It is understandable, therefore, why God’s Word urges Christians to avoid the spirit of competition, saying: “Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another.”​—Gal. 5:26.

The Greek word here rendered “stirring up competition” is often translated “provoking.” (AV, AS, Dy, Mo) However, it means more than that. According to Greek-English lexicons, it means “to call forth,” “to challenge to a combat or contest with one.” Thus, An American Translation has the rendering: “Let us not in our vanity challenge one another.” And the footnote of the 1950 edition of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures offers the alternative: “Forcing one another to a showdown.”

Persons frequently do this. They challenge others, endeavoring to force them to a showdown. The motive is to prove oneself better, thus to put the other fellow down. The attitude is, “We will find out who is best.” This is stirring up competition. It is basically the same spirit exercised by the bully Goliath, who called out: “Am I not the Philistine and you servants belonging to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. . . . Give me a man, and let us fight together!”​—1 Sam. 17:8-10.

But despite its prevalence today, the spirit of competition is not wise. It does not create good relations. For instance, if you are forced to a showdown and defeated and the victor boasts of the outcome, how do you feel? It can be humiliating, can it not? Stirring up competition is not showing love for neighbor.

It is understandable, therefore, why God’s Word urges Christians to avoid the spirit of competition, saying: “Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another.”​—Gal. 5:26.

The Greek word here rendered “stirring up competition” is often translated “provoking.” (AV, AS, Dy, Mo) However, it means more than that. According to Greek-English lexicons, it means “to call forth,” “to challenge to a combat or contest with one.” Thus, An American Translation has the rendering: “Let us not in our vanity challenge one another.” And the footnote of the 1950 edition of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures offers the alternative: “Forcing one another to a showdown.”

Persons frequently do this. They challenge others, endeavoring to force them to a showdown. The motive is to prove oneself better, thus to put the other fellow down. The attitude is, “We will find out who is best.” This is stirring up competition. It is basically the same spirit exercised by the bully Goliath, who called out: “Am I not the Philistine and you servants belonging to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. . . . Give me a man, and let us fight together!”​—1 Sam. 17:8-10.

But despite its prevalence today, the spirit of competition is not wise. It does not create good relations. For instance, if you are forced to a showdown and defeated and the victor boasts of the outcome, how do you feel? It can be humiliating, can it not? Stirring up competition is not showing love for neighbor.

What, then, about playing games? In this case much depends on the spirit that the players show. Are they trying to stir up competition? Or are they simply having a good time playing? Since it is easy to stir up the spirit of competition in games and sports, some may desire to look for ways to play games that eliminate or minimize the element of competition.

Noting the competitive spirit that dominates worldly organized sports, many persons on learning Christian principles have refused to share in them. They no longer want to be infected by the unchristian spirit of competition. This is the desire of natives who recently learned Bible truths on the Pacific island of Ponape. A representative writes: “The group here has dropped the fierce interdistrict pride, which is particularly apparent during . . . interdistrict athletic events.”