Lesson for March 13, 2024
Mental Attitude Sins
Jealousy
Jealousy is defined as desiring something someone has, like material possessions, achievements, and advantages in life. Jealousy is therefore related to bitterness, vindictiveness, revenge, and vilification. Jealousy is related to emotional control of the soul. Jealousy is irrational in its resentment and hatred of others, which includes uncontrollable anger, hatred, bitter resentment, vindictiveness, loathing, violence, and even murder. James 3:14, 16, “But if you have bitter jealousy and strife in your souls, do not become arrogant and lie against the truth; for where jealousy and strife exist, there is unruliness and evil obsession.”
This self-centered category of jealousy includes self-pity, egotism, gossip, slander, and maligning. This emotional sin leads to preoccupation with self. Jealousy often results in regret and feelings of guilt about the things they have thought about or done to another person. Guilt is failure to recognize your own sins and failures. Hebrews 10:22, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
Jealousy is a system of self-justification, and you cannot control jealousy when you are justifying yourself. Jealousy and the filling of the Holy Spirit are mutually exclusive. Jealousy keeps you from glorifying God. Galatians 5:25-26, “If we live by means of the Spirit, let us advance by means of the Spirit. Let us not become arrogant, challenging each other, being jealous of each other.”
Jealousy is related to fear of losing another’s affection or love, fear of a rival, fear of unfaithfulness. Jealousy intrudes into the privacy of others and becomes destructive of a person’s freedom. Jealousy demands love and attention based on its own volition, not on the volition of another. Jealousy is a possessiveness.
James 4:2,5, “You continue to lust but do not have; you murder, and you are jealous and so you are not able to obtain; instead, you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask. Or do you presume that the Scripture speaks in vain against jealousy.”
Jealousy is irrational in its hatred and resentment of others. Jealousy is troubled by suspicion that a person’s love has been diverted to a rival. Jealousy becomes the motivator of hatred, anger, revenge, gossip, slander, maligning, judging, and revenge. I Timothy 6:3-4, “If anyone teaches a different doctrine, and does not concur with sound doctrine, he is arrogant, understanding nothing, but he has a morbid obsession about controversies and verbal conflicts from which originate jealousy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions.”
Jealousy seeks exclusive devotion and is intolerant when not given. Jealousy is discontent with God’s blessings and envies the success of other people. Jealousy resents the praise or recognition that another person receives. I Corinthians 3:3, “For you are still carnal; for since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not carnal? In fact, are you not walking on the basis of the standards of men [unbelievers]?”
The first source of jealousy is the sin nature. Jealousy is a sin related to negative volition. Romans 1:28-29, “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper, people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy (jealousy), murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are gossips.”
Jealousy is seen in a believer’s arrogance. James 3:14-16, “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”
Jealousy is not part of the Christian Way of Life. Romans 13:13, “Let’s behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and debauchery, not in strife and jealousy.”
Jealousy and love are mutually exclusive for believers in Christ. I Corinthians 13:4, “Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.”
Jealousy has no place in the life of a believer who desires to grow spiritually and exhibit the character of Christ. In practicing jealousy, a believer is negating the eternal rewards available to them. Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Jealousy of unbelievers, or believers who are not living their spiritual lives is contrary to being content with what God has provided in His grace. Psalm 37:1, “Do not get upset because of evildoers, do not be envious (jealous) of wrongdoers.”
Bible doctrine is the key to overcoming jealousy in the life of a believer. I Peter 2:1-3, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and jealousy and all slander,and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”
We should never desire to associate with evildoers nor be jealous of their ill-gotten gains. Proverbs 24:1, “Do not be envious (jealous) of evil people, nor desire to be with them.”
Seeing the “perceived prosperity of the world,” based on the human viewpoint of those who have rejected God and His Word, often leads to jealousy. God judges success by what’s in a believer’s heart, not by what the world calls success. Psalm 73:2-4, “But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped. For I was envious (jealous) of the arrogant, as I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pains in their death, and their belly is fat.”
Believers can be delivered from a lifestyle of jealousy by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:3-6, “For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy (jealousy), hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.”