The vice of envy must be defined prior to discussion. The vice of envy is not what modern

Americans would first think. What most people think of as envy is actually jealously or

covetousness. Jealousy is love of people or possessions, and covetousness is the desire for the

(actual) possession of someone else.

Envy is more than wanting a thing which someone else

has. Envy is the desire for the other person to NOT have that thing and to be unhappy about

the loss.

One obvious contemporary example is that of gun ownership. Some people desire

for no citizens to own firearms. Most do not desire this because they are jealous or covetous

but because it will make themselves feel morally superior. Another generalized contemporary

example is that of wealth. Some people desire not to gain wealth themselves but that the

wealth of others be diminished, by force if necessary, even if they themselves receive no

benefit. This is from an emotional state of mind which DeYoung describes as “they have

nothing to lose and everything to gain from another’s loss” which is attributed to a lack of

self-love.

If these are examples are too divisive, then consider Mark 15:6-15 and Matthew

27:15-23 where those who were envious caused the people to call for the death of Jesus

Christ.

 Now the discussion turns to the vice of anger. It appears that DeYoung agrees with

Aquinas on separating anger and wrath:

Anger is not inherently bad, although it becomes disordered

when it attacks the wrong target or gets out control. Those who

take this view of anger are careful to distinguish anger,

thepassion, a part of normal human emotional makeup, from

wrath, thevice, which is anger in its sinful, excessive,

misdirected form.

 Anger, when it is aholyemotion, hasjusticeas its object andloveas it root.

Good

anger focuses on the benefit of others not selfish motivations.

Wrath is anger when it

becomes unchecked or uncontrolled, and undirected, or at least misdirected. A contemporary

example of wrath is the rioting which has taken place at various times during the last few

years. People became anger for a certain reason. Then instead of using that anger to promote

changes which would benefit others, the people became wrathful. The wrath developed into

rioting, which may have relieved some of their personal stress, and looting, which is stealing.

Destroying businesses does not benefit anyone but the construction companies.

 The Biblical ways to address the vices of envy and wrath is love.

To counteract envy,

Christians must understand that they are loved and valued by God and translate that into self-

worth and self-love. Of course, the self-love must be in alignment with God’s Word and not

selfish, etc. To counteract wrath, Christians must love other people as the Bible teaches.

Galatians 5:16-26 says to let the Holy Spirit guide our daily lives and that the Holy Spirit will

develop His fruit in us. Ultimately, Christians must desire to become more like Christ to

know they are loved and valued and to love and value others.



Endnotes

1. Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung,Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly

Sins and Their Remedies(Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, Div of Baker Publishing Group,

2009). 43-44.

2. Ibid., 43.

3. Ibid., 44.

4. Holy Bible, 14 various translations into the English language.