The Love of Money Is the Root of All Evil (1 Timothy 6:9–10)

1 Tim. 6:9. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful desires which drown men in destruction and perdition.

The reproach is not against those who possess wealth in general, but against those who are attached to it, who thirst for it, who chase after it, and who employ it only for their own pleasure and the satisfaction of their desires and passions. It is possible to possess wealth blamelessly and to make praiseworthy use of it—on which the Apostle gives instruction further below, in verse 17 and following. Therefore he said: “those who desire,” βουλομτνοι,—those controlled by desire, ceaselessly drawn and consumed by it. “He did not simply say: those who are rich (who possess wealth), but: ‘those who desire to be rich.’ For if someone, having received wealth from his forebears, administers it according to divine laws, he is free from accusation” (blessed Theodoret). “The Apostle is not rebuking those who, possessing means, manage them well—without being attached to them and distributing them to the poor—but those who thirst for acquisition” (St. Chrysostom). “Spending one’s estate on the poor is not the deed of those who desire to be rich” (blessed Theophylact). “Such people will not give to others, fearing that they themselves will not have enough to satisfy their desires” (Oecumenius).

“They fall into temptation and a snare,” εις πειρασμον και παγιδα,—into temptation and a snare. Temptation is such a concurrence of circumstances as powerfully inflames the impulse toward some sin and as it were draws a person to it against his will. And this too is what a snare is. But a snare can also denote entanglement or enmeshing in sinful deeds, so that whether he wishes to or not, a person sins—things have become so arranged and intertwined. The one who chases after wealth cannot escape either the one or the other. He has constant occasions to bend his conscience for the sake of sordid gain and to trample the laws of justice and love prompted by his conscience; when he has grown accustomed to this way of acting, he becomes enmeshed in it as in a net from which he cannot step out. “One who, born of the poor and greedily striving for wealth, employs every means of acquisition without knowing satisfaction in this desire—such a one walks amid the nets of sin” (blessed Theodoret). The Apostle did not say: they are exposed to temptation, but: “they fall.” That is, temptation always overcomes them; as soon as a tempting occasion presents itself, they fall under it and cannot withstand it.

But here one may understand not only moral temptations and snares, but also external, worldly ones—various troubles and difficulties. And there are many of these for the one who chases after wealth: at home—dangers from thieves and fire; on the road—tribulations from robbers; in dealings—opposition; in the course of affairs—unforeseen disturbances and the like. St. Chrysostom says: “Into what temptations and snares do those who desire to be rich fall? Into these—that this removes them from faith, leads them onto a path of error, surrounds them with dangers, and deprives them of peace.” So also blessed Theophylact: “‘They fall into temptation and a snare,’ since they also sin against faith (and the commandments), and are surrounded by dangers on account of wealth, and fear everyone.” The same thought is expressed in our Slavonic translation: “fall into afflictions.” — And it would be wrong to exclude this meaning. The following words, serving as an explanation of these, speak both of internal and external harmful consequences of love of acquisition—which are the temptations and snares.

“And into many foolish and harmful desires.” — “Desires”—cravings of every kind for self-indulgence, contrary to conscience and to the explicit commandments of God. Therefore they are by their very nature foolish and harmful. There are no sensible or harmless desires. All of them are senseless and ruinous—both for the soul and for the body—only in varying degrees. When the Apostle says they fall into desires, he means: they submit to them, live according to them, they are a law to them. “Flowing wealth plunges one into base desires, because it provides the means for them” (Oecumenius). What specific desires, the Apostle does not enumerate; but they naturally manifest themselves in those who make improper use of wealth: to eat, to drink, to wallow in carnal sins, to offend others, to be vainglorious, to love power, always to have their own way, even if unjust, and the like. St. Chrysostom thus describes the foolish and harmful desires of the wealthy: “How not to call it a foolish passion when these people (the wealthy) keep jesters and dwarfs—not out of charity but for pleasure; when in their palaces they build fish-ponds; when they keep wild beasts; when they occupy themselves with dogs; when they adorn horses and tend to them no less than to their children? All this is foolish and excessive, utterly unnecessary and useless. — What passions are harmful? When people are inflamed by dissolute love; when they seek their neighbors’ goods; when they strive after pleasure; when they give themselves over to drunkenness; when they thirst for the murder and ruin of others.”

“Which drown men in destruction and perdition.” This is the end of the satisfaction of foolish and harmful desires. The lover of wealth, while he is enriching himself, though he too lives according to his desires, still moderates them somewhat, so that their overflow may not hinder the inflow of wealth; but when he has grown rich, he can no longer control himself and gives himself over to the full breadth of his cravings. This ends in utter ruin and perdition.

“Destruction,” ολεθρος,—total calamity; “perdition,” απωλεια,—ruin—“both in this life and in the life to come” (blessed Theophylact)—both temporal and eternal. “Well said: ‘drown’—so that even rising to the surface becomes impossible for them” (St. Chrysostom). Complete ruin here, and final perdition there. “They end their life enduring storms and shipwrecks” (blessed Theodoret); and they pass into that life in no better state, so that “love of money is not without danger here, and in the life to come is given over to condemnation” (Ambrosiaster).

