Can light and darkness share the same space? Can goodness and evil be partners? Can you be sincerely grateful to Jesus for what he has done in your life and covet what others have at the same time?
This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7, NLT)
The Root of the Sin of Coveting
In our human condition, we can allow the sin of coveting to enter our hearts. Our sin begins with a negative thought or emotion. We may start down this path with comparison, desire, envy, jealousy, resentment, entitlement, or any other negative self-focused emotion. The sin of coveting begins with simple questions or statements.
- I wish I looked like her.
- Why don’t I live in a nice house after all my hard work?
- Why did she get the job promotion when I’ve done most of the work?
As Christ’s disciples, we must be on guard and not allow the enemy to lure us into the sin of coveting. The word coveting is not widely used. However, the tenth commandment commands us not to covet. To make sure we are all on the same page, let’s look at the meaning of thankfulness and coveting.
Clarity Brings Truth
- Thankfulness is the feeling of being grateful, mindful, appreciative, and expressing it. The Greek meaning is similar.
- Coveting is to wrongfully desire with envy for what others have or can do. The Greek meaning for coveting is to have a self-desire for, to lust after, or set the heart upon.
The word coveting encompasses many negative self-focused mindsets and emotions. Coveting includes jealousy, envy, lusting, idolatry, entitlement, resentment, and anger which are at the root of all sins. When we covet, we are in the sin of pride, which is being self-focused instead of God-focused.
Although we are not a slave to sin because of Christ’s salvation, we can still choose to sin in our imperfect human condition. The war between our spirit and flesh will continue as we walk in our faith. The apostle Paul tells us that sin has no dominion over us since we are under grace. (Rom, 6:14) However, we must choose to keep God first in our lives and follow Christ’s ways to overcome our temptations to sin.
3 Steps to Overcome the Temptation to Covet
- Love Others as You Love Yourself: To love others as you love yourself, you must understand how you love yourself. Is your self-talk filled with encouragement and proclamations that you are a child of God, the power of Christ lives in you to overcome, and God has given you everything you need to live a godly life? Is your self-talk full of putting yourself down, repeating destructive messages you have heard from others, and comparisons of how you’re not enough?
You must love yourself as Jesus loves you to overcome all the negative emotions, self-focus, and the sin of coveting. You cannot give others the pure love you do not have. If you struggle to love others, I encourage you to look up verses about how much God and Jesus love you and what it means to be loved by them. When you know their love and accept it, you can begin to love yourself. Once you learn to love yourself, it will be easy to be happy for those who are happy and not get caught in the sin of coveting.
Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. (Rom. 12:15, NLT) - Aim for Joy, Peace, and Love: When you look at people around you, do you see them as God’s creation? If they are, why wouldn’t you aim to have joy, peace, and love? You don’t have to agree with people, especially those who are not following God, but you can still show them the kindness, hope, and joy of Jesus. You must never forget that the attitudes, words, and actions people see in you can be the difference between them opening their hearts to Jesus or walking away.
May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. (Rom. 15:5, NLT) - Obey Christ’s Instructions to Encourage and Build People Up: As Disciples of Christ, he has called us to serve people in his love. I can see Jesus encouraging people and letting them know the great qualities God knit into their DNA. In this self-focused world influenced by the devil, encouraging and building each other up goes against the “all about me” principle. However, Jesus calls us to help people grow and learn through encouragement and acknowledging their God-given unique personality traits, skills, and talents. To follow Christ means, we will obey his instructions.
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. (1 Thess. 5:11-12, NLT)
Sin is Always a Choice
The apostle Paul knew the war we all must wage inside between our sinful flesh and our spirit in Christ. This war wages because we have the power to choose. Paul explains the struggle.
It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. (Rom. 7:21-23, MSG)
Following Jesus means that we trust his wisdom and knowledge and obey his instructions and commands. If imperfect people could create and live in perfect loving standards and morals, the world would not be in its current condition. History has continually shown us that the human condition needs a Savior.
The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus give us his promise and power to overcome sin and to honor him with our lives. We must be aware of the thoughts and emotions that encompass the sin of coveting. Put on the full armor of God and guard your mind, heart, body, spirit, and soul. Jesus lives in you, and you can overcome!
