Topical Bible: Idolatry: Consists in Covetousness

◄ Idolatry: Consists in Covetousness ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Idolatry, in its broadest sense, refers to the worship of idols or the excessive reverence for or devotion to anything other than God. Within the biblical context, idolatry is not limited to the physical act of bowing before graven images but extends to the heart's desires and priorities that usurp God's rightful place. One of the most insidious forms of idolatry is covetousness, which the Bible equates with idolatry itself.

The Apostle Paul explicitly makes this connection in his epistle to the Colossians: "Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5). Here, greed, or covetousness, is directly identified as a form of idolatry. This identification underscores the idea that covetousness is not merely a desire for more but a misplaced trust and devotion that should be reserved for God alone.

Covetousness, as idolatry, is a condition of the heart. It reflects a discontentment with what God has provided and a yearning for what belongs to others. This desire can manifest in various forms, such as the pursuit of wealth, power, status, or material possessions. 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 manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:17). This commandment highlights the internal nature of covetousness, which can lead to other sins and ultimately to idolatry.

The New Testament further elaborates on the dangers of covetousness. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul admonishes believers: "For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God" (Ephesians 5:5). This warning serves as a sobering reminder of the spiritual consequences of allowing covetousness to take root in one's life.

The teachings of Jesus also address the issue of covetousness. In the parable of the rich fool, Jesus illustrates the folly of placing trust in material wealth: "But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’" (Luke 12:20). The parable concludes with a call to be "rich toward God" (Luke 12:21), emphasizing the importance of prioritizing spiritual wealth over earthly possessions.

The biblical narrative consistently portrays covetousness as a form of idolatry because it shifts one's focus and trust away from God. It is a subtle yet powerful force that can lead individuals to prioritize their desires over their devotion to God. The call to resist covetousness is a call to maintain God as the central focus of one's life, ensuring that nothing else takes precedence over Him.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ephesians 5:5
For this you know, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Colossians 3:5
Mortify therefore your members which are on the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Whether Covetousness is the Greatest of Sins?
... covetousness is "a serving of idols." Now idolatry is reckoned ... Therefore covetousness
is not the most grievous of sins ... fact that it is an evil, consists in the ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether covetousness is the greatest.htm

Whether Spiritual Sins are Fittingly Distinguished from Carnal ...
... are fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury, idolatry, witchcrafts," etc. ...
Eph.5:3) reckons covetousness with the ... Now every sin consists in the desire for ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether spiritual sins are fittingly.htm

On Idolatry
... 32:4, 5.) In proof of this, the belly, covetousness, and idolatry ... 10:7.) From this,
it appears, that idolatry may also ... is the worst of all; for it consists of a ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 23 on idolatry.htm

Hopkinsians.
... 2. That all sin consists in selfishness ... and, therefore, the source of all the open
idolatry in the ... This is the foundation of all covetousness and sensuality, as ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hayward/the book of religions/hopkinsians.htm

Repentance and Impenitence.
... Repentance, as we have seen, consists in the turning of the soul from selfishness
to benevolence. ... "Covetousness is idolatry." It is a hungering and ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xxxiv repentance and impenitence.htm

Thoughts Upon Worldly Riches. Sect. I.
... proceeding only from a groundless Fancy, that their Happiness consists in having ...
is no Sin so great and horrid, but Covetousness will sometime ... Is Idolatry a Sin ...
/.../private thoughts upon a christian life/thoughts upon worldly riches sect.htm

Homilies on Galatians and Ephesians.
... Covetousness is idolatry in Christians, [194]133-34; leads ... quarrels, [208]119; and
of their covetousness, [209]162 ... in the Classics, [225]154; consists in nurture ...
/.../homilies on galatians and ephesians.htm

On Human Temptations.
... one in substance, it nevertheless consists of several ... two affections"those of
covetousness and passion ... uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, poisonings, [2625 ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/chapter iv on human temptations.htm

What a Revival of Religion Is
... It consists in obeying God with and from the ... away in the vortex of luxury, idolatry,
and pride. ... torrents of worldliness, and fashion, and covetousness, to bear ...
/.../finney/lectures on revivals of religion/lecture i what a revival.htm

"But if Ye have Bitter Envying and Strife in Your Hearts, Glory ...
... Therefore covetousness is called idolatry, self idolatry and earth idolatry. ... is,
that the misapprehension of that wherein true excellence consists is the ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon iv but if ye.htm