For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1 Timothy 6:10

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If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Commentary

Let’s first address misquotes of this verse. A common one is “money is the root of all evil.” A more subtle misquote is “The love of money is the root of all evil.”

So, the first one is just plain wrong. Throughout the Bible God has chosen to bless many people with wealth. If money were the root of all evil, that would not be a blessing and God would be setting people up to be evil. That is not God’s desire or character. Instead this verse is talking about the love of money, not money itself. Loving money is sin. If you love money, it’s something you need to repent of. Ask God to search your heart for the love of money, confess it, and ask God to remove the love of money from your heart.

The second wrong quote is “The love of money is the root of all evil”. It actually says “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” So, loving many can lead to many kinds of evil, but it is not the sole source of evil. So, even if you think you are free of the love of money, it doesn’t mean you’ve cured yourself of your evil desires and actions.

But it is easy to see that loving money and chasing after it is an easy way to fall into many kinds of temptation. You can name pretty much any sin, and then imagine a way where chasing after wealth would lead you to that sin. Instead, be content with where God has you. Give thanks in every situation. This verse comes after the verse that says “Godliness with contentment is great gain“. That is the opposite of loving money.