Paul's Exhortations & Instructions to Brother Timothy 1st Letter Volume 65

Paul Teaches Timothy to Nulify Error and Greed in the Church Part 6

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. KJV

Paul concludes this discourse in his first letter to Brother Timothy on the error and greed in the Church with his equating of a persons unrestrained, uncontrolled, and unhinged desire for the temporary wealth of this world with the many sorrows we see round about in this doomed world with these words, "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:10) (KJV). The Apostle Paul begins this verse with the little English word 'for' and it is translated by the Greek word gar which is a primary particle; properly assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles). This word connects what Paul has just written to Timothy in the previous verse 9 and it shows Timothy and every Christian (that has ears to hear) that although money is necessary for our pilgrimage here on the earth away from our eternal home in heaven, yet it is not what we (as Christians) should rely on or trust in for our security, for let us remember these words spoken to the early disciples and to them directly to each and every one of us who will hear our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ and completely trust what He says, "Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat {or what you shall drink;} or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by worrying {and} being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature {or} to the span of his life? And why should you be anxious about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field {and} learn thoroughly how they grow; they neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his magnificence (excellence, dignity, and grace) was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive {and} green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 6:25-30) (Amplified Bible).

When Paul continues on and writes here, 'love of money is the root of all evil', he is saying that money is good, necessary, and what our Heavenly Father has allowed human beings to use while He patiently holds off from destroying it and the rest of the earth and all who reject His Son Jesus Christ our Lord (2 Peter 3:10), but the ones who have the insatiable appetite to get money at all cost and even at the expense of hurting or harming others are doing so because they have succumbed to a love for it that has turned evil. This little English phrase 'love of money' is translated by the Greek word philarguria (used this one time in the New Testament) and it simply means to be avarice, that is, having an extreme insatiable greed for material wealth. Why many human beings turn down this path of destruction is almost hard to understand, except it is not so hard to understand, especially now when even Pastors, Priests, and Preachers are telling hundreds of thousands and even millions of people that God is not truly blessing them if they don't have a large portion of this world's earthly riches (the heatlh, wealth, and prosperity gospel). Remember when our Lord Jesus told us a parable (which I believe is just a true story of a man who lived on the earth) about a rich man that went like this, "Then He told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man was fertile {and} yielded plentifully. And he considered {and} debated within himself, What shall I do? I have no place [in which] to gather together my harvest. And he said, I will do this: I will pull down my storehouses and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain {or produce} and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many good things laid up, [enough] for many years. Take your ease; eat, drink, {and} enjoy yourself merrily. But God said to him, You fool! This very night they [the messengers of God] will demand your soul of you; and all the things that you have prepared, whose will they be? So it is with the one who continues to lay up {and} hoard possessions for himself and is not rich [in his relation] to God [this is how he fares]." (Luke 12:16-21) (Amplified Bible). We see then that not only does the man or woman that says in their heart, 'there is no God' (Psalm 14:1) a fool, but the man or woman that thinks they determine when, where, and what they are going to do tomorrow is a fool, not realizing that it is God the Father that gives them breath and life, not themselves, for these should have heard the words of the Apostle James when he wrote this, "Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such {and} such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money. Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air]. You ought instead to say, If the Lord is willing, we shall live and we shall do this or that [thing]. But as it is, you boast [falsely] in your presumption {and} your self-conceit. All such boasting is wrong." (James 4:13-16) (Amplified Bible).

When Paul writes, 'which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith', he means those who have bought into this false gospel of health, wealth, and prosperity have turned our Lord Jesus Christ into their servant and not they being His servant. The little English phrase 'coveted after' is translated by the Greek word oregomai meaning to stretch oneself, that is, reach out after (long for): - covet after, desire. The little English phrase 'they have erred' is translated by the Greek word apoplanaō meaning to lead astray (figuratively); passively to stray (from truth): - err, seduce. In other words, the gospel of health, wealth, and prosperity is a perversion of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and those who promote, pass around, and preach such lies lead others into error and lead them astray because of their longing for more and more of the temporal things of this world. Here is what Albert Barnes had to say concerning those who have erred from the faith, "The Greek is, they have been led astray from; that is, they have been so deceived as to depart from the faith. The notion of deception or delusion is in the word, and the sense is, that, deceived by the promises held out by the prospect of wealth, they have apostatized from the faith. It is not implied of necessity that they were ever real Christians. They have been led off from truth and duty, and from all the hopes and joys which religion would have imparted." When Paul writes these words in conclusion of this verse, 'and pierced themselves through with many sorrows', he means that those who have erred from the true Gospel have turned down a path or a road that leads away from all the spiritual blessings in the Heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3) that we true Christians have in our Lord Jesus Christ and have chased after straws or strings that unravel causing them much agony. Here is what Adam Clarke had to say concerning being pierced with many sorrows, "The word peripeirō signifies to be transfixed in every part; and is an allusion to one of those snares, mentioned 1 Timothy 6:9, where a hole is dug in the earth, and filled full of sharp stakes, and, being slightly covered over with turf, is not perceived; and whatever steps on it falls in, and is pierced through and through with these sharp stakes, the many torments, mentioned by the Apostle."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…