WORD STUDY

The Greek word hupselos appears 11 times in the pages of the NT writings. Luke 16:15 renders it "that which is highly esteemed." It refers here to an extremely high estimation of one's self, far exceeding "good self-esteem." Paul writes, "I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think" (Romans 12:3).

The Greek word phroneo has already been discussed in #17 of this series. On two different occasions Paul combines these two Greek words -- hupselophroneo -- Romans 11:20 and I Timothy 6:17. It means "high-minded, conceited, overly proud, haughty."

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

"And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not!" -- Jeremiah 45:5

COMMENTARY

"Where every man is eagerly seeking to force himself in front of his neighbor, any community will become a struggling mob" (Maclaren, p. 291).

"We are to avoid all pride and all snobbishness" (Barclay, p. 183).

"Nothing tends more to break that unity which has been mentioned, than when we elevate ourselves, and aspire to something higher, so that we may rise to a higher situation. Here then is condemned all ambition and that elation of mind which insinuates itself under the name of magnanimity" (Calvin, p. 470).

"....having its immediate application to that form of conceit which allows petty little human arrangements of a 'pecking order' among the sacred fellowship of the redeemed as the basis upon which some associations are cultivated, and others neglected" (Coffman, p. 439).

"Warns against the vanity that is the basis of snobbery" (Layman's, p. 1411).

"Set not your heart on high places, high life, high company; for much of these are hollow and insincere" (Lard, p. 392-93).

"Paul stresses the necessity of rejecting the temptation to think high thoughts about oneself, as though one were a superior breed of Christian, and of coming down off the perch of isolation and mingling with" others (Expos. Comm., p. 134).

"Selfish ambition in the church is fatal to perfect mutual consideration" (Expos. Greek, p. 693).

"The attachment to high things and high men is the vice of little, shallow minds. However, it argues one important fact, that such persons are conscious that they are of no worth and of no consequence in themselves!" (Clarke, p. 141).

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