What does the Bible say about greed?
Greed is the reason for drug dealings, stealing, robbing, lying, fraud, and other sinful businesses such as the porn industry, and more. When you’re greedy for money you will do anything to get the money you love. Scripture tells us that it’s impossible to serve both God and money. Greed is the main reason why there are many false teachers in Christianity. They will rob people of the truth so they can have more money in the collection plate. The greedy are very selfish and rarely and barely do they make sacrifices for the poor.
They will borrow money from you and they won’t pay you back. They seek friendship with people only because it benefits them. The attitude for many people is what can this person do for me?
Greed is a sin and those who live in this wicked lifestyle will not inherit the kingdom of God. Scripture teaches us to stop worrying about things. Money in itself is not a sin, but don’t love money.
God knows what you need. Be content in life. God will always provide for His children. Stop hoarding wealth. Glorify God in all your actions. Live for Him and not yourself. Examine yourself in all situations. Ask yourself am I being greedy right now?
Am I putting others before myself as the Bible tells me to do? Share your wealth with others. Trust the Lord with your wealth. Sadly many people think I don’t need to pray or accept Christ I have a savings account.
These same people run to God when they get into a financial crises. Live with an eternal perspective. Store up treasures in Heaven instead of on earth. Christ took upon God’s wrath for you. It’s all about Him. Are you willing to sacrifice everything for Him?
Christian quotes about greed
“Instead of loving people and using money, people often love money and use people.” ― Wayne Gerard Trotman
“One gains by losing self for others and not by hoarding for oneself.” Watchman Nee
“He is much happier that is always content, though he has ever so little, than he that is always coveting, though he has ever so much.” Matthew Henry
The pursuit of things robs me of investing more in the work of Christ.” Jack Hyles
Some people are so poor, all they have is money. Patrick Meagher
“Sins such as envy, jealousy, covetousness, and greed very markedly reveal a focus on self. Instead you are to please God and bless others by practicing biblical stewardship which is to care for and give of the physical and spiritual resources that God has provided for you.” John Broger
“Covetousness is therefore, a sin with a very wide range. If it is the desire for money, it leads to theft. If it is the desire for prestige, it leads to evil ambition. If it is the desire for power, it leads to sadistic tyranny. If it is the desire for a person, it leads to sexual sin.” William Barclay
“God comes right out and tells us why He gives us more money than we need. It’s not so we can find more ways to spend it. It’s not so we can indulge ourselves and spoil our children. It’s not so we can insulate ourselves from needing God’s provision. It’s so we can give – generously. When God provides more money, we often think, This is a blessing. Well, yes, but it would be just as scriptural to think, This is a test.” Randy Alcorn
“The antidote for covetousness is contentment. The two are in opposition. Whereas the covetous, greedy person worships himself, the contented person worships God. Contentment comes from trusting God.” John MacArthur
“The contented person experiences the sufficiency of God’s provision for his needs and the sufficiency of God’s grace for his circumstances. He believes God will indeed meet all his material needs and that He will work in all his circumstances for his good. That is why Paul could say, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” The godly person has found what the greedy or envious or discontented person always searches for but never finds. He has found satisfaction and rest in his soul.” Jerry Bridges
“Love is a commitment that will be tested in the most vulnerable areas of spirituality, a commitment that will force you to make some very difficult choices. It is a commitment that demands that you deal with your lust, your greed, your pride, your power, your desire to control, your temper, your patience, and every area of temptation that the Bible clearly talks about. It demands the quality of commitment that Jesus demonstrates in His relationship to us.” Ravi Zacharias
“If you don’t see the greatness of God then all the things that money can buy become very exciting. If you can’t see the sun you will be impressed with a street light. If you’ve never felt thunder and lightning you’ll be impressed with fireworks. And if you turn your back on the greatness and majesty of God you’ll fall in love with a world of shadows and short-lived pleasures.” John Piper
What is greed in the Bible?
1. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 But people who want to get rich keep toppling into temptation and are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires that plunge them into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
2. Hebrews 13:5 Your conduct must be free from the love of money and you must be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you and I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
3. Ecclesiastes 5:10 Whoever loves money will never have enough money. Whoever loves luxury will not be content with abundance. This also is pointless.
4. Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches!”
5. Luke 12:15 He told the people, “Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed. Life is not about having a lot of material possessions.”
6. Proverbs 28:25 A greedy person stirs up a fight, but whoever trusts the LORD prospers.
7. 1 John 2:16 For everything that is in the world—the desire for fleshly gratification, the desire for possessions, and worldly arrogance—is not from the Father but is from the world.
8. 1 Thessalonians 2:5 “For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness.”
9. Proverbs 15:27 “The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live.”
10. Proverbs 1:18-19 “But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed. 19 Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life.”
