The Peril of the Love of Money
The New Testament warns that it is the love of money, not money itself, that is a root of evil, distinguishing healthy provision from the spiritual corruption of greed.
The Apostle Paul writes that 'the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,' a verse often misquoted as condemning money itself; the actual teaching targets the disordered love and craving for wealth, not its possession or wise use. The danger lies in making money an ultimate good, an idol that distorts judgment, corrodes relationships, and never satisfies. Jesus warned that one cannot serve both God and mammon, and that the anxious pursuit of riches can choke the deeper goods of life like thorns among grain. Properly understood, this is not a counsel of poverty but of right ordering: money is a good servant and a terrible master. This insight resonates with psychological research on materialism, which consistently finds that people who place money at the center of their identity and self-worth report lower well-being, more anxiety, and weaker relationships than those who hold it as a means to other ends.
The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Psychological research on materialism confirms that those who center their identity on money report lower well-being and weaker relationships, validating the warning against the love of money rather than money itself.
The Bible
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- What the wisdom traditions say about having enough
The warning is about the love of money and not about money. The distinction is doing real work in the sentence, and it is usually dropped when the line gets quoted.