The Comparison Trap.

This semester I have started working toward my psychology/ counseling degree. I’m not super far along in my studies, so I’m certainly not the person to come to with any of your psychological questions. However, one of the most recent things I studied was the concept of social comparison. I think that everyone can relate to the idea of social comparison, because everyone has done it. Sometimes, we do it unconsciously, but we do it, nonetheless. While it is almost instinctive for us to compare ourselves with others, I think doing this can come at a cost that, in the end, we will not want to pay. It looks innocent enough, but really comparison is a trap we set for ourselves.

Pastor Steven Furtick once said that “the death of contentment is comparison.” Often times, we can look at what others have and suddenly feel that what we have is not enough. We have the capacity to become discontent when we see someone with a nicer car, or a higher paying job, or a better relationship than we have. We can be so obsessed with the worldly things we do not have that we miss all the blessings that God has entrusted to us. God gave you the things you have for a reason, and He made you the way you are for a reason. Yet, we get so caught up in what others have and what we think we want. We live in a culture that tells us that we have to have or do certain things to be accepted. I’m so glad that God does not require us to have or do anything special in order for us to be eligible for His acceptance. All to often, we will compare ourselves to the world and give up anything necessary to fit in with it. We compare ourselves, because we seek the approval of everyone else. I think something that every Christian must realize is that we only need one person’s approval, and that’s Jesus Christ. I do not need the approval of everyone else, because I already have the approval of Christ. Comparing yourself with and fighting for the acceptance of others is exhausting and, in the end, disappointing. However, God stands ready to give you His acceptance and approval, you just have to accept it. So, why get discouraged by not having an earthly possession, if you have the priceless treasure of calling God your Father?

There is a flip side to comparison, though. One part says that we don’t measure up to other people, and the other part tells us that we are better than other people. Individuals, who often times have low-self esteem, try to make themselves feel better by comparing themselves to people who seem worse than they are. I see this happen all the time. I’ve even done it in my own life. We make ourselves feel better when we look at others’ faults and mistakes. If the majority of people were honest, they would admit that they try to justify their actions by saying that they are not as bad as someone else. We say, “Well, I may have done this, but So-And-So did that.” We say we are not nearly as bad as someone else we know, so, in our minds, we are good people. However, everyone is a sinner, so when we compare ourselves with the world, we are comparing ourselves to a sinful standard. In 1 Corinthians 10:12, it says, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” We may look like good people compared to everyone else, but the One we should really compare ourselves to is Christ. We might exceed the world’s requirements to be a good person, but we fall extremely short of God’s righteous requirements. When we compare yourself to Christ, Who was in every way perfect and sinless, we see just how sinful we are. In the light of God’s presence, we see the full darkness of our sin. We realize that we cannot meet God’s standard, so we need Someone else to meet it for us. Jesus lived a sinless life and became the only One who could save us. All we have to do is repent of our sins and accept His gift of salvation.

So, in closing, do not compare yourself to others and get discouraged about what you don’t have, because God loves and accepts you, and He is “able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8) I also challenge you to stop justifying your actions by comparing them to that of someone else’s. Sin is sin. I encourage you to compare yourself to Christ, strive to be more like Him, and be thankful for the grace God gives you when you are not like Him.

If you have any questions, comments, or topics you would like me to write about you can email me at christy@tonynolan.org or just leave a comment below. God bless and thank you so much for reading. 

You Better Believe It.

I read an article yesterday that broke my heart. The article was talking about Pope Francis. I was shocked to hear that he has recently said that an individual does not have to believe in God to go to heaven. He was assuring the atheist by saying that, “the issue for those who do not believe in God is to obey their conscience”.  I am in no way trying to hate on the Pope, but I am outraged at this statement.  

In the very first sentence of the article I read, it said that Pope Francis was most likely making these statements “to enhance his progressive reputation”.  I thought that was interesting. Whether it is true about the Pope or not, it is true about many Christians today. I’m broken hearted over all of my brothers and sisters in Christ that are trying to change or sugarcoat the Gospel in the name of their own reputations. While I wish that hell was not a real place, it is. I wish that everyone could go to heaven, but, unfortunately, everyone is not. This is reality. It’s uncomfortable for people to hear, but that doesn’t mean we should simply neglect it or feed people lies that are more comfortable for them to hear. Whether you are the Pope or just a teenager, you cannot rewrite the story of God. 

The first part of the Pope’s statement is that one does not have to believe in God to go to heaven. The word “believe” is found over 120 times throughout the New Testament. Something mentioned that many times in the Word of God deserves our attention, don’t you think? John 3:16, one of the most widely known verses in all of the Bible, says, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”  Whosoever BELIEVES. It does not say “whosoever follows their conscience”.  Where did we get off thinking that we could change the very words of God? This is not something we can redefine. God makes it clear in His word that the only way to Him is through belief in His Son. When you die, the only thing that is going to matter is whether or not you believed in Jesus.

The second part of the Pope’s statement is about following your conscience. If we follow our conscience, then, according to the Pope, we are good people, thus forgiven by God. Isaiah 64:6 says that, “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”  Even our best acts are still not enough to get us into heaven. So, there is no such thing as a good person. We have all sinned against a holy God.  If we could get ourselves to heaven simply by being good people, then why would God send Christ to die for our sins? Galatians 2:21 says, “if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” There would have been no reason for Jesus to die on the cross, if we could attain salvation through our own good works. So, there are no exceptions to this, we must believe in Jesus to get to heaven.

Let us get back to talking about conscience. It is defined in the dictionary as, “an inner feeling or voice acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness of one's behavior.” However, if we are not perfect people, then how can we have perfect consciences? What if every person’s view of right and wrong is different? Adolf Hitler, the man who is responsible for the deaths of over 11 million people, once said, “I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator”. Can we justify Hitler’s actions because he “followed his conscience”? He thought what he was doing was a good thing. There is no real right and wrong if every man makes up his own version of what right and wrong looks like.

John 3:18 clearly says, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”  Again, I wish I could say this was not a big deal and, like the Pope, say that the atheist will make it heaven. However, this verse makes belief a huge deal. We cannot sugar coat this. If you do not believe in God, then you will not go to heaven. You will be cast into a burning lake of fire, completely separated from Christ for all eternity. We have a sin nature in us, so we surely cannot always trust our conscience. We cannot get to heaven by being good people, because we are not good people, according to the Word of God. We cannot earn a place in heaven by being good. Thus, the only way to get to heaven is belief in Jesus. He made a way for us. He took the wrath of God on the cross for us, so that we can go to heaven, but we must believe in Him. Please do not be lead astray from the truth, the only way to heaven is through belief in Jesus.

If anyone has any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at christy@tonynolan.org . Also, if you have a topic you would like me to write about,  simply email me and I will do my best to write a Biblical perspective on that topic. Thanks for reading.


Works Cited
Day, Michael. "Pope Francis Assures Atheists: You Don't Have to Believe in God to Go to Heaven." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 13 Sept. 2013.