1 Timothy 6:3-16 - The Priority of the Gospel
Good evening, Midweek. How are you guys doing? It is so good to be with you. Thank you, Chase, for leading us in worship tonight. I love this service because it honestly feels like a family reunion. Walking in, I’m hugging people, seeing the Gilberts, catching up with friends. If I haven’t gotten the chance to hug you or say hello tonight, my name is Mike. I am one of the teaching pastors here, and it is my great privilege to open the Word of God with you.
If you are new with us, our regular practice is simply to open up God’s Word and teach through it verse by verse. We do that because we genuinely believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word, carrying absolute authority, instruction, and truth for how we are called to live.
Tonight, we find ourselves near the very end of 1 Timothy. Brad walked us through the opening verses of chapter 6 last week, and tonight we are going to cover some significant ground, looking at 1 Timothy 6:3–16.
If I were to ask you for the three most important rules of real estate, you would immediately say: location, location, location. In teaching, there is a similar adage that one of my favorite seminary professors used to repeat: repetition, repetition, repetition. Paul certainly understood that principle, because tonight he circles right back to an issue he has been hammering throughout this entire letter: the danger of false teachers.
From chapter 1 through chapter 4, Paul has been fiercely confronting the false teaching infecting the church in Ephesus, where young Timothy is pastoring. He has not pulled any punches. In chapter 4, he calls these false teachers hypocrites and liars, describing them as men whose consciences have been seared as with a hot branding iron—men hardened in heart. But Paul is not done with them yet. Beneath all their bad theology lies a deeper, hidden issue. Tonight, Paul digs up the root of the problem. And as he unmasks their corrupt motivations, he turns directly to Timothy and says, “Timothy, your life must look completely different. I am calling you to a higher standard. I am calling you to check your heart.”
The Heart Monitor
Are there any runners in the room tonight? Is running something anyone actually enjoys, or is that an oxymoron?
I personally took about a twenty-year hiatus from running. I ran track in middle school and played soccer growing up, but after an accident with my foot, I bought a bicycle and vowed, I am never going to run again. That is foolish. Well, I said never, and God had other plans. When COVID hit a couple of years ago, I decided to pick up running again.
Of course, after twenty years away, the technology had changed completely. Now we have smartwatches packed with data tracking sleep, recovery, pacing, and heart rate. As I run, I find myself constantly looking down at my wrist, tracking my heart rate. It gives me immediate insight into what is happening beneath the surface of my body. If I have had too much caffeine, or if I didn’t sleep well, or if I am coming down with something, my heart rate fluctuates wildly. The watch tells me whether I am pushing too hard or not working hard enough. It surfaces vital data about the hidden condition of my heart that I simply cannot ignore.
That is precisely what Paul is doing here for Timothy. He brings the hidden motivations of the false teachers to the surface and tells Timothy, “Look at what is driving them. Now examine your own heart. Make sure that what is true of these men is never true of you.”
In verses 3–10, Paul exposes the core sickness of these false teachers. Then, in verses 11–16, he turns to Timothy to contrast the life of a true man of God with the corrupt ways of the world.
The Anatomy of False Teaching
Paul begins by diagnosing the doctrinal error and character of these men.
“If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”
1 Timothy 6:3-5 (NASB)
If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited [and] understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.
Notice the threefold rejection in verse 3. First, these false teachers reject sound words—the established truth of God’s Word. That word sound is the Greek term from which we get our English word hygiene. It means healthy, life-giving. Sound doctrine produces spiritual health in a church body just as good hygiene produces physical health. By contrast, false doctrine introduces spiritual disease.
Second, they reject the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ. Disagreeing with Jesus is never a safe place to land.
Third, they reject “the doctrine conforming to godliness.” They separated orthodoxy (what you believe) from orthopraxy (how you live). They claimed that what you believe in your head does not necessarily have to transform your daily life. They advocated for a conversion without transformation.
Have you ever known someone like that? Someone who talks openly about Jesus, uses all the religious vocabulary, yet shows zero evidence of genuine life change? Back in college, there was a guy in our fraternity who was the most vocal person about Jesus on the entire campus. But if you wanted to buy drugs on a Friday night, he was also the guy you went to. It was a bizarre, tragic contradiction. He loudly proclaimed that Jesus had changed his life, yet he was our fraternity’s drug dealer.
Scripture never validates a conversionless conversion. When the gospel truly takes root in a heart, there will eventually be fruit. We will battle the flesh for the rest of our earthly lives, and none of us reaches perfection this side of heaven, but true faith always produces a growing pursuit of godliness.
In verse 4, Paul shows that their error is not innocent confusion; it is willful and arrogant. He writes that such a person is “conceited and understands nothing.” That word conceited literally means puffed up, blinded by pride. One commentator described it as being insanely arrogant. They are walking through a dense theological fog, completely blind to the truth.
