Anthony Pritchard
Well-Known Member
To Be Somewhat: The Problem of Self‑Elevation
Opening Introduction
There is a danger that all humanity faces, and it is especially pressing for the Lord’s own children: pride. Scripture does not treat this danger lightly, nor does it reserve its warnings for the obviously arrogant. Paul speaks of a certain kind of man “who seemed to be somewhat” (Galatians 2:6), a man who carries himself with an inward elevation, a quiet assumption of importance. But Paul’s words cut through every illusion of superiority: “whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person.” I write this not as one standing above the error, but as one who knows its pull, has felt its sting, and has needed the same humbling grace of God. Pride is not merely the sin of others; it is the temptation common to man, and I am not exempt from it. I use the term “man” in the sense of mankind.
Main Article
With that foundation laid, we can now turn to the substance of the matter itself, what Scripture means when it speaks of those who “seem to be somewhat,” and why this danger reaches every one of us.
Scripture describes this inward elevation with precision. There is a certain kind of person who “seems to be somewhat,” who carries himself with a sense of importance, who quietly assumes a place above others. It is not always loud. It is not always dramatic. Sometimes it is subtle, refined, and religious. But the root is always the same: self‑elevation. Men may elevate themselves, but God does not. Men may think themselves to be something, but God does not. Men may carry themselves as indispensable, authoritative, or spiritually superior, but God is unmoved by their self‑presentation.
This danger is not limited to a few personalities. It is not confined to certain temperaments. It is not restricted to the proud men we easily recognize. Scripture tells us plainly that this temptation is “common to man.” Every man is vulnerable to it. Every man can fall into it. Every man must be rescued from it. And the rescue is not found in discipline or vigilance or self‑awareness. It is found in the two words that anchor 1 Corinthians 10:13: “but God.”
Self‑elevation begins with a lie a man tells himself. Galatians 6:3 gives the definition: “If a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” Pride is not merely arrogance; it is deception. It is a man believing something about himself that is not true. It is a man lifting himself above others in his own mind. It is a man assigning himself a place God has not given him.
This inward elevation expresses itself in two primary ways. Some men elevate themselves by controlling others. They seek preeminence, influence, and submission. Diotrephes loved to have the preeminence. The Pharisees bound heavy burdens on men’s shoulders. Ezekiel’s shepherds ruled with force and cruelty. Their pride is expressed as dominance, authority, and spiritual control.
Other men elevate themselves by superiority. They want to be the smartest, the most discerning, the most spiritual, the most pious. Scripture calls them “wise in their own conceit.” They do their works to be seen of men. They profess themselves to be wise, and in doing so they become fools. Their pride is expressed as insight, holiness performance, and doctrinal elevation.
There is another expression of this same superiority that must be named plainly, because it often hides beneath religious language. It is the person who attempts to appear super‑holy, pouring out verse after verse, layering speech with thick emotion, shaping every word to sound devout, not to honor God but to be admired by men. Jesus spoke directly of such people: “They do all their works to be seen of men.” Their piety is a performance. Their Scripture‑quoting is a stage. Their emotional display is a tool to maintain a false sense of superiority. They want others to look to them when their eyes should be on the God of those verses. I do not write this as one immune to such temptation, but as one who knows how easily the heart can drift from true humility into the desire to be thought spiritual.
Most people are a mixture of both expressions. The ratios differ, but the root does not. Some blend control with cleverness. Some blend piety with intellectual superiority. Some blend moral elevation with subtle dominance. Some blend doctrinal gatekeeping with spiritual performance. The combinations vary, but the essence is unchanged: self‑elevation.
This is why the problem is so dangerous. Pride is not exotic. It is not rare. It is not something only found in the obviously arrogant. It is common to man. It is the universal temptation to rise above others, either by ruling them or by outshining them. And because it is rooted in self‑deception, a man rarely sees it in himself until God exposes it.
But God does expose it. God resists the proud. God gives grace to the humble. God lifts the man who bows low. God breaks pride without breaking the man. God reveals the lie without destroying the soul. God brings a man down so He may raise him up.
Pride is not an academic topic for me. It is lived. I have seen every flavor of it in others. I have seen every trace of it in myself. I have watched it destroy men, ministries, families, and friendships. I have watched humility restore what pride shattered. I have learned that the only answer is not “but me,” but “but God.”
The problem of self‑elevation is not merely doctrinal. It is personal. It is universal. It is dangerous. And it is one of the edges every man must face. My hope is that this chapter will help a man recognize the lie before it ruins him, and help him see the God who rescues him from himself.
