This morning while reading in Galatians 5, I was impressed with verse 26, which says, “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other” (NIV). This passage shows us something very true about human nature that most of us would like to deny. Provoking and envying are rooted in our image of ourselves and others.

This is easier to show with envy so I will start there. When you have something beneficial, whether a physical object or a beneficial arrangement, others may envy your good fortune.  While it is acceptable to be inspired by another’s success, to be driven to envy is not. Envy, as the negative side of desire, is born of believing you deserve the desired object (or blessing) as much as or more than the other person. Envy grows from viewing one’s self as of equal or greater status than another and seeing the success of another as an attack on that belief. Seeing one’s equality is not bad. We are all equal in God’s eyes, but when you believe the success of another actually makes you less equal then envy grows and we act to reestablish equality. Feeling you are greater than another is not bad when it is expressed as “this person can do something, but I can do it better.” If this is true, then believing it is not conceited—we are supposed to believe the truth. Conceit causes us to see the other person as less deserving than ourselves. We then see their success as a personal injustice. This causes us to envy them.

The other result of conceit is provoking. When we see our own happiness as more important than that of another we often provoke that person. We attack and pick at them because it is their role to make us happy as a part of the universe of which we are the center. We’ve all seen bullies picking on other children. This can happen when the bully himself feels vulnerable and seeks to mask his weakness by demonstrating and attacking another’s weakness. Of course this springs from an idea within the bully that he and his feelings are important enough to reduce the other person to being a tool. The attacker assumes a right to use the other person, regardless of the other person’s feelings.  Another reason people might provoke one another is the belief that the other person exists for their entertainment and that their ability to attack the other gives them a right to attack them. Either of these is an example of what Kant would have seen as using someone else as a means to an end, rather than seeing them as an end in themselves. I have no right to reduce you to a tool for my own purposes. It is conceit that inspires this behavior.

Another reason we provoke is because we believe the other person needs our guidance to live and act properly. We see ourselves as the other person’s personal conduit to the Holy Spirit. While I might love you enough to provoke you to righteousness and to seek your own best as a servant of God, this does not give me the right to provoke you to do what I want or what I believe you must do. There is a difference between seeing myself as your encourager to act and your guide to action. When we get conceited, we often believe our own understanding of the Word is special and that of others is suspect. Because of this, we provoke them to follow us rather than encouraging them to follow God. This too is conceit in action.

Each of us was created for God’s purposes. We have been created to serve him. Even though he has given us individual gifts and talents, no combination of such makes one superior to another or more deserving in God’s sight. So, when another receives a blessing it’s between the recipient and God. If you do not receive such, rather than blaming those who did receive by attacking them or envying them, look at yourself—your own decisions, your own devotion—to see if there is a reason blessings are withheld from you. More often than not, you will find you have received exactly what you deserved or have not received because you did not deserve. If honest, we understand that what we received from God was far more than we deserved. When you understand the world this way there is little room for provocation or envy among God’s people.

Qualifications of Elders: Part VII

If you’ve lived in a small town you understand how quickly news spreads. We lived in a town of about 450 people for four years. As the only resident pastor, I was constantly told stories of my son’s activities. Some people seemed to get a twisted pleasure in asking the pastor: “Do you know what your son did?” He never seemed to understand how dad could know the things he had done, and know so fast. Now don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t doing bad, cruel or illegal things. Neither was he being disobedient since most were not the sort of thing you would think to tell a kid not to do. He and a friend were simply being mischievous. We had moved to this small town so that, among other things, he could have fun and experience childhood—a boy’s childhood. Read the rest of this entry »

Qualifications of Elders: Part II

Who leads any organization or group will depend on its purpose. The church is Christ’s representative on earth, reaching those he died for, teaching those he has saved, and equipping those he is calling and sending. Churches claiming to follow the commands of Christ, the writings of the apostles and the example of the early church, must also obey in selecting, qualifying and appointing leaders. Too often, the qualification of leaders other than the pastor is given little thought, so the average church committee spends more time bickering than leading. Officers are often chosen based on giving and length of membership. Largess and longevity are important but do not qualify one to lead Christ’s church. Read the rest of this entry »

Qualification of Elders Part I

Elders who handle the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor—at least according to Paul. The apostles never imagined one man rule for any church, for any location, for any reason. Rather than mini-popes, commanding obedience and submission, they ordained a group of equal leaders for the body of Christ in each locale. The church badly needs to return to this biblical example of leadership. Read the rest of this entry »

If you described a what it meant to be a priest your description would depend on your past experiences. Some would imagine a clerical collar and a cross. Others may imagine a wizened old man ready with a word of encouragement and advise. A priest is a go-between—going between people and God. He deals with sin and filth, expounds scripture and brings fallen man before holy God. In the Old Covenant God set up a priesthood among his covenant people. In the New Covenant all of his covenant people are priests. Read the rest of this entry »

Creativity is an innate part of who Jesus is. Before his incarnation he created all things scripture assures us that without him nothing would exist (John 1:3; Col 1:16). When he came to earth he was born into a carpenter’s household—a home of building and creativity. As a child and young man he would have helped Joseph building everything from furniture to houses. Jesus is still actively building; building his temple; building his priesthood; building his people. Read the rest of this entry »