The Love of Money is the Root of All Evil

The new testament Scripture, “The love of money is the root of all evil” gets misinterpreted quite often. Despite what many people believe money, it is NOT the root of all evil. Neither is it good or bad, nor does it make a person good or bad.

Here are 3 important truths behind the Scripture, “The love of money is the root of all evil:”

1. The “love of” money.

Contrary to what many believe, money is certainly NOT the root of all evil. What the Bible actually says is, “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). Those two little words, “love of” make a huge difference to the total meaning to the Scripture!

Loving money has to do with placing your trust in it. What you put your trust in is what you serve. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). God is not willing to share you with the world. He said in Exodus 20:4,5: “I am a jealous God.”

2. Money answers all things (Ecclesiastes 10:19)

Obviously, everyone needs money; therefore, one must be careful of serving it! “Serving money” actually means letting it define who you ARE. If it defines who you are, then “the love of money is the root of all evil” holds true.

Because having money provides options and control, it has the potential to give one a distorted image of oneself. The more options and control one has, the more freedom and comfort one can experience, and that’s the very reason for the potential to develop a twisted view.

One should always remember, without God we can DO nothing, and we ARE nothing (John 15:5). The love of money is the root of all evil because the “love of money” puts one in a position where he thinks he doesn’t need God.

3. God and money are not enemies

When people think of the relationship betwee
God and money, they typically believe they are in direct opposition of each other. The facts are, God is the ultimate authority and creator of the entire universe while money is only a medium of exchange. That’s all money is and ever will be. Although it’s a critical component for quality of life, it’s still just a “thing,” and therefore; something no one should ever put their trust in!

The Apostle Paul tells us to teach those who are rich in money that the love of money is the root of all evil. He wants us to teach them to not be proud and trust in their wealth, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. The rich in money should use their wealth to do good, be generous to those in need, and always be ready to share with others (1 Timothy 6:17-18).

Conclusion

Jesus almost always used the topic of money as a metaphor for teaching about ete
al life and the kingdom of heaven. Why? Because He knew money is vitally important and relevant in every country, culture, and household. It’s something everyone can relate to.

Even though the love of money is the root of all evil, God and money can co-exist in peace. God does NOT hate money! He just hates what it has the potential to do to people who’s heart is already far from Him. Money is neither good nor bad in itself. It’s simply a magnifier. It magnifies what people already are. If you’re a good person, you can probably be trusted to do good things with it. On the other hand, if you’re a bad person, it will make you worse.