Does being right make you arrogant?

This morning as my Bible Study group got to Hebrews 11, we came to a very famous bit of Scripture. This has been called "The Hall of Faith" in the Bible.

This is a laundry list of people, who at some point in their lives chose to follow God’s way faithfully instead of what made sense to everyone else. Despite everyone screaming at them in the rough waters of life, like John Candy in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles "You are going the wrong way," they continue to listen to the voice of God.

The author closes out this "Hall of Faith" by answering the big question, So what made these people so great? Why should I care about them? "And all these [faithful ones in Hebrews 11], having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect." (NASB)

The point in their being right is that God fulfilled His will, not that we can look back in history and say "nanana booboo." He allowed those people to do that to accomplish His higher plan in providing Christ. Remember Moses, whom the Jews highly revered failed God and proved himself to by imperfect. Even in that fact, perfection points to Jesus.

Here’s where it relates to my students. There are smart people at school who hate to be wrong. In fact, they are so arrogant that they don’t care if they are right or wrong, so long as they are viewed as being right. Despite the sign that reads "keep right" they veer to the left to follow the path because that seems to make sense to them. And here’s the deal that is deadly, some will be willing to have faith and hope in "what makes sense" all the way until their death. (This morning we talked about those who put their hope in the flawed science of evolution. Despite basic laws of science which make the theory impossible to be more than a theory, many have put their faith and hope in it.) Their hope and trust is in what they can see and observe. They accuse people who are correct of being arrogant out of their vanity. They’d rather save face and be separated from God in their arrogance to remain "right in their eyes" than admit they could be wrong.

But where is their faith? It is in what is seen and observed from their eyes. They call us arrogant when in fact it is through their arrogance that they are blind.