Greed or God? Understanding Idolatry Today
An In-Depth Look at Idolatrous Greed
Robert Wurtz II
Greed or God reading by Robert Wurtz II
Click to listen to this article.
And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE.'” (Luke 4:8)
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1 John 5:21)
From the very beginning of humankind’s call to repentance and faith, God tests everyone who seeks to enter His kingdom to reveal whether they will comply with the first commandment to have no other gods in His presence (Exodus 20:3, Colossians 3:5). When the Israelites were entering the Promised Land, God told them to tear down all the altars to the false gods. They refused to do it, and God told them He would not go before them but that their gods would be thorns in their sides (Judges 2:1-5). Idolators have always been and will always be “thorns in the sides” of God’s people and do them much evil (Acts 16:16-24, 19:24-34, 2 Timothy 4:14).
In this article, I intend to bring into focus a great truth that seems either unknown or ignored today but is obvious to anyone who studies the Old and New Testaments carefully. The subject is the idolatry of earthly possessions and the benefits humankind seeks to glean from them, competing with God for His devotion and affection, and manifesting as caring more about money and possessions than about Him and His people. If we are involved in this sin, we are idolators unfit for His kingdom and need to move on from the illusion that we can serve both Him and Mammon (possessions personified) at the same time (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13).
Who or What Do You Love?
Every disciple is confronted with the same piercing question Jesus put to Peter before He ascended to His Heavenly throne: “Do you love me more than these fishes, nets, boats, employees, and the happiness the world promises?” (John 21:15 commentary added). That question exposes whether our hearts cling to money (the unrighteous Mammon), success, and security, or to Christ and His lambs.
When John the Baptist preached repentance, when Jesus filled Peter’s nets twice, and when Paul finally saw his own idolatrous covetousness, God was pressing one eternal truth: even legitimate, God-given possessions must never become idols that compete with our love for Christ and His lambs.
John’s Call to Repent
John the Baptist came out of the wilderness declaring, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:1–2). His calling was to “make straight the way of the Lord,” echoing the prophecy, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight” (Isaiah 40:3; John 1:23; Matthew 3:3). He fulfilled this calling by taking the Jews back to the Jordan River, where they had crossed centuries before to remind them of the fact that God will not have any other gods before Him. His preaching thus removed every obstacle (idol) that would hinder God from entering and dwelling in the people’s hearts by faith (Ephesians 3:17). God’s presence will not dwell among idols (Ezekiel 8:1-18).
Repentance, in John’s preaching, was not mere emotion or vague remorse. It was a decisive turning away from the idols of possessions and self-will, and a turning toward God, evident in actual behavior.
John called people to clear the obstacles (idols and altars) of greed, violence, dishonesty, and self-protection, so that when the Messiah arrived, He would find a heart ready to receive Him without obstruction or competition. The “straight way” was not a physical road; it was an inner posture, a life centered around God’s priorities rather than around possessions, power, or comfort (Isaiah 40:3; Luke 3:3–6).
Fruits That Prove Repentance
John refused to let people hide behind religious words or rituals (Matthew 3:9, Luke 3:8). He demanded fruits that proved repentance was genuine: “Bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8). When different groups came to him, he gave direct commands as the Spirit led him.
He told the multitudes that whoever had two tunics (two coats was an expression of luxury) should share with the one who had none, and whoever had food should do likewise (Luke 3:10–11). To publicans, that is, tax collectors, he insisted they collect no more than they were authorized to collect (Luke 3:12–13). To soldiers, he commanded them not to extort money, not to threaten, and to be content with their wages (Luke 3:14). It’s impossible not to notice the emphasis on possessions.
