The tenth Commandment states, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s” (Exodus 20:17, KJV). Yet Paul's instruction to the Corinthian Church seemed to defy this Commandment when he instructed them to covet spiritual gifts. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:31, “But covet earnestly the best gifts” (KJV).
Why would Paul instruct believers to covet if coveting is sinful?
The answer is simple: God’s command against coveting in Exodus involves craving or longing for something that does not belong to us but to someone else. Hence, the all-encompassing statement, “nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” In this context, desiring after something not for us to have or possess is sinful.
However, Paul’s instruction to the Corinthians to “covet earnestly the best gifts” does not defy what Exodus prohibits. Instead, spiritual gifts were designed for believers to possess and exercise as allocated by the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12:7, 1 Peter 4:10, Romans 12:6-8). Consequently, wanting and asking for spiritual gifts is entirely appropriate for believers to do with the right heart.
On the contrary, if believers covet spiritual gifts out of jealousy or dissatisfaction toward what they already received from the Holy Spirit, they will sin because they are asking with an impure heart or from impure motives (see Acts 8:18-21, Hebrews 13:5, Luke 12:15, James 3:16 and 4:3).
I hope this brief explanation helps you understand the difference between godly and ungodly coveting and how Paul's instruction to the Corinthians was not sinful.
