Are You An Elitist?

The term elitist is often tossed around in various situations and usually in a negative context.  Most of us can easily recognize this in someone else, but when we look in a mirror, we seldom see the reality of the definition reflected back at us.

Dictionary.com defines it as:

1. A person having thought to have, or professing superior intellect or talent, power, wealth or membership in the upper echelons of society.
2.  A person who believes in the superiority of an elite class.

Synonyms are even more direct:  high brow, name dropper, pompous person, stuffed shirt.

Perhaps you have heard the term “spiritually elite”, but isn’t this actually an oxymoron?  How can a spiritual person – a true follower of Christ who is indwelt with the Holy Spirit (as told in John 16) – be elite?  Aren’t we all created in the image of God?  (Genesis 1:27).  Aren’t those who are His children plain and simply BLESSED by what He did on our behalf?  We are better than NO ONE.

Paul addresses the equal importance of everyone in 1 Corinthians 12 where he explains each of us has a specific gift and purpose so that we are ALL needed to make up the body.   “If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?”  (v.17).

How might God view this elitist attitude?  Not well, we can easily conclude by His Scripture and Christ’s example.

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bondservant…”  (Philippians 2:5-7)

And,

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself.”  (Philippians 2:3)

If you or I ever see ourselves as better than anyone else (black/white; believer/unbeliever; old/young; educated/uneducated; rich/poor, etc.), we must take that thought “captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5).  Stop it in its tracks.  We must remember not only WHO we are but WHOSE we are and then follow His example.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  (Galatians 3:28)

“The Lord…is patient toward you, not wishing any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”  (2 Peter 3:9)

“For God so loved the WORLD…”  (John 3:16) – Not just those who mistakenly assume they’re better.