Wide-Spread Filthy Lucre
John the Baptist’s Spirit-inspired directives drove directly at how people acquired and used wealth. Publicans were enriching themselves by taking more than what was legally required and pocketing the difference (Luke 3:12–13, Luke 19:8). Soldiers were leveraging fear and force to extort money from vulnerable people (Luke 3:14). Ordinary citizens were hoarding clothing and food while others went without (Luke 3:10–11). Their selfish greed was as idolatrous as the Canaanites’ worship of their gods centuries earlier, and God wanted it cleansed from His Kingdom as surely as he told the Israelites to throw down all the gods and altars when they came into the land.
John’s specific command to the publicans, “Exact no more than that which is appointed you” (Luke 3:13), establishes a clear principle: you are never to take more than what is rightfully yours. Any gain that comes from charging more than is owed, manipulating terms, or exploiting people’s ignorance is a gross sin severely denounced by the Old Testament prophets (Micah 2:1-2). Even if the system declares such overcharging or the acquisition of property as “legal,” God’s law still calls it theft (Isaiah 10:1-2, Amos 5:11-12, Habakkuk 2:6). It’s better to get angry about it now than to think about it for eternity in hell.
Ancient Trickery
Deceivers, moving in idolatrous greed, seem to think they are the originators of their schemes. But there is no new thing under the sun. When someone tricks or pressures another into signing away money, misleads them through the fine print, omits important legal ramifications to obtain property or goods, or uses their authority to extract more than a fair amount, that conduct falls under the same moral category as extortion and fraud (Amos 8:4-6). It violates “You shall not steal“ (Exodus 20:15) and “You shall not covet“ (Exodus 20:17; Leviticus 19:11).
What is dressed up as clever business, stewardship, “doing God’s business,“ or “it’s just how the game is played“ is, before God, covetousness and theft. Again, those who refuse to repent of such idolatry do not know Christ, and He does not know them. It will come as a shock to them when they hear, “Depart from me, you worker of iniquity; I never knew you.“ (Matthew 7:21-23, 25:40-45). Not knowing Jesus means your heart is not in step with His, which is characteristic of those who serve the god of Mammon and, in the process, despise God (Matthew 6:24).
For John, repentance meant breaking with unjust methods of gain and refusing to let possessions stand like gold and stone idols in the hearts as greed defined the direction of their lives. Wealth itself was not the problem; the heart that clung to it and trampled God and others to get it was.
Idols Behind Covetous Hearts
The apostle Paul later articulated what John the Baptist was attacking: covetousness and idolatry. Writing about his own past, Paul confessed that he would not have truly understood sin except through God’s law, and specifically, he would not have known what coveting was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet“ (Romans 7:7; Exodus 20:17).
That single command exposed the hidden motive driving much religious behavior: a restless desire to possess more, more status, more stuff, more control (Romans 7:7–8). Paul had been outwardly blameless according to the law (Philippians 3:5–6), yet inwardly covetousness hamstrung him. The law uncovered that his heart was secretly attached to things he did not have and unwilling to release the things he did have. Paul would most certainly have been among the Pharisees who resisted the Holy Spirit and rejected God’s counsel when John the Baptist preached, and who refused to be baptized (Luke 7:30; Acts 7:51). Their covetousness would be a problem throughout Jesus’ ministry (Luke 16:14).
This is why covetousness is idolatry: it places money, possessions, and success in the position only God should occupy. Paul explicitly calls covetousness “idolatry“ (Colossians 3:5). Our desires bow down to these “gods,“ and our decisions revolve around protecting them. John’s call to bear fruit worthy of repentance and Paul’s confession converge at a single point: repentance must reach all the way down to how we desire, pursue, acquire, and hold wealth (Luke 3:8; Romans 7:7–8; Colossians 3:5).
Peter’s First Miraculous Catch
Into this world of distorted gain and hidden covetousness, Jesus walked straight into Peter’s ordinary workday. Luke 5 describes Peter and his partners washing empty nets after a long, unsuccessful night of fishing (Luke 5:1–2). Jesus stepped into Peter’s boat, taught the crowds, and then gave Peter a surprising command: “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch“ (Luke 5:3–4).
