Money Morality

The basic rule for money morality is well-known, but most people seem to either misquote this principle or stop after the first clause. Let’s read the whole principle.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:10 NKJV)

Notice the wording. Money alone is not evil, nor is it “THE” root of all evil. The “LOVE” of money is “A” root of all evil. Plenty of other things in the world are also at the root of many evils. Money itself is neutral. It is a tool, but an exaggerated focus on the instrument, a love affair with money, instead of the good it can do, leads to greed and sorrow.

A misplaced obsession with money can lead people away from genuine mutual care that should exist in a civilized society to an evolutionary nightmare where the fit survive and the weak die, from genuine Christianity to a counterfeit health-wealth substitute. And it seems that greed and sorrow go hand-in-hand. No, money does not bring happiness, but giving it away can.

“... remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35 NKJV)

A personal story may illustrate the point here. At my father’s funeral, his best friend told me a story that I will long remember and honor his memory thereby. Dad was a very successful insurance salesman at a big national company. He had told me during his life that he would rather sell a policy that gave him little commission than make a big profit that hurt the customer. Honesty was a valuable tool for building a business that lasted decades. Dishonesty was only good for a short term profit and was bad business.

He had been invited to make a presentation to the board of directors, and told them quite bluntly that they were engaged in some dishonest business practices that would only hurt the company in the long term. After he left the room, one of the board members asked Dad’s best friend if Dad was for real. His friend told the board members that my Dad was the most honest man he had ever known and that they had better listen to him. I never knew what happened after that, except that decades later that same company was called the worst in a royal commission investigating misdemeanors of the insurance industry.

Do you use money as a tool to bless others, or are you greedy? Surely the LOVE of money is A root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. What about you? You decide!