1 Timothy 6:6-16
Scripture
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time, he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
Devotion
Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy while his young coworker was serving the church in Ephesus, a wealthy port city filled with commerce, trade, and people eager to profit from religion. Just before our passage begins, Paul warns about false teachers who imagined “that godliness is a means of gain,” and he answers them by turning their phrase around with a better promise: “godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Paul grounds that contentment in a simple observation about life, reminding Timothy that we brought nothing into the world and will carry nothing out of it, so food and clothing are enough to satisfy a heart that trusts God. He then describes what happens to those who desire to be rich, who fall into temptation and into “many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” Verse 10 locates the danger in the human heart, naming the love of money as “a root of all kinds of evils” and pointing to that craving as the reason some had wandered from the faith and brought deep sorrow on themselves.
Read alongside James 5, this passage shows the path the rich landowners never chose. James describes people who hoarded, defrauded, and indulged themselves until their wealth became evidence against them, while Paul urges Timothy to flee those same desires and to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness in their place. Later in the chapter, Paul goes on to instruct Timothy to teach the wealthy in the church to be generous and ready to share, which shows that Scripture’s warnings about wealth come alongside an invitation to use what God provides for His purposes.
Paul closes this section by lifting Timothy’s eyes to Jesus, who made the good confession before Pontius Pilate, and to God, the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who dwells in unapproachable light. Contentment grows as our view of God grows larger, because a heart that sees His majesty and waits for the appearing of Christ has far less room for the craving that drove the rich in James 5. Some readers also notice a connection between Jesus standing before Pilate and the righteous person in James 5:6 who did not resist, since Jesus Himself was condemned unjustly and entrusted Himself to the Father.
HEAR About It
Explain
How does 1 Timothy 6:6-16 change the way you read James 5:1-6? What does Paul tell Timothy to flee, and what does he tell him to pursue? How does seeing God as “the blessed and only Sovereign” help you find contentment?
Prayer and Reflection
Take a few minutes to sit quietly and reflect on the passage you read today. Let the Holy Spirit bring to mind what stood out to you and why. Then spend some time in prayer. Pray for the people around you, for your outlook on this day, and for the needs you are carrying in your own life.
Lord Jesus, You made the good confession before Pilate and entrusted Yourself to the Father, and You are the King of kings who will appear at the proper time. Teach me the contentment Paul describes, help me flee the love of money, and give me such a clear view of Your majesty that lesser things lose their hold on my heart. Amen.