As a result, they possess a “morbid interest”—a diseased craving—for controversial questions and verbal disputes. Rather than engaging in healthy, sharpening theological dialogue, these men are pot-stirrers. The other day, I popped into Dave Auwbrey’s office for what was supposed to be a five-minute chat. An hour and a half later, we were still passionately discussing theology, waving our hands, disagreeing on certain points, yet loving each other deeply and walking away edified. That is not what these false teachers are doing. They are raising dissension, stirring up strife, envy, slander, and friction.
Remember Paul’s earlier instruction in 1 Timothy 1:5: “The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” But the fruit of these false teachers is constant friction, heated arguments, and division.
The Root of the Sickness
Having shown us the rotten fruit, Paul cuts straight to the root of the tree at the end of verse 5. Here comes the gut punch: they are men “who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”
This is what drove everything they did. These false teachers in Ephesus viewed their pastoral office, their spiritual influence, and their religious platform as tools for financial and personal advancement. Their core issue was greed. They wanted to pad their own pockets with the proceeds of the gospel.
Paul makes it clear that this is profoundly wicked. Peter gave the exact same warning to church leaders in 1 Peter.
“Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness.”
1 Peter 5:2 (NASB)
shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to [the will of] God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
Earlier in this very letter, when Paul laid out the qualifications for an elder, he explicitly stated that an overseer must be “free from the love of money.”
1 Timothy 3:3 (NASB)
not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.
A good buddy of mine in seminary, Jake, grew up in the church. His family owned a clothing store in their town. On Sunday mornings, the family would arrive at church dressed to the nines in their absolute finest suits and ties. But it was not about worshiping God; it was a marketing strategy to sell suits to church members. They viewed the congregation as a customer base for financial gain. Praise God, Jake grew up, matured in his faith, and later became a faithful elder, and his parents grew tremendously as well. But early on, the church was treated as a means to an end rather than an assembly of worshipers gathered around Christ.
The Secret of Contentment
Paul flips the false teachers’ logic on its head in verse 6.
“But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.”
1 Timothy 6:6 (NASB)
But godliness [actually] is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.
True contentment means being deeply satisfied with what God provides, regardless of external circumstances. It happens when we unhitch our joy from our bank accounts, our status, or our physical comfort. It is the posture of heart that says, Lord, what You have given me is enough. You are sufficient.
Paul declared this reality to the Philippians when he wrote that for him, “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Philippians 1:21 (NASB)
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Consider the prayer found in the book of Proverbs:
“Two things I ask of You, do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God.”
Proverbs 30:7-9 (NASB)
Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny [You] and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.
Have you ever prayed that prayer? God, please do not make me rich. Most of us have prayed the other half of that request—we know what it is to be broke and ask God for provision. But Agur prayed, Lord, do not give me excessive wealth, because I know my heart. I know how easily my soul can drift into self-reliance and forget You. Just give me my daily bread.
Paul echoes this profound truth in Philippians 4.
“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:11-13 (NASB)
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
That famous verse—“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”—is not an athletic mantra; it is a declaration of supernatural contentment. It is the ability to say, Whether I have a lot or a little, Jesus is enough.
Paul then gives Timothy two practical reasons why chasing after wealth is absolute foolishness.
“For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.”
1 Timothy 6:7-8 (NASB)
For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.
First, you can’t take it with you. You will never see a U-Haul trailer hitched to the back of a hearse. Everything we accumulate in this life will stay behind when we take our final breath.
Jesus reminded us of this in the Sermon on the Mount when He pointed to the birds of the air.
“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?”
Matthew 6:26 (NASB)
’Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and [yet] your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
If God faithfully provides for birds, He will surely care for those created in His image and redeemed by His Son.
Second, chasing money is spiritually destructive.
“But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.”
1 Timothy 6:9 (NASB)
But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
Notice the phrase: “those who want to get rich.” That is their driving ambition. They are not in ministry to care for broken sheep, to herald the gospel, or to faithfully teach the Word. They are in it for profit.
I remember sitting in an ecclesiology class in seminary when our professor stopped and looked at us intently. He said, “Gentlemen, do not kid yourselves. If you want to enter pastoral ministry to make money, build a personal platform, and gain worldly prestige, it is entirely possible. You can manipulate people and use the church for career advancement. So examine your hearts right now.”
Paul details the lethal progression of this greed in verse 10.
“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
1 Timothy 6:10 (NASB)
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Notice carefully what the text says. It does not say money is the root of all evil; it says the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil. Money itself is morally neutral. Next week, Paul will instruct wealthy believers on how to steward their resources for kingdom purposes without condemning them for having wealth. The danger is the idolatrous craving for wealth.
Look at the downward spiral in verses 9 and 10: temptation leads to desire, desire becomes a trap, the trap causes them to wander from the faith, and they end up “pierced”—literally impaled—with grief and destruction.
