For where emulation and strife [are], there [is] disorder and every evil thing.
This verse traces a short, sharp line: from something hidden in the heart to open ruin among God's people. Two questions follow — why does envy have such power, and why does disorder never stop at disorder?
Envy at the Root
The verse starts with jealousy. One writer measures its power by what it has produced:
Perhaps there is no greater power for evil in the world than envy. Envy led to the first murder in the world, when Cain rose up against his brother and killed him. And envy led to the greatest murder in the world, when the Jews killed the Prince of life. We read that Pilate "knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered Him up" (Matthew 27:18).
Why Envy Is So Easy to Hide
Envy hides itself. The same writer shows what it is quietly admitting:
We do well to remember that envy is always the confession of inferiority. To envy a man with a big income is to admit that one's own is smaller. In the same way, to be jealous of a man with gift is to confess that one's own is an inferior gift.
From Heart to Public Scandal
The verse names a place: wherever these two things are. One writer follows the chain from the hidden feeling to the public wreck:
If envy and strife in the heart lead to boastful and lying words, used to excuse and cover the envy, then those boastful and hypocritical words will produce scenes of disorder and confusion. Such scenes open the door to "every evil work". So here, in plain and searching words, we see the root cause of every scene of disorder among the people of God.
Disorder Opens a Door
Envy and strife do not produce every evil work on their own. They produce disorder, and disorder leaves the door unguarded:
Envy involves both personal selfishness and ill-feeling toward another. Strife therefore accompanies it. This in turn upsets all proper balance. Disorder takes over, and leaves the door open for "every evil work." This is how Satanic activity thrives.
It Still Passes for Wisdom
This same evil looks clever to the world. One writer traces it back to the devil's own fall:
At the root of it lies envy or rivalry. This was the original sin of the devil. By trying to exalt himself, envying what was above him, he fell. When this is found there is bound to be strife, and strife in its turn results in confusion and every kind of evil work. Many of these evil things, perhaps all of them, would be counted as wisdom by fallen men. It looks wise enough to the average man to scheme and fight for oneself — to be always out for "number one" as it is called.
A Test Anyone Can Apply
Smooth talk can fool anyone, so there is a safer test — fruit, not words:
Its moral character gives away its evil source, even though smooth language and fair speaking might easily trap the unwary. The least intelligent believer who keeps the Lord Jesus before him can spot "envying and faction." Once these are allowed, they quickly bring in "confusion and every bad work." So by their fruits the earthly wise soon become obvious to those who are neither intelligent nor spiritual enough to discern otherwise.
Different writers use different words — envy or rivalry, faction or strife. The picture is the same: taking sides until everything falls apart.
Guarding the Heart
Since the trouble starts inside, that is where it must be dealt with:
Never has there been a scene of confusion and strife among the people of God that has not had its hidden root, of envy and strife, in the heart. We may be sure that the heart that entertains bitterness, envying, and strife, will be no garden for the Lord.
Summary
- Root — Envy sits under the whole chain. It drove the first murder in the world and the killing of the Prince of life.
- Confession — Envy is always an admission of inferiority. That is why it hides behind boasting and lying words.
- Spread — Envy in the heart turns into boastful, lying speech. That speech turns into open scenes of disorder among God's people.
- Door — Disorder is not the end but the opening. It lets "every evil work" walk in, and Satanic activity thrives by it.
- Test — Earthly wisdom talks well, but its fruit gives it away. Anyone who keeps the Lord Jesus before him can spot envy and faction.