How the Gospel Shapes Our Attitude Towards Our Treasures: 1 Timothy 6:3-10

While many of us may not enjoy the inconvenience of detouring due to the bridges that are under construction right now, we should appreciate the warning signs that inform us of the bridges being out.  Imagine the danger of traveling full speed along the highway, especially at night, and not finding out that the bridge was out until it was too late!  It would be a danger that you never saw coming. 

I mention that because in 1 Timothy 6:3-10, Paul warned Timothy about a danger that few people ever see coming.  Here, Paul warned Timothy about the dangers of loving the riches of this world.  Because the dangers are eternal, believers today must also understand the dangers of loving the riches of this world.  My prayer is that God would use this passage today to stir in us a desire for true riches, which Paul says in found in godliness with contentment. 

[3] If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, [4] he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, [5] and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

[6] But godliness with contentment is great gain, [7] for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. [8] But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. [9] But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. [10] For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.  (1 Timothy 6:3-10 ESV) How do we avoid the danger of loving the riches of this world? 

     I.         Know the Great Rebellion of Viewing Godliness as a Means of Gain (6:3-5)

Paul begins this section by describing the false teachers who’ve been causing so much trouble in Ephesus.  First, he says that they are both arrogant and ignorant.  They are “puffed up with conceit” and “understand nothing” (4a).  Paul also tells gives reasons why these false teachers are arrogant and ignorant, and in doing so gives us a good measure by which to judge false teaching.  Heresy, or false doctrine, is teaching that is different from Paul’s doctrine, different from Jesus’ healthy words, and doesn’t produce true godliness (3).  It stands to reason why Paul would call them arrogant and ignorant: they think they know better than Paul and Jesus!  And although these false teachers have a form of godliness (1:3-11, 4:1-5, 2 Tim. 3:1-9), it is not true godliness.  It is a mere appearance of godliness, void of the power of true godliness and for that reason one can spot their ungodly behavior if they pay close attention. 

These false teachers are not only arrogant and ignorant (3-4a); they are also divisive (4b-5a).  They have an “unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words.”  Their the kind of people who seem to enjoy stirring the pot.  Notice the progression that their stirring produces: envy and dissension, which leads to slander and evil suspicions, which ends up causing friction among people.  They are arrogant, ignorant, and divisive individuals.  Know anyone like this?  How frustrating is it to argue with a divisive individual who is both arrogant and ignorant!  What makes people in the church into such wicked people?  Paul tells us in the end of verse 5. 

The reason they have such unhealthy attitudes and cravings is because they are “depraved in mind and deprived of truth,” and they view “godliness” as a “means of gain” (their greedy).  They are ultimately motivated by greed, not a desire to be godly.  They view godliness and the promotion of godliness as a means to get wealthy.    

One modern illustration of these types of teachers is the promotion of a prosperity gospel of health and wealth in the church today.  This is essentially a theology that views godliness as a means of material gain.  We’re told that if we will be godly enough, have enough faith, and consequently give enough, we will be blessed materially. 

We must be on guard against false teachers in the church who would exploit God’s people for money.  A helpful way to do so is by measuring all teaching by the grid that Paul gives us here.  Does it square with the clear teaching of Scripture?  Does this teaching produce genuine godliness?  If not then we must reject such teaching and expose such teachers.  We must especially be on guard against both a health and wealth prosperity gospel that is often preached today, which views godliness as a means of material gain.  We must also guard against the subtle materialism that has infected the church in America.  Materialism is the love of money and the things money can by rather than the God who made those things and provides the money to buy them. 

   II.         Know the Great Gain of Godliness with Contentment (6:6-8)

Every time that Paul brings us the false teachers in this epistle, he has then taken the time to correct their false teaching and ungodly attitudes.  After pointing out their greed, he then admonished believers to avoid being greedy and gives the Biblical case for true godliness, which is accompanied by contentment.  He begins by stating the irony of the false teachers’ desire to be wealthy by being godly.  They viewed godliness as a means of gain and the irony is that there actually is “great gain” in true godliness, which manifests itself in “contentment.” 

