“... I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said: “You shall not covet.” Romans 7:7
In the above text Paul is exalting the virtues of the Law. His argument illustrates that if God’s Law had not made him aware of his own sin of covetousness, he would continue being bound by ignorance of this sin and to its just penalties. Paul then goes on to say, that this Law proved to him that he was a sinner before God; the Law killed him. (v. 11) The Law against coveting proved that he was a dead man walking before God who needed a Saviour.
But my question is this: what about the sin of covetousness in the life of a believer? Should we treat this a seriously as the apostle? The answer is absolutely; as the evil desire of wanting something that belongs to another is one of the most deeply rooted sinful emotions of the human heart.
Simply put, covetousness is all about self- exaltation and is not content with what God has given us. Paul calls it idolatry, and lists it as one of a number of sins that are bringing the wrath of God “upon the sons of disobedience” (Colossians 3:5-6).
The idea of having more is often so deeply rooted in our hearts that dealing with this invisible sin, demands a death to these worldly desires.
It is true, as R Pritchard once wrote, “if having more would make us happy we would never need the tenth commandment. It is written for unhappy people!”
So what is the cure for this spiritually debilitating disease? Jerry Bridges has a great yet simple answer: “...find our contentment in God.”
Finally, let J MacArthur wrap up this week’s challenge.
The antidote for covetousness is contentment. The two are in opposition. Whereas the covetous, greedy person worships himself, the contented person worships God. Contentment comes from trusting God. (All excerpts from Grace Quotes)