You love God. You work hard. You want to provide well for your family, give generously and leave something behind. And yet, somewhere in the back of your mind, a voice keeps whispering: wanting more money is spiritually dangerous. Money is the root of all evil.
So let’s settle the question directly. Is money the root of all evil? No. That’s not what the Bible says. It’s one of the most misquoted verses in all of Scripture, and that misquote has quietly kept a lot of faithful people stuck, ashamed of the very tool God can use to bless their families and build His kingdom.
What 1 Timothy 6:10 Actually Says
Here’s the verse, word for word:
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
— 1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV)
And in the King James:
“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)
Read it carefully. In both translations, the problem is not money. The problem is the love of money. The Greek word Paul uses is philargyria, which literally means “love of silver.” Paul isn’t warning about the coin in your hand. He’s warning about the grip the coin can get on your heart.
You’ll also notice a small difference between translations. The King James says “the root of all evil,” while the NIV and many modern translations say “a root of all kinds of evil.” Either way, Paul is describing where a lot of harm grows from. He is not saying money is the source of every sin in the world, and he is certainly not saying money itself is sinful.
Money is a tool, like a hammer. A hammer can build a house or break a window. The hammer isn’t evil. What matters is whose hand it’s in, and what that hand loves.
The Context: Who Paul Was Talking To
Verse 10 doesn’t stand alone. Paul was writing to Timothy about a specific problem: people who treated godliness as a way to get rich. Just before our verse, he says:
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
— 1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV)
And then:
“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”
— 1 Timothy 6:9 (NIV)
Paul’s warning is about craving, the restless hunger that will cut corners, bend the truth and sacrifice relationships to get more. That’s the root. And notice: that hunger can live in someone with very little money just as easily as in someone with a lot.
Now watch what Paul says just a few verses later, to people who already have wealth:
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”
— 1 Timothy 6:17–18 (NIV)
Paul doesn’t tell wealthy believers to get rid of their wealth. He tells them where to put their hope and what to do with their resources. That’s not a condemnation of money. That’s a job description for it.
Is Money the Root of All Evil? Why the Misquote Costs So Much
A misquoted verse isn’t harmless. When we believe money itself is evil, it shapes our choices in ways that keep our families stuck:
- We avoid learning about it. If money is dirty, studying it feels worldly. So we never learn how interest, taxes or investing work.
- We feel guilty for wanting more. Even when “more” means a cushion for emergencies or college for the kids.
- We leave ownership to others. Businesses, property and investments get built by people who aren’t carrying that guilt.
- We under-give. You can’t fund the mission with money you refused to steward.
This is why the first pillar of the F.R.E.E.D.O.M. Framework is Free Your Mind. Before your cash flow can change, the beliefs underneath it have to change. A wrong belief about money will quietly override every good plan you make.
What the Misquote Costs: The Worked Numbers
Let’s look at what money avoidance can cost in real dollars. Picture a composite believer, age 35, who sets aside $300 a month. Because investing feels “worldly,” she keeps it all in a basic savings account earning about 0.5% a year.
- Contributions: $300 × 12 months × 25 years = $90,000
- Value after 25 years at 0.5%: roughly $95,600
Now picture her twin sister, same $300 a month, same 25 years, who learns to invest wisely and earns an illustrative 7% a year:
- Contributions: the same $90,000
- Value after 25 years at 7%: roughly $227,700
Same discipline. Same faithfulness. A difference of about $132,000, and that’s the gap one misunderstood verse can create. Investment returns aren’t guaranteed and markets rise and fall, but the lesson holds. Fear of money doesn’t make us holier. It often just makes us less equipped to provide, give and leave an inheritance.
For many hardworking families, the problem is even closer to home. You earn well, but most of it is spoken for before you ever see it. If that’s you, read The 100% Trap.
How to Hold Money Without Letting It Hold You
So what does a healthy relationship with money look like? Paul gives us the pattern right in the same chapter.
1. Put your hope in God, not in the balance
Wealth is uncertain. God is not. When your peace rises and falls with your bank account, that’s a sign the grip is getting tight.
2. Build with contentment
Contentment isn’t settling. It’s peace in the present while you work faithfully toward the future.
3. Be rich in good deeds
Let every increase make you more generous, not less. Generosity is the fastest way to break money’s grip on a heart.
4. Remember who gives the power
“But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”
— Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV)
God doesn’t give ability to produce wealth to people He wants to stay stuck. He gives it for a purpose.
Your Next Move
Take these steps this week to let the truth reshape how you see money:
- Read 1 Timothy 6:6–19 in one sitting. Write down what Paul warns against and what he commands. Notice the difference between the two lists.
- Name your money belief. Finish this sentence honestly: “Growing up, I learned that money is…” Then ask whether that belief matches Scripture.
- Check your grip. Ask yourself: does my peace depend on my balance? Would I give more if I had more, or am I giving what I can now?
- Learn one new money skill. Pick one topic you’ve avoided, such as how compound interest works or how your retirement account is invested, and spend 30 minutes learning it.
- Give one intentional gift. Choose one person or ministry and give on purpose this week, as a declaration that money serves you and you serve God.
Free to Build, Free to Give
Think about the people in Scripture God trusted with resources. Abraham was very wealthy in livestock, silver and gold. Joseph managed the wealth of an entire nation through a famine. Lydia was a businesswoman whose home became a gathering place for the early church. The women who traveled with Jesus supported His ministry out of their own means. None of them were condemned for having resources. They were known for what they did with them.
That’s the invitation for you too. Not to chase money, and not to run from it, but to steward it. When money stops being your master and starts being your servant, you’re free to build with a clear conscience and free to give with an open hand.
You’re not bad with money, and you’re not unspiritual for wanting your family to be free. You were handed a misquote. We teach you the whole verse.
What does your money believe?
Take the free Freedom Quiz. In two minutes you’ll have your first move, and a front-row seat to what school never taught: how money multiplies, how passive income is built, and the money rules wealthy families pass down.
Money was never your enemy. The love of it is. Hold it with open hands, put it to work for God’s purposes, and watch what He builds through you.
— George M. Howard Jr., “Financial Moses”
Founder, Be Free University
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