SE7EN: Envy Pt. 1

by Joe Thorn on November 29, 2005


I’m dividing the sixth deadly sin into two posts. This first half is an attempt to explain envy in principle, the following post will attmpt to be more practical and specific concerning this sin.

Envy is an intense form of jealousy that craves what another has, and would even seek to take it from him. It is a root sin that gives bith to hatred, bitterness, gossip, and even murder in the pursuit of satisfying selfish desire. Jesus himself was “handed over” by the chief preists because of their envy of him. Was it an envy of his power? His closeness to the Father? Was it envy of his character? Is it possible that Jesus was envied by wicked men for his righteousness, and that led to his murder? Believe it. Envy is what moves us. And it doesn’t always look like stereotypical wickedness. It often is why we get up and go to work. Envy leads many of the “upwardly mobile” to continually uproot family from community and church in order to get the better deal, the bigger house, to have more, because in the end what matters most is having it as good, or better than, the next guy. Money does not make the world go around. Envy does. Money is simply the grease that allows envy move so easily.

Envy reveals a heart that is all about self. It neither seeks God’s glory, nor our neighbor’s good before it pursues the treasures of earth. And this is really the heart of envy – it is an opposite of love. Love seeks another’s good, and sacrifices self for another. Love does not envy. It cannot, because envy seeks my good at the expense of another.

I have noticed when we talk about envy people often dismiss it as mere jealousy, or if they catch a glimpse of what envy really is, just how dangerous and bitter such an affection is, they claim it is not a part of their lives. “I may wish I had something another has (nicer car, home, kids, spouse, spirituality), but I do not wish to take it from them,” we reason. But let’s ask it this way. Would you be happier if “it” was yours rather than theirs? Do you rejoice over what they have, or are you more focused on how much you wish you had it yourself?

About Joe Thorn

I am the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Fellowship in Saint Charles, IL, and author of Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself. Jen is my wife, and Katherine, Elias, Madeline and Kilian are my kids.

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  • http://www.byfarthersteps.com Tim Etherington

    I’m envious of your Photoshop skills with the logos for the SE7EN series.

    Oh, that’s not good is it. Dang.

  • http://www.joethorn.net Joe Thorn

    Most of these images were created by others. This envy graphic was taken from the movie SE7EN.

  • Aaron Miller

    I am a silent fanof your sight, this is the first post I have made. This series has beengiven a new light by some tragically sinful thing that a friend of mine has been caught up in. He is a pastor andhas been caught in a sinful act with a prostitute.

    He has asked me to counsel him through this, and in our discussions he shared with me that he has been doing this for several months. The thing that got me was that he said he felt like it was not that bad of a ting because he was getting away with it. If he was not caught, thenit must beno big deal. This i know is the reasoning and scheming of the flesh. And having been caught has been devastating to many people in his family and church.

    I do not want to take a lot of room, so I’ll get to the bottom line, I have been shook up a bit myself, because though my sin is not this kind of thing, it none the less stems from a low view of God and a failure to see how much my sin, and sin in general hurts him.

    I think that we need to know this, we are so insulated from consequences now, we can do unthinkable things and it is so easy to get away with it. But as Numbers 32:23 states, “Your sin will find you out” and when it does we will be confronted with how God sees sin. The cosnequences will be great.

    This thing has shook me up a bit, I had an issue with porn as a high school and college student, and that thing has been gone for a while. But recently, after Pastor Ray’s issue, the rolodex in my head has been realing. I did not understand why having victory over this for over twenty years the thing would come back like it did. I was a bit angry at God too to be honest, I mean this is behind me. But really it is not, the fruit has been dealt with, but not the root, and I think God has permitted this stuff to reveal that. He has shown me what an affront it was to Him, and he has shown me that, though the fruit has changed, the root still is producing indulgent selfish behaviors in my life in other areas, particularly food.
    I bear my soul here, I guess I should not, but I do. But Ithink it necessary, because, well really there are I am certain others who are dealing with the same stuff.

    Well, enough of this, thanks for your blog, it has been challenging and even has fostered some good sermon material. Thanks Joe.

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