The Love of Money is the Root of All Evils

(1 Timothy 6:9-10 – The Love of Money is the Root of All Evils)

The love of money is the root of all evils. How many times have you heard this scripture misinterpreted and quoted incorrectly?

Many who quote this verse leave out the bit about “The Love” of money. But there is nothing intrinsically right or wrong with money itself. It is always the love of money that is the root of all evils. Because when you get right down to it, we are talking about greed.

Greed for money and wealth and the craving to be rich is destructive. It is at the root of all of the evils of mankind. And sadly this vile greed has found its way into the modern church through the false teachings of the prosperity doctrines.

The love of money is the root of all evils

Before going any further let us look at this scripture.

9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

Every evil on this earth you can think of has greed at its core. It is because of the love of money that so many evils are perpetrated upon this earth.

Think about pollution of the air and waterways of the world. Major industries have lobbied and pushed against reforms and controls for decades. Why? Because it affects their profits.

Consider the evils between people. Pornography, prostitution, the child sex trade, slavery (yes it still exists), and the like. All of these continue because someone is making money out of them.

Then there is the trade in illicit substances that destroy the lives of many people. Again, at the root of the drug trade is the greed for money.

The list could go on and on, and in fact in almost every criminal activity, investigators follow the money trail to find the culprit. It is always because someone is greedy for money that most crimes are perpetrated. Is it any wonder that Paul pointed out that the love of money is the root of all evils?

The love of money in the church

When we look at the Christian Church today, too often we see the trappings of wealth on display. Whole ministries are being conducted with one thing in mind, and it is not the pursuit of godliness and the ways of God. They are pursuing physical and financial prosperity.

Worse still is that they have ignored the many scriptures the clearly show the love of money is the root of all evils.

Consider the first verse of the section I am looking at today.

9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. (1 Timothy 6:9)

Look at what the desire to be rich does to people. It leads to temptation, snares, traps, hurtful desires, greed, and actions that lead to ruin and destruction.

And yet some preachers in the modern church are pushing the line that the pursuit of wealth and prosperity is a good thing! Their doctrine is solidly at odds with the scriptures.

The desire for wealth is a trap, and remember, it is the “desire” for wealth, not the money itself. It will make it harder for you to enter into the kingdom of God.

Why? Because if you are desiring wealth, then your mind is not set on God. You will have your mind set on how to get wealth rather than seeking to do the will of the Lord. And as the scripture says:

“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 mammon. (Matthew 6:24 – Note: “Mammon” is a Semitic words for wealth and riches)

If money and seeking prosperity is your master, you cannot serve God. Your thoughts, desires and devotion will be to serve your “money master.” And this is clear evidence that Jesus also taught that the love of money is the root of all evils.

Prosperity Gospel Problems

And it gets worse. The teachings of the prosperity gospel are so twisted that many people who have weaknesses in seeking for wealth believe them.

At the core of the prosperity gospel is the lie that God cares about money. Added to this lie is another that says if you are not prospering financially, then your love for God and your faith are lacking. They suggest that your faith can be measured by your bank balance, and it is a demonic lie.

Instead, this is what Jesus had to say about all of this.

14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 Should we pay them, or should we not?” But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a coin, and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at him. (Mark 12:14-17)

This scripture smashes the first lie, that God cares about money. He says first to, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.”

In this verse Jesus looks at the coin, identifies that it has a picture of Caesar on it and promptly tells the crowd that the coin is Caesar’s. Basically Jesus was pointing out that money is not a thing of God. Money is an invention of man and it belongs to the power that made it, typically the government of the state or country.

The second point in this is that Jesus says to also, “Render to God the things that are God’s.”

One of the big parts of the prosperity gospel today is the need to tithe. Those who preach it insist that the congregation pays tithes of their money and income to the church.

But when we look at the laws of the tithe in Deuteronomy and Numbers, we find that the tithe was ALWAYS agricultural products. It was ALWAYS given out of the increase of the grains, herds, flocks, and so on, and was always the produce of the land.

Why? Because the people were rendering to God the things that were God’s. God gives the sun and the rain and the increase in produce and herds. The tithes were given to the Levites and then a tithe of the tithe was given to the Temple for the purpose of doing God’s service.

Tithes were never under any circumstance given in the form of money. And this is just one way that the modern church has gotten it wrong! They are rendering to God the things that are Caesar’s, in direct opposition to the words of the scriptures.

Do you think God is pleased when His people disregard scripture to do things their own way rather than following God’s way? Not likely! And they do this only to seek money, showing again that the love of money is the root of all evils.

The difficulty for those following prosperity gospels

The prosperity gospel is a teaching that many people find enticing. The promise of wealth under it drives the passion of greed in many people and they succumb to it.

But recall more words of Jesus as He spoke about those who are rich or seeking prosperity.

24 Jesus looking at him said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:24-25)

Jesus said it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Now I don’t know about your thoughts on this, but for anyone on this earth, that is impossible. No person is able to push a camel through the eye of a needle.

So, if it is THAT hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, why would you want to seek riches? What would you rather have: temporary riches in this life that will be gone the day you die, presuming someone doesn’t take them from you in the mean time. Or, a permanent and everlasting home with Christ in the kingdom of God and eternal life?

That is the choice. Choose riches and death, or choose Christ and life.

And another point, the preachers who promote prosperity gospel know these verses too. So, why do they continue to teach their congregations the ways of death and futility in seeking wealth, rather than the words of life in Jesus Christ? This teaching about it being harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter God’s kingdom is written in three of the gospels. It is not an obscure teaching, hard to find, and only known by theologians. In fact the idea about a camel going through the eye of a needle to illustrate how difficult something might be, is part of the common vernacular for many people, including non-believers.

The scriptures are quite clear that seeking wealth will take you away from the Lord. It is clear that the love of money is the root of all evils and we should love God and Jesus Christ. We should not make an idol out of money and wealth, which is essentially what the prosperity gospel is doing. It is promoting the making of an idol, and that idol is money.

Reject the love of money for it will lead you astray. If you do happen to have money because of an accident of birth, or you have a high paying job. Then remember that it can disappear in a moment, as has happened many times over the years in recessions and depressions.

Instead, focus your mind and heart on Jesus and the teachings of life. If you have been blessed with financial resources, and God does bless some people this way as He did with Abraham, Jacob, Job, and others, then focus on using your resources to help others who have not been so blessed.

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