Peter, exhausted and skeptical, replied that they had toiled all night and caught nothing, but he agreed to obey: “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets“ (Luke 5:5). When they did, the result was staggering. The nets drew in such a multitude of fish that they began to rip, and the men had to signal to their partners on another boat for help (Luke 5:6–7). Fish filled both boats so they began to sink (Luke 5:7). Could you imagine the shout of praise that went up! And about the time they were rejoicing, Peter was struck with the fact that this was supernatural.
Legitimate Blessing in the Balance
This was not ill-gotten gain like that of John’s publicans and extorting soldiers (Luke 3:12–14). It was not the religious leaders who loved to devour widows’ houses (Matthew 23:14, Mark 12:40, Luke 20:47). It was a legitimate, miraculous provision from the hand of God Himself, given in response to obedience (Luke 5:4–7). Peter’s reaction was not to boast about profit but to fall at Jesus’ knees and confess, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord“ (Luke 5:8). He recognized that the One who had just filled his nets was holy, and that his own heart wasn’t right.
Legitimate Provision, Wrong Priority
Here is the crucial distinction. The crowds who came to John were often using corrupt methods, deceiving, violating trust, overcharging, extorting, hoarding, and a host of other evils to acquire wealth (Luke 3:10–14). Jesus, by contrast, gave Peter an honest catch, a legitimate abundance produced without injustice or manipulation (Luke 5:4–7). When God gives, there is no sorrow added to it (Proverbs 10:22). Nobody was ripped off, so his conscience was clear and he slept well.
Yet even this kind of provision, directly from God, could become an idol if Peter’s heart clung to it above Christ and His word. The miracle placed Peter at a crossroads. He could take the massive profit and rebuild his fishing business on the best day it had ever seen, or he could read the miracle as a sign pointing beyond the fish to the One who provided them. The test came when Jesus commanded, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of Men!“ (Matthew 4:19)
Luke tells us that after they brought their boats to land, Peter, James, and John “left everything and followed Him“ (Luke 5:11). Jesus did not call them from a place of failure and bankruptcy, where they might follow Him out of desperation. He blessed them and then called them at the height of success, with boats full to the hilt and nets bursting, so that no one could say they turned to Him because “the fishing business wasn’t working out.“ God did not break Peter financially before calling him. He enriched him and then asked him to walk away from it (Luke 5:4–11). This shows that even legitimate, God-given prosperity must never stand between a disciple and His Lord. We mustn’t make idols of anything that God gives us.
Paul and Hidden Coveting
Paul’s experience with the law provides a parallel in the heart. Outwardly, Paul kept the commandments (Philippians 3:5–6), but when the law confronted him with “You shall not covet,“ his secret internal world was exposed (Romans 7:7; Exodus 20:17). The command didn’t simply forbid external theft; it revealed an inward craving for what others had and a refusal to loosen his grip on what was his (Romans 7:7–8). This was Paul’s testimony after his conversion, when the Holy Spirit had changed his heart, and he could see what he had not seen before.
He writes that without the law, he would not have known sin; with the law, sin “seizing an opportunity through the commandment produced in me all kinds of covetousness“ (Romans 7:8). In other words, once coveting was named, it surfaced everywhere. The problem today is that many people go on coveting, and they dress it up in all kinds of spiritual jargon, and they have no idea they are idolators.
Rich and Religious
Some have speculated that Paul could have been the rich young ruler who once told Jesus he had kept all the commandments from his youth, but who walked away sorrowful when Jesus told him to sell his possessions, give to those in poverty, and follow Him (Mark 10:17–22; Matthew 19:16–22; Luke 18:18–23). This is an interesting theory because both figures emphasize strict law-keeping and deep struggle with possessions. However, there is no direct biblical evidence for it.
What is certain is that Paul’s testimony confirms the central point: even the most religious and morally disciplined person can be secretly enslaved to covetousness. The heart’s attachment to possessions must be confronted if Christ is to reign there without rivals (Romans 7:7–8; Colossians 3:5). Throw down the idols and their altars! 
