Hebrews 13:5

We must join in disciplining ourselves to beware of all that is subject to the passions. We must, like true philosophers, escape from any foods that arouse sexual desire, from a dissolute relaxation in bed, from luxury and all the passions that make for luxury. We realize that others find this a grievous struggle. It is no longer so for us, since self-discipline is God's greatest gift. He has said, "I will never forsake you or abandon you," who have judged you worthy by a decision that is wholly genuine. In this way, as we carefully strive to go to him, the Lord's "easy yoke" will receive us.… There is, according to Hippocrates of Cos, a discipline of the soul as well as of the body, "a state of health which does not shrink from hardship and cannot have enough nourishment."

That perfect men ought to conform themselves to the Apostles, of whom it is said in Second Corinthians chapter four: We are in want, but not forsaken: Gloss: "We are in want, that is, we are so poor that necessities are lacking; but we are …

Then (v. 5) he forbids them to covet external goods, in regard to which one might sin in two ways: in one way by being niggardly; in another way by being covetous. For liberality is a virtue which inclines one to the happy medium between …

He did not say: acquire nothing, but, even if you have possessions, do not be slaves to them, but relate freely to what you have, so as not to grieve if you should ever be deprived of any of your property, as he also said …

The sin that is contrary to this grace and duty-- covetousness, an over eager desire of the wealth of this world, envying those who have more than we. This sin we must allow no place in our conversation; for, though it be a secret lust lurking in the heart, if it be not subdued it will enter into our conversation, and discover itself in our manner of speaking and acting.

); he then bespeaks their prayers for him, and offers up his prayers to God for them, gives them some hope of seeing himself and Timothy, and ends with the general salutation and benediction,

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

5 ), but belongs to all the faithful servants of God. Old-Testament promises may be applied to New-Testament saints. This promise contains the sum and substance of all the promises.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens

Let your conversation be without covetousness,....

Let your conversation - Your “conduct” - for so the word “conversation” is used in the Scriptures; notes, Php 1:27. Be without covetousness - Eph 5:3 note; Col 3:5 note. And be content with such things as ye have - see the Php 4:11-12 notes; Mat 6:25-34 notes. The particular reason here given for contentment is, that God has promised never to leave his people. Compare with this the beautiful argument of the Saviour in Mat 6:25 ff. For he hath said - That is, God has said.

WHAT POWER RESIDES in "Thus saith the Lord!" The man who can grasp by faith, "He hath said," has an all-conquering weapon in his hand. What doubt will not be slain by this to two-edged sword? What fear is that which shall not fall smitten with a deadly wound before this arrow from the bow of God's covenant?

OBSERVE the way in which the Apostles were accustomed to incite Believers in Christ to the performance of their duties. They did not tell them, "You must do this or that, or you will be punished. You must do this and then you shall obtain a reward for it." They never cracked the whip of the Law in the ears of the child of God.

WHAT POWER RESIDES in "Thus saith the Lord!" The man who can grasp by faith, "He hath said," has an all-conquering weapon in his hand. What doubt will not be slain by this to two-edged sword? What fear is that which shall not fall smitten with a deadly wound before this arrow from the bow of God's covenant? Will not the distresses of life and the pangs of death, will not the corruptions within and the temptations without, will not the trials from above and the temptations from beneath all seem but light afflictions when we can hide ourselves behind the bulwark of "He hath said?" Whether for delight in our quietude, or for strength in our conflict, "He hath said" must be our daily resort. Hence, let us learn, my brethren, the extreme value of searching the Scriptures. There may be a promise in the Word which would exactly fit your case, but you may not know of it, and therefore miss its comfort. You are like prisoners in a dungeon, and there may be one key in the bunch which would unlock the door, and you might be free; but if you will not look for it you may remain a prisoner still, though liberty is near at hand. There may be a potent medicine in the great pharmacopia of Scripture, and you may still remain sick, though there is the precise remedy that would meet your disease, unless you will examine and search the Scriptures to discover what "He hath said." Should we not, beside reading Scripture, store our memories richly with the promises of God? We can recollect the sayings of great men; we treasure up the verses of renowned poets; ought we not to be profound in our knowledge of the words of God? The Scriptures should be the classics of a Christian, and as our orators quote Homer, or Virgil, or Horace, when they would clinch a point, so we should be able to quote the promises of God when we would solve a difficulty or overthrow a doubt.

