For the love of money

"For the love of money is the root of evil..." or so the saying goes. But what if I were to go back to the Greek word for "love of money" in 1 Tim 6:10, "philarguros", and look at it's definition?

Strongs defines philarguros as "money-loving, avaricious, covetous". The first two terms are what most people think of when they hear this verse. However, the third equally valid definition is not necessarily thought of.

So what if I were to reword that verse "For covetousness is the root of all evil"? Kind of has a different tone doesn't it? If you ask me that verse while not necessarily mistranslated doesn't convey what the Greek word was trying to convey.

In my opnion from reading this definition I would say that the discontent heart is the root of all evil. Why is that? Paul talks about being content in Philippians 4:11 and in Jeremiah 17:9 it says "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" From this it is easy to see that the discontent heart that is the root of all evil.

A discontent heart always wants what it doesn't have or can't have. It could be someone else's wife, life, money, car, abilities, family, style, power, clothes, populalarity, etc. Whatever it is the discontent heart will go out of it's way to get it. From that leads to adultery which destroys lives and families, over-extending your finances or stealing or corruption which bankrupts, and all other kinds of other evil.

Think about it. Is the love of money the root of ALL evil? What about adultery? Not so much. So really, it's not the love of money, but what causes the love of money: discontentedness.

We are told to take each thought captive because if we do we can find out whether that thought is coming from our sinful, evil discontented heart which loves the world and the flesh or if it comes from the mind of Christ.

Most of us don't think of ourselves as greedy, money-loving people because we aren't. But, are you content with what you have? Now there's the real question.