The Idolatry at the Heart of Covetousness
Published on Facebook, February
27, 2011
By Bud Powell
Col 3:5 Mortify
therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness,
inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Romans 8;5,6
"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but
they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally
minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
Covetousness is idolatry. [Col 3:5 The covetous man does not see that the law applies to the
inner man, for not only is theft wrong, but the desire for the goods of others
is forbidden. Not only murder, but hatred and the desire for murder is evil. This means that the covetous man sees only the
material, the action, the thing, and not the spirit of the action. This is the
essence of worshiping the creature rather than the Creator. When you talk about
holiness of thought and heart, the idolater gets very antsy, and angry if you
persist.
He doesn't see the need for "mortifying
the members," and possible thinks that some Greek philosopher has smuggled
in some alien philosophy to the church. Didn't God create the world good;
why shouldn't we be happy indulging our sexuality, our love for earthly things
and such like? Why be so heavenly minded that
you are of no earthly good?
The idolater therefore wallows in material
things, for God has made material things, for the idolater cannot see that you
cannot use any of God's things properly if you love them. Those who pray
and read the Bible and go to Bible studies are probably secret pietists and should probably "loosen up."
But even the children who learn the
Children's Catechism have learned it better: "God is a spirit, and
does not have a body like a man." The body is not sinful in itself,
or Christ would not have been incarnate nor risen from the dead; but neither is
the body is needed for absolute perfection or God would have one. The
body is not as important as the soul, or Christ would not have gone back to
heaven and left us to be governed by His word and Spirit. But man, in his
eternal state will be sinless in both body and soul that God and Creation will
be at peace. This will also teach the whole universe the nature of sin
and the cause of man's misery: loving the creature rather than loving God.
The opposite of covetousness is not hating the things of creation, for this is to despise
the gift of God. The opposite of covetousness is loving
the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Only
then can we use His gifts with joy without abusing them; but this might require
fasting and prayers, for some devils do not go out easily.
1John 2: 15-17 "Love not the
world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that
is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the
will of God abideth for ever."
Serving Mammon?
Matthew
6:19-21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also."
