The next deadly sin I want to discuss is greed or covetousness. This sin can take many forms and be exhibited in many ways. Greed is the absence of detachment, contentment, and liberality.
Christ told us:
Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. (St. Luke 12:15, NKJV)
He also said:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (St. Matt. 6:19-21, NKJV)
He warned us that we cannot serve God and money. (St. Matt. 6:24) He also told us that a man's soul is worth more than all of the wealth in the entire world and even the whole world itself.
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (St. Mark 8: 36,37, NKJV)
So then, having things is not what is most important in life. Retaining one's soul is far more important than becoming wealthy. What we focus our hearts on becomes our treasure for which we hope to one day have. If we focus our hearts on having temporal wealth, then temporal wealth is our treasure. If we focus our hearts on having the eternal riches God has promised us in the age to come, then those eternal riches become our treasure. We cannot live our lives seeking to please God and spend them trying to become wealthy at the same time. Greed and single-hearted devotion to God do not mix. One can lose one's soul seeking wealth for one's own sake. St. Paul said:
For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. (Eph. 5:5, NKJV)
The apostle also warned us about desiring wealth in his First Epistle to Timothy.
And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (I Tim. 6:8-10, NKJV)
So, one can lose his soul while loving money.
Sometimes people become wealthy unexpectedly or out of some good fortune of providence that sends wealth their way. The Bible warns us:
If wealth should flow in, set not your heart upon it. (Psalm 61:10, LXX; Psalm 62:10, Hebrew)
St. Paul told St. Timothy to tell the wealthy Christians of his day "not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy." (I Tim. 6:17, NKJV) As the Psalmist says:
I have delighted in the way of Thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. (Psalm 118:14, LXX; Psalm 119:14, Hebrew)
This should be the attitude of Christians. Christians should seek eternal wealth by practicing righteousness and doing as much good as possible. (I Cor. 15:58; Gal. 6:9; Heb. 6:10) They should be just as content to be poor as to live in affluence.
A little is better to the righteous than abundant wealth of sinners. (Psalm 36:16, LXX; Psalm 37:16, Hebrew)
St. Paul said:
Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:11-13, NKJV)
The last verse of this passage, Phil. 4:13, has often been quoted by those who preach the prosperity gospel to mean that we can become wealthy and famous through Jesus Christ. In the context of this passage, however, St. Paul was talking about excelling spiritually through Christ and not in gaining worldly wealth or social status. He was saying that he had learned to be content in whatever state he is in, whether he has a little or a lot, whether he is hungry or full. He said that He could accomplish this spiritual feat of contentment through Christ who strengthens Him. He told St. Timothy:
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. (I Tim. 6:6, NKJV)
Becoming wealthy and famous was not one of St. Paul's lifelong ambitions.
St. John of the Ladder wrote:
If you truly love God and long to reach the kingdom that is to come, if you are truly pained by your failings and are mindful of punishment and of the eternal judgment, if you are truly afraid to die, then it will not be possible to have an attachment, or anxiety, or concern for money, for possessions, for family relationships, for worldly glory, for love and brotherhood, indeed for anything on earth. All worry about one's condition, even for one's body, will be pushed aside as hateful. Stripped of all thought of these, caring nothing about them, one will turn freely to Christ. ("Step 2: On Detachment," The Ladder of Divine Ascent, by St. John of the Ladder, p. 81)
The patriarchs of the Old Testament lived their lives in this world as if they were strangers and sojourners.
By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Heb. 11:9,10, NKJV)
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. (Heb. 11:13-16, NKJV)
Christians, likewise, are to think of themselves as being sojourners and strangers in this world. The Psalmist said:
My soul has long been a sojourner. (Psalm 119:6, LXX; Psalm 120:6, Hebrew)
King David governed Israel, but told God in the 38th Psalm:
For I am a sojourner in the land, and a stranger, as all my fathers were. (Psalm 38:12, LXX; Psalm 39:12, Hebrew)
St. Peter said that we Christians are "sojourners and pilgrims." (I Pet. 2:11)
St. Paul said:
For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. (Heb. 13:14, NKJV)
Christ promised the entire world to the meek.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (St. Matt. 5:5, NKJV)
King David, who thought of himself as "a sojourner in the land" (Psalm 38:12, LXX), said that the righteous will inherit the earth and dwell upon it forever.
But the righteous shall inherit the earth, and dwell upon it for ever. (Psalm 36:29, LXX; Psalm 37:29, Hebrew)
St. Paul said that one of the promises that we Christians can hope to inherit along with Abraham is the whole world.
