The Love of Money Is the Root of All Kinds of Evil – 1 Timothy 6:3-10

I recently saw an interview with the granddaughter of Walt Disney’s brother, cofounders of Disneyland.  She inherited immense wealth, but she had come to see it as destructive to the soul.  She pointed to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who thanked his workers for paying for his space flight, not realizing how insulting that was to those who were being paid less than subsistence wages.  There are 3,000 billionaires in the world, who have 13 times the wealth of the bottom 50% of the world.

If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.  (1 Timothy 6:3-10 ESV)

In contrast with the teachings Paul has urged upon Timothy in regards to how to live as the household of God, the false teachers’ teachings come from a self-centered place.  Jesus’ teaching produces soundness or wholeness.  Not so the teachings of those who are false.

The false teachers are motivated by a desire for power and money.  In their conceit they stir up controversy with their teachings seeking to draw people to themselves.  They produce conflict among people.  And they are using this “godliness” to gain financially.  The pursuit of riches, however, results in all kinds of evils, and has led some away from the faith.

True godliness produces a true wealth – contentment.  It is satisfied with having the necessities of life, food and clothing, craving the glory of God rather than of self.