What Does the Bible Say About Competition?

History

The Bible is infused with competition, even in its earliest chapters. The serpent of Genesis encourages Adam and Eve to compete against God (Gen. 3). Cain competes against his brother Abel for God's approval (Gen. 4). Jacob first tricks his father into giving him a blessing from his deathbed by competing against his brother Esau (Gen. 27), then Jacob competes against God and emerges as a victor (Gen. 22--28). For his accomplishment of this feat, Jacob is given a new title: "Your name will be Israel, because you have wrestled with God and with people, and you have won (Gen. 32:28)." This new name (meaning "he wrestles with God") is later made the name of the nation within which God's "chosen people" reside.

It is human nature to attempt to accomplish results by resorting to force. However, according to Jesus Christ, permanent change cannot be achieved via force, but rather through love. When pressured by two of his disciples, James and John, to honor each of them with reserved spots in Heaven, Jesus simply responds, "I cannot choose who will sit at my right or my left; those places belong to those for whom they have been prepared (Mark 10:40)." Similarly, when several of his followers begin to argue among themselves about who is the greatest, Jesus settles their dispute by saying, "Whoever is least among you all is really the greatest (Luke 9:48)."

In modern times, there is an endless variety of churches that cater to the needs of opposing Christian factions. While many of these factions spend considerable energy trying to compete with and distinguish themselves from other factions, they often do little to join forces with their fellow Christians. The Apostle Paul enjoins fellow Christians to maintain focus on the true subject of their worship, stating that it is folly to "boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:14)."

Competing to outperform others does not always make one a winner. In the Bible, Jesus condemns corrupt religious leaders who seek to be honored by their communities for superficial acts of goodness. He emphasizes that although these men revel in self-congratulation, God is not impressed (Matthew 6:1-4). Similarly, though rich men can afford to give large offerings, a poor widow's donation of her last two coins has the potential to carry greater meaning in God's eyes (Luke 21:1-4).

Throughout the Bible, God's believers constantly clash with nonbelievers. In the Old Testament, Jews are constantly fighting enemies such as the Philistines and the Assyrians. In the New Testament, Christians squabble not only with nonbelievers such as the Romans and Gentiles, but they also have disagreements with believers such as the Jews. Nevertheless, Jesus Christ's message to his followers was that they should attempt to help others whom they disagree with rather than to make them even more helpless (Luke 9:51-56). Thus, by focusing on caring for others rather than on competing with them, believers can maintain their own integrity while being of service to those in need.