“…love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up” 1 Corinthians 13:4
Harold Coffin said, “Envy is the art of counting the other fellow’s blessings instead of your own.” Remembering again that much of the Corinthian letter addressed matters of selfish attitudes and behaviors, these characteristics of love are the clear antidote to such poisonous ways. We put these three together because they all reflect a singular sinful attitude: arrogance. The attitudes Paul decries here all reflect a desire to elevate oneself above another.
The word translated “envy” here is not inherently wrong. Its basic meaning is to be zealous or passionate about something, whether for good or for evil. It is used in 1 Corinthians 12:31; 14:1, 39 to encourage the Corinthians to passionately pursue spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. It is used in Acts 7:9 of the envy of Joseph’s brothers leading them to sell him as a slave, and again in Acts 17:5 of the jealous Jews who stirred up a mob against Paul because they were jealous of his success in preaching the gospel. Here in 1 Corinthians 13, it is about the wrongful desire to have what others have or the harboring of resentment towards their possessions, achievements, etc.
This is a symptom of the larger problem of pride and arrogance addressed in the following two declarations addressed here. Those are that love does not parade itself and is not puffed up. Before I can become envious of your possessions, accomplishments, etc., I must first think myself to be more deserving than you. In essence, I build myself up by putting you down. In the context of 1 Corinthians, it appears they had issues with envy. In chapter 1, they were wrangling over who converted them. “My Christianity is better than yours because I was converted by Paul/Apollos/Peter.” In chapter 6, they were going to law in pagan courts because some were seeking dishonest gains from their brethren, a condition owed to desiring what another has. In chapter 11, they were profaning the Lord’s Supper by the haves overlooking the have nots. They had a sort of class warfare in the congregation, and envy, pride, and arrogance were at its core. In the realm of spiritual gifts, it appears some were touting their spiritual gifts, when they should have used them for the good of the congregation, as is the motive for every action in the assembly (14:4-5, 12, 26).
The notion of vaunting oneself and being puffed up are two sides of the same coin. Being puffed up speaks to the inner condition, the proud disposition. Vaunting or parading oneself speaks to the outward display of that proud disposition. The pride of life is of the world, and as such we are to avoid it lest we pass away with it (1 John 2:15-17). All these attitudes and actions are antithetical to the love of God which, as we have already seen in the introduction to these discussions, is the chief pursuit of the child of God.
The cure for the disease of envy, pride, and arrogance is love. Imagine a world where we all are driven by this overriding principle. Imagine if people would rejoice together when others are honored, rather than feeling the need to tear them down in an effort to build themselves up (Romans 12:15; 1 Corinthians 12:26). The beauty of the blessings of the Lord is that there is more than enough to go around. Like lighting one candle off another, nothing is lost by the source of the light, but everything is gained by the recipient. So, may we strive to be thankful for the good things our peers enjoy in this life as the love of God demands.