Vices: Part 1
Rom 1:29a being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness;
Characteristic of a number of his letters, Paul will now go into a list of categories of wickedness, which though long is not comprehensive. In fact Paul mentions reiterates a number of these terms in the list he gives in 2Tim 3:2-5
Unrighteousness is simply to not have the attitude to do the right thing. For example suppose you hit a parked car and no one else sees you. Do you think, "what's the right thing to do now?" Or do you think, "what can I get away with?" If the latter characterizes you, then you're a wicked person.
"Sexual immorality" is literally "inappropriate contenteia" in the Greek from which we get inappropriate contentography. Sexual immorality has many forms, but all go back to a common root of allowing oneself to be sexually immoral as opposed to restraining one's sexual desire to that which God designed it for, which is namely marriage.
There's inappropriate contentography. "Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Mt 5:28 There's fornication and adultery. "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge." Heb 13:4, which includes remarriage after divorce, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery." Mk 10:11,12 And he previously spoke of homosexuality. These are the most common forms of sexual immorality.
"Covetousness" is a greedy desire to have more, especially that which belongs to others. "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." Ex 20:17 Realize there's only a subtle difference between wanting the kind of thing your neighbor has and wanting what belongs to your neighbor. And likewise the difference between wanting that which you don't really need, and a greedy desire to have more is a matter of degree. Elsewhere Paul associates covetousness with idolatry.
Col 3:5 "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."
Eph 5:5 "For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God."
So covetousness is not limited to desiring other people's stuff, but rather is more generally desiring stuff in an idolatrous fashion.
"Maliciousness" is a vicious disposition, evil intent. But realize it may reveal itself in subtle ways. In Acts 8:22 the same Greek word is used by Peter to describe the attitude of a man who wanted to pay him for the ability to dispense the Holy Spirit upon people. In contrast to unrighteousness, which is the intent to not do the right thing, maliciousness is the intent to do harm, to do evil.
The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
Rom 1:29a being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness;
Characteristic of a number of his letters, Paul will now go into a list of categories of wickedness, which though long is not comprehensive. In fact Paul mentions reiterates a number of these terms in the list he gives in 2Tim 3:2-5
Unrighteousness is simply to not have the attitude to do the right thing. For example suppose you hit a parked car and no one else sees you. Do you think, "what's the right thing to do now?" Or do you think, "what can I get away with?" If the latter characterizes you, then you're a wicked person.
"Sexual immorality" is literally "inappropriate contenteia" in the Greek from which we get inappropriate contentography. Sexual immorality has many forms, but all go back to a common root of allowing oneself to be sexually immoral as opposed to restraining one's sexual desire to that which God designed it for, which is namely marriage.
There's inappropriate contentography. "Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Mt 5:28 There's fornication and adultery. "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge." Heb 13:4, which includes remarriage after divorce, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery." Mk 10:11,12 And he previously spoke of homosexuality. These are the most common forms of sexual immorality.
"Covetousness" is a greedy desire to have more, especially that which belongs to others. "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." Ex 20:17 Realize there's only a subtle difference between wanting the kind of thing your neighbor has and wanting what belongs to your neighbor. And likewise the difference between wanting that which you don't really need, and a greedy desire to have more is a matter of degree. Elsewhere Paul associates covetousness with idolatry.
Col 3:5 "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."
Eph 5:5 "For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God."
So covetousness is not limited to desiring other people's stuff, but rather is more generally desiring stuff in an idolatrous fashion.
"Maliciousness" is a vicious disposition, evil intent. But realize it may reveal itself in subtle ways. In Acts 8:22 the same Greek word is used by Peter to describe the attitude of a man who wanted to pay him for the ability to dispense the Holy Spirit upon people. In contrast to unrighteousness, which is the intent to not do the right thing, maliciousness is the intent to do harm, to do evil.
The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