1 Tim. 6:10. For the love of money is a root of all evils, which some, craving, have strayed from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

The love of money is a root of all evils, because it provides the means for living according to desires—which are evil and lead to nothing good, as was said above—and because, in order to satisfy this passion, the one possessed by it is ready, without hesitation, to commit “every evil deed, every crime and vileness, and actually commits them” (Ambrosiaster). “From this root spring murders, sorceries, thefts, falsehood, perjury, and all kinds of crimes” (blessed Theodoret). “It spares not the living, spares not even the dead—but robs them as well; it rises up against parents and brothers and sacrilegiously steals what belongs to God. Drive out the love of money and there will be neither wars nor enmity nor fornication; for a harlot gives herself over to debauchery for the sake of money” (blessed Theophylact).

“Which some, craving,” ορεγομενοι,—as irresistibly as one tormented by thirst craves water—“have strayed from the faith,” απεπλανηθησαν,—have stepped off the straight path of faith and gone a different way—and, without arming themselves against faith or even openly renouncing it, have deviated from it without noticing it themselves. All their attention was absorbed by acquisition—and they went wherever this passion led, giving no thought to faith, and, going thus, passed faith by and arrived where no trace of faith remained—neither in the manner of their views of things, nor in the manner of their feelings, dispositions, and life. St. Chrysostom says: “Well did the Apostle say: απεπλανηθησαν. For the love of money, drawing their eyes to itself and gradually closing them, does not allow them to see the way (of faith). Just as a man walking along a straight road, with his mind fixed on something else, although moving forward, nevertheless, without noticing it, passes by the object toward which he was hastening—because his feet are carrying him away unawares and unconsciously—so something similar to this is what the love of money causes (when, having drawn the eyes of the soul to itself, it causes the one possessed by it to pass faith by in his going).” The disposition of the heart in a money-lover is incompatible with faith: faith commands one to hope in God, but he hopes in riches; faith forbids being high-minded, but he is high-minded (below, verse 17); faith forbids having desires, but he multiplies desires, and so on. Thus the love of money by its very settling in the heart causes its lover to pass faith by. “For how will a lover of acquisition believe the Gospel, which introduces poverty (love of having nothing)? This is impossible” (blessed Theophylact).

But from the love of money there comes not only such an inward deviation of the heart from faith, but also a visible defection from it, or denial, when for the sake of faith one has to lose much in the pursuit of acquisitions. The lover of them defects from faith so as not to be deprived of them. No doubt in populous and far from impoverished Ephesus there were such instances. And the Apostle makes use of them for a most evident illustration of the harmfulness of the love of money.

“And have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” — “Sorrows,” οδυναις,—griefs, afflictions, very acute anxieties. “The Apostle mentions two harmful consequences (of the love of money): defection from faith and the piercing of themselves with griefs; but that which seemed to them the heavier he places here in the last position—namely: ‘they have pierced themselves with griefs.’ And this can be known to no one except one who lives in close proximity to the wealthy. How much they weep, how much they wail!” (St. Chrysostom). “The passion for enrichment not only hinders one from maintaining proper relations with God in faith, but also acutely wounds its own lovers with anxieties, sleeplessness, and fears” (Oecumenius). “Pierced themselves,” περιεπειραν,—they have wounded, transfixed themselves. St. Chrysostom says: “Do you see what he is hinting at when he says: περιεπειραν? What he wishes to express by this turn of phrase has this meaning. Passions are thorns; and just as with thorns—however one touches them, one wounds one’s hands to the point of blood and inflicts cuts upon them—so from the passions everyone who submits to their power will suffer the same—he will subject his soul to suffering. Tell me, how many anxieties, how many afflictions do those have who are wounded by them! This cannot even be expressed in words.”

