Ephesians 5:5-6
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The verse specifically calls out covetousness as a form of idolatry, clarifying that what we desire and treasure most can become our god, displacing the true God from the throne of our hearts. This isn't just about wanting more stuff; it's about the fundamental allegiance of our affections, revealing that our deepest desires dictate our true worship.
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. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is urgently reminding the Ephesians to live out their new identity in Christ, moving away from the deceptive, sinful practices common among non-believers. He's just warned them against sexual immorality and impurity, and this verse reinforces that these sins, along with greed (which he equates to idolatry), are fundamentally incompatible with belonging to God's kingdom. He concludes by emphasizing that God's wrath is coming upon those who disobey, urging believers not to join them.
Paul doesn't mince words here. He's not suggesting that these sins might keep you out of God's kingdom. He's stating with absolute certainty that they will.
Certainty of Exclusion
The phrase "For this ye know" (ἴστε γινώσκοντες in the original Greek, as noted by scholars like Meyer and Ellicott) is a powerful appeal to the readers' existing understanding. It’s not just a statement of fact, but an emphasis that this is a truth they already recognize or should recognize based on the gospel they've received.
This certainty is crucial. Paul isn't offering a conditional warning that could be overcome by good deeds. Instead, he's laying out a non-negotiable reality: those who habitually engage in sexual immorality, impurity, or covetousness have no inheritance in God's kingdom. This is a definitive statement about the nature of God's reign and who belongs there.
Paul doesn't just lump covetousness in with other sins; he identifies it specifically as a form of idolatry. What does that really mean for our hearts?
The Sin of the Covetous Heart
Paul's specific identification of the covetous person as an 'idolater' is profound. As scholars like Barnes and Meyer point out, this means that covetousness isn't just about wanting more; it's about misplaced worship.
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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.
apataō · Greek Verb
The act of leading someone away from truth through false teaching, persuasion, or trickery. In a biblical context, it often refers to being enticed away from the faith by unsound doctrine.
kenois logois · Greek Adjective/Noun Phrase
Words lacking spiritual substance, truth, or divine authority. It refers to hollow philosophies or arguments that fail to honor God.
orgē · Greek Noun
The settled, righteous indignation and judicial judgment of God against sin. It is the manifestation of God’s holiness in reaction to rebellion and wickedness.
huious tēs apeitheias · Greek Noun Phrase
A Hebraism referring to people characterized by, living in, and defined by their habitual rebellion and disobedience against God’s revealed will.
This passage directly parallels Ephesians 5:5 by calling covetousness 'idolatry' and listing it alongside sexual immorality, highlighting the shared theme of these sins being unacceptable in God's kingdom.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10Similar to Ephesians 5:5, this text lists various immoral behaviors, including sexual immorality and greed, and explicitly states that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21This passage describes the 'works of the flesh,' which include sexual immorality and covetousness, and warns that 'those who do them will not inherit the kingdom of God,' mirroring the severe warning in Ephesians 5:5.
Matthew 6:24This verse establishes the foundational principle that one cannot serve both God and money (mammon), directly supporting the idea in Ephesians 5:5 that covetousness is a form of idolatry that excludes one from God's kingdom.
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 specifically calls out covetousness as a form of idolatry, clarifying that what we desire and treasure most can become our god, displacing the true God from the throne of our hearts. This isn't just about wanting more stuff; it's about the fundamental allegiance of our affections, revealing that our deepest desires dictate our true worship.
Paul is urgently reminding the Ephesians to live out their new identity in Christ, moving away from the deceptive, sinful practices common among non-believers. He's just warned them against sexual immorality and impurity, and this verse reinforces that these sins, along with greed (which he equates to idolatry), are fundamentally incompatible with belonging to God's kingdom. He concludes by emphasizing that God's wrath is coming upon those who disobey, urging believers not to join them.
Paul is urgently reminding the Ephesians to live out their new identity in Christ, moving away from the deceptive, sinful practices common among non-believers. He's just warned them against sexual immorality and impurity, and this verse reinforces that these sins, along with greed (which he equates to idolatry), are fundamentally incompatible with belonging to God's kingdom. He concludes by emphasizing that God's wrath is coming upon those who disobey, urging believers not to join them.
"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. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these thi…" — The verse specifically calls out covetousness as a form of idolatry, clarifying that what we desire and treasure most can become our god, displacing the true God from the throne of our hearts. This i…
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Last reviewed October 2026
