On Envy and Jealousy
Because it is our responsibility to rebuke those inside the church who are practicing sin, this is my rebuke to the envious and divisive (1Tim. 5:20; 1Cor. 5:11-13; Jud. 1:19).
Those Who Malign Others Are Projecting Their Own Insecurities and Limitations Upon Those They Envy
If you pay close attention, your adversaries will reveal their deepest fears cloaked in their arrogance. When they puff out their chest and boast, it's not confidence—It's a façade of superiority borne from their own insecurities, and by comparing themselves to others, they reveal whom they envy. This bravado is a defense mechanism, a desperate attempt to conceal their vulnerabilities. In truth, they are laying bare their weaknesses for all to see. I've yet to encounter a truly secure individual who feels the need to act in such a manner; as intelligence grows, so too does humility, and those who speak ill of others are merely projecting their own insecurities and limitations onto those they envy. As Seneca (1889) vividly illustrates in his Minor Dialogues, De Tranquillitate Animi (On the Tranquility of the Mind):
hence comes the State of Mind of those who loathe their idleness, complain that they have nothing to do, and view the progress of others with the bitterest jealousy: for an unhappy sloth favours the growth of envy, and those who cannot succeed themselves wish everyone else to be ruined (p. 257).
For both the Christian and the stoic, materialism has never been success. True success is not advertised; it speaks for itself in the form of aretē or moral excellence (see Phil. 4:8; 1Pe. 2:9; 2Pe. 1:3,5). For the Christian it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (John 15:4-5; Gal. 5:22-23). Success is the visable change in the life of the believer—the fruits of the faith—by the power and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. True success is not envious, not drunk, and not divisive. No one practicing these things will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, no matter how blind, dead, alone, or destitute their faith may be.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God! — Galatians 5:19-21 NET
Further, heed Paul’s counsel in Philippians and learn from Peter’s exchange with Jesus in John; for what business is it of yours what Christ does in the lives of others unless it is to support them? As the Apostles articulate:
Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me” (New Living Translation, 2015, John 21:21–22).
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves (New Living Translation, 2015, Phil. 2:3).
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus (New Living Translation, 2015, 1Thes. 5:18).
For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. (NET Bible: Full Notes Edition, 2015, James 3:16).
He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy (New Living Translation, 2015, Matt. 27:18).
- NET Bible: Full Notes Edition. Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C., 2019.
- New Living Translation. (2015). Tyndale House Publishers.
- Seneca, L. A. (1889). Minor dialogues together with the dialogue on Clemency (A. Stewart, Trans.). George Bell and Sons. (Original work published AD 62)
Fraternitatis Aeternae, Ordo Luminis.