Is coveting really the Root of All[1] Evil? Consider the Fifth Verse of the Third
Chapter of Saint Paul’s letter to the Colossians:
5 Mortify therefore your members which are
upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil
concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (KJV)
Paul writes a lot about becoming
a New Man, that is putting aside our old selves and becoming the person God has
planned for us. One of the key
elements we have to put away, to get rid of, to no longer allow into our hearts
and minds is covetousness.
When we think of the word covet,
from which covetousness is derived, we think of the dictionary definition:
A verb meaning to yearn to possess or have something
That certainly does not seem like
Ten Commandment material and it is not.
The problem comes when you look into the word and its other
meanings. The Greek word
underlying "covetousness" is pleonexia, which means "the desire
first to have more;" the constant more, the next increment is never
enough. This is among the ugliest
of sins because it involves idolatry as well as its effects on others.
The Greeks defined coveting as:
The insatiable desire to have what rightfully belongs to others
Notice both the insatiable part
and the part about what rightfully belongs to others. They further described it as "ruthless
self-seeking," the kind of attitude the arrogant and callous person has,
assuming that others and their things exist for his own benefit.
It has also been described as
finding morally acceptable the taking of things from others rather than earning
or purchasing them.
Look back on history and see how
much evil action can be laid to coveting by not only persons, but nations.
It must be understood that
everything has a price that must be paid.
From our eternal life which was paid for by Jesus’ one time sacrifice
made for all mankind for all time to a simple meal. It has been said there is no free lunch. That is true, it is better said that
everything has a price. Some
things are worth paying for, some are not. Not one thing is worth coveting in the Ten Commandments
sense. Take nothing that has not
been paid for. If you don’t want
to pay the price, don’t take it.
The inordinate desire for more
money can lead to theft; the desire for more prestige, to evil ambition; the
desire for more power, to tyranny; the desire for a person's body, to fornication
and adultery. Paul identifies covetousness as idolatry because it puts things
in the place of God. When we put
things over God’s Will, we no longer worship Him, but avoid Him.
When people serve idols, they
place things above God. When you
covet, you are willing to set aside God for things. In the end, that never works. And, near the end it gets pretty unpleasant. We find idols easier to deal with than
God. You can make an idol; God
made you. If you don’t like the
idol’s rules, you change the rules.
Big differences there.
So what does Paul tell us to do
about covetousness?
Control it?
No – Kill it. Mortify it! Make it a mort!
How does one covet and comply
with the Summary of the Law?
One does not.
Become the New
Man. Start today. Today, where the Finger of God touches
the Line of Time from the unfathomable past to the unknowable future. We can only live today. You must become that New Man right now,
for tomorrow will never come.
Rev LTC Hap Arnold
[1]
Well, a bit of a
hyperbole; not really all, but one heck of a lot of evil can be laid at the
feet of covetousness.