IS it not deeply humiliating, beloved Friends, that the best of Christians should need to be cautioned against the worst of sins? May the consecrated become covetous? Is it possible that the regenerate may drivel into misers? Alas, what perils surround us, what tendencies are within us! Although a man may be a sincere Believer in the self-sacrificing Jesus, yet it is necessary to say to him, "Let your conversation be without covetousness."

IS it not deeply humiliating, beloved Friends, that the best of Christians should need to be cautioned against the worst of sins? May the consecrated become covetous? Is it possible that the regenerate may drivel into misers? Alas, what perils surround us, what tendencies are within us! Although a man may be a sincere Believer in the self-sacrificing Jesus, yet it is necessary to say to him, "Let your conversation be without covetousness." Covetousness is a vice of a very degrading kind and it is, therefore the more surprising that those who have a renewed nature and in whom the Spirit of God dwells should require to be warned against bowing down their souls before it. But such is the necessity that once and again the saints are warned against "covetousness, which is idolatry." As long as Israel is in the wilderness, she is not out of danger from the golden calf. There would be no superfluous text in the Bible had there been no peril; there would have been no precept but, alas, the best of saints may be betrayed into the most base sins. Moreover, the common talk of the people with whom we daily mingle in business is so much about buying and selling and getting gain that we are apt to be entangled in their nets and find ourselves in the meshes of their craft before we are aware of it. It is hard to live where greed grasps all and not to try to save a little for ourselves out of the wreck. "Take heed and beware of covetousness," is a necessary caution for these latitudes. It appears from our text that the children of God need, also, to be exhorted to cherish that most simple and natural of virtues—contentment. One would think that at least, in some instances, they would have this good thing as a matter of course.

THE Apostle warns us against a tendency very natural to our race. "Let your conversation be without covetousness." I am afraid that the precept is even more needed, now, than in the days of the Apostle. We are still more sharp and keen in competition and men in trade are even more anxious to accumulate money than they were in Apostolic times. It is not easy for a man to keep his heart clear of covetousness, or his hands clean from moral bribes. There is a singular stickiness about gold and silver.

THE Apostle warns us against a tendency very natural to our race. "Let your conversation be without covetousness." I am afraid that the precept is even more needed, now, than in the days of the Apostle. We are still more sharp and keen in competition and men in trade are even more anxious to accumulate money than they were in Apostolic times. It is not easy for a man to keep his heart clear of covetousness, or his hands clean from moral bribes. There is a singular stickiness about gold and silver. They have a great tendency to birdlime our souls and hold them fast, so that they cannot rise superior to their influence. The Revised Version reads our text, "Be you free from the love of money" and it puts in the margin, "Let your turn of mind be free from the love of money." May we all enjoy that freedom and may our turn of mind lead us to seek better things than the miser is able to hoard! There is a laudable pursuit of gain, without which business would not be properly carried on, but there is a line, scarcely as broad as a razor's edge, between diligence in business and greediness for gain. We can so easily pass from the one into the other that we may hardly be aware of it. When a man is increasing his investments, when he is extending his agencies, when he is enlarging his warehouse, when he is employing a larger number of persons than formerly, or even when he is bemoaning the depression of his trade and his heart is aching because he has only half as much business as before, covetousness may insinuate itself into his conversation. It is a snake which can enter at the smallest opening. It lurks in the grass where it is long, but it glides, also, where the pasture is bare.

[Other Sermons by Mr. Spurgeon upon the whole or parts of these two verses, are as follows—Sermons #477, Volume 8—NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!; #1449, Volume 24—A VILE WEED AND A FAIR FLOWER and #1880, Volume 32—A LESSON AND A FORTUNE FOR CHRISTIAN MEN OF BUSINESS—.]

