Are We Selfish And What Does The Bible Say About Selfishness? I believe that most people would agree that we live in a very selfish world where me factor is rampant and no one seems to want to be brother’s keeper.
To understand how selfish we are, we need to look to the Bible, the undisputed word of God, learn about selfishness, what it does, and overcome being selfish.
2 Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. So God predicted thousand of years ago that we will be selfish.
James 3:16-17 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
James 3:13-15 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
The book of James warns us that a wise man does not need to be selfish because he knows that selfishness does not come from God; it can only come from the Devil, and as the book says, it is “earthly, sensual, devilish”.
Romans 15:1-2 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. The interpretation here is that we who knows that selfishness is not of God must enlighten those who are weak and fall into Satan trap of being selfish.
Romans 2:8 But unto them that are contentious, selfish and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath will come upon them. James 3:16 For where envying, selfishness and strife are, there is confusion and every evil work.
Looking at the book of Galatians 5:19-25, Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are; selfishness, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies.
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such; there is no law.
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Isaiah 56:11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Selfishness turns us into greedy dogs. The more we have, the more we want, so we turn to others with the same selfishness to fill our selfish desires.
Proverbs 30:12 There is a generation believing they are pure in their own eyes, yet is not washed from their filthiness. Today’s generation thinks they are not selfish, yet they are covered in their self-centred ways, and their eyes are not open to the truth of their selfishness.
Jeremiah 45:5 And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, selfishness, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are not of the Father but the world.