1 Timothy 6:6–9

Context

First Timothy is traditionally regarded as a letter from Paul to Timothy, who had remained in Ephesus to oversee the church. Some scholars hold that the Pastoral Epistles were written by a generation after Paul, but the letter has traditionally been read as Paul's. The immediately preceding verse, 6:5, criticizes false teachers for "supposing that gain is godliness," that is, for treating godliness as a means of profit. This passage reverses the notion of "gain," declaring that true gain is godliness joined with contentment: "But godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6). Verse 10 goes on to say that "the love of money is the root of all evil," and verses 17–19 continue with exhortations addressed to those who are already rich.

The Greek word autarkeia, rendered "contentment," denotes a satisfaction that is not shaken by external circumstances. The term is known to have been used in the Stoic philosophy of the time as well. Verse 7, which states that people come into the world empty-handed and leave it empty-handed, resembles expressions found in Job and Ecclesiastes.

Interpretations

• Traditional Protestant reading: This reading emphasizes a life that, as the fruit of godliness, is freed from greed and finds satisfaction in God. It connects the passage with the idea of stewardship, the view that material possessions are entrusted to people by God.
• Wesleyan reading: John Wesley is known to have preached a sermon titled "The Danger of Riches" on verse 9. In the Methodist and Holiness traditions, the passage is read alongside Wesley's view of material possessions: earn diligently, but live with restraint and give to others.
• Social-ethical reading: Some treat "food and raiment" in verse 8 as the standard of genuine need and use the passage as a basis for criticizing consumerism and the concentration of wealth.

Debates and Issues

• Is wealth itself the problem? The subject of verse 9 is not those who are already rich but "they that will be rich," that is, those who desire to be rich. Many interpreters therefore conclude that the passage warns against the desire for wealth rather than against its possession. They also point out that verse 17 does not tell the rich to abandon their possessions but urges them to use them for good.
• Relationship to prosperity theology: Critics of prosperity theology cite 6:5–9 as a direct warning against teaching that makes faith a means to material blessing. Defenders of prosperity theology argue that the passage rebukes greed but does not deny the material blessings God gives.
• Translation and manuscripts: In verse 7, some later manuscripts add a word meaning "certainly," and the King James Version, among others, is known to follow this reading ("and it is certain we can carry nothing out"). Among Korean translations, the Korean Revised Version, New Edition replaced the older Korean Revised Version's archaic words for "contentment" (jijok) and for "sinking into ruin" (chimnyun) with more current terms meaning "contentment" (jajok) and "destruction" (pamyeol).

Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.

In Korean Protestant churches, the passage is frequently cited in sermons and Bible studies dealing with the Christian view of material possessions, offerings, and the financial ethics of pastors. It is also mentioned, together with verse 10, in settings that reflect critically on growth-centered and materialistic tendencies in the church.

Related Passages

• Philippians 4:11–13: Paul's confession that he has learned to be content in whatever state he is
• 1 Timothy 6:17–19: Exhortations to the rich
• Hebrews 13:5–6: The exhortation to be without covetousness and content with such things as one has
• Job 1:20–22: Job's confession that he came with nothing and will return with nothing
• Matthew 6:24–34: The teaching that no one can serve both God and mammon