We are bombarded with messages that money is king, and that the things money can buy will bring us satisfaction and importance in life. Whether we are rich or poor or somewhere in between, the love of money poses a great threat to our faith and happiness. We pray that God would keep us and the people we serve in the great gain of true godliness.
6 ἔστιν δὲ πορισμὸς μέγας ἡ εὐσέβεια μετὰ αὐταρκείας· 7 οὐδὲν γὰρ εἰσηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐξενεγκεῖν τι δυνάμεθα· 8 ἔχοντες δὲ διατροφὰς καὶ σκεπάσματα, τούτοις ἀρκεσθησόμεθα.
Translation: But it is great gain to have the godliness that comes with contentment. For we brought nothing into the world, and (it is clear) that we are not able to carry anything out. But if we have food and coverings, we will be content with them.
In the previous verse, Paul had described false teachers who thought that their godliness/religion was a means to gain (νομιζόντων πορισμὸν εἶναι τὴν εὐσέβειαν). In effect these false teachers were stealing money from people, but the real tragedy was that they and the people they deceived were missing out on the riches that the Lord Jesus Christ had won for them.
In vv. 6–10, Paul declares the great gain of true religion. True religion satisfies. It produces contentment. Believers find their contentment in God. God’s Son and God’s Spirit are the greatest gifts that they have from their heavenly Father. Because of the saving activity of the Triune God, believers’ lives overflow with faith, hope, and love. As long as they can be recipients of God’s love and reflect his love back towards him and towards others, believers are content.
Such thinking is based on wisdom that comes from above and on realities evident in the world below. Job had that wisdom. So did Paul. We are born into this world, and we leave it, with no material possessions. The lifegoal of accumulating possessions is foolish. Accumulating more material possessions will not make us happier; in the end, we lose them all.
The goal of the Christian life is to live humbly under God, serving him and the people around us. We can accomplish that goal as long as we have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a roof over our heads. We pray for daily bread so God’s will can be done in our lives.
9 οἱ δὲ βουλόμενοι πλουτεῖν ἐμπίπτουσιν εἰς πειρασμὸν καὶ παγίδα καὶ ἐπιθυμίας πολλὰς ἀνοήτους καὶ βλαβεράς, αἵτινες βυθίζουσι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εἰς ὄλεθρον καὶ ἀπώλειαν· 10 ῥίζα γὰρ πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν ἡ φιλαργυρία, ἧς τινες ὀρεγόμενοι ἀπεπλανήθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως καὶ ἑαυτοὺς περιέπειραν ὀδύναις πολλαῖς.
Translation: But those who want to become rich fall into temptation and a trap, and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge those people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people by being desirous of money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
The love of money is foolish. It is also dangerous. It leads people away from God and prevents them from living a life of love. The false teachers in Ephesus were prime examples of that: their love of money led them to draw people away from Paul’s pure gospel and away from Jesus Christ. Their love of money led them into temptation and into the devil’s trap. Their love of money led into many sinful desires that plunged them into ruin and destruction, in this world and in the world to come. When people love money, they do harm to others and to themselves. They wander from the Christian faith and they stab their souls as with a sharp knife.
Jesus warned, “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matt 6:24). Jesus asked, “What can a person give in exchange for their soul?” (Matt 16:26).
As pastors, we must examine our hearts and repent of our sinful desires, including our love of money. We need unhurried time in God’s word, focusing our attention on his greatness, goodness, and grace. We need to pray for a pure and undivided heart.
As pastors, we must guard the flock entrusted to our care, preaching to their hearts also about this grave danger and about the great gain of true godliness.
Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, you know that I have sinful desires in my heart. Have mercy on me. Forgive me. Restore me. Earth has nothing I desire besides you. Throughout my life, hold me by your right hand, and afterward take me into glory. Until that time, make me a blessing to the people you have called me to serve; through the merits of your Son, Jesus Christ, my Savior. Amen.
P.S. For further reading, we recommend Pres. emeritus David Valleskey’s recent book, The Splendid Task of the Ministry: A Pastoral Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles (NPH, 2023).