Unfortunately, sometimes memories of some of our painful experiences in life tend to arouse certain sentiments that do not naturally go away, even as born again Christians.  In our previous post, we realized that when we allow such experiences to trigger sentiments like rage, we give the enemy a foothold on our lives and this must be avoided.

Sad to say, these are all the workings of our old sinful nature and it is up to the believer to deliberately deal with those underlying unpleasant events prayerfully in order to overcome the recurrence of unhealthy sentiments and dispositions.  For indeed the fruit of the Spirit of God in us is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22)

Over the past few weeks, we have been studying the workings of our sinful nature that we need to discard.  These have been detailed out by the Apostle Paul in the book of Galatians. We have already examined the sins of sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, heresies, contentions and outbursts of wrath.  In this post therefore, we will look at the twin sins of jealousy and envy and its repercussions.  Let me once again quote the Scripture in Galatians where all these works of the flesh are outlined.

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  (Gal 5:19-21 NKJV, Emphasis mine)

Envy & Jealousy

Jealousy and envy are said to be twin sins.  “Jealousy” is defined as the state of being unhappy and angry because someone has something that you want. “Envy” is also defined as the feeling that you wish you had something that someone else has. (Cambridge English dictionary).  So a person, who is either jealous or envious, is dissatisfied with his current condition or state of affairs.

Unfortunately, this is an unhealthy sentiment which defiles the person’s heart and state of mind.  What is more, where a person is jealous, this unhealthy sentiment can be so intense that it even leads that person to take a negative action against the object of jealousy even to the point of murder!  This is why we do not have to entertain this sentiment at its onset.

For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing can be found there. (James 3:16-17)

Here again, the Scriptures admonish us to stay clear of these sins and actually provides examples for us of people who fell prey to the sins of jealousy and envy as a kind of caution. Let’s look at the example of Cain. Right at the beginning of the age, we see this sin at play in the life of Cain, the first child of Adam and Eve.  Both Cain and Abel brought an offering to God, but we learn that while God accepted the sacrifice of Abel, that of Cain was rejected. (Genesis 4) Consequently, Cain was very angry and his countenance fell.

Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. (1 Cor 10:11 NKJV)

Cain resented his brother Abel, because the latter was enjoying the favour of God Almighty; that was jealousy and envy at play; for when you are envious of someone, who resent the person for enjoying success or an advantage.

Sad to say, this situation is pervasive across all divides: family members, work colleagues and even brethren in ministry!  A lot of people, in all walks of life, are unable to rejoice at the successes of others.

In the Genesis 4 account earlier cited, the story could have been different if Cain had purposed to, at the next opportunity, sacrifice the best lamb possible to God like his brother Abel did, so as to also gain favour from the Lord.  Alternatively, Cain could have also asked God Himself what he could do next time to make his offering acceptable to the Lord; but Cain did not. Rather he vented his dissatisfaction on his innocent brother and ended up doing one of the things the Lord God hates – murder! (Prov 6:16-17)  This is how the Apostle James puts it:

You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.  (James 4:2-3 ESV)

Similarly, the chief priests and elders handed Jesus Christ over to Pilate to be crucified because they were envious of Him! (Matt 27:18)

If Cain had acknowledged this unhealthy sentiment that was rising up in him against his brother, and had sought for help to overcome it, the story would have been different.  Harbouring envy in our hearts can lead us to destroy others even to the point of murder and this must be checked.

We learn from this, that to deal with jealousy and envy we need to first acknowledge that feeling when we have it, and ask God to help us and overcome it.

In the Bible, we also read of the sons of the patriarch Jacob, who sought to kill their brother Joseph because they were envious of him.  They envied Joseph because their father Jacob, loved Joseph, the son of his old age, more than all the others; and even made for Jacob a tunic of many colours.  Again Joseph’s repeated dreams presupposed that he would one day reign not only over his brothers, but even over his mother and father; and this infuriated his brothers even more.  We read that “his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind”.

This envy caused Joseph’s brothers to conspire against him and eventually sell him off as a slave to strangers in another land, even though some of the brothers had sought to kill him outright.

It is important to note that sometimes our envious disposition stems from our selfish ambitions, or in other words, our quest to outdo the other person.  Let us bear in mind that

…  godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Tim 6:6-7 NKJV)

Jealousy and envy often arise from insecurity in a person’s life and a lack of understanding of who you are in Christ Jesus.  Being envious of a brother or a sister, indicates a lack of appreciation of one’s own uniqueness. For the Scripture makes us aware that we are beautifully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)

In our walk with the Lord, it is important for us to always look onto Jesus as our perfect example, the author and finisher of our faith.  For in our new life in Christ, God’s righteousness is manifested in our lives as we heed to His Word and yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our daily activities and relationships. So the Bible urges us not to do anything out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philip. 2:3-4)

We ought not to conform to the dictates of our old nature, but rather take on the mind of Christ Jesus.  Our attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and became like men. (Philip. 2)

It is important to realize that this cannot be done with our own strength.  We need to ask the Lord to take away our stony hearts and give us soft, tender and malleable hearts that can be transformed into the image of Christ Jesus!  May the Lord be our Help.

Stay connected for a continuation of this teaching.

God bless you.

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