No — wanting wealth is not a sin. Scripture is precise: 1 Timothy 6:10 says the love of money is a root of evil, not money itself. Abraham, Job, Boaz, and Solomon were wealthy men God blessed and used. The sin is making wealth your god, your identity, or your security. Pursue wealth. Worship Christ.
"For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." — 1 Timothy 6:10 (NLT)
The most-misquoted verse in Christian financial teaching is 1 Timothy 6:10. The verse does not say money is the root of evil. It says the love of money is. The distinction matters. Christian men who confuse the two end up either chasing wealth with a guilty conscience or rejecting it with false piety. Both miss the verse Paul actually wrote.
Read 1 Timothy 6:10 Without the Slogan
Paul writes "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." Three precise words. Love — disordered affection, where money has moved from tool to god. Root — not the only root, just one of them. Kinds — Paul is naming a category of sins money-love produces, not labeling money itself sinful.
The man who reads this verse and concludes "I shouldn't want to be wealthy" has read past the actual word Paul used. The man who reads it and concludes "only the poor are spiritual" has invented a doctrine Scripture does not teach. The verse is a diagnostic of the heart, not a vow of poverty.
Scripture Honors Wealth-Builders
Abraham was "very rich in livestock, silver, and gold" (Genesis 13:2). Job was "the richest person in that entire area" (Job 1:3). Boaz ran a profitable agricultural operation and used the margin to redeem Ruth. Solomon's wealth was God's gift after he asked for wisdom (1 Kings 3:13). The Proverbs 31 wife trades, invests, and turns a profit. Joseph stewarded Egypt's wealth through famine.
Scripture's pattern is consistent — God blesses men with wealth, and uses wealth blessed by God to advance His Kingdom. The disqualifier is never the size of the bank account. The disqualifier is what the bank account has become in the heart.
The Real Test — What Is Wealth For?
Three questions surface what your wealth is actually for. First, would you obey God if He told you to give a third of it away tomorrow? If the answer is no, money is your god — not your tool. Second, do you trust God or your portfolio when the market drops 30%? Where you run for security tells you who your security is. Third, who are you generous toward? Greed hides behind the language of stewardship; generosity exposes greed. The man whose net worth grows but whose giving stays flat has a love-of-money problem he is not naming.
Build Wealth as a Steward, Not an Owner
The 10X Freedom Path's Stewardship stage reframes wealth from ownership to trusteeship. Psalm 24:1 — the earth and everything in it belongs to God. You are not building your wealth; you are managing His. That single reframe removes both the guilt of pursuing wealth and the idolatry of possessing it.
Build hard. Build big. Build with excellence. Hold it open-handed. Tithe first, save second, give generously, invest patiently, leave an inheritance to your children's children (Proverbs 13:22). That is the biblical pattern. Wanting that life is not sin; it is faithfulness expressing itself through stewardship.
Stop managing. Start mastering.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Bible say money is the root of all evil?
No. 1 Timothy 6:10 says the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. The misquote drops two words — love and kinds — and changes the meaning entirely. Money itself is morally neutral; the disordered affection for money is the sin Paul names.
Can a Christian be a millionaire?
Yes. Abraham, Job, Solomon, Boaz, and the Proverbs 31 wife all built and held substantial wealth. The biblical question is never the dollar amount in your accounts. It is whether your wealth has become your god, your identity, or your security. A faithful millionaire is a steward; an idolatrous one is in trouble at any income.
What does the Bible say about wanting to be rich?
1 Timothy 6:9 warns that those who long to be rich fall into many traps. The warning is real — but the trap Paul describes is the longing itself when it crowds out God, not the financial outcome. Pursuing excellence, building businesses, and growing wealth as a steward is biblical. Pursuing riches as your end is the trap.