Competition and the Sin of Pride
As Christians, we are not to be competing against each other, and belittling another Christian, (but we are to be supportive and help each other as we live out our lives by Faith in Christ in living the Christian life. The Apostle Paul gives this instruction as to how we can stand firm in the Faith with the same mind and purpose:
Phil 1:27 “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worth of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;” Believers are to build each other up, encouraging each other to grow in the faith and flourish in our spiritual gifts as we serve the Lord, supporting one another, and having a sincere love for one another, not only in words but in actions. (Phil 2:1-5, “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and compassion make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important then yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Having this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”)
But, when a Christian become competitive, challenging, and seeks to discredit another Christian’s witness, and work in ministry, this is due to selfish ambition and wrong motives that are driven by fleshly desires wanting to be seen as more important then others. These characteristics can be the fruit of Envy and Pride, they are called “the deeds of the flesh” in Gal. 5:19-21.
“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, 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.”
This behavior is not the fruit of the Spirit and can causes great harm, not only to the cause of Christ, but can also damage and destroy precious relationships. Why would someone who professes to be a Christian, filled with the Holy Spirit, and the love of God, want to do that?
Competition that has wrong-hearted motives can be common in the body of Christ, and is a painful reality that can be a menace to fellow believers and can cause faithful Christians to stumble, if it is not discerned and properly dealt with. Those who take this too lightly should not. What fate did Jesus warn about--to those who deliberately and knowingly, and cause a fellow Christian (male or female) to stumble:
Matthew 18:6 “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”
Christ gave us the example of what our attitude should be (one of humility) and how we should treat one another. It is obvious that from the content of the Scriptures, our Lord is not talking about little children (physically or by age of a person) but He is talking about “Spiritual children” Christians. Jesus is speaking about moral and spiritual stumbling, that is sinning. The word “stumble” means “to cause to fall”. The Lord is speaking about “enticing, trapping, or influencing a believer in anyway that leads him into sin, or in anyway that makes it easier for him to sin.” When a person (believer or unbeliever) mistreats a Christian he mistreats Christ.
Competition becomes corrupt when a person holds an attitude of superiority over others and becomes contentious. This in turn can lead to actions of pride, jealousy, anger, and bitterness, when someone’s focus is on ‘out-doing’ another person, to defeat a brother or sister in Christ, the one they are competing against, rather then keeping their intention with right motives -- which is Christ-centered for God’s glory.
Competition can often lead to comparing yourself with others. There is a failure in the person competing to see that everyone has the same worth in God’s eyes. We are to help each other in our walk in Christ, look out for each other, not to be stumbling blocks, but to build each other up.
The Bible has many passages warning of how destructive pride can be because it has so much power to damage our relationships with others and if left unchecked eventually with God. Competing in the wrong way can create a foothold for envy, pride and jealousy. Pride can lead to a harden heart towards others, blinding the person to their own faults, and causing a person to become insensitive and completely disregard another persons feelings. Eventually, pride can harden your heart towards God.
Daniel 5:20 “But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne, and his glory was taken away from him.”
Although doing our best is what we all should strive for, but being competitive to the point when it turns demeaning, bloodthirsty, and aggressive, and using that to passing judgment on a person’s salvation or worth in the body of Christ, clearly is sinning and does not align with what the Bible says about Christian conduct or the moral character that is expected of a Christian. That kind of Competing - to prove your superiority is wrong, and will disrupt and damage your relationships resulting in a loss of trust, and will if not corrected, cause a person to become envious and think they are entitled to something that someone else has. They may resort to acting in manipulative ways to get whatever it is they want. If this is happening, then our motives are wrong, and we are at risk of becoming proud. (Phil 1:15-17). It can also lead to self-deception. (Jeremiah 49:16). If you are practicing these behaviors, repent, pray, ask God to change your heart, and turn away from them, correct what is wrong, be reconciled with those you‘ve hurt, give trust time to build, instead of expecting it, and put on the fruits of the Spirit:
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. “