Topical Bible: Heart: The Unregenerate is Covetous

◄ Heart: The Unregenerate is Covetous ►

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In biblical theology, the heart is often seen as the center of human will, emotion, and intellect. It is the seat of moral and spiritual life, reflecting the true nature of a person. The unregenerate heart, one that has not been transformed by the grace of God, is frequently described in Scripture as being covetous, among other sinful inclinations.

Covetousness, or an inordinate desire for what belongs to others, is a condition of the heart that is condemned throughout the Bible. It is a manifestation of the sinful nature that dominates the unregenerate person. The Tenth Commandment explicitly warns against coveting: "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:17). This commandment highlights the internal nature of covetousness, as it is a sin that resides in the heart and mind.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, identifies covetousness as a fundamental aspect of the sinful nature. He writes, "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been aware of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, 'Do not covet'" (Romans 7:7). Here, Paul acknowledges that the law reveals the covetous nature of the unregenerate heart, making individuals aware of their sinfulness.

In the New Testament, Jesus also addresses the issue of covetousness, emphasizing that it is not merely an external act but a condition of the heart. In the Gospel of Mark, He declares, "For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness" (Mark 7:21-22). Greed, or covetousness, is listed among the evils that originate from within, underscoring the corrupt nature of the unregenerate heart.

The Apostle Paul further warns against covetousness in his epistles, urging believers to put away such desires. In Ephesians, he writes, "But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed" (Ephesians 5:3). Here, greed is equated with impurity, suggesting that covetousness is incompatible with a life transformed by the Holy Spirit.

In Colossians, Paul provides a stark warning about the consequences of covetousness: "Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5). By equating greed with idolatry, Paul highlights the seriousness of covetousness, as it places material desires above God, effectively worshiping them.

The unregenerate heart, characterized by covetousness, stands in contrast to the regenerate heart, which is transformed by the renewing work of the Holy Spirit. The regenerate heart seeks contentment in God and His provision, recognizing that true fulfillment comes not from earthly possessions but from a relationship with the Creator.

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Jeremiah 22:17
But your eyes and your heart are not but for your covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.
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2 Peter 2:14
Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
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Library

A Picture of Conversion. 2 Kings ii. 19-22.
... I.--- WE HAVE A PICTURE OF AN UNREGENERATE HEART. ... but proud, women that are beautiful
but vain, workmen that are industrious but covetous, others who are ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/champness/broken bread/lvii a picture of conversion.htm

Persecution Every Christian's Lot
... For men shall be lovers of their ownselves, covetous, proud, blasphemers ... sensible
of the bitter enmity of the heart of every unregenerate man against God. ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/persecution every christians lot.htm

part i.
... He thus must eternally abhor the covetous; and hence ... IV. From the deep-seated depravity
of the human heart. ... This, in unregenerate men, is the governing principle ...
//christianbookshelf.org/clark/the faithful steward/part i.htm

Baptismal Regeneration
... hard to renounce for themselves""all covetous desires of ... because I, in all kindness
of heart, rebuke the ... Unregenerate sinners promising for a poor babe that ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 10 1864/baptismal regeneration.htm

The Life of God
... is in them, because of the blindness of their heart. ... baptized man, is right for the
unregenerate unbaptized man ... may be proud, another may be covetous: but all ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon xv the life of.htm

Unsound Spiritual Trading
... Unrecorded in the journals, and unmourned by unregenerate men, there ... and thy prayers
are nothing if the heart be evil. ... so are the ways of the covetous professor ...
/.../spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/unsound spiritual trading.htm

The Character of the Persons for whom this Rest is Designed.
... In the soul of every unregenerate man the creature is ... thine ears may be open, and
thy heart yield to ... No whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who ...
/.../baxter/the saints everlasting rest/chapter iv the character of.htm

the Nature of this Oversight
... of the Church, to have unregenerate and inexperienced ... take some special pains with
his heart, before he ... word, one needless contention, one covetous action, may ...
//christianbookshelf.org/baxter/the reformed pastor/section 1 the nature.htm

Meditations on the Hindrances which Keep Back a Sinner from the ...
... drunkard, thief, usurer, oppressor, proud, malicious, covetous, profaner of ... it, and
will incline his heart to keep ... 5. When the unregenerate man hears that God ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/meditations on the hindrances which.htm

Our Lord's Prayer for his People's Sanctification
... are not Satan's, else might we be covetous; we are ... The heart which ought to be given
to Christ and ... far higher than the best of the unregenerate can understand. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 32 1886/our lords prayer for his.htm