Table of Contents
Introduction
In the Scriptures, Paul identifies the love of money as a factor that leads many Christians to go astray or deviate from the faith into apostasy. He said, “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). However, the Bible did not say money is evil; rather, it is the love of it that is evil. We may ask, “What is the love of money?”
The 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. Lovers of money are those who are willing to do anything for 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 the motivation 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 exploit any avenue, regardless of its evil impact on the environment and the lives and welfare of others.
The love of money is not common only to the rich; the poor also fall prey to the love of money in a bid to escape poverty. The love of money is not common only to unbelievers; some followers of Jesus Christ also fall prey to the love of money. One of the most hurtful crimes of the love of money was committed against Jesus when one of His disciples betrayed him for 30 silver pieces (John 12:6; Luke 22:3-6; Matthew 26:14-16). And up to date, that act of betrayal has been reenacted over and over in the church.
The love of money is a big problem in all spheres. 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.
All lovers of money are slaves of money and the devil is their puppeteer for he manipulate them. Uses money as a bait, the devil lures them to commit bad deeds that, ordinarily, they would not commit. The devil manipulates anyone, both unbelievers and Christian, who loves money. However, it is not the devil who decides whether or not a person should love money. The choice to love money or not is ours.
Examples of the love of money in the Bible
Aside from Judas Iscariot betraying Jesus, we see the love of money in Samuel’s sons, Joel and Abiah, who collected bribes and perverted justice (1 Samuel 8:1-3). Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector, was another man whose life was marked by the love of money because he used dishonest means to make money (Luke 19:1-10). Achan, lured by the love of money, coveted forbidden items from Jericho, bringing judgment upon Israel and death upon himself and his family (Joshua 7:1-26). These stories reveal how the love of money can lead to sin, corruption, betrayal, and destruction.
Consequences 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 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.