Envy is not always bad. But it can be evil.
In the best sense it’s a desire for the good qualities we see in others. In the worst sense it’s a desire to see others deprived of their joy.
Reference.com says, “Aristotle in Rhetoric defined envy “as the pain caused by the good fortune of others”, while Kant in Metaphysics of Morals defined it as “a reluctance to see our own well-being overshadowed by another’s…”
Such envy resists the counsel of the Bible that says, “When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow” (Rom 12:15 NLT).
The Bible also gives us reason to think that, when envy teams with pride, they form a cosmic “Bonnie and Clyde.” It was envy and pride that caused Lucifer to lead an attempted coup against his Creator. Later envy prompted our first parents to lose Paradise, and eventually it moved the religious leaders of Israel to call for the death of Jesus (Matthew 27:18). James said that where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is confusion and every evil thing (James 3:16).
Then there is jealousy, the green-eyed monster that is often confused with its green-with-envy sibling. But the twins are not identical. Their focus is different. Envy is rooted in a desire to have something possessed by another. Jealousy involves a possessive determination to keep only for ourselves something we already have.
So why then does the Bible speak of the jealousy of God (Exodus 20:5)?
The answer seems to be that jealousy, like envy, can be either good or bad–depending on their motive. Jealousy can be a green-eyed monster absorbed with, and consumed by, its own self-interest. Or it can reflect a deep and appropriately protective love for others (2Cor 11:2).
What seems most important is that that we not treat envy and jealousy simply as moral issues. Together they are indicators of whether we see our Creator as the loving Father who not only wisely oversees our differences— but is also the loving source of every good gift that we have ever received or longed for. Together they show to what extent we see that we have been designed to find our delight in the grace, mercy, and compassion of the God who made us for himself– and to love others– as he first loved us.
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