The Rich Ruler’s Sorrow
The rich young ruler stood before Jesus convinced that his moral record qualified him for eternal life: “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth“ (Mark 10:20). Jesus did not challenge his outward obedience; He went straight to the heart: “Go, sell all that you have and give to those in poverty, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me“ (Mark 10:21; Matthew 19:21; Luke 18:22). It was no different than what he told the other disciples. Judas Iscariot also followed, but he never repented of his idolatrous greed.
The rich man went away sorrowful because his wealth had become a non-negotiable idol in his life: “When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions“ (Matthew 19:22; Mark 10:22). His possessions were not merely things he owned; they were things that owned him. He worshipped them unawares. Today, people go on serving their goods and causing destruction among God’s people rather than loving Him and His lambs. It goes to show you that we are 1,000,000 miles from the emphasis of the New Testament. Christ demands more than our outward religiosity; He calls for a love that places Him and His lambs above all possessions (Mark 10:17–22; Romans 7:7–8).
Second Catch and Restoration
After Peter denied Jesus, three bitter refusals driven by fear for his own life (Luke 22:54–62; Matthew 26:69–75; Mark 14:66–72), Peter and the rest went back to their old lives making money as fishermen. Yet, Jesus did not abandon them. Following His resurrection, Jesus appeared again by the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias) and found the disciples had returned to fishing (John 21:1–3). Once more they had caught nothing. Jesus told them to cast the net on the right side of the boat, and they pulled in a great catch, famously counted as 153 fish, yet this time the net did not break (John 21:4–6, 11).
This second miraculous catch echoed the first. It was a flashback, a reminder of their original call: abundance, boats full, nets full, and a choice about what to love most (Luke 5:4–11; John 21:4–11). When they arrived on shore, Jesus had prepared a charcoal fire and breakfast (John 21:9–13). There, He turned to Peter and asked the question that sits at the heart of discipleship: “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?“ (John 21:15).
What Are These?
“More than these“ almost certainly included the fish, the immediate profit piled at their feet (John 21:9–11); the nets and boats, the tools of a profitable business (Luke 5:2; John 21:3); and the workers and partners, the whole economic apparatus they had built (Luke 5:7; John 21:2–3).
In essence, Jesus was asking, “Do you love me more than your business? If you do, then feed my lambs.“ He followed Peter’s answer with, “Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep“ (John 21:15–17).
Three times He questioned Peter; three times Peter affirmed his love; three times Jesus commissioned him to care for His sheep (John 21:15–17). The structure mirrors Peter’s three denials, offering a complete restoration (Luke 22:54–62; John 21:15–17). But the content highlights the new center of Peter’s life: not fish, not boats, not nets, but lambs, fragile, needy people whom Jesus loves and died for.
Loving What Jesus Loves
At the core of this entire story, from John’s call to repentance to Jesus’ two miraculous catches to Paul’s confession of covetousness, is a simple yet demanding reorientation of our lives: love what Jesus loves. Jesus did not say, “If you love me, grow the fishing business.“ He said, “Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep“ (John 21:15–17). His heart is for people, not profits. His passion is for the weak, the vulnerable, the overlooked, the ones who cannot pay us back (Matthew 25:31–40; James 1:27), not accumulated wealth.
Even when people acquire wealth justly, like Peter’s miraculous catch, it must never replace Christ in our affection (Luke 5:4–11; John 21:4–11). Even when God Himself provides abundance in response to obedience, that gift must remain a tool, not a master (Luke 5:5–7; Deuteronomy 8:17–18). When love for money, career, or life itself competes with love for Christ and His sheep, we must choose Christ every time: “You cannot serve God and money“ (Matthew 6:24), and “Whoever loves his life loses it“ (John 12:25).
