The love of money trips up people every day. Our hearts tend to love it in a way that is unhealthy. Jails are filled with inmates who were arrested for robbing another person. Carjackings are commonplace in certain neighborhoods in Chicago. Identity theft costs its victims billions of dollars each year.
Money is needed while here on earth. It’s s simple medium of exchange.
Loving money is a choice, though. Money can be used in a healthy manner. It requires grace.
I Timothy 6:10 (NASB) 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 griefs.
Money Is Not Evil
Let’s immediately address the elephant in the room — misquoted bible verses. Money is not evil and it’s not the root of all evil. The love of money is the root of all sorts of evil.
Sin blackens our souls. Our actions often run contrary to Godly expectations. Humans are prone to greed, envy, and covetousness. All three are wicked and require regular crucifixion (Galatians 5:19-24).
Money, like sex, has an enticing quality to it that wrecks many lives.
Definitions of Greed, Envy, and Coveteousness
Greed — A strong desire for monetary gain or wealth. Greed is rarely complimentary in implication.
Envy — Envying is when one doesn’t want another to possess what they’ve been given.
Covetousness — When a person wants something that another person possesses.
Bible Verses About Greed, Envy, and Coveteousness
Ephesians 5:5 (CSB) For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Greed is compared to idolatry.
I Peter 2:1 (NIV) Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
Peter invites us to rid ourselves of envy.
Joshua 7:21 (NIV) When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
Envy enticed Achan to disobey. This act of disobedience was a death sentence.
Warnings Made By Jesus About Greed, Envy, and Coveting
Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Jesus made a deliberate warning about greed.
Mark 7:21-23 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.
Greed and envy are part of our sinful nature. It’s vital that we put them to death regularly.
Luke 16:14-15 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
This verse, Luke 16:15 is the end of the Parable of the Unjust Manager. He’s the link to an article titled Friends In High Places. It explains this often misunderstood parable.
Fighting Against The Love Of Money
We must fight our urge to love money spiritually. Yes, we use money in the natural realm but fighting it happens in the spiritual realm.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Recognizing where the battle is held is important.
Luke 9:23 (NIV) Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Telling ourselves “NO!” is vital to winning this war. Our sinful nature loves to spend money recklessly. We enjoy the best car, clothing, meals, and vacations. Pampering our flesh feels good.
Jesus invited us to deny ourselves and to pick up our crosses daily. To the disciples, the “cross” was a form of death. It wasn’t a decorative piece of jewelry.
Our master denied Himself financially while on earth. In this next verse, Paul is provoking us to do the same.
2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV) For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake, he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
Will we boldly accept this challenge? Or are we wanting to prove to the world that we’re blessed?