God Never Said That: Money Is the Root of All Evil
The statement "Money is the root of all evil" is commonly attributed to the Bible. But it's not in the Bible! The Bible says something different!
Preachers who profit off false teachings aren't new. In 1 Timothy 6, the apostle Paul wrote about teachers of his day who thought godliness was a way to make money! They liked to stir up controversy and make a big deal out of minor things in order to make money.
The apostle went on to say that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. In itself, money is neutral, neither good nor bad. But the love of money, the deep desire to gain more money is a root of many kinds of evil. Paul said that people who were eager for money had wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs!
The love of money is pervasive in our culture. How do we keep from it? In Jesus' parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), he told the story of a master who entrusted his wealth to three of his servants. The parable teaches us that God has entrusted with everything we have, and that he holds us accountable for what we do with it.
Our stuff isn't our stuff. God has just put it in our hands to manage for a time. One day, we'll have to account for what we've done with it.
1 Corinthians 9:10-11 teaches us that we need to remember that God has blessed us with what we have so we can be generous to others. Our possessions aren't just ours to enjoy and/or to pass on to our children. They're things God wants us to share.
Money isn't the root of all evil. It's a root of many different kinds of evil. Avoid the love of money by keeping it in its proper place and being generous to others!
Preachers who profit off false teachings aren't new. In 1 Timothy 6, the apostle Paul wrote about teachers of his day who thought godliness was a way to make money! They liked to stir up controversy and make a big deal out of minor things in order to make money.
The apostle went on to say that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. In itself, money is neutral, neither good nor bad. But the love of money, the deep desire to gain more money is a root of many kinds of evil. Paul said that people who were eager for money had wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs!
The love of money is pervasive in our culture. How do we keep from it? In Jesus' parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), he told the story of a master who entrusted his wealth to three of his servants. The parable teaches us that God has entrusted with everything we have, and that he holds us accountable for what we do with it.
Our stuff isn't our stuff. God has just put it in our hands to manage for a time. One day, we'll have to account for what we've done with it.
1 Corinthians 9:10-11 teaches us that we need to remember that God has blessed us with what we have so we can be generous to others. Our possessions aren't just ours to enjoy and/or to pass on to our children. They're things God wants us to share.
Money isn't the root of all evil. It's a root of many different kinds of evil. Avoid the love of money by keeping it in its proper place and being generous to others!
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