Love does…not Envy
The Still Heart of Charity
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.”— 1 Corinthians 13:4 (ESV) At first glance, Paul’s simple assertion that “love does not envy” might seem an obvious moral teaching, uncontroversial and perhaps easily passed over. Yet as with every word in this luminous chapter, there is a deeper current moving just beneath the surface—one that touches the hidden places of the heart and speaks directly to our frailties, our longings, and our calling in Christ.
The Greek word translated here as “envy” is ζηλοῖ (zēloi), a verb form derived from ζῆλος (zēlos), from which we get our English words zeal and jealousy. It is a word of intensity. It can speak of impassioned desire, whether for good or ill. In fact, throughout the New Testament, ζῆλος straddles a kind of moral tension. It can describe godly fervour (e.g., zeal for good works), but more often, it points to the dangerous edges of the human heart—jealousy, rivalry, and bitter comparison.
When Paul says, “Love does not envy,” he is saying more than, “Love doesn’t want what others have.” He is also saying, “Love is not unsettled by the goodness in others. Love does not resent blessing that is not its own. Love does not stew in comparison or rivalry. Love is not reactive.” In short, love is at peace.
The Inner Earthquake of Envy
Envy is not merely desiring what belongs to another—it is a kind of suffering over another’s joy. Thomas Aquinas defined envy as sorrow over another's good. It is the interior tremor that occurs when we see another lifted up, and something in us tightens, recoils, or grows quiet—not in wonder, but in wounded silence.
In the spiritual life, envy often wears religious clothing. It can manifest in the subtle ache that someone else is more gifted, more fruitful, more noticed, more beloved by those we ourselves wish to please. Even in ministry or among friends, this kind of envy can quietly shape our posture causing us to pull back, to compete in unspoken ways, or to withhold affirmation.
But Paul says Love does not envy. Love is not distorted by someone else’s joy. It can celebrate the other's grace as if it were its own. It does not draw boundary lines between “your calling” and “mine,” but sees all good as part of a shared participation in God’s abundance.
The Still Heart of Love
Love, in its truest form, is not threatened by others because it knows the Source. Envy emerges when we believe grace is scarce. But love is grounded in the reality of God’s boundless generosity. Love is able to rest in the stillness of knowing: What God gives, He gives in fullness, not in competition. There is enough room at the table. There is enough light in the day. There is enough glory in God’s heart to go around.
It is precisely because of this that Paul insists: love must not be mixed with envy. Envy fractures community; love restores it. Envy leads to rivalry; love leads to mutual blessing. Envy says, “Why not me?” Love says, “Thank God for you.”
Love and the Imitation of Christ
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Christ is that He never acted out of envy. Though He was rejected, misunderstood, and constantly opposed by others, He did not grasp, cling, or compete. He poured out, knelt down, lifted others up. His love was never diminished by the glory given to another.
To be conformed to Christ is to be slowly weaned from envy and invited into a new pattern of response, one that rejoices when another is seen, when another is called, when another is raised up. This is not easy. It may be one of the hardest purifications of the soul. But it is essential if we are to be truly formed in love.
Practicing a Life Free of Envy
To be shaped by the love that “does not envy” is to begin watching one’s heart with a new kind of attentiveness. When jealousy arises, when comparison stirs, when we sense the old ache of being overlooked, we are invited not to deny it, but to name it and bring it to Christ. In prayer, in confession, in silence we ask; Lord, teach me to bless rather than compete. Teach me to see others not as rivals, but as fellow recipients of Your extravagant grace.
In the end, love without envy is not just a moral achievement, it is the result of grace at work within us. It is the fruit of a soul that knows it is loved, and therefore, no longer needs to measure itself against others. It is the still heart, at peace in God, that rejoices in all that He gives, even when it is given to another.
Think on these things.
Jim Varsos