The other day, I was at an in-home bible study after a day of VBS. The current lesson was on counting the cost of discipleship and the priority of following Jesus. At the end of the lesson, one of the students made a comment about how God must be selfish to demand so much from us. The student quickly realized what she had said, and corrected her statement to “jealous,” but her original comment started me thinking. Is God a selfish God? After all, He does claim to be above all other objects and beings, and to own all of creation. Doesn’t that make Him…well, greedy?
Not necessarily.
The dictionary definition of “greedy” is “a selfish or excessive desire for more than is needed or deserved, especially of money, wealth, food, or other possessions.” Extending from this, the dictionary definition of “selfish” is (1) “holding one’s self-interest as the standard for decision making”, and (2) “having regard for oneself above others’ well-being.” Now, as contradictory as it may sound, God (by being perfect) could be considered selfish—at least by the dictionary’s standards—but not greedy (again, according to the dictionary).
At heart, most (if not all) of us are selfish. This is primarily because our sinful nature's misguided sense of superiority. I act like I am better or greater than others because I place myself above them in my sight. I make my self-interest my standard for thinking and judging because I, at heart, am a sinful—and thus prideful—being. I regard myself above others because my sense of priority is corrupted; I place greater priority on myself than anyone else, and I am sure that I am not alone in this matter. But what about God's sense of superiority?
Not necessarily.
The dictionary definition of “greedy” is “a selfish or excessive desire for more than is needed or deserved, especially of money, wealth, food, or other possessions.” Extending from this, the dictionary definition of “selfish” is (1) “holding one’s self-interest as the standard for decision making”, and (2) “having regard for oneself above others’ well-being.” Now, as contradictory as it may sound, God (by being perfect) could be considered selfish—at least by the dictionary’s standards—but not greedy (again, according to the dictionary).
At heart, most (if not all) of us are selfish. This is primarily because our sinful nature's misguided sense of superiority. I act like I am better or greater than others because I place myself above them in my sight. I make my self-interest my standard for thinking and judging because I, at heart, am a sinful—and thus prideful—being. I regard myself above others because my sense of priority is corrupted; I place greater priority on myself than anyone else, and I am sure that I am not alone in this matter. But what about God's sense of superiority?
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