One of the great obstacles to genuine Christian community is pride.
We certainly see this with the Pharisees in the gospel accounts.
The Pharisees’ self-‐righteousness makes them sectarian and divisive forces within Israel.
The same kind of pride can rear its ugly head in the church today. For example, when Christians make too big a deal out of secondary “lifestyle” choices, it is easy to become arrogant, looking down on others who are not so “enlightened” and have made a different choice. The same can happen with spiritual gifts or doctrinal knowledge. Many of the things we are tempted to take pride in may be good things in themselves, but they must be possessed and used in the right way.