John the Baptist confronted greedy hearts so they could be ready for Jesus (Luke 3:10–14; John 1:23). Jesus confirmed His lordship over provision and then called disciples to leave that provision behind (Luke 5:4–11). Paul exposed how deeply covetousness can grip even the most religious person (Romans 7:7–8; Colossians 3:5). And on the seashore, the risen Christ pressed Peter to transfer his love from business to lambs, from profit to people (John 21:15–17).
Guarding Against Covetousness
Because covetousness is subtle and deeply rooted, Scripture does not treat it as a one-time issue solved at conversion. There is an ongoing expectation that believers refuse to let greed and covetousness coexist in the Christian life. Do not tear down the altars and idols and rebuild them later. This is repenting of our repentance. The New Testament warns that believers must not normalize covetousness, cloak it in religious language, or disguise it as “good stewardship.“
Paul writes to the Corinthians, “But now I write unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater… with such an one no not to eat“ (1 Corinthians 5:11, KJV). This is a strong command: if someone claims to be a Christian yet lives in unrepentant covetousness, the church must not treat that life as acceptable. Sharing fellowship with such a person, while they persist in greed, sends the wrong message to them and everyone watching that their idolatrous greed and their confession of Christ are compatible.
Gain and Godliness
In another letter, Paul warns about people “who suppose that godliness is a means of gain“ (1 Timothy 6:5). These are individuals who put a spiritual spin on their love of money, turning religion into a strategy for financial prosperity. Paul tells Timothy, “from such withdraw yourself“ (1 Timothy 6:5, KJV). Instead of approving or tolerating such teaching, believers are to separate from it and those who live it.
This means we must not affirm teachers or believers who treat financial gain as proof of godliness, or who preach a version of “success“ Christianity where wealth becomes the measure of spiritual maturity (1 Timothy 6:5–10). We must not eat with, endorse, or normalize the life of a professing Christian who openly lives in covetousness and refuses correction (1 Corinthians 5:11). We must call greed and covetousness what Scripture calls them: sin and idolatry, not “wisdom,” “prudence,“ or “stewardship“ when they clearly arise from the destructive love of money (Colossians 3:5; Ephesians 5:5; Luke 12:15).
DANGER
People use religious language to hide greed. A person may say they are “being a good steward“ while actually hoarding resources out of greed, fear, or pride. Stewardship is when we do with our resources what God would do if he were us. Scripture warns soberly that “no covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God“ (Ephesians 5:5).
Covetousness, left unchecked, can lead a person to believe they are safe in Christ, while in reality their true god is possessions. Only at the judgment do they discover that their unrepentant greed has cost them the kingdom (Matthew 7:21–23; Ephesians 5:5).
This is why the church must love believers enough to confront covetousness now. Refusing to let people feel comfortable in their greed is an act of mercy, not harshness. They must clear the idols from their hearts before they stand before Christ, who will not be fooled by Christian jargon wrapped around idolatrous desires.
Acknowledging the Idol
From the very start, Jesus is testing whether we will sacrifice a relationship for money: whether we will sell out our relationship with Him or with His lambs to gain, protect, or increase wealth. Loving possessions more than Jesus makes us unfit for His kingdom. The same is true for His lambs. We may as well admit that we have chosen another master. We’re no better than Aaron who made the golden calf and told the Israelites, “These are your gods!” (Exodus 32:8)
When we can say at the end, “We loved what You love, we cared for Your lambs; we prized You above our nets, boats, business, assets, and life,“ then our story agrees with Peter’s restoration, and not with the rich young ruler’s sorrow (John 21:15–17; Mark 10:17–22).
Every human on earth must come to grips with this choice. God may bless your work. He may fill your nets in ways that astound you (Luke 5:6–7; John 21:6–11). But the defining question will always remain: Do you love Him more than these? And if you do, will you live it out by loving His lambs, the people He died to save, more than your possessions, your comfort, and even your own life (John 21:15–17; 1 John 3:16–18)? Will you love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength?
Additional Resources:
The Peril of High-Handed Sin and the Call to True Repentance
Leave a Reply