Concupiscence

Holman Bible Dictionary

epithumia  Matthew 13:17 Luke 22:15 Philippians 1:23 1 Thessalonians 2:17

The bad sense of epithumia is desire controlled by sin and worldly instincts rather than by the Spirit (  Galatians 5:16 ). Everyone has been controlled by such desires before their commitment to Christ ( Ephesians 2:3;  Titus 3:3 ). Such desire is part of the old life without Christ and is deceitful ( Ephesians 4:22 ). Such desire can be for sex ( Matthew 5:28 ), material goods ( Mark 4:19 ), riches ( 1 Timothy 6:9 ), and drunkenness ( 1 Peter 4:3 ). The Christian life then is a war between desires of the old life and desire to follow the Spirit ( Galatians 5:15-24;  1 Peter 2:11 ), the Spirit-led life crucifying worldly desires ( Galatians 5:24 ). (Note the list of fleshly desires in ( Galatians 5:19-21 .) As the new life comes through the Spirit, so old desires come through Satan ( John 8:44 ) and the world of which he is prince ( 1 John 2:16 ). Such desires can make slaves of people ( 2 Peter 2:18-20 ). Desire brings temptation, leading to sin, resulting in death ( James 1:14-15 ). People cannot blame God, for He allows them freedom to choose and gives them over to what they choose ( Romans 1:24 ). God did give the law which defined wrong desires as concupiscence or sin. The power of sin then changed the good commandment into an instrument to arouse human desires to experience new arenas of life. Thus they sin and die rather than trust God's guidance through the law that such arenas are outside God's plan for life and thus should not be experienced ( Romans 7:7-8 ). Either sin brings death, or believers in Christ murder evil lusts ( Colossians 3:5 ).

In a very limited sphere of life, Paul called on believers to rise above the normal activities caused by lust in society. He called on faithfulness in marriage rather than on the immoral practices of the Greek and Roman world of his day ( 1 Thessalonians 4:4-5 ).

King James Dictionary

Concupiscence n. L., to covet or lust after, to desire or covet. Lust unlawful or irregular desire of sexual pleasure. In a more general sense, the coveting of carnal things, or an irregular appetite for worldly good inclination for unlawful enjoyments.

We know even secret concupiscence to be sin.

Sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence.  Romans 7 .

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

 Romans 7:8 Colossians 3:5 1—Thessalonians 4:5CovetDesireLust.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

CONCUPISCENCE . Concupiscence is intense desire, always in a bad sense, so that it is unnecessary to say ‘evil concupiscence’ as in   Colossians 3:5 . The reference is nearly always to sexual lust.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

Undue and unlawful lust.  Romans 7:8;  Colossians 3:5;  1 Thessalonians 4:5 .

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Romans 7:8  Colossians 3:5  1 Thessalonians 4:5

Webster's Dictionary

(n.) Sexual lust; morbid carnal passion.

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

See Lust.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kon - kū´pi - sens ( ἐπιθυμία , epithumı́a ): Not used in the Revised Version (British and American), but in the King James Version,  Romans 7:8;  Colossians 3:5;  1 Thessalonians 4:5 . The Greek noun, like the verb from which it comes, meaning "to yearn," "to long," "to have the heart set upon a thing," is determined in its moral quality by the source whence it springs or the object toward which it is directed. Thus, our Lord uses it to express the intensest desire of His soul ( Luke 22:15 ). As a rule, when the object is not expressed, it refers to longing for that which God has forbidden, namely, lust. It is not limited to sexual desire, but includes all going forth of heart and will toward what God would not have us to have or be, as its use in the Septuagint of the Ten Commandments clearly shows, for "Thou shalt not covet" ( Exodus 20:17 ).

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Lat. concupiscentia), evil desire ( Ἐπιθυμία ,  Romans 7:8; Ἐπιθυμία Κακή ,  Colossians 3:5); generally used in the sense of indwelling sin. The term is especially used in Roman Catholic theology. For its import there, and the controversy concerning it, (See Sin).