Ambition: A Bible Definition
Two ambitions run through the New Testament — the one to avoid and the one to cultivate. A reflection on how the Bible defines a healthy, God-directed drive. Day 275 of the Bible in One Year plan.
The verse
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." Philippians 2:3 (ESV)
The Greek word Paul uses for "selfish ambition" is eritheia. It originally described a day laborer working for hire, and came to mean a rivalry seeking only personal advantage. That is the ambition Bible definition to flee. But the Bible's quarrel is not with drive as such. It is with a drive that steps on others to reach its goal.
Context
Philippians 2 is one of the most humbling passages in the New Testament. Paul urges the church to be of one mind, and then grounds the call in the example of Christ: "Though he was in the form of God, [he] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant" (vv. 6-7). The mind of Christ is the opposite of eritheia. Where selfish ambition grasps, Christ lets go.
James writes in the same register. "Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice" (James 3:16). By contrast, "the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere" (v. 17).
What it means
Scripture does not flatten ambition into sin. It teaches us to split it into two very different things.
The ambition to avoid: eritheia. Selfish ambition is rivalry-fueled. It measures itself by the downfall or diminishment of others. It builds a kingdom whose crown always has one seat. Philippians 2:3 and James 3:14-16 both warn that this posture produces disorder in the soul and in the community.
The ambition to pursue: philotimeomai. Paul uses this verb three times, and each time it reframes the drive. (1) Romans 15:20 — "I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named." Here the target is not his own fame but the advance of the gospel into new territory. (2) 2 Corinthians 5:9 — "we make it our aim to please him." The audience has shrunk to an audience of One. (3) 1 Thessalonians 4:11 — "aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands." Ambition to be ordinary, diligent, and unnoticed, while still working hard.
Put them together and a picture emerges. Godly ambition is drive that aims at what God loves: the spread of the gospel, the pleasure of Christ, and faithful daily work. It does not cease to be ambition — Paul was one of the most ambitious people in Scripture — but it loses its teeth toward other people and turns its appetite toward the purposes of God.
The question, then, is not "Should I be ambitious?" It is "Ambitious for what?" And quietly underneath, "Ambitious at whose expense?"
How to apply it
- Audit your motives. What would change if the applause were invisible? Ambitions that survive that question are probably the healthier ones.
- Rewrite your goals using Paul's grammar. "I make it my ambition to ___ so that ___ is honored." Name the end and the One it's for. If the grammar collapses, so does the goal.
- Practice honoring others above yourself. Philippians 2:3 is a discipline, not a feeling. Celebrate the success of a peer this week. Selfish ambition shrinks when gratitude for others grows.
- Build a small, faithful life. 1 Thessalonians 4:11 is permission to want a quiet, diligent existence. Not every calling is public. Some ambitions are best measured in decades of hidden faithfulness.
- Let Christ be your ceiling. Aim to please Him (2 Corinthians 5:9). That is both the highest target and the one that does not require anyone else to lose.
Related verses
- Romans 15:20 — "I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named."
- 2 Corinthians 5:9 — "We make it our aim to please him."
- James 3:16-17 — "Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder… the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable."
- 1 Thessalonians 4:11 — "Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands."
- Jeremiah 45:5 — "Do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not."
Reflection
The Bible does not call us to ambition-less lives. It calls us to clean ambition — desire purified of rivalry, ordered by the pleasure of God, and willing to work in obscurity if that is where the assignment lies. Ask the Lord today what He is calling you to be ambitious for. Then ask Him to take from you any of the ambitions He never asked for.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Bible definition of ambition?
The Bible distinguishes two ambitions. Selfish ambition (Greek eritheia) — the rival-seeking drive — is condemned in Philippians 2:3 and James 3:14-16. Godly ambition is aspiration aimed at honoring God, as in Paul's drive to preach Christ where He was not yet named (Romans 15:20).
Is ambition a sin?
Not all ambition. Scripture warns against selfish ambition (Philippians 2:3, James 3:16) but commends holy ambition — to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9), to live quietly and work (1 Thessalonians 4:11), and to preach where Christ is not known (Romans 15:20).
What does Philippians 2:3 say?
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." Selfish ambition is opposed to the mind of Christ, who emptied Himself (v. 5-8).
What was Paul's ambition?
Two things: "to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named" (Romans 15:20), and "whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him" (2 Corinthians 5:9). His ambition was God-centered and others-facing.
How can I tell if my ambition is godly?
Ask: does this serve God's kingdom or only my name? Am I willing to see others promoted? Would I still pursue this if no one noticed? Does it produce the fruit of the Spirit or the opposite? James 3:17-18 gives the tests.