Q&A Home > J > Jealousy If God can be jealous, why can’t we be? Why according to the Holy Book of Galatians 5:20 is jealousy wrong, whereas in the Holy Book of Exodus 20:5, God shows Himself a jealous God? Jealousy as a passion in itself is considered a vice when exhibited in an evil destructive manner. However, it is not necessarily sinful in itself; and according to Holy Scripture, there is such a thing as godly jealousy. We find St. Paul declaring to the Corinthian Church, "For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor 11:2). He had an earnest, cautious, anxious concern for their holiness, that our Lord Jesus might be honored in their lives. Jealousy, like anger, is not evil in itself, or it could never be ascribed to God; His jealousy is ever a pure and holy flame.
In the Holy Book of Galatians 5:20 it is clear that St. Paul is talking about the evil jealousy; for it is mentioned along with "adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like."
God is jealous because He wants His people to be holy; and not to worship any other god. Instead of saying "why can God and not we be jealous?", we should say: "why can God and not we be holy?"; knowing that, "As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ’Be holy, for I am holy’" (1 Pet 1:15-16).
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