What I am saying is that western capitalistic society is deeply steeped in covetousness. Capitalism by itself is not necessarily a foundation for covetousness, but in today’s societies, covetousness is a fundamental operating principle in capitalistic economies. However, it is also worth nothing that in the East, Japan especially, and other countries such as China; and the Middle East, especially places like Dubai and much of Saudi Arabia, are all largely based on an economy of covet means, or at least influenced by covetousness.
Today’s societies and covet means
Our society relies on covet means in order to grow the economy. Certainly, covetousness is not required for the progression of society, or the accumulation of wealth; however, it is the most popular way today. By encouraging covetousness through marketing advertisements specifically targeted to make people covet things they do not have such as a new car or fit body, video marketing such as MTV’s “cribs” to make people covet things that others have, and so many other deceptive and manipulative marketing means. Our society uses covetousness as a fundamental ideology ingrained in the consciousness of all those raised in Western society.
Many have misheard John F. Kennedy’s “Secret Society’s” speech to hear him say that secret societies rely on “covet means” to expand their sphere of influence. However, after breaking this down I was able to determine that he did not misspeak or mispronounce “covert”, but rather, his dialect pronounced the word “covert” to sound like covet. The evidence for this is proven shortly after, where he says, “details of this nation’s covert preparations to counter the enemy’s covert operations”, and pronounced “covert” the exact same way, sounding like “covet”.
However, despite the fact that JFK did not actually say “covet means”, the truth is that the secret societies and world powers today do in fact rely on covet means. They rely on covert means as well, but are funded by “covet means”. The primary form of large monetary acquisition in the world today really is based on covet means. By influencing people to covet, large organizations and corporations make trillions of dollars.
Covetousness is at the root of most industry today
Not all industries directly profit from covetousness; oil, for one, is largely profited by the growing need for transportation. However, indirectly, covetousness is certainly a significant factor – such as the fact that gas-guzzling automobiles such as Escalades and huge pickup trucks are mostly not used for utility but rather as a status symbol. Therefore the majority of gasoline used by consumers in the west may very well be rooted in covetousness.
Near half of the oil in the U.S. is used by automobiles and piston engines. It is likely that a large part of this is needless consumption due to overly extravagant vehicles, trips to the store to buy things consumers covet (as opposed to grocery staples), flights on large airliners in first class, private jets, etc. All based on covetousness.
The true gravity of covetousness is widely undervalued today
Today, our society fundamentally uses covetousness for increasing wealth through manipulation, deception, and ungodly desires for material possessions. Americans especially, along with a large part of the rest of the world, view covetousness without a second thought. If you went on the streets today and asked people if they thought covetousness was a crime, or even a sin or immoral, they probably would say no, if they even had an answer at all.
Even if they said yes, they probably do not realize the gravity of it, or even what it actually is. If you asked them to define it, they probably could not. But even if they could, if you asked them to rank it against, say, lying, they would probably say that lying is worse. If you asked which is worse, coveting or murder, almost anyone would immediately say, “murder, of course”, and may even laugh at how ridiculous of a question it sounds to them. But is murder really worse? I will get to that in a moment.
Covetousness is so ingrained in our culture that most people do not give it a second thought. People covet throughout the day, every day, about practically everything. They see a sign for a new TV, they covet a bigger TV. They see an ad for fitness or beauty, and they covet to have a better body, better hair, different colored hair, to be more beautiful, to be taller, or some other physical attribute they do not possess.
The tenth commandment
However, what does the Bible say about this? Out of the Ten Commandments, the tenth commandment is probably one of the most overlooked ones, if not the most overlooked one. Certainly, honoring your father and mother is heard but not comprehended, although perhaps most children do see the value in obeying their parents. However, coveting is not only often overlooked, but wholeheartedly ignored by most if not nearly all Christians.
In fact, the only way that most Americans or those living in first world countries even consider covetousness as bad is when they cannot financially afford to be covetous. For example, a revival of common sense has begun sweeping the nation and more and more of America’s poor and impoverished are trying to avoid buying things they do not need.
However, this is not because they see covetousness as wrong or evil, but rather because they see that it can hurt their bank account or paycheck, or result in homelessness or starvation. Conversely, hand any of these people a million dollars and I guarantee you they will suddenly begin pursuing covetousness to the maximum extent until the money is quickly gone.
Covetousness the destroyer
This is what happens to poor people who win the lottery and fall into ruin a short time later. They are overcome with covetousness and spend it all very quickly. The problem at heart is not that they spent the money unwisely, but rather the heart of the issue is that they coveted. They coveted, and this covetousness brought them to speedy ruin. Then being unable to fulfill their amplified covetousness any longer, they sink into deep depression, and even suicide.
Why does this happen? This happens because they have ignored the tenth commandment. They have ignored God and the Bible, and as a result they depended on the world and worldly goods to pursue their own personal happiness. However, covet means cannot fulfill happiness. We have all heard, “money cannot buy happiness”, and while this isn’t entirely true, it is true that covet means cannot buy true, sustainable happiness.
The last commandment as important as the first
The first of the Ten Commandments addresses physical worship of anything or anyone other than God as idolatry, where it says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” The last of the Ten Commandments is no less important than the first; in fact, the last commandment, according to Ephesians 5:5, is essentially another aspect of the same sin.
While the first commandment tells us not to commit idolatry by worshiping an object or a false god, such as a stone statue of Buddah or worshiping Lucifer as a god such as the Freemasons and the Muslims do; the last commandment similarly tells us not to commit idolatry by placing material and worldly possessions and lusts in a high place in our hearts.
