The Love of money is a very evil thing. And we get to know that very well because of the bad effects or the bad consequences it has on its victims and those around them and one’s relationship with God.
Bad consequences or bad effects or dangers of loving money
importantly, the love of money ruins your Christian moral values and would mold you into a maniac capable of any evil thing possible to man – such as betrayal, murder, pimping, etc.
The love of money unleashes all the selfishness in a person. People who love money are selfish to the extent that they do not care to take everything for themselves and watch others suffer. Where they have to share resources equally, they take the lion’s share; where they have to distribute to all, they keep it for themselves. More so, they do not care to engage in activities that would bring them more money but would cause the destruction of the environment and cause the suffering of people.
People who love money prove to be very inhuman; for the most part, they prey on the poor, the uneducated, the weak, the destitute, and any other person who happens to be an easy target for their money, possession, etc.
The love of money makes a person dissatisfied with what he has. And the dissatisfaction would lead to being envious of what others have. And envy would lead to being covetous, for they desire to take what others have for themselves – such as money and anything of value.
Crime is happening around us each day. Quite a good number of them are motivated by the love of money. Anyone who loves money is in danger of becoming an outlaw or a criminal for the love of money has led many to fall foul of the law for crimes such as human trafficking, kidnapping, killing, embezzling, robbing, etc.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8): If this Scripture has never been meaningful to you before, then it will be meaningful to you now. In times past, the devil searched among the disciples of Jesus and weighed them all and found one loose person, Judas Iscariot, who was a lover of money. The devil used him to commit damnable sins and finally destroyed him. Up to this very day, the devil is still on the hunt in the church for Christians whose weaknesses he can exploit to his advantage. Those Christians who express the weakness of greed for money, become very susceptible to the devil’s manipulation. For such Christians, the devil uses money as a bait to tempt them into committing shameful and damnable habitual sins that ruin their relationship with God to their own destruction.
Sometimes people who love money may not be engaged in something very bad or may not be using shady means to riches. They may be doing legit business or activity to earn money. But their love of money would keep them devoted to their work so much that they barely have time and attention for their families. These lead to marital problems, juvenile delinquencies, and divorces.
The love of money makes a Christian fail the purpose for which he was called to be a Christian, which is bearing fruit (John 15:16). Bearing fruit is about doing good works by obeying the word of God. However, when a Christian is caught in the sin of the love of money, he forgoes fruit-bearing. Examples: God commanded the Israelites saying, “Don’t accept bribes. Judges are blinded and justice is twisted by bribes (Exodus 23:8 CEV).” Yet the sons of Samuel, Joel and Abiah, because they loved money, turned a deaf ear to this command and took bribes. Before Israel captured Jericho, Joshua, the servant of God, said that all the spoils of the Jericho war would be dedicated to God and hence would go into the treasury of the house of God. Therefore, Joshua forbad them to take anything from the spoils. However, only Achan, a man who loved money, took some of the spoils for himself and his actions displeased God greatly. So the love of money makes a Christian unfruitful in the sight of God.
Take note that 1Timothy 6:9-10 is talks about the love of money, and lovers of money, and the consequences or dangers of the love of money. In 1 Timothy 6:9, Paul identified that the people who through the love of money become rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which leads men into destruction and hellfire. Generally, anyone who loves money, rich or poor is a sure victim of temptation because the devil uses money as a bait to tempt them or lure them to evil deeds. You know what? People like Judas Iscariot did not start as evil people. Initially, Judas Iscariot did not have any malicious intent of betraying Jesus, but along the line, Satan used money to lure him to betray Him.
‘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).’ Paul saw that lovers of money ‘pierced themselves through with many sorrows’. The sorrows in the context of 1 Timothy 6:9 may come in the form of disgrace, imprisonment, death sentence, suicide, premature death, dismissal, etc. We see evidence of this in everyday life; those who love money and live up to it never have a happy ending, for they are sometimes caught red-handed in their crimes or their crimes are discovered later, and they are arrested, convicted, and sentenced to death, imprisonment, etc.
‘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).’ According to the verse, some who were Christians and pursued the love of money erred from the faith. The Greek word translated as err is apoplanao which means to lead astray or to stray (from truth). The phrase erred from the faith refers to nothing but apostasy. Indeed, the love of money would make an apostate of any Christian like it made an apostate of Judas Iscariot.
The love of money induces Christians to respect and value their career or business more than God. They hardly find time to engage in spiritual activities that strengthen their relationship with God such as going to church, fasting, praying, bible studies, evangelism, etc. Each day, they drift away from God because of their neglect of spiritual things. Over time, they become separated from God – apostasy.
For some Christians, the love of money have devoured their faith and piety to the extent that they have ceased going to church; worse yet, they find religion to be of no value and serving God to be a waste of time.
As every Bible reader knows, sin ruins our relationship with God. Therefore, the sins caused by the love of money would ruin one’s relationship with God and he would become an apostate.
Conclusion
The love of money is a social and moral evil. Its effects or consequences come upon the individual, the church, the community, and the nation. Therefore, we should guide our hearts against it.