Success, Support, and the Holy Spirit
- Raymond Melendez
- Jun 10
- 5 min read
In today's culture, where personal success is often celebrated as the result of sheer determination and self-reliance, individuals like Sarina Russo, Robert Rosenkranz, and former President Barack Obama reveal a more complex reality: that achievement is seldom the result of individual effort alone. Their lives reignite a timeless question: how much of success is earned through personal grit, and how much is supported by public systems, society, and spiritual discipline?
Holy Scripture offers a powerful counterpoint to the myth of the self-made individual. In Ezekiel 28, the pride of the prince of Tyre—who believed himself to be a god because of his wealth and wisdom—was met with spiritual correction: “You say, ‘I am a god,’ but you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god” (Ezekiel 28:2, NIV). Celebrating success involves acknowledging it as the outcome of perseverance, community backing, and spiritual discipline.
The Myth of the Self-Made: When Success Ignores Grace
Sarina Russo’s recent call for Australians to "get a job" ignited widespread backlash, not simply for its tone, but for what it revealed about a deeper social myth: the illusion of the self-made individual. With a fortune built in part through government contracts in Australia’s privatized employment sector, Russo’s message, though cloaked in motivational rhetoric, struck many as blind to the systemic forces that influenced her success—and the real barriers facing countless unemployed Australians (Karp).
This story of self-made greatness is also reflected in individuals like Robert Rosenkranz, who celebrates personal grit. However, when these qualities become the only perspective for defining success, they overshadow the importance of public support, social privilege, and, most importantly, spiritual discipline. The Holy Scripture offers a stark contrast. In Ezekiel 28, the prince of Tyre is criticized for his arrogance, as he believed his wisdom and wealth elevated him to a godlike status.
“Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god… you will be brought down to the pit” (Ezekiel 28).
Such warnings are echoed in Proverbs 16:18—“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” When society glorifies self-made success while dismissing the unseen supports that uphold it, it risks building towers of pride destined to fall. Wisdom begins with spiritual discipline: recognizing that no achievement is purely our own.
Beyond Stoicism: Spiritual Discipline in Success
Robert Rosenkranz, the billionaire investor who champions Stoic philosophy, embodies a popular ideal: the self-made individual who rises through inner strength, rationality, and emotional control. His message resonates, especially with young entrepreneurs navigating an unpredictable world. Yet, like Sarina Russo’s call for Australians to “get a job,” Rosenkranz’s celebration of personal virtue risks overlooking a critical truth: success is rarely achieved alone (Karp; Rosenkranz).
While Stoicism encourages important virtues, it frequently overlooks the realities that affect us: access to education, economic stability, and generational advantage. Rosenkranz came of age in a booming, post-war America, surrounded by systems that promoted growth. To ignore these factors is to reinforce the myth of self-sufficiency—a myth that Holy Scripture repeatedly challenges.
The Bible presents a deeper foundation: spiritual discipline rooted in correction and instruction. As 2 Timothy 3:16–17 reminds us, all Scripture exists “for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” Spiritual discipline doesn't glorify personal achievement; it aligns individuals with God's greater purpose. John the Baptist's call to "make straight paths" (Matthew 3:3) was not intended as motivational advice; it was a call to repentance and spiritual discipline.
Even Jesus deferred all authority to the Father: “I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me” (John 8:28). His power came not from Stoic philosophy or personal grit, but from spiritual discipline.
In a culture fascinated by self-made myths, it's important to remember that embracing God's discipline strengthens us.
You Didn’t Build That: Public Foundations
President Obama's 2012 speech in Roanoke, Virginia, sparked national debate with a now-famous line: “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that.” Though taken out of context by critics, Obama’s point was clear: individual success is inseparable from the public systems that make it possible—roads, education, law enforcement, and technology—all built through taxpayer investment (Obama).
This message continues to resonate in an age of widening inequality and political debates over the role of government. It challenges the myth of radical individualism by highlighting a foundational truth: no achievement happens in a vacuum. Behind every personal triumph is a network of social, economic, and government support.
The Holy Scripture extends this concept even further. Success, from a spiritual perspective, is about submission, correction, and transformation. Jesus, misunderstood by his accusers as a failed revolutionary, revealed God’s greatest victory through humility and spiritual discipline.
“You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One” (Mark 14).
Jesus was not boasting of personal achievement but proclaiming God's work through spiritual discipline.
Similarly, in Mosiah 23:21–22, we are reminded that spiritual discipline is not punishment but preparation: “Whosoever putteth his trust in him shall be lifted up at the last day.” Just as public institutions support individual success, God supports success through spiritual discipline.
Whether in the building of businesses or the uplifting of souls, success is never self-made. It is achieved through the unseen support of public systems and the refining fire of spiritual discipline.
Truth in Success: Effort, Support, and Spiritual Discipline
From Sarina Russo’s blunt call to “get a job” to Robert Rosenkranz’s Stoic self-reliance to Barack Obama’s reminder that “you didn’t build that,” a common thread runs through the public debate on success: the danger of oversimplification. These perspectives reflect an ongoing tension between personal responsibility and the unseen but essential roles of community, public systems, and spiritual discipline.
Simplistic stories that glorify individual effort while ignoring systemic support not only distort reality—they alienate those for whom success is not merely a matter of grit but a daily battle against systemic barriers. Yet, swinging to the opposite extreme—denying the value of personal achievement—fails to honor the resilience many must summon to survive and grow.
The truth is that personal effort matters, but it is never the whole story. Public systems, social programs, economic policy, and—above all—spiritual discipline influence the conditions under which success is even possible. The Holy Scripture affirms this layered reality. As 2 Timothy 3:17 teaches, it is through God’s Word that we are “thoroughly equipped for every good work”—not by our strength, but by God's spirit.
Jesus, in declaring “I am” (Mark 14:62), did not exalt himself but pointed to his identity as sent and disciplined by God. His success was not self-made but Spirit-led. Success, then, is not achieved by reflecting our goodness but by reflecting God's.
To understand success rightly is to embrace the whole truth: that we are influenced by systems, sustained by grace, and called not to be good, but to live as faithful reflections of the One who makes all things possible.
Works Cited
