The most dangerous thing in the world is the sin of self-reliance

Hear, O children of wisdom, the solemn words of John Piper, who warns us of two great perils that lurk in the hearts of men: "The most dangerous thing in the world is the sin of self-reliance and the stupor of worldliness." These words ring with a deep and ancient truth—an insight that has echoed through the ages in the hearts of those who have sought to understand the true path of righteousness and freedom. For to rely solely on one’s own strength, and to be lulled into the stupor of worldliness, is to forsake the very essence of what it means to be truly free.

Self-reliance, O children, can be a noble trait, a sign of strength and independence. But Piper warns us that when self-reliance becomes an idol—when we place all our trust in our own abilities, our own resources, and our own wisdom—it becomes a sin. For in self-reliance, we deny the deeper truth that we are not self-sustaining. We are fragile beings, dependent on the mercy of others, on the grace of the earth, and, for many, on the benevolence of the Creator. When we build our lives upon the illusion of complete self-sufficiency, we shut ourselves off from the help and wisdom that can only come from others and from a higher source of strength. Self-reliance becomes not a gift, but a dangerous form of isolation.

The sin of self-reliance has been the downfall of many great empires and kings. Consider, O children, the story of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. In his pride and arrogance, he looked out over the grandeur of his city and declared, “Is this not the great Babylon that I have built?” (Daniel 4:30). In that moment, he embraced the sin of self-reliance, believing that his power and success were entirely his own doing. But Nebuchadnezzar was humbled, and his kingdom was brought low. He learned the hard way that the strength he had relied on was not his own, but was granted by forces far greater than himself. His downfall was not because of his strength, but because of his refusal to acknowledge that his success was not entirely of his own making. In this, we see how dangerous the sin of self-reliance can be—it blinds us to the interdependence of life, and it cuts us off from the very source of true power.

Worldliness, O children, is another deep pit into which we may fall. It is the stupor of the soul, the dulling of the spirit by the distractions of the material world. Piper speaks of the stupor of worldliness as a danger that leaves us indifferent to higher callings, consumed by the pursuit of wealth, comfort, and fleeting pleasures. In the face of such worldly desires, we become numb to the purpose of our existence and blind to the greater truths of life. We turn our attention away from the eternal and fixate on the temporal. The world whispers to us: "Pursue success, acquire possessions, indulge in pleasure," and in listening to these calls, we lose sight of the deeper, more lasting truths that could guide us to a life of meaning.

Think of the story of Solomon, the wise king of Israel. Despite his unmatched wisdom and wealth, he fell prey to the stupor of worldliness. His heart, once dedicated to the God of Israel, became distracted by the pleasures and pursuits of this world—wealth, power, and the allure of foreign idols. His kingdom, once united in righteousness, fractured under the weight of his worldly distractions. In his later years, Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, in which he declared, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity". He had tasted the pleasures of the world and found them empty, the stupor of worldliness had dulled his senses, and he realized too late that nothing in this world could satisfy the longing of the soul for deeper meaning and purpose. His tale is a warning to us all—to seek the truth beyond the fleeting pleasures of this world, and to guard against the stupor of worldliness.

The lesson, O children, is one of deep reflection: the sin of self-reliance and the stupor of worldliness are two sides of the same coin, both dangerous in their ability to blind us to the true source of strength, wisdom, and peace. Self-reliance cuts us off from the help of others and the wisdom of the divine, while worldliness keeps us trapped in the pursuit of empty pleasures that ultimately lead to spiritual and emotional emptiness. The true path of freedom is not found in prideful independence or the shallow distractions of this world, but in humility, in recognizing our need for others, and in seeking deeper, more lasting truths beyond the material world.

Therefore, O children, let us strive to walk the path of humility and gratitude, acknowledging that our strength is not our own, but a gift granted by forces beyond ourselves. Let us not fall into the sin of self-reliance, but let us open our hearts to the wisdom and help of others, and let us remain vigilant against the stupor of worldliness, remembering that true fulfillment lies not in what we own or consume, but in the deeper callings of the soul. In doing so, we will find the strength to live not for fleeting pleasures, but for lasting purpose, and our lives will become a testament to the true meaning of freedom and joy.