For the promise that he would be the heir of the world [Greek, kosmos, universe] was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (Rom. 4:13, NKJV)
Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise [of inheriting the entire universe] might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. (Rom. 4:16, NKJV)
Actually, the word translated "world" from the Greek in Rom. 4:13 is kosmos and means universe. God has promised His children the entire universe. In the Book of Revelation, it says:
He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. (Rev. 21:7, NKJV)
St. Paul told the Corinthian Christians, "All things are yours." (I Cor. 3:21)
So, Christians should live their lives not concerned about amassing worldly wealth and fame. They should live as if everything has already been promised to them by God, but they just do not get to enjoy the fulfillment of this promise yet. They should look at the world as presently belonging to those who do not know God and follow Christ, but will one day, after Christ returns to judge the world, become the sole property of Christians. Christians should view themselves as being "strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Heb. 11:13) and dwelling "in the land of promise as in a foreign country." (Heb. 11:9)
Loving the world and befriending it makes us enemies of God.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (I John 2:15, NKJV)
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4, NKJV)
We are friends of God when we practice keeping His commandments. (St. John 15:14) We should pursue the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first. (St. Matt. 6:33) Then, God will provide us with what we need.
Like Moses, we should regard afflictions as opportunities to gain eternal wealth.
By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. (Heb. 11:24-26, NKJV)
St. Paul said:
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (II Cor. 4:17,18, NKJV)
For the Christian, this life is the life of tribulation and trouble, not the life of eternal peace and blissfulness. Jesus said:
In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (St. John 16:33, NKJV)
St. Paul said:
We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22, NKJV)
St. James, the Lord's brother, told us:
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4, NKJV)
St. Peter said:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. (I Pet. 1:3-8, NKJV)
St. Paul said that we "rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Rom. 5:2, NKJV) The trials and afflictions of this life are opportunities to gain the virtue of patience. God will reward us in the age to come for our perseverance and patience in the midst of trials and tribulations.
We should be careful in case it should happen to us that while talking of journeying along the narrow and hard road we may actually wander along the broad and wide highway.
Mortification of the appetite, nightlong toil, a ration of water, a short measure of bread, the bitter cup of dishonor — these will show you the narrow way. Derided, mocked, jeered, you must accept the denial of your will. You must patiently endure opposition, suffer neglect without complaint, put up with violent arrogance. You must be ready for injustice, and not grieve when you are slandered; you must not be angered by contempt and you must show humility when you have been condemned. Happy are those who follow this road and avoid other highways. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ("Step 2: On Detachment," The Ladder of Divine Ascent, by St. John of the Ladder, p. 83)
St. Paul said that God blesses us with worldly wealth so that we can use it to help others.
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (II Cor. 9:8, NKJV)
Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. (II Cor. 9:10,11, NKJV)
The apostle told St. Timothy to tell the wealthy Christians to "do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." (I Tim. 6:18,19, NKJV)
The Lord said:
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. (St. Luke 6:38, NKJV)
St. John of the Ladder said:
The man of charity spreads his money about him, but the man who claims to possess both charity and money is a self-deceived fool. ("Step 16: On Avarice," The Ladder of Divine Ascent, by St. John of the Ladder, p. 187)
Greed does not have to necessarily deal with money. A man can become greedy for women or for a particular woman. A woman, likewise, can become greedy for men or a particular man. The Lord said:
But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (St. Matt. 5:28, NKJV)
The Greek word translated "lust" in this verse is the same Greek word used in the Septuagint version of this Old Testament commandment and is translated there as "covet."
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house; nor his field, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any of his cattle, nor whatever belongs to thy neighbour. (Exodus 20:17, LXX)
The Greek word translated "woman" can also mean "wife." So, these words of our Lord can be translated:
But I say to you that whoever looks at a wife to covet her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (St. Matt. 5:28, my modified translation)
King David had already committed adultery in his heart with Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, when he desired to have her for himself. (II Sam. 11:2,3) They had not even had sex with each other and he had already done it with her in his heart.
A man can likewise commit the same sin of covetousness by desiring another man's girlfriend or fiancée. A woman can commit the sin of covetousness by desiring another woman's boyfriend, fiancé, or husband.
