Covetousness is associated with other sins and brings trouble with it.
Coveting is linked with other sins
Idolatry
Ephesians 5:5 See also 1 Corinthians 10:6–7; Colossians 3:5
For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Pride
Sexual sin
Matthew 5:28 See also 1 Thessalonians 4:5
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Laziness
Covetousness is one of many sins which pollute a person
For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”
Love of money is covetousness
It is a source of evil
1 Timothy 6:9–10 See also Proverbs 10:2, Proverbs 22:16, Proverbs 28:20, Proverbs 28:22, Proverbs 30:8–9
Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Examples of those who love money
Luke 16:14; John 12:5–6 See also Matthew 23:25 parallel Luke 11:39; 2 Peter 2:3, 2 Peter 2:14 False teachers are “experts in greed”.
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus.
“Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.
Believers must not be lovers of money
Hebrews 13:5; 1 Peter 5:2 Elders must not be greedy for money. See also Exodus 18:21; Ephesians 5:3; 1 Timothy 3:1–3
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed, but out of eagerness;
Love of money characterises the last days
But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
Coveting brings trouble
James 4:1–2 See also Proverbs 15:27, Proverbs 28:25, Proverbs 29:4
What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you? You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.
Even a gift can be given covetously
2 Corinthians 9:5 The gift translated as “one grudgingly given” literally means a “covetous gift”.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.