While it may seem like we are not worshiping that new 65″ flat screen TV, or that new car, or even that fancy new house, we need to take another look at the Bible and what it teaches us. Idolatry is not just physically bowing down in front of an object or false god. It is not just the direct worship of giving religious praise and honor to a religious entity. No, the Bible teaches something different.
What the Bible says about covetousness
Now, let’s discuss what the Bible says about covetousness. Refraining from covetousness isn’t just about being able to pursue lasting joy free from material possessions, although that certainly is a healthy side-effect of placing God above material desires.
No, covetousness is a far graver evil. In fact, covetousness is so vile and so detestable to God that not only is it listed in the top 10 most important things to refrain from in the Ten Commandments, but also a greater precedent was made in the Bible.
Ephesians 5:5 says,
“For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
It is clear here that the reason why God hates covetousness is because covetousness is idolatry. However, the perhaps shocking assertion here is that covetous people will not receive salvation.
This is not the only place the Bible says this. Also, in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, the Bible says,
“9 Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
Many Christians today are falsely taught by false teachers a justification for this. They are taught that what this is “really” saying is that “before salvation”, that is, before the false Calvinistic views of “Unconditional Grace”, these things would lead to hell, but now that they are “washed clean”, now everything is “okay”.
While it is definitely true that these things definitely lead to hell for non-Christians, what the modern Calvinistic church isn’t telling you is that living a lifestyle of covetousness (or any other of the listed items in these two verses) will indeed exclude even a self-proclaimed Christian from heaven.
This is a message for believers, for Christians
Moreover, it is important to note here that when Paul wrote both the letter to the Ephesians and the letter to the Corinthians, for which we get the books Ephesians and Corinthians, these were not written to non-Christians. These two books of the Bible were written to the Church in Ephesus and the Church in Corinth.
Paul was not writing to the nonbelievers, but to the Christians. The Bible being God-inspired, and God knowing who would be the audience of this message, how then can you say that this message was only written to imply that non-Christians living in sin won’t get to heaven? The church members already knew that non-Christians won’t get to heaven, so why beat the dead horse?
No, this message was written for believers, for Christians. The Bible here is saying that if a Christian is a thief or a drunk or covetous, they will not receive their inheritance of eternal salvation. It is already a given that a non-Christian is headed to hell, no matter what sin they are doing. This is telling believers what they also need to do if they want to receive eternal life in heaven.
Covetousness – the heinous evil
The Bible teaches us that even just holding material possessions and lusts in your heart in a high regard is just as bad. In fact, it is so heinous that Jesus went so far as saying that coveting (lusting) in your heart for someone else’s wife if you are a man, or someone else’s husband if you are a woman, is just as bad as the actual committing of adultery with them.
In Matthew 5:27-28 Jesus says this:
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Additionally, in the verses in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 the Bible puts coveting in the same category of heinous crimes against God as adulterers and fornicators. Covetousness is not to be taken lightly. Ephesians 5:5 shows clearly that those who are covetous will not have any inheritance in heaven; that is, if you are covetous, you will not receive eternal salvation.
God inspired Paul to write to the believers in the church that any self-proclaimed Christian who is living an evil lifestyle committing these heinous acts, including “covetousness, which is idolatry“, is on their way to hell. Sadly, today, most Christians in the West are living a lifestyle of covetousness, and doing so without a second thought. Christians today do not realize the gravity and true evil nature of covetousness.
The time for change is upon us
If something does not change, and if America, as well as the rest of the world of Christians, do not wake up and turn off their evil, covetous, idolatrous thoughts and behavior, they are risking losing their eternal salvation. While this may be a hard word to hear, the Bible never promises that Christianity will be easy. Rather, what the Bible teaches is that “the way is hard that leads to life” (Matthew 7:14), and that few will enter the Kingdom of God.
It is time to wake up! Stop believing the lies of false teachers and even well-meaning teachers brainwashed into Calvinistic fallacies. “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). Don’t let yourself fall into the lies and the trap of covetousness and idolatry.
Turn today from your sins and begin a new life of holiness. It will not be easy, surely; but if you succeed, there will be eternal life waiting for you on the other side. As Paul said in Hebrews 12:1, “let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”.
Let God say, “well done”
Let God say to you on that fateful day of Judgment, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23). Why would God say “well done” if you did nothing? If like Calvinism teaches, there is “Unconditional Grace” and we are “Utterly Depraved” and unable to please God, then how would God say, “well done”? How can we be commended of actions without merit? Clearly, Calvinism is wrong. God not only wants us to do good works, but requires us to do good works in order to get to heaven and achieve eternal salvation.
Would God commend someone on a life “well lived” and works “well done” for works they never performed? Does the grace of Jesus turn your evil deeds into good ones? Certainly not. The grace of Jesus certainly is enough to cover our sins, but “not everyone” (Matthew 7:21) who asks for it will receive it; “only those who do the will of their Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). “Only those who do the will of their Father in heaven”. Again, “only those who do the will of God“ will receive eternal life.
You have to do the will of God in order to receive salvation. Not just “believe” it. As the Bible says in James 2:17, “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” If you don’t have works, then you don’t have faith. Simply “believing” something but not actually doing it is not faith.
Therefore, do the will of your Father in heaven, as is required by the Bible, so that you may receive your inheritance of eternal salvation, in great “fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12) so that you are not cast into the pit of hell, where there is great suffering, and “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42).