Covetousness

Definition and Meaning

Covetousness (Korean tamsim, 貪心) is an excessive desire to possess what one has not been granted, especially what belongs to another. The New Korean Revised Version renders the relevant terms as "covetousness," "greed," and "to covet." The principal original-language terms are the Hebrew chamad ("to desire") and the Greek pleonexia ("the desire to have more"). Covetousness differs from theft in that it treats the inward desire itself, even before it issues in action, as sin.

Biblical and Historical Background

The last of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house" (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21). Paul acknowledged that he came to know sin through this commandment (Romans 7:7). Jesus said, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness" (Luke 12:15), and then told the Parable of the Rich Fool. Colossians 3:5 and Ephesians 5:5 identify covetousness with idolatry. 1 Timothy 6:10 declares that "the love of money is the root of all evil." Contentment with what one has been given (Philippians 4:11) is frequently presented as the virtue opposed to covetousness.

The medieval Western church counted greed among the seven capital sins, commonly known as the seven deadly sins. Among Protestants, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Westminster Shorter Catechism address covetousness in their exposition of the Tenth Commandment. John Wesley is known to have urged believers in his sermon "The Use of Money" to "gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can," thereby warning against the hoarding of wealth.

Denominations differ in how they number the commandments. Most Protestant traditions, including Presbyterians, Methodists, Holiness churches, and Baptists, treat the prohibition of covetousness as a single commandment, the Tenth. The Catholic Church and Lutherans, by contrast, divide it into two commandments, the Ninth and the Tenth.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean churches, covetousness is addressed chiefly in sermons, Bible study, and discipleship-training materials that teach a biblical view of material possessions and the principle of stewardship. Many churches present tithing and offerings as practices of faith that help believers overcome covetousness.

At the same time, critics both inside and outside the church, pointing to prosperity theology, hereditary succession of church leadership, and excessive church spending and building projects, have called on the church to examine its own covetousness. Others respond that enjoying material blessings should be distinguished from covetousness itself.