[Other Sermons by Mr. Spurgeon upon the whole or parts of these two verses, are as follows—Sermons #477, Volume 8—NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!; #1449, Volume 24—A VILE WEED AND A FAIR FLOWER and #1880, Volume 32—A LESSON AND A FORTUNE FOR CHRISTIAN MEN OF BUSINESS—.] WHEN the Lord foretold, through the mouth of His servant, the Prophet Isaiah, that He would "make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow," surely He must have had in His mind such precious Truths of God as this one which we have in our text, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." This is the very essence of consolation! I might truly say that it is the quintessence of delight! Here is solid spiritual food condensed into a very small space. Take these eight words and extract the marrow from them, or treat them as a honeycomb and get the sweetness out of them into your soul—and it will be full of content, no, more—it will be overflowing with sacred delight! "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." I. With such a text before us, we need no further preface, so we will at once begin our meditation upon the text. And first, I will ask you to VIEW THESE WORDS AS A QUOTATION. You observe that the Apostle writes, "He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you," from which it plainly appears that Paul was quoting from Holy Writ. This should teach us how necessary it is for us, also, to quote Scripture whenever we can. The Holy Spirit abounds in gracious thoughts and in fitting language in which to express those thoughts, so He has no need to make extracts from what He has previously said. Yet He pleases to do so.

OBSERVE the way in which the Apostles were accustomed to incite Believers in Christ to the performance of their duties. They did not tell them, "You must do this or that, or you will be punished. You must do this and then you shall obtain a reward for it." They never cracked the whip of the Law in the ears of the child of God. They knew the difference between the man who was actuated by sordid motives and the fear of punishment—and the newborn man who is moved by more sublime motives, namely, motives that touch his heart, that move his regenerated nature and that compel him, out of affection, to do the will of Him that sent him. Hence the address, here, is not, "Be content, or else God will take away what you have," but, "Be content and have nothing to do with covetousness, for He has said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." The promise is made the argument for the precept! Obedience is enforced by a Covenant blessing. He has said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." What then? Shall I be discontented and covetous? No! But for the very reason that He has made, by His promise, my very safety absolute and unconditional, assuring me, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you"—for that reason I will keep covetousness and every other evil thing out of my conversation and will seek to walk contentedly and happy in the Presence of my God! See, Brothers and Sisters, this Gospel motive. It is a Free Grace argument. It is not a weapon taken from the arsenal of Mount Sinai, but taken from the region of the Cross and from the council chamber of the Covenant of Love! Another thing in the text to which I would call your notice is this—that an Inspired Apostle who might very well have used his own original words, nevertheless, in this case, as indeed in many others, quotes the Old Testament.

Let your conversation - That is, the whole tenor of your conduct, τροπος, the manner of your life, or rather the disposition of your hearts in reference to all your secular transactions; for in this sense the original is used by the best Greek writers. Be without covetousness - Desire nothing more than what God has given you; and especially covet nothing which the Divine Providence has given to another man, for this is the very spirit of robbery. Content with such things as ye have - Αρκουμενοι τοις παρουσιν· Being satisfied with present things. In one of the sentences of Phocylides we have a sentiment in nearly the same words as that of the apostle: Αρκεισθαι παρεουσι, και αλλοτριων απεχεσθαι· Be content with present things, and abstain from others. The covetous man is ever running out into futurity with insatiable desires after secular good; and, if this disposition be not checked, it increases as the subject of it increases in years. Covetousness is the vice of old age. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee - These words were, in sum, spoken to Joshua, Jos 1:5: “As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” They were spoken also by David to Solomon, 1Ch 28:20: “David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed; for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” The apostle, in referring to the same promises, feels authorized to strengthen the expressions, as the Christian dispensation affords more consolation and confidence in matters of this kind than the old covenant did. The words are peculiarly emphatic: Ου μη σε ανω, ουδ’ ου μη σε εγκαταλιπω. There are no less than five negatives in this short sentence, and these connected with two verbs and one pronoun twice repeated. […]