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1 Timothy 6

KJV · Chapter 6/6

1Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

2And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.

3If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

4He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

5Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

6But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

9But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

12Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

13I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;

14That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

15Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

16Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

17Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

18That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

19Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

20O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

21Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen. The first to Timothy was written from Laodicea, which is the chiefest city of Phrygia Pacatiana.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul addresses the relationship between servants and masters, warns against the love of money as the root of many evils, and urges Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. He closes by asking the rich to use their wealth with generosity.

Explanation

The famous teaching that 'the love of money is the root of all evil' does not condemn wealth itself, but the disordered attachment to it, which can lead people away from the faith and cause suffering. Paul contrasts this empty pursuit with true gain: godliness joined with contentment. The final instruction to the rich is not meant to make them feel guilty, but to call them to be generous and not place their trust in uncertain riches. Today's practical application is to seek genuine contentment and to use material resources for good, instead of letting money become the center of life.

Fun facts

  • The complete, original phrase is 'the love of money is the root of all evil' — often misquoted as simply 'money is the root of all evil,' which completely changes the meaning of the original text.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Timothy 6:1Domestic slavery was a common and legal part of Roman society, present even within Christian churches made up of masters and slaves side by side. Paul asks Christian slaves to treat their masters with respect, chiefly concerned with keeping the Christian faith from gaining a reputation as subversive or disorderly in the eyes of outsiders.
  2. 1 Timothy 6:2Paul also addresses the case where the master is a Christian: the slave should not treat him with less respect simply because they are “brethren” in the faith — on the contrary, he should serve him even better.
  3. 1 Timothy 6:3Paul returns to warning about false teachers, calling the standard the “wholesome words” of Jesus, the measure by which any teaching should be judged.
  4. 1 Timothy 6:4According to Paul, this kind of teacher is proud and understands nothing of the truth, only producing useless disputes that end in envy and strife.
  5. 1 Timothy 6:5Paul denounces teachers who treated religion as a business, a way of gaining money or status by using the faith as a front. It is this kind of motive that he contrasts right after with the idea that true gain is contentment, not profit.
  6. 1 Timothy 6:6After speaking of teachers who see religion as a business, Paul gives the right answer: true gain lies in godliness with contentment, not in accumulating.
  7. 1 Timothy 6:7Paul recalls a simple fact: no one is born with anything, and no one can carry anything out when he dies, a direct way of putting the importance of possessions into perspective.
  8. 1 Timothy 6:8Paul’s practical conclusion is modest: having food and raiment, that alone should be enough to live content.
  9. 1 Timothy 6:9Paul describes the desire to be rich as a trap, one that can drag a person into foolish and hurtful lusts, ending in ruin.
  10. 1 Timothy 6:10It’s common to hear this verse quoted as “money is the root of all evil,” but the original text is more specific: it is “the love of money” — the attachment to it and the obsessive pursuit of it — that Paul points to as the problem, not money itself. He describes this attachment as something that has already led some away from the faith and brought needless sorrow.
  11. 1 Timothy 6:11Paul calls Timothy a “man of God” and asks him to flee these vices tied to money, pursuing instead righteousness, faith, love, and patience.
  12. 1 Timothy 6:12Paul reminds Timothy of a public moment when he declared his faith before many witnesses — possibly his baptism or the moment he was commissioned for the ministry. The martial image of fighting “the good fight” adds to this reminder a tone of discipline and ongoing commitment, not a single, closed event.
  13. 1 Timothy 6:13Paul makes a solemn charge, recalling Jesus himself before Pontius Pilate, when he witnessed a good confession even under judgment, an example of faithfulness under pressure.
  14. 1 Timothy 6:14Paul asks that Timothy keep this commitment of faith without spot, unrebukeable, until the day Jesus returns, something the letter treats as certain, but with no set date.
  15. 1 Timothy 6:15Paul describes this return of Jesus as something that will happen only at the right time, determined by God, called here “the King of kings, and Lord of lords.”
  16. 1 Timothy 6:16This phrase describes God as someone no human being can face or reach directly on his own — not because He hides, but because His nature surpasses the human capacity to see and understand. It is a way of ending the letter by acknowledging the limits of one’s own knowledge before God.
  17. 1 Timothy 6:17Paul returns to the theme of wealth, now speaking directly to those who are already rich: the request isn’t to give up money, but not to trust in it, and instead to trust in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
  18. 1 Timothy 6:18Instead of accumulating, Paul expects the rich to use their resources to do good, being rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to share with those in need.
  19. 1 Timothy 6:19This kind of generosity, Paul says, builds a different kind of security for the future, not in material goods, but in a foundation that leads to eternal life.
  20. 1 Timothy 6:20“Science” here translates a Greek word meaning knowledge, used by certain groups of the time who boasted of having access to advanced spiritual secrets beyond what the common gospel taught. Paul calls this so-called knowledge falsely so called, closing the letter with the same warning against false teachers that opened the first chapter.
  21. 1 Timothy 6:21Paul closes the letter with a final warning about those who erred concerning the faith by chasing this false knowledge, and a brief parting blessing.

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