What does 1 Timothy 6:10 mean? Does the Bible teach that money is the root of all evil? Most importantly, how should Christians view money? You will learn the answer to these questions today!
What does 1 Timothy 6:10 mean?
I want to start this message by showing you a picture, which I saw on Facebook. Before I show you the picture, I just wanted to give you a little background.
The photo I’m about to show you has been shared a lot of times. There are also many people who have reacted with likes, hearts, and other emojis.
In short, this picture is widely circulated on Facebook. Sadly, a lot of people, out of biblical ignorance, agreed with what the picture says.
Let me show you the picture. Here it is:
The image says, “If money is the root of all evil, why do they ask for it at church?”
If you have been in the church for so long, you can and should easily spot the mistake in this statement. However, the sad fact is that countless people read this and would agree!
1 Timothy 6:10 tells us:
10 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.
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Misunderstanding 1 Timothy 6:10
A lot of people who see this, without actually understanding what it means, would immediately conclude that the Apostle Paul calls money the root of all evil.
People believe that the Bible condemns wealth and riches. They quickly think that God doesn’t want anyone to have a lot of money and thus, Christians should live in poverty or just have enough to get by.
You see, brethren, if this statement is true, then we are all doomed because the Bible would surely contradict itself. We could see in the Bible that money is a huge topic. In fact, I did a quick search and proved that the word “money” appears more often than the words prayer, healing, and hope.
The misunderstanding arises from how people misquote I Timothy 6:10. They would delete and change a few words to meet their own narrative.
So, in this blog, I want us to take a look at I Timothy 6:10, know what it really says, and learn the right attitude of giving an offering to Yahweh, the Most High God.
The true meaning of 1 Timothy 6:10
Let’s read 1 Timothy 6:10:
10 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.
Notice, it is not money itself that is a root of all kinds of evil, but rather, it is the LOVE of money.
The sad thing brethren is that so many people believe that God and the Bible consider money evil. So, those who try to follow God, make themselves stay in poverty. They feel guilty working hard and earning more than enough.
They wanted to stay poor because that is what God wants them to be!
The trap of loving money
Paul tells us that we can all love but we can love the wrong things and among them is money. When you love money more than God, that’s the time when you will get snared to do all kinds of evil. Think about it for a second, brethren, when a person is motivated to get money, that person can do all kinds of evil things.
People will lie. People will cheat. People will take advantage of others. People will kill just to get more and more money. People become corrupt, greedy, and evil because of their strong desire to be rich. There’s nothing that will stop them from doing evil.
That’s the real danger of loving money!
What else should we understand about 1 Timothy 6:10? Let’s read it again:
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…
It doesn’t say the root, but a root. In English grammar, there are what we call definite and indefinite articles. Indefinite articles include a and an. A definite article is “the.”
When you say a root of evil, it means general. If you say “the roof of evil”, then it’s specific. What this means is that money is a root of all kinds of evil. It is not the only root of evil, but it is one of the roots of all evil.
So, aside from money, there are other roots of evil. It can be our sexual desire. It can be the need for power and recognition. It can be our pride, bitterness, and so much more.
It is not only money that can cause people to sin.
Thus, we can see here, brethren, that money is not the roof of evil, but rather, the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
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How to overcome the love of money?
Now, here are my questions for you:
Do you love money? What is your attitude towards money? Is it your ultimate goal in life? Is it the most important thing for you?
Now, here’s the key. If you want to avoid the love of money, all you have to do is this four-letter word: G-I-V-E — give.
When you learn how to give, you learn how not to love money.
It doesn’t necessarily mean you hate money, but rather, you start to see money as a tool to give, to bless others, and not become a burden to other people.
Now, don’t think that the love of money is only a problem for the rich, it can also be a problem for the poor.
No matter who you are, no matter what your station in life is, the love of money is a real problem for everyone.
That’s why we need to learn how to live a life of giving rather than getting.
Those who love money become its slave. Those who love money can’t get enough. Those who love money always have this scarcity mindset that no amount of money can ever make them say they have enough.
Give bountifully, reap bountifully
If we truly love God and not money, we would naturally give. Our inclination is to share the blessings of God. You see, God blesses us so that we can also bless others and not simply keep His blessings to ourselves.
I want to close with this familiar Scripture we find in 2 Corinthians 9:6:
6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
If you are a farmer, you don’t simply plant one seed of corn. You plant hundreds if not thousands.
This is what sets apart a person who is free of the love of money and who loves money. We read in 2 Corinthians 9:7:
7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity…
A person who loves God would have already planned how much He will give. A person who loves money planned how little he can give. Both persons gave their offerings, but the difference is in their attitudes.
What should be our attitude? We continue reading:
… for God loves a cheerful giver….
God loves a cheerful giver, not a stingy giver.
Now, when you give to God, don’t worry if you don’t have enough money anymore.
You know why? In verse 8, we read:
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
God will never ever fail to meet your needs. He will always be there to give. He will always be there to supply your needs.
Why do you want to be blessed?
What’s the purpose? Is it so that you can become the richest man in your family, village, city, or country? No, so that you have an abundance for every good work.
If ever you want to obtain material blessings from God, that should be your driving motivation. What motivates you should be to perform good works. You don’t ask God for wealth because you want to buy the latest iPhone. You want to buy a new house. You want to buy a new car. No, you want God to bless you so that through you, God can also bless others.
From there, it is up to God to bless you so that you can also receive the desires of your heart.
With that said, brethren, I hope that you and I have a better understanding of what it really I Timothy 6:10 really means, what it means to love money, and how we can become lovers of God rather than lovers of money.
