1 Timothy 6:10 For the Love of Money is a root to all kinds of evil

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Key Points from 1 Timothy 6:10:

“Love of Money”: The focus is on the craving and attachment to wealth, not the possession of money.

“A Root”: It’s one source (“a root”) of many evils, not the sole source (“the root”).

Consequences: This craving can lead people away from faith and bring much grief.

What is your opinion on this scripture mentioned above? How does this resonate with you during the holidays, while spending money can bring feelings of depressed financial insecurity for many? Thoughts?

Feel free to post scripture and encouragement in the comments. God bless you all and Merry Christmas!

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I think that is a couple of different questions. I will focus on this one first. “The love of money.”

Everyone knows, or has a good idea of what is in their 401 k. But do you know what is in your 401 E Your eternal account? You have one! Think about the home you will live in for a much longer time than just the 15 to 20 years after your retirement here on earth. Matthew 6: Start at verse 19

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

This is your 401 E or your eternal “retirement fund.” Tithes and offerings, serving others. Sacrifices we make daily. Sharing the Gospel. Why?

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

This is why it is so important to change your mindset. Verse 24

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Not only does God love you so that He laid down His Godhood, came to earth while we were in the middle of our sins, was born into the flesh as we did, and lived a perfect life only to be mocked, stripped, beaten, and murdered for you. For me. But He loves us so much that He wants a relationship with us. He wants us to be His children and Him to be our Abba-Father.

Money is a tool. That is all it is. It is a tool that we need to use to operate in this physical realm. We must teach our children this fact. Money is really nothing. In the end, it means nothing. The rich man and the poor man both die in the end. What is truly important is their 401 E, not their 401 K. What is important is how much they have in their eternal bank account. Not how much they have in their earthly bank account when they leave. You can’t take it with ya.

“And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21

We read that we will receive a crown in Heaven. James 1:12, a reward as our Lord tells us in Matthew 5:12, and receive what we deserve, based on what we did, Revelation 22:12. May I suggest that we try to focus more on that, then we do the stuff that we will leave behind?

Peter

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If one could reduce many of the temptation tactics Satan uses it might boil down to getting what you want. The love of money also seems to be a way to amplify the selfish desires of the flesh.

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Such a powerful reminder, especially at this time of year when the pressure to buy, give, and “keep up” is louder than usual.

What stands out to me in 1 Timothy 6:10 is that it doesn’t say money is the root of all evil, but the love of it. That shift in focus, from what we have to how we hold it, gets right to the heart. When we treat money as a savior, a source of identity, or a measure of worth, it quietly takes the place only God should occupy.

During the holidays, I think it’s easy to forget that contentment is also a gift. It doesn’t come wrapped under a tree, but it’s something the Spirit grows in us when we let go of striving.

I’m asking God to help me treasure what matters most, not what I can spend, but who He is, and how I can serve.

Thanks for opening this up, Peter. It’s a good one to sit with.

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@ KrissySongbird828

As for all scripture passages, the context surrounding the verse really illuminates the original writers full intention. Remember who is writing and who he is writing to, look for who are the subjects of the verse, what problems he is addressing, and what truths he brings to bear on those problems:

Some context:

If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

From such withdraw yourself.

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

(1 Timothy 6:3-10)

Specifically, Paul is warning Timothy to not keep company with hypocritical charlatans who exploit the gospel message as a means to gain wealth; those “who suppose that godliness is a means of gain”. Here the writer recognizes the root dependence, the basis of their error, the foundation on what the false teacher truly relies, in this case, wealth and not Jesus. Paul is employing the teaching of Jesus, as he taught the ways of The Kingdom of God to His disciples to warn Timothy:

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:19-24)

Be careful what you set your eye on!

The heart of the passage you mentioned is not really about wealth or poverty, but about the danger of keeping company with those who through their greediness actually pierce themselves through with many sorrows. Paul does not admonish Timothy to correct them, but “From such withdraw yourself.” My reminder is, while thinking about the verse you are mentioning, don’t neglect to hear the fullness of what the Apostle is admonishing Timothy to do about it.

My 2 cents
KP

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I don’t think there’s anything wrong with money, but the love of it and the pursuit of it is what can get you in trouble. One of my favorite verses of the OT sums it up nicely:

Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
**9 **Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.“ Proverbs 30:8-9

To be content with what you have is a great blessing.

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i notice that whenever i know a person/couple/family with lots of money, theres always some sad story in it, like the dad actually hates his job but “has” to do it, or wife falls ill and cant enjoy life like she used to ever again, or other things. ive yet to find a rich family that really just lives the good life. even if they play tennis every day in their spotless new gear, they are suffering in some way that i am not, and i dont know if the money is a root to the evils they face, but it sure doesnt make me want to be rich. and when i DID believe in such an illusion in the past, it sure did lead me to all sorts of trouble, too embarrassed to list it, but long story short my endeavors were fruitless and id have been better off practicing frugality because at age 37 its already hard enough to change spending habits and im not getting younger.

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This is what I’ve noticed when it comes to things. It will probably sound a little stupid to some.

I used to have a 13 inch, black and white, green cased Tv with an antenna. I couldn’t read the print on CP24 because it was too small. Mind you, this was a long time ago. Anyways, I decided to buy a new one and got a color 32 inch TV. And wow! It was like being at the movies. We loved it and that feeling lasted for about 2 weeks. After that, the TV became a TV and gave me no more pleasure than the 13 inch I once had.

So that was the awakening and I began to see that same principle in other areas. Things will never satisfy and may give you a thrill initially, but that thrill will wear off and the thing will become mundane.

I used to work for very wealthy people. They lived in multi million dollar homes with lavish interiors. At first, I would marvel at what they had, but as time went on their home became everyday and they were just ordinary people. So things will never satisfy and the delight in them will never last. You have to keep going higher to capture that same thrill. Renovate your kitchen and you’ll love it for a time. Eventually it just becomes a kitchen.

It was a valuable lesson to learn. Being content with what you have is something that does last. Trying to work backwards into a lesser lifestyle is more difficult, but doable.

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really love your comment! especially hearing the perspective of working for the wealthy folks, which is something i cant relate to at all. refreshing to hear that even you, the visitor, came to realize that such enormous pleasure runs out of such things with time. hearing that, makes me feel even more content with what i have, and dont have!!

reminds me that pure joy comes not from the satisfaction of walking across a beautiful, freshly-scrubbed floor, but from something much deeper than that. a truth that can be all too easy to forsake, since we tend to focus more on our physical surroundings.

thank you for giving me a puzzle piece in understanding why we must strive to be content. that sounds like a bible verse i know:

Philippians 4:11 - “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

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