What does First B Jackson teach about selfishness?

At First B Jackson, the teaching on selfishness starts with naming it honestly. Pastor Brad identifies what he calls selfism, an entrenched, systematic tendency to use people and experiences for our own ends, as the unspoken religion of modern culture. The assumption underneath it is that this life is all there is, and so comfort, control, and the craving for approval become the quiet organizing principles of a person's days. Brad points out that this is exactly what Galatians 5 pushes against: the freedom Christ gives is not freedom to indulge yourself but freedom to serve one another in love.

The practical call is personal and specific. Hebrews 12:1 says to rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin that so easily entangles, and Brad pressed on the word every. That means not only outright sin but also things that are not sinful in themselves, travel sports, hobbies, the drive for approval, anything that crowds out what God has actually set before a person. He was also careful to point out that the text says 'let us rid ourselves,' not our spouses or our community groups. The work of identifying and naming what needs to go belongs to each person individually.

The antidote to selfishness, as taught from these passages, is not just trying harder to be less selfish. It is fixing your eyes on Jesus and actually running the race He has marked out for you. Brad argued that a lot of hypercritical, spectator-style church culture comes directly from people who have not yet gotten into their own race and so have energy left over for judging those who have. When you are genuinely running, serving, and engaging, the inward pull of selfism starts to lose its grip. Connection with the infinite God, and through Him with others, turns out to be where real life is found, which is something social scientists keep confirming and scripture has said for thousands of years.

Taught from Hebrews 12:1-2 · Galatians 5:13-14 · 1 Corinthians 10:31