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is ambition wrong?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Philippians 2:3-4

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or from conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Each of you look not to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church in Philippi, a Roman colony in ancient Macedonia, likely around 60-62 CE while he was imprisoned. He encourages the Philippian believers to live in unity and humility, modeling their lives after Christ's example.

What does it look like to pursue significant goals without being driven by selfishness or personal pride?

Then — the setting

Paul wrote to the Philippians from prison, possibly in Rome, urging them to maintain unity and joy in the face of external opposition and potential internal discord. The concept of 'ambition' (ἐριθεία, *eritheia*) in the Greco-Roman world could sometimes denote a laudable pursuit of honor or public service, but it also carried negative connotations of self-serving partisanship, rivalry, or a desire for office achieved by unfair means. Paul is addressing a form of ambition that threatens community cohesion, advocating for a counter-cultural humility in a society that highly valued honor and status.

Across the Testaments

This New Testament passage builds on Old Testament wisdom concerning the heart's motivations. While the Old Testament often commends diligence and striving for excellence (e.g., Proverbs 10:4, 22:29), it frequently warns against pride (Proverbs 16:5, 18), envy (Proverbs 14:30), and self-exaltation. Paul here reframes the object of ambition: instead of personal glory or gain, the 'ambition' of a believer should be to serve others in humility, echoing prophetic calls for justice and care for the vulnerable, and laying groundwork for Jesus's own teaching on servant leadership.

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Read alongside it

Romans 12:3
Warns against thinking too highly of oneself and encourages sober judgment.
Matthew 20:25-28
Jesus teaches his disciples that true greatness comes through humble service, not dominance.
Proverbs 16:18
States that pride goes before destruction, connecting self-exaltation with downfall.

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