Now what is the contentment that marks true godliness and why does Paul say that there is great gain in it?  This passage gives us a great start in defining contentment.  Contentment is (1) not desiring to be rich (there is contrast here between contentment and discontentment (desiring to be rich) and (2) being satisfied with life’s basic necessities (having food and clothing).  Like I said, this is a great start to defining Biblical contentment, but I believe we have to go further if we are going to see what it means for a Christian to truly be content.  When we read the Bible, we find that true, Biblical contentment is being satisfied with God Himself.  It is being satisfied with Christ alone.  Under this contentment with life’s basic necessities must be a deep hope in, trust in, and dependence upon God.  It involves a heart that is looking to God in faith for provision and trusting Him with what He provides. 

[20] Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. [21] And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”  (Job 1:20-21 ESV)

[25] “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? [26] Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? [27] And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [28] And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, [29] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [32] For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  (Matthew 6:25-33 ESV)

[10] I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. [11] Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. [12] I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me.  (Philippians 4:10-13 ESV)  What all this means it that until Christ has satisfied your heart, you cannot truly learn to be content.  God is the source of true contentment and as Augustine said, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Him!  

Now why does Paul say that there is great gain in true godliness with contentment?  I think it is because true godliness provides a person with truth wealth.  The reason I believe this is Paul’s point is because his reason for why godliness with contentment is great gain is because brought nothing into the world and we will take nothing out of the world.  The implication is that this world’s treasures are not true treasures. 

Didn’t Jesus say something similar in Matthew 6:19-24, where He told His disciples to lay up treasures in heaven, and not on earth?  I remember an illustration that a pastor once used of a person who was allowed to bring one treasure from earth into heaven with him.  He chose a valuable golden brick that had been in his family for generations.  When he got to heaven, the angels looked at him perplexed and asked, “You could bring anything, so why did you bring a paving stone?” 

Have you learned the great gain that there is in godliness with contentment?  Will you by faith ask God to help you do so today?  The logic is really pretty simple: the results of greed are temporary at best and damning at worst.  So why waste our lives pursing and storing up what is not truly valuable?  

III.         Know the Great Danger of Desiring the Riches of this World (6:9-10)

Paul now proceeds to warn Timothy of the dangers of loving the riches of this world.  Please don’t let this warning go in one ear and out the other.  Paul says that “through this craving” some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.  This temptation took some men who were dear elders in this church and turned them into the ignorant, arrogant, divisive, and damned false teachers that we read about here.

This section is contrasts with those are godly with contentment.  Rather than being satisfied with life’s necessities, those who desire to be rich are never satisfied, even with life’s luxuries.  That is because greed is never satisfied.  It never says “enough.” 

In verse 9, Paul gives a three-fold danger for those who desire to be rich.  Notice that it is also a progression.  First, this desire leads them into temptation.  They are lured.  Once lured, they find themselves in a snare (or trap).  Finally, this snare awakens in them a host of senseless and harmful desires that plunge them into eternal destruction.  They literally drown in the ruin and destruction of their own wicked desires.

The reason this happens is because the love of money is “a root of all kinds of evils.”  Haven’t you seen this to be true?  Loving money has been at the root of countless broken friendships, shattered marriages, bad reputations, addictions, prejudices, pride, lust, etc.  It literally is a root of all kinds of evil.  Now be careful in pointing out that money is not the root of all evil.  That is true.  It is not money but the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil.  But I say be careful because of Jesus’ words in Mark 10:25, that“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”  Again, while it is true that loving money is the root of all kinds of evil, I believe this passage is describing the great difficulty of having money and not loving it.  It’s really hard to be rich and not love money.

The end of verse 10 contains very sobering words.  Through this desire to have more money, some have “wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”  Judas is such an illustration of the danger of this craving.  Someone so close to Christ was drawn away by this desire for money. 

May Proverbs 30:7-9 become our prayer:            [7] Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: [8] Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, [9] lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.  This is a prayer that recognizes God for the supreme treasure that He is.  It is a prayer that recognizes the emptiness of the riches of this world and believes that every joy that money cannot buy will be theirs forever in God.  Will you embrace Christ as the supreme Treasure of your life today?  This is how the gospel shapes our attitude towards our treasures: it eternally quenches our thirst and satisfied our hunger with the Treasure that Christ is.