Which book says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil?
We read of that in 1 Timothy 6:10 which says, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (NASB). Let’s reflect on the importance of this truth for a moment.
First, we see that the love of money is ‘a’ root of all sorts of evil. No plant has only one root, they have many roots. So it is with sin. There are many roots, or causes, of sin. Lust, hatred, spite, pride, etc. These are all different roots that will produce evil. The love of money is one root…and a great root it is.
Notice, too, that ‘money’ is not a root of evil. It is the ‘love of money’, the desire to have more and more money that brings evil. Solomon, in his great wisdom prayed in Proverbs 30:8-9, “Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” Solomon realized the need of money, but he also knew the danger of longing for too much money.
The love of money shows a lack of contentment. We read in 1 Timothy 6:6-9, “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.” Notice that this is more than a desire to have enough money to feed and clothe ourselves. It is the desire to be rich that brings the snare that will ‘plunge men into ruin and destruction.’ When there is a continuing desire for more and more money, it will eventually devastate the believer. Solomon reminds us that when our desires are for earthly gains, we can never get enough. He wrote in Proverbs 27:20, “Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,
NOR ARE THE EYES OF MAN EVER SATISFIED.” When we cannot get enough to satisfy us, we cannot be happy.
Hebrews 13:5 says, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”” Here we are given the proper perspective of money. We should be content with what we have, realizing that we have the Lord and He will NEVER leave or forsake us. MONEY can’t buy that!!! Perhaps through hard and honest work, the Lord may see fit to allow us a better paying job or career. That is fine, but if the money is our focus, we will find that it just does not satisfy. If we cannot be satisfied with the love and presence of the Lord, we cannot be satisfied…period.
The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” From his experiences of having plenty and his experiences of having nothing, Paul had learned to be content with whatever the Lord provided him. It was a learning experience with Paul and it will be a learning experience with us. May we learn this most valuable lesson and not be consumed by a love of money. (346.6)