That Pesky Root of Lots of Things

There’s a misconception that the Bible declares “money is the root of all evil.” That’s not exactly true, although that is pretty close to how it’s rendered in the King James Version. The KJV stipulates evil is rooted in “the love of money.” The way most translations express it is, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). 

Mankind has devised many kinds of evil that have nothing to do with money – at least directly. But love for money definitely has resulted in countless forms of evil thinking and behavior. One doesn’t have to look very closely at the realms of business, politics, entertainment and even education to confirm that.

Over my years of discipling and mentoring other men, I’ve observed an interesting phenomenon. Within these very personal, trusting relationships, men have confided in me about all manner of things – marital struggles, various forms of addiction, uncontrolled outbursts of anger, infidelity, and other behaviors they had never shared with anyone else. However, almost unanimously, the one topic that has been off-limits even within the secure confines of a discipling or mentoring environment has been money.

I remember a time when a man had just told me about difficulties he was experiencing in his marriage. We talked about those for a while, and I expressed some observations. I don’t tell people what I think they should do, but do offer perspectives they might find helpful. Then – and I don’t recall exactly why – I asked him about his income. He hesitated, and then said something like, “Well, I really don’t talk with people about money. That’s personal, you know.”

Trying to keep from laughing, I thought, “Wow! This guy has just given me some candid information about his relationship with his wife, but a simple question about money is ‘personal’?” It wasn’t like I was trying to hit him up for a loan. But I’ve learned this is not unusual; it’s more the norm than the exception.

Maybe this is why, according to theologians who analyze such things, Jesus spoke more about money in the Scriptures than any other topic – including heaven, hell, and eternal life. Someone has calculated more than 2,300 verses in the Bible concern money and material wealth. One of Christ’s most convicting statements on the subject is Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

This doesn’t mean money – or any form of wealth – is inherently evil. Whether it was in the ancient times of the Bible or today, a means of exchange has always been necessary to acquire basic needs, pay bills, meet emergency expenses, and such. But money has a way of commanding our attention, for some becoming an object of worship.

How do you feel when your pastor begins a sermon about giving? Do you reach protectively for your wallet or purse? If we buy a new house or a new car, we proudly show off the fruit of our labors. But if someone were to ask, “How much money do you make, anyway?” would you feel offended, or think, “That’s none of your business”?

In the Ten Commandments, the last commandment is, “You shall not covet…” (Exodus 20:17). In other words, don’t envy or lust for other people’s stuff. When a reporter asked one wealthy business magnate, “How much is enough?” he purportedly responded, “Just a little bit more.” So even within the so-called “one percent” of society, there’s no limit to fascination with money and what it can supply.

Many years ago, industrialist R.G. LeTourneau, a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, practiced a “reverse tithe.” The tithe, as the Bible defines it, is 10 percent of one’s income. LeTourneau flipped that around, giving 90 percent of his income to charitable causes and keeping just 10 percent for his personal use. Another businessman, Stanley Tam, took similar steps, drawing up legal papers making God a literal partner in his business, eventually giving Him full ownership, not just a percentage of the profits.

That seems to be a key to overcoming the insidious root of evil that money can become: Holding what we have – all that we have – with an open hand and giving the Lord full access to it, without reservation. Is that easy to do? Not in my experience. But one passage in particular serves as a reminder whenever we feel the need to hold tightly to “my money.” 

As 1 Chronicles 29:11-12 in the New Living Translationtells us, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.”

This says that rather than owners, we’re merely stewards of what God entrusts to us. So to avoid the potential evils money can tempt us with, rather than wondering, “What should I do with my money?” a better question might be, “Lord, how would You like me to use Your money today?”

The REAL Root of All Evil

There’s a common misconception the Bible teaches money is the root of all evil. What the passage (1 Timothy 6:10) actually says is, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” There’s a big difference.

Throughout history money – the love of it, that is – has served as stimulus for many forms of evil: Greed, envy, jealousy, unethical behavior, arrogance, murder, robbery, burglary, muggings, bribery, extortion, and many others we could name.

But if there’s a singular root of evil, it’s not money. It’s pride. If you look at the list above, you’ll note in one way or another, each form of evil is a manifestation of unhealthy pride, unrestrained emphasis on self and self-interest at the expense of others.

This isn’t to be confused, of course, with proper expressions of pride – like satisfaction with a job well done, or being pleased with the accomplishments of a loved one. But pride presents its sinful side when “I” and “me” become paramount.

We see pride manifested in competitions for “biggest” and “tallest,” for instance. The Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (did you know there was such a council?) reported developers of new super-skyscrapers all over the globe are installing huge, useless needles atop their buildings in a quest to market their structures as the world’s tallest. The still unfinished One World Trade Center in Manhattan and Dubai’s Burj Al Arab are just two examples.

At this time of year, football fans across the country are caught in “We’re No. 1!” hysteria. For some reason, when our favorite team excels, it’s our chests that get puffed up.

Even some churches display pride in its worst forms – practicing one-upmanship with the size of worship facilities, flaunting statistics about membership and baptisms, even seeming downright self-righteous about “correct” doctrine, traditions and teachings.

This is hardly new, however. If you believe in the biblical story about what theologians call the “original sin” and “the fall of man,” it seems the first sin was not disobedience by eating the forbidden fruit, but Adam and Eve’s being suckered in by a prideful appeal.

In Genesis 3:1-7, the serpent (Satan) approaches the first couple and asks, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Eve replies they were told to avoid only one tree, explaining God had said, “you must not touch it, or you will die.” Then the serpent responds, “You will not surely die…. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

At that moment pride, in all its insidiousness, reared up. The passage doesn’t record this, but I can imagine Adam and Eve eyeing each other and saying, “Hey, that’s right! Who does God think He is, anyway? Who is He to tell us what to do?” The rest, as they say, is history.

In his classic book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, “There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people…ever imagine that they are guilty themselves…. There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves…. The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit; and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility.”

The world around us tells us pride is okay, even commendable. “Look out for yourself,” the mantra advises. Baby Boomers (I’m a card-carrying member) have been called the “Me Generation,” describing our zeal for “self-realization” and “self-fulfillment.” But for those of us who have become followers of Christ, such attitudes pose a contradiction. If we take a deep, honest look at Jesus, pride should be instantly dispelled. His life – and death – personified humility.

Jesus had every reason to burst with pride, to “lord it over” everyone around him. But instead, God incarnate became humble. Philippians 2:8 states, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.” He calls His followers to die to self as well.

The Old Testament records what God said about pride: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

God says, “If you want to be proud – be proud about that!”