Defensive People Are Prideful

Introduction: Is Defensiveness a Sin?

Mack Tomlinson explores the crucial question: Is defensiveness a sin? Defensiveness, often stemming from pride, reveals immaturity in our spiritual walk. As Christians, we must confront this behavior to grow in humility and Christlikeness. Recognizing how defensiveness affects our relationships, hinders our spiritual growth, and keeps us from the example of Christ is essential to living out our faith authentically.

Why Defensiveness Points to Sin

Defensiveness often reveals a sinful heart condition. It manifests when:

• We reject correction from others, showing prideful self-reliance and a lack of humility.
• We refuse to admit wrongdoing, exposing an unteachable spirit that resists God’s sanctification.
• We respond with touchiness or anger when others challenge us, revealing prideful resistance to growth.

The Bible teaches us to be humble, approachable, and teachable. Defensiveness, rooted in pride, works against these virtues, hindering both our spiritual maturity and our relationships with others in the body of Christ.

How to Respond When Confronted

When a fellow believer, pastor, or elder offers correction, our response reveals much about our spiritual state. Instead of reacting defensively:

• Listen carefully and seek to understand their concerns with a calm and open spirit.
• Humbly thank them for their input and reflect prayerfully on their words before the Lord.
• Consider whether their feedback aligns with God’s call for growth in your life and seek His guidance.

Choosing humility over defensiveness demonstrates spiritual maturity and a heart aligned with God’s will. By responding this way, we also strengthen the bond of unity within the church and allow God to use others to refine us.

The Call to Humility

Is defensiveness a sin? Tomlinson points out that Jesus never displayed defensiveness, even when challenged or mistreated. He calls us to put aside our pride, die to self daily, and find all our defense in Him. True humility means being open to correction, trusting God to refine us through His Word and the body of Christ, and rejecting the natural tendency to justify or protect ourselves.

Defensiveness is ingrained in human nature, but as believers, we are called to rise above it. By imitating Christ and trusting Him as our ultimate defense, we can experience spiritual growth, peace, and deeper relationships with our brothers and sisters in the faith.