Having dealt with the roles and relationships of men and women, elders and deacons, employers and employees, in 1 Timothy 6:9-10 the Apostle Paul addresses the Christian’s relationship with money and issues eight warnings about why we should not turn it into an idol.

“(9) But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. (10) 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. It tempts (v. 9): Loving money makes us do wrong things in order to get more of it.

2. It traps (v. 9): The love of money gets a grip on us, it won’t let go, and becomes obsessional.

3. It stimulates lust (v. 9): It produces multiple other sinful desires and provides opportunity for their fulfillment.

4. It harms (v. 9): The lusts themselves injure the luster, and what they result in does even more harm.

5. It destroys (v. 9): It sucks the oxygen out of life, slowly killing us as it sinks us to the depths of perdition.

6. It diverts (v. 10): Some wrong turns are not too dangerous, but the love of money produces a fatal diversion that leads away from the faith.

7. It depresses (v. 10): Money love produces soul pain and soul sadness.

8. It ends (v. 7): We brought nothing in and it is certain we can carry nothing out.