The Apostle Paul gave us a very simple instruction, "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good" (Romans 12:9). Though his instruction is simple in principle, many of us find it much more complicated in practice. Evil comes in a variety of disguises, ready to deceive us and convince us to turn aside, to give up our crown because we think we know, better than God, what is good. Carnal pride—vanity—leads to destruction (Proverbs 16:18). Paul wrote: "Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God" (Colossians 2:18–19).
Vanity spurred Lucifer to rebel and become Satan. He let go of the Head and sought his own will, which led him to ruin. God created Lucifer, the light-bringer, as one of the three top angelic beings mentioned in Scripture, the summit of God's angelic creation: "You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you" (Ezekiel 28:15). In spite of his great attributes, Lucifer allowed a fatal flaw to develop in his character, which would cost him his position in the government of God: "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you" (v. 17). Lucifer had become vain. He corrupted his God-given office and sought inordinate gain, so his Creator cast him out of heaven as punishment for his greed. Vain Lucifer, because of his lust for the throne of heaven, became jealous of God and greedy for His office, which led to his downfall (Isaiah 14:12–15; Revelation 12:7–9).
We Are Known by the Company We Keep
Vanity has three deadly playmates: Jealousy, Lust and Greed. These four are virtually inseparable companions; where you find one, you almost always see the other three tagging along. Just as breaking one of God's commandments means breaking them all, "hanging out" with any one of these four deadly playmates leads to entanglement with the other three. "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not murder.' Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law" (James 2:10–11). Yes, if we walk arm-in-arm with Vanity, we will see that Jealousy, Lust and Greed are also strolling along with us.
The New Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus (1992 edition) defines "vain" as "useless; unavailing; something one is conceited about; worthless." God does not want His people to be conceited, or to present a false image to try to deceive others about their worth. "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as if with a cart rope" (Isaiah 5:18). Maintaining one's vanity is a burden that requires more work than it is worth. King David, a man after God's own heart, was inspired to write, "I hate vain thoughts; but thy law do I love" (Psalm 119:113, KJV). Vanity is self-worship, which is idolatry (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7). Scripture explains that we should put our love of God first, and should have as much concern for others as we have for ourselves. "So he answered and said, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself'" (Luke 10:27).
Jealousy
Vanity and his three deadly playmates are our enemies; yet, if we are not careful, we can easily find ourselves embracing one of these four (and therefore the other three as well) almost every day. Jealousy, like Vanity, is an enemy to be avoided. Webster's defines "jealous" as: "envious; suspicious; apprehensively watchful; solicitous; zealously careful."
Is there such a thing as "godly jealousy"? Yes, God is "jealous" for His people, Israel: "You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 6:14–15). The difference between godly jealousy and vain human jealousy is that God's jealousy comes from His concern for His people, while carnal human jealousy has its roots in mankind's selfishness—our vanity, lust and greed.
When the people of Israel praised David as a hero, King Saul became jealous. "So the women sang as they danced, and said: 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.' Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, 'They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?'" (1 Samuel 18:7–8). Once Saul allowed jealousy to take root in his mind, a spirit of murder overcame him, which led him to try to kill David on several occasions.
Lust
Where we find Jealousy, we inevitably find his deadly playmate, Lust. Webster's defines "lust" as, "longing desire, sexual appetite; craving… desire passionately… having inordinate carnal desires." Jealousy is often inflamed by lust—by the desire to have something (or someone) that we neither have nor deserve. In the very last of the Ten Commandments, God condemns this deadly attitude: "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's" (Exodus 20:17).
Sometimes we lust for people or things; other times we lust for power or position or the approval of others. Much of this world's society involves emulating, or seeking the company of, "the beautiful or powerful people"— those who will make us the envy of others. Even in our school days, we probably noticed that most girls hoped to date the star athletes, while the boys pursued the "prettiest" cheerleaders. That attitude often continues into adulthood, when instead of seeking companions with good minds and sound character, many seek the ones with "good looks"—the outward beauty that will fade in a few years, and will end in dust. "This is the way of those who are foolish, and of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah. Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling" (Psalm 49:13–14).
Greed
Greed is another deadly playmate that can be found whenever Vanity makes his appearance. Webster's describes "greed" as "an eager and selfish desire; covetousness; avarice, having a keen desire for food, drink, wealth, etc., ravenous." Lust is the desire to have what is not ours; greed is the insatiable desire to have more and more—to have whatever we want, not simply what God tells us we need. When we turn our hearts toward greed, we forget Christ's profound instruction: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:33–34).
Greed represents the "get" way of life, completely opposite from God's loving way of giving, sharing and providing for those who need our help. "But the Lord said to him, 'Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you'" (Luke 11:39–41).
Put Away the Four Bad Companions
How can we root out the vanity, jealousy, lust and greed that are such integral parts of the natural, carnal mind of every human being? "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:11–13).
As we mature in God's Church, we should all be putting on Jesus Christ. "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:26–27). As we learn to put on Christ, we learn to shed our spiritually self-destructive relationships with Satan's four deadly playmates: Vanity, Jealousy, Lust and Greed.
The love of God, dwelling within us through His Holy Spirit, will force vanity out of our lives. The humility of Christ, growing within us, will help us overcome jealousy. Devoting our minds to prayer, Bible study, fasting and meditation will help us overcome lust. Practicing the way of "give" will drive away our greed. "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3–4).
Immersing ourselves in the Work of God, and keeping our eyes on things above, will keep us focused on God's Kingdom and on Christ's returning soon in glory. We must keep ourselves unspotted by the vain ways of Satan's world. "For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:16–17).