One verse of Scripture that is often misunderstood and misquoted is found in 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils…” The first sentence of verse 6:10 is often misquoted as “Money is the root of all evil” and is commonly misunderstood as teaching that we should not seek to increase our wealth or that money and wealth are evil. Neither of these misquotes nor misunderstandings is true to the Word of God.
The first word in this verse that is essential to our understanding is the Greek word philarjgyria translated as “love of money” (Gr. φιλαργυρία). This is best understood as avarice, or the excessive or insatiable desire or greediness for wealth or gain.
The second phrase that is essential for our understanding of what the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy at Ephesus is “all kinds of evils.” Older translations of the Bible, such as the King James Version, the Geneva Bible, and the Revised Standard Version, render the phrase as “all evils.” Still, later translations usually use “all kinds of evils.” The newer translations change the meaning to imply not all evils but many evils. It seems that the newer translations felt that the love of money was the root of many evils, but not “all” evils.
The Greek phrase pantōn tōn kakōn is literally translated into English as “all evils.” To properly understand this verse, we must use the proper translation, “all evils.”
We should therefore understand this verse to mean “For the excessive or insatiable desire or greediness for wealth or gain is a root of all evils . . . This exorbitant devotion to pecuniary gain results in the idolatry of wealth or money as a god. This demonstrates that the love of money is a root of all evils, not just some or many. And Scripture confirms that once a person succumbs to the love of money, they wander from the faith.
How the love of money can be a root of all evil is explained elsewhere in Scripture. We read in Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Once we idolize money and wealth, we make them our god in place of the one and only true God of the Bible. When wealth and pecuniary gain replace God, wandering from the faith becomes inevitable and becomes the root of all the evils or sins a person commits.
In addition, the sin of pride takes over, and one forgets who is really the source of their wealth, as we see in Deuteronomy 8:17;18 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. People who substitute their greedy desire for financial gain as a replacement for God allow their pride to credit themselves for their own wealth instead of God, who deserves the credit.
The insatiable desire for money and wealth replaces God, leading to a fall from a faithful walk with God and the corruption of a sanctified life. Eventually, money won’t be enough (Eccl. 5:10) and vanity will increase manifesting itself in a love for themselves, boastfulness, pride, and an ungrateful, unrighteous demeaner (2 Tim. 3:2). They will wander from the faith (1 Tim. 6:10; 2 Pet. 2:15).
The Bible teaches that we should be content with what we have. Hebrews 13:5 states, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” We should not chase after the uncertainty of riches, and we should not store up treasure for ourselves but rely on God, who will provide for us (1 Tim. 6:17). Clinging to wealth is wrong since we came into this world with nothing and we’ll take nothing out of it (1 Tim. 6:7; Eccl 5:15).
However, there is nothing wrong with money or wealth per se because God is the source of it (Dt. 8:18). As discussed above, it is not “money” but the “love of money” that is a root of all evils. Money, when used wisely and prudently, can be a great blessing. God often blessed individuals who pleased him with great wealth (E.g., Gen. 13:2; 30:43; 1 Kg 10:23; Matt. 27:57).
But the wealthy are cautioned not to grasp and cling to their wealth lest they become slaves to it. They must always acknowledge God for providing their wealth. The rich must be careful not to flaunt their wealth too. The Bible clearly teaches that both the rich and the poor must be content with what God provides.
