Christianity and Excellence

Timothée Chalamet at the SAG Awards, 2025

"Excellence" isn't a word we hear a lot. Many of us have gotten used to settling for mediocrity for the sake of convenience. It can take a lot of time and intentionality to pursue excellence. It also seems that a lot of people are embarrassed to "try." "Trying," at least publicly, is vulnerable because you're at risk of failing. Either way, excellence is something that's missing from our cultural zeitgeist.

Excellence is, as the word suggests, the quality of being excellent, or exceedingly good. I think of it as the condition of greatness. To pursue excellence is to go beyond the bare requirements, to not settle for simply doing well, but to work hard and excel in whatever you do.

So, should Christians strive for excellence? Yes. Colossians 3:17 says:

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Whatever task we are given and whatever we are stewarding, we are to do it in the name of the Lord. As followers of Jesus, we represent Him everywhere we go. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says:

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Whether in our social interactions, careers, schoolwork, or daily responsibilities, our work and our attitude represent Christ. Therefore, we ought to represent Him well. In our pursuit of excellence, we have a unique opportunity to reflect God's greatness. Christians should be exemplary artists, citizens, students, etc. If we know that in our creative endeavors we not only mirror God as the ultimate creator, but bear His name, shouldn’t we do it excellently? In our work, we are not simply getting things done to appease our boss or get a paycheck. Rather, we are working for the Lord and therefore should do it well.

This could be confused with perfectionism, so I want to make the differences clear. Christian excellence is different from perfectionism or striving merely for success. Perfectionism is self-focused and burdensome because you become the sole agent responsible for carrying out success. And oftentimes that success is self-serving.

Pursuing excellence as a Christian, however, looks like pursuing greatness as a response to God and as an act of worship. We can glorify God even in the small things. In our pursuit of excellence, we honor God and bear His name well because He is worthy. We can also be a witness to the world by pursuing excellence in our interactions and in our work for others. We honor people and honor God when we don’t cut corners or treat others as a means to an end. Instead, we do our best and steward the gifts and talents we have been given, using them to serve the world with excellence and a cheerful heart.

One more thing to mention is that our pursuit of excellence should be done with humility. Although we can witness to the world, we need to pursue greatness even when no one is watching. God is our ultimate audience, and it is Him we should seek to please above all. It is also the Holy Spirit who animates us to do good. We aren’t alone, for God is with us in all we do. So in every corner of life, we should seek Him and seek to make Him known by our actions.

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."

Colossians 3:23-24