor Nero in the AD 60’s. (Whether or not this is the real burial place of Peter is speculative). From here, the Pope also administers the Mass—and he is the only one who is allowed to do so from this spot.
Another view of Peter’s “tomb”
This is the main altar where they still hold Mass every afternoon at 5pm. Any priest can administer the Mass from here (and anyone can observe from behind the seats). One thing to notice about this area is the golden window in the middle (where the dove is, representing the Holy Spirit). Also take note of the statues of the saints on the left and right walls.
Saints like “Saint Veronica” line the walls of the Basilica. Apparently this is the woman who put the “shroud of Turin” around Jesus’ face when he was buried. (Again, whether this is true or not is speculative). For this action she is exonerated as a saint.
Though it looks plain, this was perhaps the most fascinating part of the Basilica. This wall is only used once every 50 years on the “Jubilee.” On this year, the Pope takes a hammer and breaks the wall down. Millions of pilgrims come to have all of their sins forgiven by taking the Mass and doing confession. This is called a plenary indulgence, as opposed to a regular indulgence, which only washes away the sins confessed in the moment. Therefore, this is one way in which Catholics believe they can have all of their sins forgiven—by the Pope on the Jubilee year. Last Jubilee, ~57 million people came to the Basilica.
This is a confession booth where one can speak with a priest and have their sins forgiven.
A Protestant Interpretation
There is no doubt that the Vatican is one of the most beautiful, historic, and renowned places in all the earth. However, as I walked through, I couldn’t help but be sad at how hidden the true gospel of Jesus Christ is from everyone who enters and leaves. And while the Basilica is a beautiful building on the inside, the gospel is obscured much like a thick layer of clouds darkens the sun. In fact, I am afraid that anyone who comes in wishing to meet God is actually met with an outward appearance of true religion masquerading under the guise of works and idol worship. Why do I say this? Well, somewhat ironically, I will use Paul’s letter to the Roman church to show why.
When Paul wrote to the Roman church, he declared that the “gospel is the power of salvation for everyone who believes…for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, ‘the righteous shall live by faith’” (Rm 1:16-17). And when Martin Luther, 1500 years after Paul, “rediscovered” the doctrine of “justification by faith alone” after it had been obscured under the dark cloud of sacramental theology, he found the essence of the gospel depended on one phrase: “the righteousness of God.”
The Problem with the Mass
For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church taught that the sacraments (of which there are 7) literally “infused” grace into one’s soul much like a medicinal vaccine infuses protection into one’s body. In this view, the Mass is central. The priest (ordained by God) is the only able to administer this “grace” to the masses. If one does not take Mass, he or she will not take injections of “grace,” and therefore will be damned. Thus, to be “righteous,” one must participate in the sacraments according to the Roman Catholic understanding.
More than this, the Roman Catholic Church (both in Luther’s time and still today) believes that the elements of the Mass (the bread and wine), literally become the body and blood, respectively, of Jesus Christ. In this sense, it makes it all the more important to partake of the Mass, for if you do not, you do not have “any part” with Jesus, who becomes the bread and wine.
So why is this problematic? When the Pope stands upon Peter’s tomb and administers the Mass, what is the big deal? Is he not just doing what Jesus said to do, to “remember” him? Well no, because it all comes back to Luther’s understanding of the “righteousness of God.”
Before Luther had his breakthrough with Romans 1:17, he struggled for years to believe he was “good enough” (righteous) before a holy God. For him, the “righteousness of God” meant God’s right justice and wrath against sinners like him. Thought he participated in the sacraments and had this temporary, “infused” grace, he never felt secure in his salvation. For him (and for millions today), the Catholic Church taught that to be “saved,” or “justified,” you must keep up your good standing as a Catholic.
Yet this is directly contradictory to what the Bible teaches. In fact, as I walked through the Vatican, I noticed how little Bible there actually was. Instead, the Basilica relied on images, statues, and the Mass to tell me what the “gospel” was—if there even was one. In the Roman building, sadly, there was a clear lack of the book of Romans, which contains the clearest presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ for sinners in need of salvation. The place where Paul longed to go those 2,000 years ago to preach the gospel now promotes a false one, one of which Paul would be appalled. Read the following verses from Romans to understand how one is “justified,” or saved, according to God’s Word:
“There is no one righteous, not even one” -Rm 3:10
“For no one will be justified in [God’s] sight by the works of the law” -Rm 3:20
“The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe…For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ” -Rm 3:22-24
“God presented [Jesus] to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be righteous and declare righteous (justify) the one who has faith in Jesus.” -Rm 3:26
So how is one “made righteous,” or “justified,” according to Paul? The answer lies in one phrase: faithin Jesus Christ. This was Luther’s breakthrough. After spending years in turmoil in the Roman Catholic Church trying to prove his own righteousness before God, he realized that he was never meant to berighteous himself. No, the answer has always been “faith in Jesus Christ,” who was put forward as an “atoning sacrifice” to wash away all our sin. In this way, God is righteous because Jesus paid for our sin, but He is also able to declare us as righteous because Jesus gave us his perfect account. So when one places his faith in Jesus’ work alone, God declares that sinner justified, or made right, before Him. This is the evangelical gospel, as opposed to the “infusion” of grace in the Mass which the Roman Church promotes today.
