Some context for 1 Timothy 6. Paul has just presented Timothy with a profile of some of the people who will not “agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching” (1 Timothy 6:3). He tells us they possessed “an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words” (v. 4).
That’s bad enough, but it didn’t stop there. It led to all sorts of destructive things and infected others as it created “constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and think and think that godliness is a means to financial gain (v. 5). Paul said these people who were infected had been “robbed of the truth” and consequently viewed godliness and spirituality as money making opportunities.
The great gain of contentment. He takes their mistaken idea about godliness leading to financial gain and flips it to teach the truth that godliness, when accompanied by contentment, does lead to great gain. Is Paul saying that contentment is something independent of godliness. I don’t think that’s the case. I understand him as emphasizing the contentment element of godliness that perhaps in his experience was often absent in people pursuing godliness.
Whatever the case, contentment is one of those elusive qualities that is about balance and perspective. Someone said, “Contentment is not getting everything you want, is wanting everything you get.” And with that, they said a mouthful, didn’t they?
How do arrive at this point our lives?
From a Roman prison no less, Paul said that he “had learned the secret of being content in any and every situation” (Philippians 4:12). He was saying contentment was not something that just naturally occurred or was obvious—it was a secret he had learned. And when he adds in the next verse “I can do all this through Christ Jesus who gives me strength”—he’s telling us that it is also relational. Contentment flowed out of Paul’s relationship with Jesus. Because of his relationship with the risen Christ, he didn’t have to have everything he wanted but instead could want everything he had. He could do without because he did within (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 for another example of this from Paul’s life). We can as well.
The great danger of the love of money. That being the case, we can get way off track when we seek to make material wealth the source of our contentment. Paul is brutally blunt, but we need to hear it. “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” He’s talking about making money your god because you believe it has the power to bring contentment rather than your relationship with God. That approach to life what will cause you to wander from the faith and will pierce you with “many griefs” (v. 10).
Of course, no one ever wakes up in the morning and says, “I’ve decided to make money my god.” It doesn’t work that way. But what we do see is people incrementally slide into a lifestyle where money begins to increasingly dominate their time, energy, and focus. It becomes what they think about, talk about, and dream about. It pushes everything else out of the way.
You’ve probably seen it before—maybe you’ve even experienced it. Someone gets caught up in their job, their business, their side hustle. You don’t hear from them much, see them much because they’re rarely around or in Bible class, home group, or the assembly. You tell them you’ve missed them and they say, “Well, I had some business to take care of.” Right! They were off trying to make more money. They’re not making money to buy necessities like food, clothing, or shelter—they’re just trying to make more money simply because they can. It has grabbed the steering wheel of their life and taken over.
What Paul wants them to see is that everything has a price, including getting caught up in the money chase. The price is what it does to you and those you love. They don’t need your presents—they need your presence.
Timothy is to flee and pursue. In v. 11 Paul tells Timothy to “flee from all this and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.” Being too concerned about money takes away the oxygen needed to grow the healthy things in our lives.
Hope is the heart of the issue. But he’s not done. He takes up the subject again in v. 17ff. He tells Timothy to “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant or to put their hope in wealth” (v. 17). In our world, money is power—so if you’re wealthy it’s easy to think you’re the man (or woman). After all, money talks and an expensive house, expensive cars, expensive gifts, and expensive trips all say a lot about you. And many people will treat you differently. Your wish is their command, they hang on your every word, and treat you like royalty. It’s easy to get puffed up. But Paul wants us to know that’s only one side of the blade.
There is something to enjoy. The other side of arrogance is how money can seduce us so that we put their hope in it rather than in God. This is the other side of the love of money. Paul frames our choice as putting our hope in the uncertainty of money or in the God who “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” Hope in God leads to contentment and the ability to enjoy what God has given us. Hope is riches cannot do that.
Paul’s not anti-money. He simply understands that while money is a wonderful servant, it’s a lousy lord. Money is great when it is used to provide ourselves or others with the things we need to live. It becomes not-so-great when we allow it to corrupt us into thinking we are what we have in our bank account or we are what we own.
There is something to employ. If you want to safeguard yourself against making money your god, there’s something simple you can do. Be generous. Use what you’ve been given to help others. Help don’t hoard. Verse 18 says, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” That’s living richly!
This is the way of life. Jesus said it was more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). Part of that blessing is we “lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (v. 19). As Paul noted earlier, we brought nothing into the world and we take nothing out of it—but we can send something ahead!
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 