A Church Full of Strife

James 3:16 is one of those verses that needs some explaining.

"For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there."
"For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil work."

The King James Version states: "For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."

The word translated "envy" is literally "heat," and is used is both a good and bad sense for zeal.
The word translated "self-seeking" refers to intrigues and conflicts.
The Greek word translated "confusion" refers to tumult and disorder.

In other words, when any organization has people fighting and maneuvering to advance themselves. that organization will be filled with conflict and sin. You need to move on.

Envy and Hatred are Connected

Titus 3:3 is talking about non-Christians when it says "For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another."

But notice the connection between envy and hatred. The passage goes on to tell us how the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit changed us.

Elsewhere on the internet, there is a Christian hatesite dedicated to tearing down successful preachers and pastors. Some of their accusations are true, and there is rejoicing up and down the site every time that a man of God falls. You, as a Christian, need to remember that God has called you out of that type of conduct.

Who is Proud?

1 Timothy 6:4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,

Who is "he" that this verse is talking about? The previous verses show that Paul is talking about men who urge Christians not to submit to authority. There is a connection between envy and rebellion. People who get passed over for a promotion find themselves under the authority of a colleague, and envy develops. Within churches, envy develops when certain people get prominent roles that others feel that they should have.

Submission to authority produces humility, and humility produces grace. Grace gives us the desire and ability to do God's work. Rebellion against authority produces envy and other sins.

Serving God Out of Envy

Philippians 1:15-16 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill:
The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;

It's hard to believe that some Christians hated Paul so much that they preached Christ. Since their motive was selfish ambition, it appears that their goal was to build their own influence. Why were they in Christian work in the first place?

A Christian who wants to serve God wants a good thing. He may also be responding to grace, which gives us the desire and ability to do God's work. But then, failing to accept God's grace, he becomes bitter at someone else who has a bigger ministry.

The warning here for the saints is to turn away from envy, seeing how much harm it can do to you.

Sometimes It's Hopeless

Proverbs 27:4 Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, But who is able to stand before envy?

Some time ago, I did a study of the psychology of envy. People who had gotten promotions would find that an envious co-worker was now their bitter enemy. Try as they would, the successful workers could not win the friendship of the envious workers. The author of the study explained that the envious worker believed that he had been wronged, and as long as the successful worker held his job, there was no cure.

After an unsuccessful revolt among his pastoral staff, the pastor of a mega-church explained in a sermon that he had tried to reason with the disgruntled employees who had not been promoted. But when it didn't work, he had to fire them.

Envy and Bad Health

Proverbs 14:30 A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.

Long before scientists discovered the fact, God was telling us that stress harms our health. A person who dwells in envy is hurting himself physically, as well as spiritually and emotionally.

If you yourself are envious of someone else, God's cure is to start serving Him diligently.

Don't Envy the Success of the Wicked

Psalm 37:1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

It is inevitable that we will see the wicked doing better than we are. Yet, here in Psalm 37, God gives His reasons why we should not envy them:

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.

13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming.

20 But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the LORD, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.

38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off.