I think that compatibility is an important part in choosing a spouse for oneself, but married couples need to find contentment in having each other and not be looking for someone "better." "Godliness with contentment is great gain." (I Tim. 6:6)
I remember a friend of mine once told me, "You will always find someone better than you." He was talking about playing chess, but this applies to anything else. There will always be someone who is more spiritual than I am. There will always be someone who has more money than I do. There will always be someone who is better looking than I am. There will always be someone who is smarter than I am.
Now, married people should apply this same principle to one's spouse. There will always be someone who is better than the one you married in some respect. Just be content to have the one you have already gotten and do not look for someone "better."
Likewise, people who are not likely to marry in this present age and are single should be content to remain single. They should look forward to living in the age to come where there the angelic state will replace marriage as being far more satisfying than any earthly nuptial union. (St. Matt. 22:30; Isaiah 65:17-25, LXX; Eph. 3:21, NKJV) They should not covet someone's else's fiancé(e) or spouse. They should not try to break up a relationship with a boyfriend and his girlfriend so that they can have a steady dating partner.
One can commit the sin of covetousness by desiring anything else that belongs to someone else. We are supposed to be content with what we have.
One can become greedy for other people's possessions. Some people want what others have so much that they will go to any lengths to possess it. Christians need to learn contentment. God has already promised us everything in the end anyway. So, there is no need to regret not having the same things that others have. We must believe God's promises.
For we walk by faith, not by sight. (II Cor. 5:7, NKJV)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb. 11:1, NKJV)
Although we do not see the vast blissfulness promised us in the age to come, we must believe that it is ours as long as we continue to seek God and strive to do His will.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb. 11:6, NKJV)
I think that one of the pitfalls that many fall into is the pitfall of trying to create a heaven for oneself in this life. Some modern preachers are actually preaching that God wants to bless us with a heaven in this life as well as in the next. This is not the traditional Christian teaching on this subject, however. The traditional Christian teaching is that a faithful follower of Christ may expect difficulties and imperfections now and perfection and blissfulness in the age to come. (See II Tim. 3:12.) People who become greedy and look for a heaven now in this present time may find themselves missing the true heaven later on the day of judgment.
In conclusion, remember the Parable of the Rich Fool.
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (St. Luke 12:16-21, NKJV)
Let us strive to be rich toward God.
Steve
The Ladder of Divine Ascent, by St. John Climacus, translated by Colm Luibheid and Norman Russell, Paulist Press, New York, copyright 1982 by the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle
Christ told us:
Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. (St. Luke 12:15, NKJV)
He also said:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (St. Matt. 6:19-21, NKJV)
He warned us that we cannot serve God and money. (St. Matt. 6:24) He also told us that a man's soul is worth more than all of the wealth in the entire world and even the whole world itself.
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (St. Mark 8: 36,37, NKJV)
So then, having things is not what is most important in life. Retaining one's soul is far more important than becoming wealthy. What we focus our hearts on becomes our treasure for which we hope to one day have. If we focus our hearts on having temporal wealth, then temporal wealth is our treasure. If we focus our hearts on having the eternal riches God has promised us in the age to come, then those eternal riches become our treasure. We cannot live our lives seeking to please God and spend them trying to become wealthy at the same time. Greed and single-hearted devotion to God do not mix. One can lose one's soul seeking wealth for one's own sake. St. Paul said:
For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. (Eph. 5:5, NKJV)
The apostle also warned us about desiring wealth in his First Epistle to Timothy.
And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (I Tim. 6:8-10, NKJV)
So, one can lose his soul while loving money.
The hog is the symbol of greed. For attribute click here.
Sometimes people become wealthy unexpectedly or out of some good fortune of providence that sends wealth their way. The Bible warns us:
If wealth should flow in, set not your heart upon it. (Psalm 61:10, LXX; Psalm 62:10, Hebrew)
St. Paul told St. Timothy to tell the wealthy Christians of his day "not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy." (I Tim. 6:17, NKJV) As the Psalmist says:
I have delighted in the way of Thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. (Psalm 118:14, LXX; Psalm 119:14, Hebrew)
This should be the attitude of Christians. Christians should seek eternal wealth by practicing righteousness and doing as much good as possible. (I Cor. 15:58; Gal. 6:9; Heb. 6:10) They should be just as content to be poor as to live in affluence.
