Table of Contents
Introduction
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
In the above Scripture, Paul identifies the love of money as a factor that leads many Christians to go astray from the faith. In other words, the love of money causes Christians to deviate from the faith into apostasy. However, the Bible did not say money is evil; rather, it is the love of it which is evil. People may ask, “what is the love of money.”
Meaning of the love of money
Greed – greed is a bad character and it refers to the intense and selfish desire for something. In real-life examples, people express greed for possessions, money, food, power, attention, etc. Today, our study is centered on one aspect of greed; that is, the greed for money. Greed for money is what the Bible correctly calls the love of money.
The love of money or love for money can be defined as an intense and selfish desire to get more money. And it is a bad character just like its mother greed.
The love of money is a sin just like lust and it is common to all men, Christians and non-Christians alike. While lust is a strong sexual desire we have for the opposite sex, the love of money is a sort of strong desire we have for money.
Those who love money or lovers of money are those who are willing to do anything for the sake of money without considering the morality of it. Hence they do not mind killing, stealing, embezzling, kidnapping, or bullying others with the intent of making money and they do not feel any compunction for the wrong things they do.
The love of money is a big problem in all spheres; in the family, the church, the community, and the nation. The love of money is not unique to unbelievers; some followers of Jesus Christ also fall prey to the love of money. In fact, one of the most hurtful acts of the love of money was committed in the life of Jesus when one of His disciples betrayed him for 30 silver pieces. And up to date, that act of betrayal has been reenacted over and over in the church. Also, the love of money is the drive behind numerous scandals – corruption, embezzlement, bribery, etc. in companies, communities, and the state. It is also the driving force behind many gruesome acts of murder, kidnapping, drug trade, arms trade, child trafficking, and more. In a bid to make more money, lovers of money would try out anything or would exploit any avenue regardless of its evil impact on the environment, and the life and welfare of others.
Also, the love of money is not unique to the rich, some poor people also fall prey to the love of money in a bid to escape the menaces of poverty.
All who love money are slaves of money; and slaves of money are, inevitably, living tools for the devil’s use. Since time immemorial, lovers of money have been manipulated by the devil, for the devil uses money as a bait to lure them to commit crimes that, ordinarily, they would not commit. All the time, after they are through with getting what they want, lovers of money leave behind destruction of the lives, welfare, and property of others. The family, the church, the community, and the state, would always feel the sting of the love of money because it is a bad character in people and it is always played out. This explains why crime and other unscrupulous practices have coexisted with mankind from time immemorial.
Examples of the love of money in the Bible
1. Judas Iscariot loved money
Jesus Christ appointed for Himself twelve disciples – Thaddaeus, Peter, Andrew, John, (Matthew 10:2-4), etc. Among those chosen was Judas Iscariot. At that time, people contributed money to help Jesus’ ministry and the money was kept in a money box that was entrusted to Judas Iscariot’s keep. So to say, Judas Iscariot was made their treasurer and entrusted with the keeping of the money. Fine, Judas Iscariot was doing the job. But there was something else about Judas Iscariot that was not fine and it affected the quality of his service. Judas Iscariot, like all mankind, had a weakness – a bad character – his was greed for money. Sooner or later, his weakness began to unfold: Iscariot began to steal money from the money box that was in his keep (John 12:6).
But that was not enough for the lover of money. He wanted even more money. And to get more, he saw his own master Jesus to be an easy means of getting more. Judas Iscariot was very calculative; knowing how much the religious authority of the time hated Jesus, he knew there was much to gain from betraying Him to them. His weakness of greed for money made him nothing more than a puppet susceptible to the devil’s manipulation. The Bible says that one day the devil entered into Judas Iscariot and he went to the religious leaders and offered to betray Jesus to them if only they would give him money (Luke 22:3-6). Anxious as they were for Jesus’ blood, they accepted his offer and counted to him 30 silver pieces (Matthew 26:14-16).
Eventually, Iscariot betrayed Jesus to His death and he also committed suicide and could not spend the very money that he betrayed his Master for.
