Today In The Word - Moody Bible Institute Sound Doctrine Versus the Love of Money Read 1 Timothy 6:3–10 The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. 1 Timothy 6:10 One of the problems in Willa Cather’s novel Death Comes for the Archbishop is a corrupt priest named Father Mártinez. He’s a charismatic leader, but in the narrative he uses his power and influence to benefit himself. He extorts money from his congregation, cheats Native Americans out of their land, overindulges in food, womanizes, and generally lacks integrity. Paul warned against such false “shepherds” whose main goal is to fleece their flocks. How can they be identified? In multiple ways, including the content of their teaching, their motivations, and the results of their actions. A teacher who doesn’t uphold the gospel and who promotes ideas or activities that undermine Christian witness is false and must be opposed. Such people are conceited and ignorant—they have been “robbed” of the truth (v. 5). As we’ve already seen, they have an “unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels” (v. 4; 1:4, 6). Conflict follows in their wake. They are also greedy for financial gain. From the sale of indulgences in the Middle Ages to prosperity theology today, the love of money has been the root of all kinds of evil (v. 10). Wealth must be recognized as a significant temptation away from godliness, in that love of money competes with love of God and neighbor. The spiritual antidote is “godliness with contentment” (vv. 6–8; Phil. 4:11–13). Material acquisition is essentially irrelevant to our spiritual journeys. From this perspective, contentment is simple, as we should be satisfied with our basic needs met. This is an issue of the heart not of the bank account. How attached are we to our “stuff”? A false teacher is easily recognized because his heart is not in the right place. A good follow-up is to do additional Bible study on how greed can lead us astray. Scripture offers many narratives, including those of Achan (Joshua 7), Ahab (1 Kings 21), and Solomon. Where did they go wrong? How did they rationalize their wrongdoing? How can we learn from their mistakes? How can we redefine what “treasure” truly is?
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:26:28 +0000
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