~Tony
© A.K. Pritchard 2026 -
Free to use with proper attribution.
Opening Introduction
There is a danger that all humanity faces, and it is especially pressing for the Lord’s own children: pride. Scripture does not treat this danger lightly, nor does it reserve its warnings for the obviously arrogant. Paul speaks of a certain kind of man “who seemed to be somewhat” (Galatians 2:6), a man who carries himself with an inward elevation, a quiet assumption of importance. But Paul’s words cut through every illusion of superiority: “whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person.” I write this not as one standing above the error, but as one who knows its pull, has felt its sting, and has needed the same humbling grace of God. Pride is not merely the sin of others; it is the temptation common to man, and I am not exempt from it. I use the term “man” in the sense of mankind.
Main Article
With that foundation laid, we can now turn to the substance of the matter itself, what Scripture means when it speaks of those who “seem to be somewhat,” and why this danger reaches every one of us.
Scripture describes this inward elevation with precision. There is a certain kind of person who “seems to be somewhat,” who carries himself with a sense of importance, who quietly assumes a place above others. It is not always loud. It is not always dramatic. Sometimes it is subtle, refined, and religious. But the root is always the same: self‑elevation. Men may elevate themselves, but God does not. Men may think themselves to be something, but God does not. Men may carry themselves as indispensable, authoritative, or spiritually superior, but God is unmoved by their self‑presentation.
This danger is not limited to a few personalities. It is not confined to certain temperaments. It is not restricted to the proud men we easily recognize. Scripture tells us plainly that this temptation is “common to man.” Every man is vulnerable to it. Every man can fall into it. Every man must be rescued from it. And the rescue is not found in discipline or vigilance or self‑awareness. It is found in the two words that anchor 1 Corinthians 10:13: “but God.”
Self‑elevation begins with a lie a man tells himself. Galatians 6:3 gives the definition: “If a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” Pride is not merely arrogance; it is deception. It is a man believing something about himself that is not true. It is a man lifting himself above others in his own mind. It is a man assigning himself a place God has not given him.
This inward elevation expresses itself in two primary ways. Some men elevate themselves by controlling others. They seek preeminence, influence, and submission. Diotrephes loved to have the preeminence. The Pharisees bound heavy burdens on men’s shoulders. Ezekiel’s shepherds ruled with force and cruelty. Their pride is expressed as dominance, authority, and spiritual control.
Other men elevate themselves by superiority. They want to be the smartest, the most discerning, the most spiritual, the most pious. Scripture calls them “wise in their own conceit.” They do their works to be seen of men. They profess themselves to be wise, and in doing so they become fools. Their pride is expressed as insight, holiness performance, and doctrinal elevation.
There is another expression of this same superiority that must be named plainly, because it often hides beneath religious language. It is the person who attempts to appear super‑holy, pouring out verse after verse, layering speech with thick emotion, shaping every word to sound devout, not to honor God but to be admired by men. Jesus spoke directly of such people: “They do all their works to be seen of men.” Their piety is a performance. Their Scripture‑quoting is a stage. Their emotional display is a tool to maintain a false sense of superiority. They want others to look to them when their eyes should be on the God of those verses. I do not write this as one immune to such temptation, but as one who knows how easily the heart can drift from true humility into the desire to be thought spiritual.
Most people are a mixture of both expressions. The ratios differ, but the root does not. Some blend control with cleverness. Some blend piety with intellectual superiority. Some blend moral elevation with subtle dominance. Some blend doctrinal gatekeeping with spiritual performance. The combinations vary, but the essence is unchanged: self‑elevation.
This is why the problem is so dangerous. Pride is not exotic. It is not rare. It is not something only found in the obviously arrogant. It is common to man. It is the universal temptation to rise above others, either by ruling them or by outshining them. And because it is rooted in self‑deception, a man rarely sees it in himself until God exposes it.
But God does expose it. God resists the proud. God gives grace to the humble. God lifts the man who bows low. God breaks pride without breaking the man. God reveals the lie without destroying the soul. God brings a man down so He may raise him up.
Pride is not an academic topic for me. It is lived. I have seen every flavor of it in others. I have seen every trace of it in myself. I have watched it destroy men, ministries, families, and friendships. I have watched humility restore what pride shattered. I have learned that the only answer is not “but me,” but “but God.”
The problem of self‑elevation is not merely doctrinal. It is personal. It is universal. It is dangerous. And it is one of the edges every man must face. My hope is that this chapter will help a man recognize the lie before it ruins him, and help him see the God who rescues him from himself.
~Tony
© A.K. Pritchard 2026 -
Free to use with proper attribution.
