“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 6:10).
Some may be familiar with a quote that was attributed to John D. Rockefeller, a prominent industrialist of the 19th century and a man who was among the wealthiest people of his time. When Mr. Rockefeller was allegedly asked, “Sir, how much money is enough money?” Rockefeller is said to have replied, “Just a little bit more.”
While the life of Israel’s King Solomon predated John D. Rockefeller’s life by many centuries, Solomon would have undoubtedly agreed with that assessment. For instance, consider Solomon’s observation regarding the love of money from the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes…
“He who loves money shall never have enough. The foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness! The more you have, the more you spend, right up to the limits of your income. So what is the advantage of wealth– except perhaps to watch it as it runs through your fingers!” (Ecclesiastes 5:9-10 TLB).
One serious issue related to an effort to secure greater wealth and/or possessions involves the temptation to engage in actions that are inappropriate from a Biblical perspective. 1 Timothy 6:10 explains why: “…the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (ESV). This brings us to a common inaccuracy regarding this passage.
You see, people commonly misquote the first portion of 1 Timothy 6:10 as follows: “money is the root of all evil.” However, it’s not that “money is the root of all evil,” it’s, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Money itself is not evil- it is our internal attitude towards money and what we do with it that can make it that way.
Consider this question: is there anything people won’t do for the love of money? For instance, why do swindlers cheat others out of their savings? For money. Why do so-called psychics give brokenhearted families phony “messages” from loved ones who have passed away? For money. Why did Judas betray Jesus? For money. The unfortunate reality is that the love of money is something that may compel us to engage in any number of evil, harmful things.
In light of these things, we can say that money is much like a tool that we can use according to our desire. Remember, money itself is not evil- it is our attitude towards money and the actions we take with it that serve to make it that way.