Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Summary: Becoming conceited and appearing conceited are two different things.
Does Paul come across as conceited? Do you feel “provoked” when you read his letters?
One of the consequences of having confidence in what you believe, say, and do is that some people might not like it.
When Paul says, “Let us not become conceited …” he points to something that can be easily confused with other things. So, let’s sort this out and see what we have.
The obvious meaning of Paul’s statement is that we should not become “conceited.”
Why? What do we have to be conceited about?
One possibility is that having God’s Spirit live in us gives us an advantage over those who do not have God’s Spirit. Another is having the knowledge that God’s Spirit imparts to us. These benefits of the Holy Spirit can make us feel special, and we should. As God’s children, we are special. The thing we have to keep in mind is that all of God’s children are special to him. Even those who do not yet have his Spirit. (1 Timothy 2:3-4)
Remember God’s commands:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39)
God is not honored if we put ourselves above him in any way or do not love (agapé) our neighbors as we love ourselves. He is honored if we remain humble before him and use our lives to give him the glory for his creation and salvation.
But what if someone points to a believer and accuses them of being “conceited”?
This situation presents an interesting challenge!
The “acts of the flesh” include selfish ambition, envy, and jealousy. If believers allow themselves to envy another believer’s confidence in God’s Word, they might accuse the confident believer of being “conceited.”
And what about the need to offer correction? What happens when one believer speaks “truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) to another believer? What if two believers disagree and cannot find common ground in the Word?
Paul himself is aware of this problem. His entire letter to the Galatians is a challenge to the Galatians intended to correct their misguided belief in the need for circumcision. At one point, he writes, “Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16)
It is very possible that some Galatians refused to accept Paul’s correction and instead accused Paul of being “conceited.”
Life is complicated!
There is no easy answer here. The truth is that ultimately, we all must answer to our Lord Jesus (Romans 14:10). If we keep that in mind, and if we remain humble before our Lord, all will be well.
Application: Don’t judge your faith in God by what others think of you. Instead, judge your faith in God by what God thinks of you.
Food for Thought: How does this passage apply to the Old Testament prophets?
How does this Galatians 5:26 apply to the Old Testament prophets?
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit revealed God’s will and communicated His messages through prophets. The Spirit enabled the prophets to speak God’s word and write the Scriptures.
Hebrews 1:1, Luke 1:70, Acts 3:21
A Prophet Speaks For Another Person.
The word prophet comes from two Greek words, “pro” which means “before, in front of, or in place of,” and “fayme” which means “to speak.” A prophet, is someone who speaks in place of someone else. For example, Aaron spoke on behalf of his brother Moses.
Exodus 7:1, See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
The Prophets Spoke God’s Word.
The biblical prophet was one who spoke forth the word of God. While every prophet spoke forth God’s Word not every one spoke of the future. The title “prophet” has the main idea of receiving and delivering of the message of God on any subject.
Amos 3:7-8, Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?
The Prophet Says What The Lord Said.
The prophets were spokesmen for the Lord. They spoke to the people on behalf of God. The Lord said to Moses,
Deuteronomy 18:18, I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him .
Ron,
I feel like your comment today is a “master’s class” on prophets!
Thank you!!
I don’t know if this is where you were heading, but this is where I landed. 🙂 Your question made me think about Jonah.
Jonah 1:1-3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
As we know, that did not go well for Jonah.
Jonah 3:1-5 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
Jonah 4:1-2 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.
I think when we talk about someone being conceited, provoking and envying, at the heart of it, we are talking about someone who places their own interests above God’s Will. I can see conceit, provocation and envying in this story. Conceit in Jonah’s belief that he knew better than God, and that he could go the opposite way from where God told him to go. Provocation toward God, in his disobedience to God, and provocation toward the people of Nineveh. The refusal to deliver God’s message is an aggression toward them. That he would rather see them perish than to see them repent. Envying in that he did not believe they deserved God’s grace, he was angered that God would give them grace; he wished to take it from them.
I think a good lesson to take from Jonah is that, as we are called to redemption, we must serve to bring others to God regardless of our own personal feelings. That God’s plan is to redeem all of mankind that will place their faith in Him. That is the Great Commission. Caring more about what people think of us, or what we think of them, may lead us to the great omission (that is my feeble attempt at a pun). Withholding the message of Christ from others, withholding His love for all of us, because we deem them “unworthy” or “undeserving.”
Chris,
Sometimes I have a place in mind when I pose the “food for thought” question, but more often I am simply opening a door and inviting people’s thoughts in. You never disappoint! 🙂
As to Jonah, you make a great case for his story as it relates to Paul’s statement that we should “not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”
God is love, and as recipients of his love, our job is to reflect that love to the world around us. Your point about sharing Jesus with others regardless of our personal feelings is well made. Thank you!