Proof of Greed's Dangers

“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang” (1 Timothy 6:10).

There’s no doubt that the sinful effects of loving money actually occur in some people.

It is hard to imagine a sin that has not been committed for the sake of greed. It can lead to self-indulgence, flaunting of possessions, lying, stealing, murder, distortion of justice, and abusing the poor.

Today we return to 1 Timothy 6:10 to note how the apostle Paul proves that loving money is indeed dangerous. He knew that some were actually “longing for it [money]” or reaching after it as far as they could figuratively stretch their arms and hands. That means such people would have been passionately pursuing money. Paul does not give any names, but it is reasonable to think he was referring to ones such as Demas, who was perhaps beginning to pursue worldly things even as Paul wrote this letter (see 2 Tim. 4:10).

Such people “wandered away from the faith” or departed from the body of Christian truth (see Jude 3). Like Demas, they were exposed to truth, but they eventually chose material goods and comforts in preference to God. Those apostates were in effect proving what we noted earlier this month: you can’t serve both God and money (Matt. 6:24).

Such lovers of the temporal and the material also “pierced themselves with many a pang.” The word “pierced” originally referred to running a skewer through an animal as it was placed on a spit. Those who love money more than God impale their own souls and end up experiencing much grief—a condemning conscience, an unfulfilled heart, and complete disillusionment with life (see Ps. 32:10).

So, what does all this teaching about the love of money mean for us? Simply that we must live our Christian lives pursuing God, not money and material possessions. Like David, we should desire to say, “As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Thy likeness when I awake” (Ps. 17:15).

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God for all the resources He has blessed you with, and recommit them to His service.

For Further Study

Read Matthew 27:3-10 for more about the tragic consequences of Judas’ love for money.

How sympathetic were the Jewish leaders to his plight?What positive things can we learn from the aftermath of this episode (see Acts 1:15-26)?