The Problem with the Pope, Saints & Mary
As if the central question of justiciation was not enough, the Catholic Church further obscures the gospel by their elevation (can I say worship?) of the Pope, Saints, and Mary.
The Catholic Church believes that the papacy is in direct succession to the Apostle Peter, who was apparently the first “bishop” of Rome in the early church. Because Peter was the “apostle of apostles” and the church’s foundation, the bishop of Rome is therefore the most important position in the church. Once the Roman Empire fell, the Church filled the vacancy of power by elevating the bishop of Rome to the title of “pope,” or “father.” Since then, this one man has received prestige, power, and position far superior to any other person on earth. And this has not come without consequence.
For instance, scroll back up to the picture of that door. Once every 50 years, the Pope breaks down this door to allow pilgrims to come into the Basilica and receive a plenary indulgence whereby ALL of their sins can be forgiven at his word. Does this sound strange? If one reads their Bible it should, for Paul tells Timothy there is only “one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tm 2:5-6). In other words, a sinner does not need to have a priest, pope, Mary or any other saint to forgive his sins; he only needs Jesus, who “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). We don’t need a pope to break down a door every 50 years to open up salvation; the door is Jesus Christ himself, who became sin for us, that we might become righteous before God. If one simply and humbly comes to God (who is the only one who can forgive sins), and looks to Jesus, who became the sacrifice for our sins on the cross, he or she can have assurance of forgiveness.
So here is the central problem with the pope, Mary, and all the other saints: they take the place of Jesus. If Romans 3:10 is true when it says “there is no one righteous,” then no man or woman (whether they are called a pope or saint) can be a mediator between God and sinners. Only Jesus, who is truly God and truly man, can save sinners. Let us go back to Paul’s words to the Romans: “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Rm 5:1-2)
How does one obtain access to God in this verse? Not through the pope or a priest, or the intercession of the saints, but only by faith in Jesus. If you have been declared righteous by God through faith in Jesus, you have full access to God the Father. And this is good news.
If You Visit the Vatican…
To conclude, I said at the beginning of the post that visiting the Vatican was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” This is certainly true for the travel experience. The buildings are beautiful and the architecture is awe-inspiring. But for anyone seeking God, you don’t need to have this experience. You only need to visit Jesus, who is Himself more beautiful than a Basilica and more powerful than a pope. He says “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28). He also says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). And for final assurance, He declares “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45).
I certainly am grateful for my visit to the Vatican, but walking through, I couldn’t help but think about all the people who walked through—people in need of grace and salvation just like me—who will never see the true gospel of Jesus Christ…and for that I am grieved.
The elements in this verse should serve as frequent prayers for those who love the Lord. We will explore three ways to pray like David:
First, we should pray: let the evil of the wicked come to an end. In the Hebrew the request is more emphatic: “please let it cease!” David’s enemies were close around his neck; at any point those who disregarded God might have their way with his life. While we may never cross such direct evil or threats against our lives, there has always existed in man’s hearts a rebellion against those who seek after the Lord. Christ himself was no stranger to this evil. But what did he do in the face of his persecutors, the ones who sent him to the cross? He “did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten” (1 Pt 2:23). Are you tempted to enact revenge for yourself today? Like David you must entrust the evil in the world to the justice of God: Oh Lord, only You can make it cease once for all! But please, we pray, Your kingdom come!
Second, we should pray: God, may you establish the righteous! For David, righteousness meant a heart which sought the Lord and kept its way blameless—not necessarily perfect, but nonetheless sincere. Such an attitude of God-seekers can be found in Psalm 27:4: “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life…” Oh, how this prayer should be ours! God, establish in me a heart purely devoted to pursuing you. Keep me blameless in my love; rid my heart of any blemish which threatens a sincere and pure devotion to Christ! And when we fail in this regard, as those who stand on the other side of the cross and empty tomb, we trust that Christ’s perfect life has been accounted to us as righteousness. Oh God, establish more of your people who will seek and honor you in righteousness!
Lastly, we should pray for God to test our minds and hearts. This dual phrase “mind and heart” means the deepest parts of our being, the places where no one else can go but God. Therefore praying this last prayer will truly discern whether we are in the first category (the wicked), or the second (the righteous). To ask God to search your heart is indeed a frightful prayer—who knows what will be exposed? But it is necessary, for those who truly love Christ cannot stand their own sin; they need it exposed and eradicated by the cleansing power of the blood. Praise God the fountain is open and flowing full of grace!
Sadly, the wicked alway seek to hide their sin as one who obscures his deeds in the late hours of the night. As Paul says, “it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret” (Eph 5:11). Oh reader, please hear! God cannot be fooled. Either we run to the cross, bringing our darkness to light, knowing our sin separates us from a loving God yet Christ reconciles us; or we attempt to conceal it, standing under the judgment of a righteous God, avoiding the piercing eye of our Creator who calls all to account for everything said and done. Please do not be the latter. If there is sin in your heart today, let it be exposed.
I assure you, if you confess your sin, he is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 Jn 1:9).
Paul makes a pastoral appeal to the church in Corinth to make room in their hearts for him. Sometimes the deceitfulness of sin can harden us away from a brother or sister who truly loves us in the Lord and desires to hold us accountable. Let us not be like the Corinthians! Make room in your heart for the work of grace God wants to do in you! If you are enjoying my content, please subscribe, share, like or leave a comment! It really goes a long way for supporting a small content creator!