Let us make a brief excerpt from the homily of St. Chrysostom delivered in connection with the exposition of the preceding texts. “Let us avoid this root of all evils (the love of money)—and we shall avoid every evil. For what evil does not come from money? Or, to speak more precisely, not from money but from the evil will of those who do not know how to use it. For money can be used properly; by its means one can inherit the Kingdom. But now what has been given to us for helping the poor, for glorifying God and pleasing Him, we turn not to the benefit of these unfortunates, but to the harm of our own soul, and thereby offend God. — So then, what evil does not come from love of money? Are not theft, clamor, enmity, strife, and contention its offspring? Do not those possessed by this passion stretch out their hands even to the dead, even to fathers and brothers? Do they not overturn the laws of nature, the commandments of God, and everything in general? Therefore, let love of money cease, and war will cease, strife will cease, enmity will cease, discord and love of contention will cease. Those greedy for gain ought to be banished from the world as its destroyers and wolves. Men greedy for money bring everything into complete disorder. A man greedy for money knows not a single friend. What am I saying—a friend? He does not even know God Himself. — Lay open his soul and you will find it armed not with one sword or two, but with countless ones; it respects no one, but rages against all—attacks all and barks at all; it slays not dogs but human souls and loudly belches blasphemies even against heaven. All has been destroyed by the frenzied love of money. And I do not know whom to blame; to such a degree has this evil seized hold of everyone—true, of some more, of others less, but still of all. And just as when a powerful fire is cast into a forest it overthrows and devastates everything—so does this passion consume the world: kings, rulers, private persons, beggars, women, men, children—all have been enslaved to this evil equally. As if owing to some darkness that has enveloped the world, no one emerges from intoxication. True, against love of acquisition countless accusations are made, both in private conversation and in public; yet we see improvement nowhere. What then? Is there no way to quench this flame? There is, even if it has risen to heaven itself. We need only to will it—and we shall without doubt quench this flame. For just as it blazed up through our willing, so through willing it will be extinguished. Was it not our free will that kindled it? Consequently free will will also be able to quench it. Let us only desire it. But how can such a desire arise in us? If we turn our attention to the vanity and uselessness of wealth; to the fact that it cannot accompany us there; that it leaves us even here; that although it has its place only here, the wounds from it go with us there; if we see how great are the riches that are prepared there—so that if we compare earthly wealth with them, it will appear more contemptible than mud; if we notice how it is exposed to countless dangers and how the very pleasure of it, brief and fleeting, is mingled with sorrows; if we fix our gaze on another wealth—that which is prepared in eternal life—and through this beget contempt for earthly wealth; if we reason that the latter, adding nothing to either glory or health or anything else, nevertheless plunges us into the abyss of ruin; if we take to heart the fact that even though here one may be rich and have many servants, when departing there, he departs alone and naked. If we frequently repeat these things to ourselves and hear them from others, perhaps health will return to us and we shall be freed from this heavy punishment.”

ββ) Flee these things (1 Tim. 6:11–16)

The depiction of the evil consequences of love of money was already of itself repelling from it; nevertheless St. Paul deemed it not superfluous to add: X) a direct exhortation: “flee these things” (1 Tim. 6:11)—and, as a counterweight to cares about vain acquisitions, to indicate: Z) the tireless (“pursue” (1 Tim. 6:11)) striving for the acquisition of every virtue in the hope of blessed eternity (1 Tim. 6:11, 12), adding: Y) a solemn charge in God’s name to fulfill this commandment without reproach until the coming of the Lord (1 Tim. 6:13–16). These instructions are given to St. Timothy not, of course, in the sense that he himself had need of them, but so as to give him guidance on how to turn those under his care away from love of money and where to direct them instead. One may also think that in the person of St. Timothy these instructions are addressed to all Christians, and above all to pastors and archpastors.

X) The direct exhortation (1 Tim. 6:11)

1 Tim. 6:11. But you, O man of God, flee these things.

“Man of God. Great dignity! True, all people are God’s, but the righteous are so in a special sense—not only because they are God’s creatures, but because of their closeness to God” (St. Chrysostom). “Man of God—this is a great commendation. So too was the great Elijah called; so are many of the Prophets called—not because others are not God’s men (for all are God’s creatures), but those who have preserved within themselves (or restored) the original traits of creation are truly called men of God. Thus all are servants of God as creatures; for even the impious Nebuchadnezzar is God’s servant; but he is a servant by nature, while Abraham and David and Paul and those like them are servants by devotion. For it is said: ‘for the sake of Abraham My servant’ (Gen. 26:24), and: ‘for the sake of David My servant’ (1 Kings 11:13), and: ‘Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ’ (Rom. 1:1)” (blessed Theodoret).

The man of God is guided by the fear of God and strives in every way to please God. Among such persons, those who are God’s men in a special sense are those to whom particular tasks are entrusted by God—who not only belong to God’s household and are His own, but are appointed as stewards in it. To such persons St. Timothy belonged. Hence he is called a man of God.

In this appellation there is already hidden an incentive for “flee these things”—for fleeing love of money and the injustices and anxieties associated with it. Since you are a man of God, it is entirely unbecoming for you to chase after acquisitions. You have a Master—rich in all things—and in Him a most solicitous Father. If you begin to chase after acquisitions, you will bring reproach upon your Master and Father. And you have no time for this. You have a task which ought to absorb all your attention and fill all your time. “If you are a man of God, do not seek what is superfluous and does not lead to God, but on the contrary, flee from it” (St. Chrysostom). “If you are a man of God, do not seek what turns one away from God (and from God’s work), but—what? Flee these things” (blessed Theodoret). “He urges and commands the man of God to flee love of acquisition, so that he may be safe here and receive a rich reward in the life to come. For it is not unjust to crown the one who despises what so many cling and are drawn to” (Ambrosiaster). — Thus it is unfitting for you, O man of God, to burden yourself with love of money, even if it were a permissible thing. But when you know that it is contrary to God, that God turns from it as from idolatry, then you ought not to withdraw from it quietly but to flee from it. When speaking of false teachers, he wrote: “withdraw” (1 Tim. 6:5). Mentioning “old wives’ fables,” he appended: “reject” (1 Tim. 4:7). But from love of acquisition and love of money, he says, “flee”—as from fire, as from certain ruin.

Ζ) The indication to strive for the acquisition of virtue (1 Tim. 6:11, 12)