Conceit is a favorable and especially unduly high opinion of one’s own abilities or worth; thinking more of oneself than deserved.
Brief Explanation:
I heard someone say “conceit is a fault, and I have none.” Well, that is probably beyond conceit, and into the land of delusion. Conceit is akin to denial, that is, it is a braggadocios attitude that states “I am better than others, or my problems are less than others.” In fact, there is always someone better, smarter, faster, better looking than us, if only in the eye of the beholder. Thus, conceit is a wrong self-appraisal, and indicated insecurity to the highest degree.
When faced with a person filled with themselves, it is difficult to help them until they are willing to see themselves in light of the word of God. Helping a person accept both strengths and weakness, and our common need for God’s grace is a gift, but one that a truly narcissistic, conceited person is not likely to benefit from.
The Word of God:
Proverbs 16:18, 19
“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.”
1 John 2:16
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”
2 Samuel 18:18
“Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar which is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.