11. Proverbs 28:22 “Greedy people try to get rich quick but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty.”
Having a greedy heart
12. Mark 7:21-22 For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly.
13. James 4:3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.
14. Psalm 10:3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
15. Romans 1:29 “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips.”
16. Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
17. Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Jesus had everything, but He became poor for us.
18. 2 Corinthians 8:7-9 Since you excel in so many ways–in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us–I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
19. Luke 9:58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
How to overcome greed biblically?
20. Proverbs 19:17 “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
21. 1 Peter 4:10 “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
22. Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
23. Ephesians 4:19-22 “Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. 20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned.” 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires.”
24. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.”
25. Matthew 23:11 “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.”
26. Galatians 5:13-14 “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
27. Ephesians 4:28 ” Thieves must quit stealing and, instead, they must work hard. They should do something good with their hands so that they’ll have something to share with those in need.”
28. Proverbs 31:20 “She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy.”
29. Luke 16:9 “I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.”
30. Philippians 2:4 “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” (KJV)
31. Galatians 6:9-10 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (ESV)
32. 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
33. Proverbs 21:26 “Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give!”
Better to give than receive.
34. Acts 20:35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
35. Proverbs 11:24-15 Those who give freely gain even more; others hold back what they owe, becoming even poorer. A generous person will prosper, and anyone who gives water will receive a flood in return.
36. Deuteronomy 8:18 “But you are to remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, in order to confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”
37. Matthew 19:21 “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”
38. Proverbs 3:27 “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.”
Greed leads to dishonest gain.
39. Proverbs 21:6 Those who gather wealth by lying are wasting time. They are looking for death.
40. Proverbs 28:20 The faithful man will prosper with blessings, but whoever is in a hurry to get rich will not escape punishment.
41. Proverbs 15:27 Those who are greedy for unjust gain bring trouble into their homes, but the person who hates bribes will live.
The sin of greed will keep many people out of Heaven.
42. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Don’t you know that wicked people won’t inherit God’s kingdom? Stop deceiving yourselves! People who continue to commit sexual sins, who worship false gods, those who commit adultery, homosexuals, or thieves, those who are greedy or drunk, who use abusive language, or who rob people will not inherit God’s kingdom.
43. Matthew 19:24 I can guarantee again that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
44. Mark 8:36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
Reminders
45. Colossians 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
46. Proverbs 11:6 “The righteousness of the upright will rescue them, But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.”
47. Proverbs 28:25 “The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the LORD will prosper.”
48. Habakkuk 2:5 “Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.”
49. 1 Peter 5:2 “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly.”
50. Titus 1:7 “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain.”Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
51. 1 Timothy 3:8 “Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre.”
52. Ephesians 4:2-3 “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
False teachers are motivated by greed
For example, Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes, and Joel Osteen.
53. 2 Peter 2:3 They will exploit you in their greed with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.
54. Jeremiah 6:13 “From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. From prophets to priests, they are all frauds.
55. 2 Peter 2:14 “They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse.”
Judas was very greedy. In fact, greed caused Judas to betray Christ.
56. John 12:4-6 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, who was going to betray him, asked, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for 300 denarii and the money given to the destitute?” He said this, not because he cared about the destitute, but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the moneybag and would steal what was put into it.
57. Matthew 26:15-16 and inquired, “What are you willing to give me if I betray Jesus to you?” They offered him 30 pieces of silver, and from then on he began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
Examples of greed in the Bible
58. Matthew 23:25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”
59. Luke 11:39-40 “Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?”
60. Ezekiel 16:27 “So I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were shocked by your lewd conduct.”
61. Job 20:20 “They were always greedy and never satisfied. Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about.”
62. Jeremiah 22:17 “But you! You have eyes only for greed and dishonesty! You murder the innocent, oppress the poor, and reign ruthlessly.”
63. Ezekiel 7:19 “They will throw their money in the streets, tossing it out like worthless trash. Their silver and gold won’t save them on that day of the LORD’s anger. It will neither satisfy nor feed them, for their greed can only trip them up.”
64. Isaiah 57:17-18 “I was enraged by their sinful greed; I punished them, and hid my face in anger, yet they kept on in their willful ways.” 18 I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners.”
65. 1 Corinthians 5:11 “But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.”
66. Jeremiah 8:10 “Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.”
67. Numbers 11:34 “So that place was named Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy.”
68. Ezekiel 33:31 “My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.”
69. 1 Samuel 8:1-3 “As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. 2 Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. 3 But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.”
70. Isaiah 56:10-11 “For the leaders of my people— the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds— are blind and ignorant. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming. 11 Like greedy dogs, they are never satisfied. They are ignorant shepherds, all following their own path and intent on personal gain.”
We must pray that we don’t become greedy.
Psalm 119:35-37 Help me live my life by your commands, because my joy is in them. Turn my heart to your decrees and away from unjust gain. Turn my eyes away from gazing at worthless things, and revive me by your ways.
