What is the difference between coveting and stealing?<\/p>\n\t
Coveting is wanting to possess what another person has. A similar word to “coveting” is “greed.” “For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire, and the greedy man curses and spurns the LORD<\/em>” (Psalms 10:3). In other words, a covetous man is selfish. Other people do not matter. The only thing that matters is what I want.<\/p>\n Coveting can be a motivation behind stealing, but a person might take what belongs to another for other reasons. A person might steal bread because he is hungry or because he gets a thrill from doing something dangerous. A man might kidnap a person to get revenge against another. Kidnapping is a form of stealing.<\/p>\n At the same time, coveting can be the motivation behind other crimes. A person might commit adultery because he wants another man’s wife. Another person might slander a popular politician because he thinks he should be the one the crowds should follow. In a sense, covetousness is a form of idolatry. “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry<\/em>” (Colossians 3:5). The covetous man\u2019s god is himself. He worships his own desires and sees himself as the center of the universe. Everything must bow before his desires.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Question: What is the difference between coveting and stealing? Answer: Coveting is wanting to possess what another person has. A similar word to “coveting” is “greed.” “For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire, and the greedy man curses and spurns the LORD” (Psalms 10:3). In other words, a covetous man is selfish. Other people…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[548,526],"class_list":["post-19740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-coveting","tag-stealing"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":32526,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-you-only-not-to-covet-your-neighbors-things\/","url_meta":{"origin":19740,"position":0},"title":"Why are you only not to covet your neighbor’s things?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Deuteronomy 5:21: \"You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.\" Why was covetousness mentioned in relation to only the\u00a0neighbor and no one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32528,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/thou-shalt-not\/","url_meta":{"origin":19740,"position":1},"title":"Thou Shalt Not …","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 23, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Romans 13:8-10 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In continuing our series on understanding the Ten Commandments, I would like for us to focus our attention on the commands which begin \u201cYou shall not ...\u201d - Exodus 20:13-17 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The repeating of a phrase, in this case \u201cyou shall not\u201d, causes one to pay attention\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15173,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-feel-so-stupid-i-just-told-a-child-that-looking-at-pornography-was-a-sin-and-then-the-next-evening-did-it-myself-can-you-give-me-some-advice\/","url_meta":{"origin":19740,"position":2},"title":"I feel so stupid. I just told a child that looking at pornography was a sin and then the next evening did it myself. Can you give me some advice?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 25, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good day. I never realized before. I wish I knew Him so much closer and understand His plans better. I never really realized how great He is. I have so many questions. I know we sin each and every day, but I would like to know more when I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50408,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-covetous-to-want-to-get-married\/","url_meta":{"origin":19740,"position":3},"title":"Is it covetous to want to get married?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it covetous to want to get married? I'm not speaking of an example of a man and woman loving each other and wanting to marry, but rather a man or a woman who wants to find a mate? I go to a church that is mostly elderly people,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58578,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-root-cause-of-sexual-sins\/","url_meta":{"origin":19740,"position":4},"title":"The Root Cause of Sexual Sins","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 30, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I've become fascinated by the lists presented in the Bible when I came to realize that many of them are more than a collection of related items. Permit me to illustrate this with a list that Paul gave in Colossians 3. \"Therefore consider the members of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":82322,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-nothing-defiles-a-man-include-things-like-alcohol\/","url_meta":{"origin":19740,"position":5},"title":"Does nothing defiles a man include things like alcohol?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello! I've been having difficulty connecting the dots with a verse in Mark 7 and thought you might be able to help. In verse 15, Jesus says that there is nothing coming from the outside that can defile a man. Does this include alcohol? Obviously, the Bible condemns drinking\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19740\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}