The Repercussions Of Jealousy
But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. (James 3:14-15)
The epistle of James is a letter written to early Christians in the Jewish diaspora. His purpose is twofold: to minister to persecuted believers in the first century and to instruct them to continue worship together as a body of believers.
In these verses, James warns his hearers that jealousy and envy are destructive enemies of the heart for the child of God. He warns those who were teachers in the church against the temptation to pursue worldly gain and success at all costs. He writes not just to teachers, but to all Christians saying, “if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”
What James is trying to tell them then, and us now, is that jealousy and envy are so destructive that they corrupt the truth of one’s message; and ultimately, they corrupt the heart. And if our hearts are corrupted by envy, then our jealousy is going to permeate every other area of our lives. Scripture tells us that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. So if our hearts are jealous and covetous, then our words and even our actions are going to show that.
This is why it’s so important for us to fight our flesh’s tendency to envy with our Spirit’s desire to find contentment in Christ. When we’re spending time with the Lord, searching for fulfillment and satisfaction in Him, we won’t be as focused on being jealous of those around us. We’ll see that we have all we need in Jesus, and as we live out that truth, our hearts will soften rather than face corruption.
The epistle of James is a letter written to early Christians in the Jewish diaspora. His purpose is twofold: to minister to persecuted believers in the first century and to instruct them to continue worship together as a body of believers.
In these verses, James warns his hearers that jealousy and envy are destructive enemies of the heart for the child of God. He warns those who were teachers in the church against the temptation to pursue worldly gain and success at all costs. He writes not just to teachers, but to all Christians saying, “if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”
What James is trying to tell them then, and us now, is that jealousy and envy are so destructive that they corrupt the truth of one’s message; and ultimately, they corrupt the heart. And if our hearts are corrupted by envy, then our jealousy is going to permeate every other area of our lives. Scripture tells us that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. So if our hearts are jealous and covetous, then our words and even our actions are going to show that.
This is why it’s so important for us to fight our flesh’s tendency to envy with our Spirit’s desire to find contentment in Christ. When we’re spending time with the Lord, searching for fulfillment and satisfaction in Him, we won’t be as focused on being jealous of those around us. We’ll see that we have all we need in Jesus, and as we live out that truth, our hearts will soften rather than face corruption.
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