AVARICE
Disorderly love of riches. There is no specific word in biblical Hebrew to express this passion, but in many passages it is designated by the word, “kiss,” which means “theft” or “robbery,” as well as “illicit gain.”
In the Greek of the New Testament it is called by the expressions “friend of money”, “greedy” or “eager for sordid gains.”
Greed is a vice that harms man and prevents him from using the goods he possesses (Prov. 15:16), makes him foolish and harsh towards his fellow men (1 Sam. 25:11), makes him a slave to money ( Pr. 30:8-9; Mt. 16:26), makes him fall into idolatry, separating him from fulfilling his duties towards God and his neighbor (Eph. 5:5; Mt. 6:24; Luke . 16:13).
The miser lives tormented by the desire to increase his wealth (Prov. 27:20; Is. 56:11) and unjustly takes possession of another’s property, allowing himself to be corrupted in public administration; He is a traitor to his own, an oppressor of the weak, and spares his servants and hired servants (Ex. 18:21; 1 Sam. 8:3; Ps. 15:5; Pr. 22:7; Ez. 18: 12-13; Ez. 22:12-13; 30:14; Am. 8:4-6; Jas. 5:1-5).
God rebukes greed and Christ punishes it in the Pharisees with harsh words (Lk. 16:14). Other cases of greed are also mentioned in the New Testament: the Roman governor Felix and that of some heretics (Acts 24:26; Tit. 1:11).
He is one of the vices that exclude from the kingdom of God (Rom. 1:29; 1 Cor. 5: 10-11; Eph. 4:19). Paul takes special care to keep every shadow of greed away from his preaching (1 Thes. 2:5; 2 Cor. 7:2; 11:8-10; 12:17-18).
Greed and the love of riches is one of the greatest obstacles to accepting the message of Christ (Mt. 6:24; Luke 16:13).