Antidote to Covetousness
- Strength For Life
- May 6
- 4 min read
Updated: May 8
Violating the tenth commandment—“thou shalt not covet”—seems mild compared to its neighbors in the decalogue. Next to murder, adultery, theft, and lying, coveting seems less deadly to the soul. Thinking that, however, is a serious biblical error. Covetousness makes the list of the most serious sins in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 6:10 says that the no covetous person “shall inherit the kingdom of God.” Ephesians 5:5 says the same thing, but also takes the additional step of comparing it to idol worship: “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” In 1 Timothy 3, covetousness is one of the signs of degraded human behavior in the last days. Finally, covetousness is one of the few traits that warrants excommunication from the local church. “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat” (1 Corinthians 6:11). There should be no obviously greedy men or women among a church’s membership. Those verses are surprisingly forceful. They should also persuade us that coveting is a sin we should keep out of our lives.
We should briefly pause to define our term. To “covet” is to desire to have something that is not yours to have. Coveting is a wish that cannot be fulfilled because the object of the coveting belongs to another person, and to take it would be stealing. Another possibility is that the desire cannot be fulfilled because it would replace a gift that God gave and only God can take away, like a spouse, children, or some unchangeable characteristic given from birth. A third possibility is that the desire cannot be fulfilled because the thing itself is sinful, like a young man who envies the life of a rebellious peer.
Returning to the biblical instruction concerning coveting, here is the summary: no Christian should be covetous, and churchgoers who are known for it are in serous spiritual danger and should be avoided. Remember, however, that covetousness begins as an inward sin that. How can we intercept covetousness before a friend has to confront us about the condition of our heart?
The opposite of covetousness is contentment. Two well-known scriptures tell us so. In the middle of describing and warning about people who are greedy for gain, Paul reminds Timothy that, despite what the covetous say, “godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content” (1 Tim. 6:6-8). Hebrews 13:5 instructs believers in a similar way: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’.” Both the command not to be covetous and the contrasting virtue of contentment are clear.
God commands contentment, and we should obey. However, knowing the command and obeying the command are two different things. How can we prepare our hearts to obey that command, as you recall to mind your temptations to covet, and I do the same? We find the antidote to covetousness, and the motivation for contentment, in the word “godliness” in 1 Timothy 6:6, and in the Lord’s promise that He will not abandon His children, in Hebrews 13:5.
Since godliness and God’s presence are the antidote to covetousness, is important to stop to consider their blessings in more detail. One of the chief reasons to carefully consider godliness and God’s presence is that they remind us of what we have been rescued from. We have already concluded from Scripture that covetous sinners are bound for God’s judgment, and that the presence of covetousness itself is a sign that God’s wrath abides on a person. However, it is not just the covetous who will be punished for their sin. All sinners, and therefore all humans, have to answer to God for every one of their sinful thoughts, desires, and actions. As the Heidelberg Catechism says by way of question and answer:
“Can we ourselves make this payment [to satisfy the full demands of God’s justice]?” “Certainly not. On the contrary, we daily increase our debt.”
The situation of a sinner before the completely righteous, infinitely exalted Judge of the Universe could not be worse. God will inevitably punish all sin, and time on earth is merely time to increase each person’s sin debt. Every sinner lives in constant mortal danger of eternal punishment.
And yet, men and women in Christ are delivered from that danger. Instead of wrath, we possess the abiding presence of God’s Spirit, who will neither leave nor forsake us. We have imputed righteousness through Christ, and therefore the opportunity to display genuine godliness in our lives. The only way for a human sinner to act in ways the Lord calls godly is to be forgiven, cleansed, and regenerated. It is a true miracle that God can objectively call human actions godly.
When we stop consider this deliverance from condemnation to salvation, the faithfulness of God’s righteousness, the constancy of His presence, and the numerous benefits that flow from these things, we are much more likely to be content instead of covetous. After all, the things we desire—even good things—are trivial when compared with the great redemption we have received through Christ’s merit. Life isn’t so bad, and our situation isn’t quite so miserable. Our situational affliction doesn’t approach what we deserve to receive for our sins. God has been extremely merciful and kind to His undeserving creatures. Those gifts, with food and raiment, are all we need to live satisfied lives. We see our carnal desires as appropriately hollow. Instead of covetousness, we can live in contentment.
The above article was written by Jonathan Kyser. He is a pastoral assistant at NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
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