Ephesians 5:5
For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's easy to miss here is that Paul doesn't just list vices; he explicitly calls covetousness a form of idolatry. This isn't a minor sin; he equates setting your heart on possessions with worshipping something other than God, which is a direct exclusion from His kingdom.
Paul has just urged believers to "walk as children of light," contrasting their lives with the darkness of immorality and impurity. He then directly links specific sins, like sexual immorality and greed, to the ultimate exclusion from God's kingdom, emphasizing that these actions are forms of idolatry. Following this, he will urge believers to live out their new identity in Christ by speaking truth, not using their words to tear each other down, and by living out the peace of Christ.
Paul doesn't mince words here. He's issuing a solemn warning about who is out of God's kingdom. What makes these sins so disqualifying?
Paul starts this verse with a strong affirmation: "For you may be sure of this..." He's appealing to the readers' own understanding and conviction. This isn't a new, obscure rule, but a foundational truth. He then lists specific behaviors – sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness – and states with absolute clarity that those who persist in these have no inheritance in God's kingdom. This isn't about occasional stumbles; it's about a lifestyle marked by these actions. The point is that such behaviors are fundamentally incompatible with the holy nature of God's reign.
Paul calls covetousness 'idolatry.' That's a strong connection! What makes wanting things so much a form of worshiping something other than God?
The verse directly equates covetousness with idolatry. This isn't just a casual comparison; it's a profound theological statement. Idolatry is setting up something in place of God, giving it the worship, trust, and affection that belong to Him alone. When a person is consumed by covetousness – the insatiable desire for more, whether it's wealth, possessions, or status – that desire becomes their god. Money and material things are elevated to the position that God should occupy. This is why Paul, and Jesus before him, warns that you cannot serve both God and money (mammon). The heart can only have one ultimate master.
Paul speaks of 'the kingdom of Christ and God.' What does this unified description tell us about the nature of God's reign and our place in it?
By referring to the 'kingdom of Christ and God,' Paul emphasizes a crucial unity. This is the realm ruled by God, and Christ, as God's Son and our Savior, is intimately involved in its establishment and governance. It's the place where God's will is perfectly done. Admission into this kingdom isn't based on merit or status, but on transformation. The sins Paul lists are antithetical to the very character of this kingdom – it is a place of purity, righteousness, and selfless love, reflecting both the Father's and the Son's nature. Therefore, those who are actively living in opposition to this purity and love, making other things their ultimate desire, cannot participate in its inheritance.
Understand the original words
eidōlolatrēs · Greek Noun
A state of being in which one worships or serves a created thing or concept rather than the Creator; it is the ultimate rebellion against the first commandment.
klēronomian · Greek Noun
The legal right or promise of receiving a share in the eternal blessings, blessings, and future glory associated with the rule and reign of God.
basileia · Greek Noun
The spiritual and future dominion where God is recognized as King; it refers both to the present reality of His rule in the hearts of believers and the future manifestation of His sovereignty over all creation.
This passage directly parallels Ephesians 5:5 by calling covetousness 'idolatry' and linking it to a lack of inheritance in God's kingdom, highlighting the seriousness of misplaced desires.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10Similar to Ephesians, this passage lists sexually immoral and covetous people, stating they 'will not inherit the kingdom of God,' reinforcing the idea that unrepented sin excludes one from God's rule.
Galatians 5:19-21This passage lists 'sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, [and] covetousness' as 'works of the flesh' and warns that 'those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God,' echoing the exclusion mentioned in Ephesians.
Matthew 6:24Jesus' teaching that 'no one can serve two masters' directly supports the idea that covetousness is a form of idolatry, as it implies serving wealth ('money') instead of God, thus aligning with the Ephesians warning.
Revelation 21:8This verse describes the fate of the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, murderers, sexually immoral persons, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, stating their portion will be in the lake of fire, which is the second death, directly linking these sins to eternal separation from God.
barnesEphesians 5:5: "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
For this ye know - Be assured of this. The object here is to deter from indulgence in those vices by the solemn assurance that no one who committed them could possibly be saved. Nor unclean person - No one of corrupt and licentious life can be saved; see Revelation 22:15. Nor covetous man, who is an idolater - That is, he bes…
vincentEphesians 5:5: "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
Ye know (ἴστε γινώσκοντες)The A.V. fails to give the whole force of the expression, which is, ye know recognizing. Rev., ye know of a surety.IdolaterCompare Colossians 3:5, and see on 1 Corinthians 5:10.
What's easy to miss here is that Paul doesn't just list vices; he explicitly calls covetousness a form of idolatry. This isn't a minor sin; he equates setting your heart on possessions with worshipping something other than God, which is a direct exclusion from His kingdom.
Paul has just urged believers to "walk as children of light," contrasting their lives with the darkness of immorality and impurity. He then directly links specific sins, like sexual immorality and greed, to the ultimate exclusion from God's kingdom, emphasizing that these actions are forms of idolatry. Following this, he will urge believers to live out their new identity in Christ by speaking truth, not using their words to tear each other down, and by living out the peace of Christ.
Paul has just urged believers to "walk as children of light," contrasting their lives with the darkness of immorality and impurity. He then directly links specific sins, like sexual immorality and greed, to the ultimate exclusion from God's kingdom, emphasizing that these actions are forms of idolatry. Following this, he will urge believers to live out their new identity in Christ by speaking truth, not using their words to tear each other down, and by living out the peace of Christ.
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"For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." — What's easy to miss here is that Paul doesn't just list vices; he explicitly calls covetousness a form of idolatry. This isn't a minor sin; he equates setting your heart on possessions with worshippi…
