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)
The verse doesn't just list sins; it reveals that covetousness is a form of idolatry, meaning the desire for possessions has replaced God as the ultimate object of allegiance. This isn't a minor transgression but a fundamental reorientation of the heart, placing earthly gain above the divine kingdom.
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)
Paul is shifting from instruction on holy living to a stark warning about the consequences of impurity and greed. He just spoke about avoiding sexual immorality and greed, and now he explains why those actions are so serious by stating that those who practice them cannot be part of God's kingdom. This sets the stage for him to emphasize living as children of light in contrast to the darkness of these sins.
Paul calls covetousness 'idolatry.' But what does that really mean? It’s not just about wanting things; it’s a deep spiritual rebellion.
Paul directly equates covetousness with idolatry here. Why?
The Ultimate Object of Desire
When we covet, we’re not just wishing we had something. We are setting up something other than God as the ultimate source of our happiness, security, and identity. Our desire for wealth, possessions, or status becomes the thing we serve, love, and trust above God.
Reversing God's Order
This is like high treason against the King of the universe. God is meant to be our everything. When money or possessions take that place, we've effectively crowned a new king in our hearts. It’s a complete inversion of our allegiance.
More Than Just Wanting
This isn't about appreciating God's gifts; it's about making those gifts, or the pursuit of them, our primary focus. It’s a subtle but deadly shift that displaces God from His rightful throne.
Paul states plainly that those practicing these sins 'has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.' This isn't a maybe; it's a definitive statement.
This verse isn't about earning our way into God's kingdom, but about the character of that kingdom itself.
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A Holy Dwelling Place
God’s kingdom, both now and in its future, perfect state, is inherently holy. Think of it as a perfect, pure dwelling place where sin cannot exist. Just as you wouldn't allow a destructive force into a pristine home, God’s holiness excludes sin.
The Nature of Inheritance
To 'inherit' means to receive something by right or by promise. Those who live in habitual, unrepentant sexual immorality, impurity, or idolatry demonstrate a life that is fundamentally opposed to the very nature of God's kingdom. Therefore, they forfeit any claim to that inheritance.
A Solemn Assurance
Paul uses the phrase 'For you know' (or 'you know of a surety') to emphasize that this isn't a new or obscure teaching. It’s a fundamental truth about God and His reign, something believers should already grasp. The consequence isn't arbitrary punishment; it's the natural outcome of a holy God establishing a holy kingdom.
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 the idea in Ephesians 5:5 by calling covetousness, or greed, a form of idolatry, which is itself idolatry.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10This passage lists similar categories of unrighteous behavior, including sexual immorality and greed, and states they will not inherit the kingdom of God, reinforcing the exclusionary nature of these sins.
Matthew 6:24Jesus' teaching here explains *why* covetousness is idolatry: you cannot serve both God and money, highlighting the ultimate allegiance that greed displaces from God.
Revelation 22:15This verse in Revelation provides a contrasting list of those who are excluded from the New Jerusalem, including 'everyone who loves and practices falsehood,' which aligns with the impurity and idolatry mentioned in Ephesians.
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.
The verse doesn't just list sins; it reveals that covetousness is a form of idolatry, meaning the desire for possessions has replaced God as the ultimate object of allegiance. This isn't a minor transgression but a fundamental reorientation of the heart, placing earthly gain above the divine kingdom.
Paul is shifting from instruction on holy living to a stark warning about the consequences of impurity and greed. He just spoke about avoiding sexual immorality and greed, and now he explains why those actions are so serious by stating that those who practice them cannot be part of God's kingdom. This sets the stage for him to emphasize living as children of light in contrast to the darkness of these sins.
Paul is shifting from instruction on holy living to a stark warning about the consequences of impurity and greed. He just spoke about avoiding sexual immorality and greed, and now he explains why those actions are so serious by stating that those who practice them cannot be part of God's kingdom. This sets the stage for him to emphasize living as children of light in contrast to the darkness of these sins.
"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." — The verse doesn't just list sins; it reveals that covetousness is a form of idolatry, meaning the desire for possessions has replaced God as the ultimate object of allegiance. This isn't a minor tran…
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Last reviewed October 2026