An Enviousness Feeling

Welcome back to “Sins of the World!” I’ve been taking a deeper dive into the words of Galatians 5:19-21 to talk about what we need to avoid and how these acts can lead us towards the Fruits of the Spirit. In Part 12, we looked at divisions/factions, which Paul defined as a distinct choice that organizes around a distinctive viewpoint. We look at the different factions that existed during the time of the Corinth church, such as the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Landing in 1 Corinthians 11:19, we talked about the importance of overcoming conflict with humility, and obedience, and perseverance. If we allow our stressors and trials to take over our lives, we can become hard-hearted, When we learn to endure and work through these events, we can stay focused on unity and community.

In Part 13, we’re looking at envy. I’ve often heard this compared to jealousy, but is there an a difference? How can envy impact our relationships and community?

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What does envy look like to you? How does envy impact your life and relationships?

Envy Breeds Resentment

The word that Paul uses to describe envy is phthonos (FTHO-nos). Envy is described as the resentful longing that another person should not possess a good which ones desires for oneself. This comes from discontentment and distorted self-love. This word shows up in the New Testament 9 times:

• Twice when referring to the motive behind giving Jesus over to Pilate (Matt 27:18; Mark 15:10)
• Four times to warn churches not to hold on to envy (Rom 1:29; 1 Cor 1:15, 1 Tim 6:4; 1 Pet 2:1)
• Twice it’s listed as a work of the flesh (Gal 5:21; Tit 3:3)
• Once when Jesus contrasts human envy with a godly yearning of the Holy Spirit (James 4:5)

The commonality amongst them is that envy is negative and goes against the fruit of the Spirit and Christ’s love.

For the context of Galatians, we learn that envy is a fruit of a fallen life, an emotion that breaks up relationships, and can disqualify us from understanding God’s kingdom life. Early Christians believed envy to be a “gateway sin” – meaning that envy can lead to a lot more sinful behaviors.

For us, we must work to create moments of gratitude so that we can displace envy. Gratitude replaces envy by recognizing God’s generosity. We can also pray for the blessings for those we envied. All people are welcomed to the blessings and prosperity that God provides through His love. We are all family members in God’s kingdom. This can help us remove any insecurity that we have against each others through how we compare ourselves. We should also be transparent with each other. Confession and accountability allow envy to be exposed and healed within the body.

Envy creates a barrier towards a relationship with others, believing that others don’t deserve something based purely off your own perceptions, beliefs, and standards. However, this is a man-made barrier, for we are not called to judge or determine who gets what. God calls us to extend gratitude to all people, love towards all people, and to live a spirit-filled life that celebrates when God’s love and blessing are given to others. Not often do we get to see that in our individualistic-centered society, where we often try and do everything ourselves and focus on our own gain over the potential gain of those around us. Instead of lifting others up, a lot of people are quick to cut others down because of envy and the belief that they “don’t deserve it.” Regardless on if they do or not, it’s not our role to disrepect someone as a result. As we’ve talked about, the goal of all things is reconciliation. Correction comes through that process, and that correction is done through intentional listening, love, and concern. After that, it’s out of our hands. If positive changes are made, then great, we can move ahead. If no changes or negative changes are made, then we may unfortunately have to cut ties with that person, and then move ahead. It doesn’t meant that ignore them or treat them as if they don’t exist, but it means that while we may not have a relationship – we still treat them with love and respect.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Did any interactions with others come to mind while reading this? Where did envy show up? How did that interaction end?

God’s Envy Comes Out

Let’s go check out the words of James 4:5 to see how the early church handled envy:

AMP – Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose that the [human] spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy?

NRSVUE – Or do you suppose that the scripture speaks to no purpose? Does the spirit that God caused to dwell in us us desire envy?

VOICE – Do you think it is empty rhetoric when the Scriptures say, “The spirit that lives in us is addicted to envy and jealousy?”

The Bible is our witness to God’s will and the ministry of Christ, and it’s not just stories or full of empty meaning. James is leaning into the understanding that God requires complete loyalty from His followers. God has given us the Holy Spirit through the new covenant made through Christ, which fulfills a promise He made to us. God promised to give us a new heart and put His Spirit within us. The Spirit within us is the identifier that shows that we are God’s children and not a product of our fallen world. The Holy Spirit wants us to follow its commands at all times. God’s jealousy is holy and relational (think of the faithful love of one spouse to another). God’s not going to split how we follow Him.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What do you think of envy in this context? To say that God is envious when we split our allegiance towards him. What does it mean to you that God is envious when we split our focus away from Him and on to something else?

Envy Splits Us

Envy can lead to conflict and division. The more we talk about envy, the more we can grow and the more our community can thrive. We truly see envy show up in all types of social situations. Social media shows us the highlights of people’s life, but we can become so jealous about those moments. New jobs, new relationships, new homes, new cars, new opportunities, and everything in between makes us envious of them and makes us destroy our own self-esteem. These moments can make us question where we are in life, asking, “Why am I not where they are? Why do they get to celebrate these moments and I can’t?” This then leads us to start going down a spiral of thinking about the worst of them, “Well they cheated in their last relationship. Well they manipulated my boss to get the promotion. Well they…” That spiral continues as if you are the one to judge and decree whether or not they deserve all those moments. The point of it all is that we aren’t there to judge.

We are there to love. We are there to lift up. We are there treat each other in the way that God treats us. Envy doesn’t provide care, but pushes forward status. Envy doesn’t provide love, but division. Envy does treat us equally, but seeks retaliation. Envy doesn’t provide us a healthy future. Our goal should be to love all people, including those we may have issues with. We can also work towards conversations about how to correct those that may have achieved things in a way that doesn’t align with God. It doesn’t meant hat we have to change them. We bring these concerns up with love, listen to their perspective, and offer guidance and wisdom, and leave things be. If they take the change, great. If they don’t, then they don’t.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: When envy shows, how do you correct it? How can you find gratitude and contentment in what you have when you feel envious of others?

Fixing Envy at It’s Core

One thing I found interesting is that the VOICE translation quotes Genesis 6:5. Let’s dig into this:

AMP – The Lord saw that the wickedness [depravity] of man was great on earth, and that every imagination or intent of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually.

NRSVUE – The Lord saw that the wickedness of humans was great in the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.

VOICE – The Eternal One saw that wickedness was rampaging throughout the earth and that evil had become the first thought on every mind, the constant purpose every person.

God knew what human’s were like, for nothing was hidden from Him. Human rebellion infected all parts of the world. Sin was destroying humanity right before His eyes. Violence and corruption filled the world, and God brought about judgment. God’s judgment wasn’t just because of the external actions of humanity, but the inner reasons of why evil and corruption existed. Humanity needed a true cleansing and a new heart, which leads us to understand Christ’s salvation work, which delivers us from sin’s rule.

Envy destroys society. When God teaches us to be a servant-minded person, looking out for the best of others and fulfilling the needs of our neighbor, envy keeps our focus on us and gives judgment over to our neighbor. We need to be aware that God calls us believers to love Him and our neighbor. When we find ourselves straying away from that ideal, we need to check-in and reflect. What’s driving our envy? Where is that wound coming from? God’s grace and mercy can cover that, heal us, and give us the strength to go forward. It starts with us. Communities get stronger when we start to reflect on ourselves and make ourselves stronger.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What can you do to better yourself when it comes to envy to help benefit your relationships?