At the root of covetousness, jealousy, and envy is pride. Pride lay at the root of our first parents’ sin, and it continues to be the root of all of our sin. When we feel as though we deserve better, we think what we want, say what we want, take what we want, and do what we want. This is how pride relates to—and is the source of—covetousness and envy.

There are certain sins that we tend to tolerate in our own hearts and lives, as well as in the church. They are what Jerry Bridges has called “respectable sins”—gossip, slander, envy, covetousness, pride, etc. We like to single out what we deem to be other, more pronounced sins in society and the church rather than confront these in our own lives. We like to narrow down our list of sins to those that we consider to be major: sexual immorality, murder, theft, drunkenness, greed, racism, abuse, etc.

When we do so, we inevitably allow what we consider to be “lesser” sins to either fester—or lay dormant—in our thoughts and lives. Chief among those sins that we tend to tolerate in our lives are covetousness, jealousy and envy. According to Scripture, jealousy is one of the most damaging of all heart sins.

Pride is the root of all our sin.

The Proverbs explicate, in no small measure, the dangerous nature of this sin:

Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? (Prov. 27:4)

At the root of covetousness, jealousy, and envy is pride. Pride lay at the root of our first parents’ sin, and it continues to be the root of all of our sin. When we feel as though we deserve better, we think what we want, say what we want, take what we want, and do what we want. This is how pride relates to—and is the source of—covetousness and envy.

Sadly, this can come home to roost in the heart of a minister just as much as it can in any other. When I was preparing for ministry over a decade ago, I went through a short period of finding myself envying a fellow student who was getting more opportunities to preach and more attention than I was. This envy welled up within me to such an extent that, weighed down by it, I had no other option but to drop to my knees and cry out to the Lord to take it away from me. I have never really had an experience quite like that before. I hope never to have one again. However, I recognize that every believer has the remnant of this sin in his or her heart—and I would venture to say that most ministers still battle it to one degree or another when viewing the ministries of others.

We need to put covetousness, jealousy, and envy to death in our hearts before they destroy us and those around us. Here are some of the things that I have found most helpful in seeking to put the sin of envy to death:

1. Know who you are in Christ.

This is the most important step in overcoming envy in your heart. The apostle Paul tells us to consider ourselves to be dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:11). When we remember that we have died with Christ and have been raised with him, we will not want to allow envy to rule in our hearts. In the death of Christ, the guilt of sin was removed and the power of sin was broken (Rom. 6:5-14). We must constantly call to mind from the Scriptures what Christ thinks of us—and what has happened to us in Christ. This is the place of our spiritual identity and source of spiritual victory.

Read More