A little is better to the righteous than abundant wealth of sinners. (Psalm 36:16, LXX; Psalm 37:16, Hebrew)
St. Paul said:
Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:11-13, NKJV)
The last verse of this passage, Phil. 4:13, has often been quoted by those who preach the prosperity gospel to mean that we can become wealthy and famous through Jesus Christ. In the context of this passage, however, St. Paul was talking about excelling spiritually through Christ and not in gaining worldly wealth or social status. He was saying that he had learned to be content in whatever state he is in, whether he has a little or a lot, whether he is hungry or full. He said that He could accomplish this spiritual feat of contentment through Christ who strengthens Him. He told St. Timothy:
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. (I Tim. 6:6, NKJV)
Becoming wealthy and famous was not one of St. Paul's lifelong ambitions.
St. John of the Ladder wrote:
If you truly love God and long to reach the kingdom that is to come, if you are truly pained by your failings and are mindful of punishment and of the eternal judgment, if you are truly afraid to die, then it will not be possible to have an attachment, or anxiety, or concern for money, for possessions, for family relationships, for worldly glory, for love and brotherhood, indeed for anything on earth. All worry about one's condition, even for one's body, will be pushed aside as hateful. Stripped of all thought of these, caring nothing about them, one will turn freely to Christ. ("Step 2: On Detachment," The Ladder of Divine Ascent, by St. John of the Ladder, p. 81)
The patriarchs of the Old Testament lived their lives in this world as if they were strangers and sojourners.
By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Heb. 11:9,10, NKJV)
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. (Heb. 11:13-16, NKJV)
Christians, likewise, are to think of themselves as being sojourners and strangers in this world. The Psalmist said:
My soul has long been a sojourner. (Psalm 119:6, LXX; Psalm 120:6, Hebrew)
King David governed Israel, but told God in the 38th Psalm:
For I am a sojourner in the land, and a stranger, as all my fathers were. (Psalm 38:12, LXX; Psalm 39:12, Hebrew)
St. Peter said that we Christians are "sojourners and pilgrims." (I Pet. 2:11)
St. Paul said:
For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. (Heb. 13:14, NKJV)
Christ promised the entire world to the meek.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (St. Matt. 5:5, NKJV)
King David, who thought of himself as "a sojourner in the land" (Psalm 38:12, LXX), said that the righteous will inherit the earth and dwell upon it forever.
But the righteous shall inherit the earth, and dwell upon it for ever. (Psalm 36:29, LXX; Psalm 37:29, Hebrew)
St. Paul said that one of the promises that we Christians can hope to inherit along with Abraham is the whole world.
For the promise that he would be the heir of the world [Greek, kosmos, universe] was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (Rom. 4:13, NKJV)
Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise [of inheriting the entire universe] might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. (Rom. 4:16, NKJV)
Actually, the word translated "world" from the Greek in Rom. 4:13 is kosmos and means universe. God has promised His children the entire universe. In the Book of Revelation, it says:
He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. (Rev. 21:7, NKJV)
St. Paul told the Corinthian Christians, "All things are yours." (I Cor. 3:21)
So, Christians should live their lives not concerned about amassing worldly wealth and fame. They should live as if everything has already been promised to them by God, but they just do not get to enjoy the fulfillment of this promise yet. They should look at the world as presently belonging to those who do not know God and follow Christ, but will one day, after Christ returns to judge the world, become the sole property of Christians. Christians should view themselves as being "strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Heb. 11:13) and dwelling "in the land of promise as in a foreign country." (Heb. 11:9)
Loving the world and befriending it makes us enemies of God.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (I John 2:15, NKJV)
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4, NKJV)
We are friends of God when we practice keeping His commandments. (St. John 15:14) We should pursue the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first. (St. Matt. 6:33) Then, God will provide us with what we need.
Like Moses, we should regard afflictions as opportunities to gain eternal wealth.
By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. (Heb. 11:24-26, NKJV)
St. Paul said:
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (II Cor. 4:17,18, NKJV)
For the Christian, this life is the life of tribulation and trouble, not the life of eternal peace and blissfulness. Jesus said:
In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (St. John 16:33, NKJV)
St. Paul said:
We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22, NKJV)
St. James, the Lord's brother, told us:
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4, NKJV)
St. Peter said:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. (I Pet. 1:3-8, NKJV)
St. Paul said that we "rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Rom. 5:2, NKJV) The trials and afflictions of this life are opportunities to gain the virtue of patience. God will reward us in the age to come for our perseverance and patience in the midst of trials and tribulations.
We should be careful in case it should happen to us that while talking of journeying along the narrow and hard road we may actually wander along the broad and wide highway.
