1 Timothy 6:10
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
The Scriptures already warn us that the root of many human evils is often their love of money. Here we must beware not of money as an object, but of the spirit, attachment, or love someone has for money. Attachment points to idolatry—the making of money into a god. A person who idolizes money makes it everything. They feel complete when they possess a certain amount of money and feel worthless without it. They set money as the highest value in life and believe they can do anything with it. Thus, people pursue money by all means—legal or illegal, subtle or blatant. Even if obtaining money requires sacrificing family, some will not hesitate.
If Scripture says the love of money is the root of all evil, that warning is true. Look at events around us: many conflicts—within families, businesses, careers, positions—often have the same source: attachment to money. Paul adds that money can buy not only status but also transactions of faith. People can “sell their faith” for money. A Christian who becomes a corrupt official has, in effect, sold his faith for a sum of money. This danger grows more serious in the last days. Satan understands this and will use the lure of money to trap people in mammonism.
Jesus warned of this danger in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money.” This implies that only God or mammon can occupy the highest place in one’s life. The power of mammon—wealth or money—can enslave a person into worship of something that competes with God. When someone is bound or imprisoned by money, money becomes their idol, and they no longer account for God’s existence. This present danger is as severe as past persecutions: previously, believers risked physical suffering for worshiping God; today, believers risk spiritual blindness from prosperity.
This teaching does not mean we must be against prosperity or wealth. Rather, it calls for awareness of the danger of loving wealth, prosperity, or money. Becoming rich or prosperous is not inherently wrong, but it carries the danger of attachment that can bring a person down. When someone is bound to money or mammon, they are separated from God—they cannot love two masters at once and must choose.
Do not let your devotion to God loosen or be cut off because of mammon. Be grateful for what you have and do not covet what you do not yet own. Learn to be content with what you have so you avoid greed and avarice that lead to grief and suffering. Above all, be satisfied in God—He is everything.