The Money Trap

1 Timothy 6:3–10 ESV

If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

There is perhaps no verse in the bible more misquoted than 1 Timothy 6:10. How often have your heard or read, “Money is the root of all evil”? A quick look at verse 10 reveals that there are a number of problems with this quotation. It is not money itself, but the love of money that is the problem. Moreover, money is not the root of ALL evil, but rather the “root of all kinds of evil.”

Money Itself is Not a Trap, but a Tool

To understand what the Paul teaches about money, we need to understand what money is. Money is simply a tool for facilitating the exchange of goods and services. In a barter economy there is no money. If you had a spare goat and needed a new pot, you could trade the goat for one or more clay pots. This worked find as long as the bartering took place on the local level, but as soon as long distant trade began bartering became impractical. If you lived in France and needed black pepper from India, your goat would die of old age by the time it made it to India! Consequently, people invented money.

Ideally money should be both durable and relatively scarce. Durable, so that it can provide value that outlasts any of the goods or services for which it is exchanged; and scarce, so that one need not haul truckloads of it to the market. The durability and scarcity required by money’s purpose is best filled by precious metals such as gold, which is why gold has so often served as a basis for currency throughout history.

In the Old Testament Law, the commandments prohibiting dishonest scales teach us that God is concerned about preserving the durability and scarcity of money. Before the invention of coins, scales were used to weight gold and other precious metals used in commercial exchanges. Scales that did not measure accurately would devalue money.

Today it is even more critical that we have honest “scales” because unlike the precious metals of the past, our money is just numbers printed on paper or displayed on a computer screen. God does not change, He is not pleased with the currency manipulation that is commonly practiced by the governments of this world. Here again we seen that sound doctrine based on the revealed Word of God produces sound behavior. Unsound doctrine based on the “teaching of demons” produces unsound behavior.

Having defined money as a tool of exchange, we are now ready to move to the second point.

The LOVE of Money is What Makes Money a Trap

Way do people love money? Because it gives them a sense of power and security. Security because it can be exchanged for the good and services they need to survive and power because they can control the behavior of others with it. Moreover, it holds the promise of fulfilling their deepest desires. If we believe that our deepest desires can be satisfied by the things of this world, money seems to be a sure fire ticket to happiness.

The ability of money to obtain the goods and services of this world is what makes it the “root of all kinds of evils.” Greene county, like so many others in America is plagued by the drug trade. Just think about the many “kinds of evils” are happening within a 50 miles radius of this church. Users of illegal have been driven to theft and prostitution in order to gain money which they use to purchase drugs. Dealers sell people this poison for money. If other dealers or law enforcement threaten their income, they are willing to kill to protect their income! Some in law enforcement are willing to break their most solemn vows to protect dealers in exchange of money. I could go on, but you get the idea.

Of course the drug trade is not the only place we observe the “love of money.” The allure of money is felt in all areas of life. In our text it is found even within the ministry of the church. The false teaching that was troubling Ephesus was motivated by the love of money.

1 Timothy 6:3–5 ESV

If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

This is why earlier in this letter Paul instructs Timothy not to ordain men into the office of elder or deacon who showed evidence of a love of money. The love of money is a trap that will latch onto just about anything—even the ministry!

The love of money is such an effective trap because of its baited with the promise of giving us what our hearts desire.

1 Timothy 6:9–10 ESV

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Just like the bait in an animal trap, the promises of money are a lie. It promises pleasure but gives us pain. This is because as the old saying goes, “Money can buy you happiness.” True soul satisfying happiness can only be found in God. We are made in God’s image and for his glory. We can never be truly satisfied until we are satisfied with God.

Augustine of Hippo famously observed:

300 Quotations for Preachers “Our Hearts Are Restless”

You have formed us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in you.

Of course Augustine was not the first to make this observation. David wrote:

Psalm 73:25 ESV

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

This truth that God alone can satisfy the desires of our soul brings us to the last and most important point of our text.

Godly Contentment Disarms the Money Trap

If the bait within the jaws of the Money Trap are false promises , then it makes sense that the best way to disarm the jaws of money is with the better promises of God. Listen to how Paul uses the better promises of God to help the rich in Ephesus not fall prey to the money trap.

1 Timothy 6:17–19 ESV

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Paul first of all reminds the rich that it is not money that provides us with the world’s goods and services, but God, “who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” Then he reminds them were true treasure is stored—in the future New Heaven and New Earth!

It is our hope in God that produces contentment in this life.

1 Timothy 6:6–7 ESV

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

Do you understand the significance of what Paul is saying here? All the “stuff” of this world that money can buy is temporary. Compared to eternity our lives in this present world are but a flash in a pan. When photography was in its infancy, photographers would use gunpowder in a pan to provide a flash of light so that they could take picture indoors. Just like the gunpowder in the photographer’s pan that went up in a puff of smoke, so money and the things you can buy with it will go up in smoke when we die!

Remember I said earlier that money needs to be both durable and relatively scarce? In light of eternity even gold fails this test! It is not durable because gold and every thing else in this world will be destroyed when this present earth is transformed into the New Earth!

2 Peter 3:7 ESV

But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

In light of eternity, gold is also not scarce, in the New Jerusalem is so abundant and so worthless it is used to pave streets!

Revelation 21:21 ESV

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

In light of the worthlessness of earthly treasures, listen to how Peter describes heavenly treasure:

1 Peter 1:4 ESV

to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

Where is your hope? Is your hope in the perishable promises of money or is your hope in the imperishable promises of God? We all need to ask ourselves this question on a daily basis because we walk in a world full on money traps. If we don’t daily renew our hope in God we will quickly find ourselves within the jaws of the “love of money.”