I believe that God revealed His design for all of creation in the Garden. Within this original blueprint there was no strife, or any need to push to the front of the line. Every creature had their place, and He was their limitless provision. Each creation derived its sense of worth and purpose from its unique relationship to the Creator.
Had mankind chosen to remain under the umbrella of His Lordship, unspeakable joy and a peace that surpasses understanding, could have been our daily bread. But the choice to go our own way, and to rely on our own sense of what is right came with significant costs. Not the least of which was the change in how we view ourselves, and how we look at one another.
Unhinged from the Father’s perspective, we lost track of our identity, purpose, and sense of belonging. Without Him as a singular reference point, we began to look at each other, and to measure ourselves by what we saw. I believe it’s telling that after eating the forbidden fruit man and woman covered the parts of themselves that were different from each other.
As mankind was expelled from the garden, life became a struggle for provision and a battle to survive (Gen.3:17-19). Estranged from our limitless Provider, and unseated from our place at His table, we floundered to find our place in the world, or to conjure a sense of self-worth. Our comparisons (to each other) inevitably led to competition, and it didn’t take long for that dynamic to become lethal (Gen.4:8).
Because of man’s natural proclivity to compare, to covet and to compete we seem to have accepted that this is all part of God’s design, but I would suggest that it’s actually a byproduct of the fall. If our identities were rooted in Christ, and if we trusted that He is our provision, there would be no need to compare, covet or compete. As such, I think it’s fair to say that our compulsion to compete is generally rooted in both our insecurity and our instinct to survive.
Western culture has not only accepted competition as a normal part of the human condition, it has embraced it as a core value. Our society loves to turn every facet of life into a contest (e.g. The Voice-singing, The Bachelor-relationships, The Biggest Loser-weight loss, Beat Bobby Flay-cooking, Rock the Block-home renovation…), and we indoctrinate our children into this pattern at an increasingly young age (e.g. Pee-Wee sports leagues starting at 3yrs old). But the reality of competition is that it is most often poisonous in terms of cooperation, collaboration, community and any sort of meaningful relationship.
Perhaps worse than our cultural embrace of this destructive paradigm is its broad acceptance within the Body of Christ. Whether it is wrestling for the lead vocal on the Worship team, or trying to woo congregants from other local ministries, or all the preening and posturing that goes on at church leadership conferences, our religious system is absolutely infested with a competitive spirit, featuring countless “ministries” solely dedicated to discrediting other ministers and ministries.
Though the followers of Jesus were meant to be identifiable based on their great love for one another (John 13:35), we “Christians” routinely struggle to gather together without all manner of envy and strife. But if love is patient and does not envy. If it is not self-seeking and keeps no record. If it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres (1Cor.13:4-7), then there is no context in which it can be competitive. And without love, we have nothing and are nothing (1Cor.13:2-3).
God commanded that we refrain from covetous (or coveting) and if we hope to be obedient to that standard we must also resist our natural urge to compare and to compete. We need to take a hard look (i.e. through spiritual eyes) at our ideas about competition, and to examine them in light of what the scripture teaches. If we continue to view competition through the lens of culture, the church will remain fractured in much the same way our society is.
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Bjcorbin's Blog 
Competitive Edge
Posted in Commentaries, tagged collaboration, community, compare, compete, competitive, cooperation, covet, creation, creator, cultural, design, envy, estranged, floundered, fractured, garden, insecurity, provision, self-worth, survival on September 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I believe that God revealed His design for all of creation in the Garden. Within this original blueprint there was no strife, or any need to push to the front of the line. Every creature had their place, and He was their limitless provision. Each creation derived its sense of worth and purpose from its unique relationship to the Creator.
Had mankind chosen to remain under the umbrella of His Lordship, unspeakable joy and a peace that surpasses understanding, could have been our daily bread. But the choice to go our own way, and to rely on our own sense of what is right came with significant costs. Not the least of which was the change in how we view ourselves, and how we look at one another.
Unhinged from the Father’s perspective, we lost track of our identity, purpose, and sense of belonging. Without Him as a singular reference point, we began to look at each other, and to measure ourselves by what we saw. I believe it’s telling that after eating the forbidden fruit man and woman covered the parts of themselves that were different from each other.
As mankind was expelled from the garden, life became a struggle for provision and a battle to survive (Gen.3:17-19). Estranged from our limitless Provider, and unseated from our place at His table, we floundered to find our place in the world, or to conjure a sense of self-worth. Our comparisons (to each other) inevitably led to competition, and it didn’t take long for that dynamic to become lethal (Gen.4:8).
Because of man’s natural proclivity to compare, to covet and to compete we seem to have accepted that this is all part of God’s design, but I would suggest that it’s actually a byproduct of the fall. If our identities were rooted in Christ, and if we trusted that He is our provision, there would be no need to compare, covet or compete. As such, I think it’s fair to say that our compulsion to compete is generally rooted in both our insecurity and our instinct to survive.
Western culture has not only accepted competition as a normal part of the human condition, it has embraced it as a core value. Our society loves to turn every facet of life into a contest (e.g. The Voice-singing, The Bachelor-relationships, The Biggest Loser-weight loss, Beat Bobby Flay-cooking, Rock the Block-home renovation…), and we indoctrinate our children into this pattern at an increasingly young age (e.g. Pee-Wee sports leagues starting at 3yrs old). But the reality of competition is that it is most often poisonous in terms of cooperation, collaboration, community and any sort of meaningful relationship.
Perhaps worse than our cultural embrace of this destructive paradigm is its broad acceptance within the Body of Christ. Whether it is wrestling for the lead vocal on the Worship team, or trying to woo congregants from other local ministries, or all the preening and posturing that goes on at church leadership conferences, our religious system is absolutely infested with a competitive spirit, featuring countless “ministries” solely dedicated to discrediting other ministers and ministries.
Though the followers of Jesus were meant to be identifiable based on their great love for one another (John 13:35), we “Christians” routinely struggle to gather together without all manner of envy and strife. But if love is patient and does not envy. If it is not self-seeking and keeps no record. If it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres (1Cor.13:4-7), then there is no context in which it can be competitive. And without love, we have nothing and are nothing (1Cor.13:2-3).
God commanded that we refrain from covetous (or coveting) and if we hope to be obedient to that standard we must also resist our natural urge to compare and to compete. We need to take a hard look (i.e. through spiritual eyes) at our ideas about competition, and to examine them in light of what the scripture teaches. If we continue to view competition through the lens of culture, the church will remain fractured in much the same way our society is.
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