Bible Verses About Covetousness

For many — I have told you about them often before, and even now I say it with tears — live as enemies of the Messiah’s execution-stake.

They are headed for destruction! Their god is the belly; they are proud of what they ought to be ashamed of, since they are concerned about the things of the world.

Therefore, put to death the earthly parts of your nature — sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed (which is a form of idolatry);

for it is because of these things that God’s anger is coming on those who disobey him.

and constant wrangling among people whose minds no longer function properly and who have been deprived of the truth, so that they imagine that religion is a road to riches.

Now true religion does bring great riches, but only to those who are content with what they have.

For we have brought nothing into the world; and we can take nothing out of it;

so if we have food and clothing, we will be satisfied with these.

Furthermore, those whose goal is to be rich fall into temptation; they get trapped in many foolish and hurtful ambitions which plunge them into ruin and destruction.

For the love of money is a root of all the evils; because of this craving, some people have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves to the heart with many pains.

But you, as a man of God, flee from these things; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such-and-such a city, stay there a year trading and make a profit”!

You don’t even know if you will be alive tomorrow! For all you are is a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears.

Instead, you ought to say, “If Adonai wants it to happen, we will live” to do this or that.

But as it is, in your arrogance you boast. All such boasting is evil.

So then, anyone who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it is committing a sin.

But among the people there were also false prophets, just as there will be false teachers among you. Under false pretenses they will introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and thus bring on themselves swift destruction.

Many will follow their debaucheries; and because of them, the true Way will be maligned.

In their greed they will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their punishment, decreed long ago, is not idle; their destruction is not asleep!

for they have eyes always on the lookout for a woman who will commit adultery, eyes that never stop sinning; and they have a heart that has exercised itself in greed; so that they seduce unstable people. What a cursed brood!

These people have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Bil‘am Ben-B‘or, who loved the wages of doing harm

but was rebuked for his sin — a dumb beast of burden spoke out with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s insanity!

Do not love the world or the things of the world. If someone loves the world, then love for the Father is not in him;

because all the things of the world — the desires of the old nature, the desires of the eyes, and the pretensions of life — are not from the Father but from the world.

And the world is passing away, along with its desires. But whoever does God’s will remains forever.