Mortification of the appetite, nightlong toil, a ration of water, a short measure of bread, the bitter cup of dishonor — these will show you the narrow way. Derided, mocked, jeered, you must accept the denial of your will. You must patiently endure opposition, suffer neglect without complaint, put up with violent arrogance. You must be ready for injustice, and not grieve when you are slandered; you must not be angered by contempt and you must show humility when you have been condemned. Happy are those who follow this road and avoid other highways. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ("Step 2: On Detachment," The Ladder of Divine Ascent, by St. John of the Ladder, p. 83)
St. Paul said that God blesses us with worldly wealth so that we can use it to help others.
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (II Cor. 9:8, NKJV)
Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. (II Cor. 9:10,11, NKJV)
The apostle told St. Timothy to tell the wealthy Christians to "do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." (I Tim. 6:18,19, NKJV)
The Lord said:
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. (St. Luke 6:38, NKJV)
St. John of the Ladder said:
The man of charity spreads his money about him, but the man who claims to possess both charity and money is a self-deceived fool. ("Step 16: On Avarice," The Ladder of Divine Ascent, by St. John of the Ladder, p. 187)
Greed does not have to necessarily deal with money. A man can become greedy for women or for a particular woman. A woman, likewise, can become greedy for men or a particular man. The Lord said:
But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (St. Matt. 5:28, NKJV)
The Greek word translated "lust" in this verse is the same Greek word used in the Septuagint version of this Old Testament commandment and is translated there as "covet."
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house; nor his field, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any of his cattle, nor whatever belongs to thy neighbour. (Exodus 20:17, LXX)
The Greek word translated "woman" can also mean "wife." So, these words of our Lord can be translated:
But I say to you that whoever looks at a wife to covet her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (St. Matt. 5:28, my modified translation)
King David had already committed adultery in his heart with Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, when he desired to have her for himself. (II Sam. 11:2,3) They had not even had sex with each other and he had already done it with her in his heart.
A man can likewise commit the same sin of covetousness by desiring another man's girlfriend or fiancée. A woman can commit the sin of covetousness by desiring another woman's boyfriend, fiancé, or husband.
I think that compatibility is an important part in choosing a spouse for oneself, but married couples need to find contentment in having each other and not be looking for someone "better." "Godliness with contentment is great gain." (I Tim. 6:6)
I remember a friend of mine once told me, "You will always find someone better than you." He was talking about playing chess, but this applies to anything else. There will always be someone who is more spiritual than I am. There will always be someone who has more money than I do. There will always be someone who is better looking than I am. There will always be someone who is smarter than I am.
Now, married people should apply this same principle to one's spouse. There will always be someone who is better than the one you married in some respect. Just be content to have the one you have already gotten and do not look for someone "better."
Likewise, people who are not likely to marry in this present age and are single should be content to remain single. They should look forward to living in the age to come where there the angelic state will replace marriage as being far more satisfying than any earthly nuptial union. (St. Matt. 22:30; Isaiah 65:17-25, LXX; Eph. 3:21, NKJV) They should not covet someone's else's fiancé(e) or spouse. They should not try to break up a relationship with a boyfriend and his girlfriend so that they can have a steady dating partner.
One can commit the sin of covetousness by desiring anything else that belongs to someone else. We are supposed to be content with what we have.
One can become greedy for other people's possessions. Some people want what others have so much that they will go to any lengths to possess it. Christians need to learn contentment. God has already promised us everything in the end anyway. So, there is no need to regret not having the same things that others have. We must believe God's promises.
For we walk by faith, not by sight. (II Cor. 5:7, NKJV)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb. 11:1, NKJV)
Although we do not see the vast blissfulness promised us in the age to come, we must believe that it is ours as long as we continue to seek God and strive to do His will.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb. 11:6, NKJV)
I think that one of the pitfalls that many fall into is the pitfall of trying to create a heaven for oneself in this life. Some modern preachers are actually preaching that God wants to bless us with a heaven in this life as well as in the next. This is not the traditional Christian teaching on this subject, however. The traditional Christian teaching is that a faithful follower of Christ may expect difficulties and imperfections now and perfection and blissfulness in the age to come. (See II Tim. 3:12.) People who become greedy and look for a heaven now in this present time may find themselves missing the true heaven later on the day of judgment.
In conclusion, remember the Parable of the Rich Fool.
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (St. Luke 12:16-21, NKJV)
Let us strive to be rich toward God.
Steve
Bibliography
The Ladder of Divine Ascent, by St. John Climacus, translated by Colm Luibheid and Norman Russell, Paulist Press, New York, copyright 1982 by the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle
