We are often told to be selfless in the Bible. While many of us try to obey this Biblical command, it is sometimes difficult to know what being selfless really means, and how to live it out daily. As we look at a couple of passages in the Bible, we can begin to understand what selflessness looks like and how God wants us to practice it.
What does it mean to be selfless?
Selflessness is defined as a concern more with the needs and wishes of others than with one’s own. The Bible tells us that selflessness is putting others first. Selflessness means that you deny your own needs or wants. A good chapter in the Bible about denying our wants is the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. In this story, we see a man left beaten on the side of the road. Both a priest and Levite see the man but continue on their way. However, a Samaritan sees him, stops his journey, and helps the man. He used his resources to take care of the man, who he didn’t even know. This is what selflessness looks like. It means putting the needs of others before our own needs or desires.
Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his interests but also to the interests of others.” This verse is saying that to be selfless we must place the interests of others before our own. We need to humble ourselves to be selfless, just as Christ humbled Himself. Jesus Christ humbled himself and came to earth so that He might die on the cross for our sins. He denied Himself, putting God’s will and love for us above Himself. Philippians 2 tells us that Christ humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross! Christ humbled Himself by coming to earth to serve us, sinners. We read this in Matthew 20:28, which says, “Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The apostle Paul wrote, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.” Humbling ourselves means that we view others as more important than ourselves. Therefore, we see that to be selfless, we need to humble ourselves and be willing to serve others as Christ did.
How can we be selfless?
To be selfless we must love one another. We cannot serve others selflessly if we do not love them. Galatians 5:14 says, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If you love someone, you are willing to place their needs before your own. You are willing to serve them. We must love our neighbor to be able to serve him. 1 Corinthians 10:24 says, “Let no one seek his good, but the good of his neighbor.” This verse is saying that we should not do things only for ourselves but rather be looking out for the interests of others. This means that we must not be self-orientated but instead, always be considering others. We need to be concerned more with the needs of others rather than ourselves. This is what selflessness looks like.
Live it out!
So, what does selflessness mean? To be selfless throughout our lives on a day-to-day basis means that we need to put the needs of others before our own. This means that we are willing to say that others are more important than ourselves. Also, selflessness means that we are eager to humbly serve others. We must love and serve one another as Christ loved and served us.