Envy

James said: "Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?" - Jas. 4:5 (Berean Study Bible) Imagine the emotions of a young man who discovers someone else has captured the heart of the one he loves. That’s the same feeling James was describing when he wrote, “The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy.” Very succinctly, James states both that the Holy Spirit dwells in us and passionately yearns for us. This word “envy” comes from the Greek word phthonos, which was frequently used in literature from the New Testament period, thus enabling us to know precisely what it means. The word phthonos means jealousy — an emotion so strong that it tends toward taking vengeance upon someone. The young man, who lost the one he loved, feels jealous and has a deep desire for his former relationship to be restored. He also most likely bears some malice toward the romantic thief. He is envious of the relationship that has replaced the one he used to have with the one whom he loves, and desires to have again. This should make James 4:5 clear to us. The Holy Spirit loves us. He is preoccupied with us. He wants our total dedication. He passionately desires our affection to be set on Him. When we walk and talk like unbelievers and give our lives to natural pursuits, the Holy Spirit feels like a lover who has been robbed. He feels jealous for His relationship with us to be restored. He has divine malice for the worldliness that has usurped His role in our lives. And He is filled with a godly envy to see things put back the way they should be. When you put all three of these words expressing continual action together — dwells, lusts, and envy — this paints a vibrant picture. The Holy Spirit is not a passive partner. He aggressively and actively pursues us because He knows the choices are our own. When we give a piece of ourselves to something or someone else’s control, He wants to seize it and bring it back under His divine control. He even has godly malice toward our preoccupation with other things. As we live our lives in this world, we must work and function as human beings. Jesus didn’t pray that his disciples would be removed from the world, but that we would be kept from the world (Jn. 17:15) {perhaps being consumed worldly desires}. There is nothing wrong with going to work, buying a house, purchasing a new car, or enjoying beautiful clothes and grooming. Those things are part of living an abundant life on this earth. They are not wrong unless they consume and preoccupy our thoughts, allowing us to overlook the other humans we meet along the way. Many times, the first person to fade into the background is our partner, the indwelling Holy Spirit. The cares of this life sometimes pull us away from our indwelling companion. This hurts Him and causes godly envy.