2. The sons of Samuel, Joel and Abiah, loved money
Samuel – a good boy who grew up to be a great prophet before the Lord. Prophet Samuel is counted among the judges of Israel and his life was a worthy example to be emulated. However, his sons were nothing like him. When Samuel was old, he appointed his two sons, Joel and Abiah, to be judges over Israel in Beer-sheba. But his sons proved to love money, for they forsook the ways of their father and were corrupt, they went after ill-gotten money and took bribes, and perverted judgment. These are obvious signs of the love of money (1 Samuel 8:1-3).
3. Zacchaeus was guilty of the love of money
When Jesus was passing through Jericho, he got to a place where there was a sycamore tree and he looked up and saw a certain man called Zacchaeus in the tree. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and a rich man. Jesus said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today (Luke 19:5).”So he quickly came down and welcomed Jesus into his house with joy. In his house, Zacchaeus stood, and said to Jesus, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold (Luke 19:8).” This confession of Zacchaeus summaries his story and justifies why people called him a sinner. Zacchaeus, like Judas Iscariot, was also guilty of the love of money. According to his own confession, he had employed shady means to financial gains, despite being a chief tax collected and, most likely, well paid. (Luke 19:1-10)
4. Achan was guilty of the love of money
Before the Israelites conquered Jericho, Joshua told the army, “17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted …….19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury (Joshua 7:17-19).” After the Lord had caused the walls of Jericho to collapse, the Israeli army charged in and took it, killing every life in it except Rahab and her family. Then the army went around collecting all the silver, the gold, and the articles of bronze and iron from the city. Each person brought what he found. They might have gathered all their findings into one big heap and then gave them to the priests to be put into the treasury of the Lord’s house. Then they burned the whole city and everything in it.
However, Achan, from the tribe of Judah, wanted to play smart here. He refused to turn in the items he took from Jericho. According to his own confession, he found a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, and he desired to have them and he took them for himself. Meanwhile, he knew he was not supposed to take anything for himself. Because of him, God punished Israel and made them lose against Ai in their first encounter. When his sin was discovered, Achan himself, his family, and his possessions were stoned to death and burnt in the Valley of Achor. Achan’s love for money explains why did such an ungodly thing. Bible Reference Joshua 7:1-26
Consequence or dangers of loving money
The Bible emphasizes that those Christians who are greedy for money and eager to become rich, of course, through dishonest means, fall into temptation and are entrapped in sin to their own destruction (1 Timothy 6:9). The love of money or greed for money makes a Christian a sure victim of the temptation of practicing sinful deeds that will ruin his relationship with God and make him apostatize.
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, 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 to tempt them into committing shameful and damnable habitual sins that ruin their relationship with God to their own destruction.
How to stop loving money
It is written, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” Be content with what the Lord has blessed you with. Do not envy the riches of others into pursuing the love of money; or do not be enticed into the love of money by the extravagant life of the rich – especially, the worldly rich musicians, footballers, actors, etc.
If you are already living in the sin of the love of money or greed for money, repent of it and from the other sins associated with it. Upon repenting, pray and rededicate your life to Jesus, never to go back into the love of money again. Stand on the word of God and the power of self-control given by the Holy Spirit to resist any temptation associated with the love of money.
Conclusion
The tragic story of Judas Iscariot has become an example that all Christians should look at to understand the end of a Christian who loves money. Taking Judas Iscariot’s story into consideration, the love of money will inevitably lead a Christian into apostasy. No wonder the Holy Spirit, through Paul, teaches Christians to refrain from the love of money for the love of money can lead a Christian astray from the faith, making him an apostate.
The devil will manipulate any Christian who loves money. However, it is not the devil who decides whether or not a Christian should love money. The choice to love money or not is ours.
Food for thought
- If you were asked to explain the love of money, what would you have said?
- Have you ever lived in the sin of the love of money before? How was it like?
- What should one do to abstain from the love of money?
- Does being rich have anything to do with loving money?