Paul tells Timothy that “some” have already walked this tragic path. Timothy knew who they were. These were men who once walked with them, but their love for money wrecked their lives, destroyed their ministries, and left their testimonies in ruins.
Tragically, this did not stop two thousand years ago. In the 1980s, we watched high-profile televangelists fall into prison and public disgrace over financial fraud and moral failure. Today, the prosperity gospel peddles the lie that Jesus died to make you wealthy and physically comfortable. Pastors of megachurches are continually in the news for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the flock.
I do not share these examples to gloat. The exact same capacity for greed lives within my own fallen flesh. If I take my eyes off Jesus, I am entirely capable of train-wrecking my life and ministry.
When a leader falls into greed, the fallout is like shrapnel—it injures everyone nearby. In 1998, just before I got married, I led a short-term mission trip to a small town in Costa Rica called Jesús María. On our final Sunday, a traveling evangelist came to the church. During the service, he went down the line of our team offering “prophetic words.” One of the young women on our team had been deaf her entire life. He laid hands on her and boldly promised that God had told him she was going to receive her hearing right then and there. The room erupted in emotion, an offering was collected for the speaker, and he promptly left for the next town.
She never received her physical hearing. God, in His sovereign wisdom, chose not to heal her that day. She was absolutely devastated. For months afterward, we had to sit with her through tears, gently untangling the damage done by a man who used false promises to pad his own pockets. She wrestled deeply: Does God not love me? Did I not have enough faith? We had to walk her back to sound biblical theology—that God is fully able to heal, but He is not a vending machine bound by the manipulation of men.
The Charge to the Man of God
Having warned Timothy about the destructive path of greed, Paul turns to him with urgent, fatherly affection and gives him four direct commands.
“But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”
1 Timothy 6:11 (NASB)
But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance [and] gentleness.
First: Flee. That word is where we get our word fugitive. It means to run for your life to find safety. Paul tells Timothy to run away from the love of money and the strife it creates. Do not flirt with it; do not negotiate with it. Run.
As Jesus warned in the Sermon on the Mount:
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Matthew 6:24 (NASB)
’No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Second: Pursue. Do not simply run away from sin; run toward Christlikeness. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness.
Third: Fight.
“Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
1 Timothy 6:12 (NASB)
Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Ministry is a battle. When a biological body is invaded by a disease, it does not peacefully coexist with the pathogen; its immune system sends white blood cells to destroy it. In the same way, Timothy must fight against false teaching and guard the truth of the gospel.
Fourth: Take hold. Paul tells Timothy to grip tightly to the eternal life to which he was called, recalling his ordination or baptism when he publicly confessed Christ before many witnesses.
How long is Timothy called to maintain this posture?
“I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Timothy 6:13-14 (NASB)
I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
He is to endure all the way to the finish line—until Jesus returns.
Then, overwhelmed by the glory of this calling, Paul erupts into a magnificent doxology.
“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”
1 Timothy 6:15-16 (NASB)
which He will bring about at the proper time– He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him [be] honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
This is the majestic God we serve. He is the eternal, sovereign King. How could we ever trade His eternal glory for cheap, temporary financial gain?
The Real Heart Check
You might be sitting here thinking, Well, Mike, this applies directly to you and the elders, but what does it have to do with me? I’m not a pastor, and I’m not running a church.
Jeremiah reminds us of the universal condition of the human heart.
“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”
Jeremiah 17:9 (NASB)
’The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?
The root issue Paul is exposing is treating God as a means to an end. For these false teachers, that end was money. But we can turn God into a means to all kinds of personal ends.
Whenever we adopt a therapeutic, self-help version of Christianity that says, God exists to make my life comfortable, successful, and stress-free, we have hijacked the gospel. The gospel is not a formula to help you live your best life now. Christ did not come to earth and die on a Roman cross to secure your financial comfort or grant you a problem-free life.
Jesus came to deliver us from our greatest enemy: sin and eternal death. We were dead in our trespasses, completely unable to save ourselves. But Christ lived the perfect life we could never live, took our sins upon Himself on the cross, absorbed the wrath of God in our place, and rose victoriously from the grave. When we repent and place our faith in Him, our sins are forgiven, we are clothed in His righteousness, and we are adopted into the family of God. That is the gospel.
So let me ask you tonight: Is Jesus enough for you?
If God does not give you the promotion you’ve been praying for, is He still enough? If He does not remove the trial you are facing, is He still enough? If you don’t get the house, if your health declines, if your bank account dwindles, is Jesus alone sufficient for your soul?
God is not a cosmic genie here to fulfill our wish lists. He is the Sovereign King of the universe, worthy of our total devotion.
May we be a people who unhitch our joy from our circumstances. May we run from the idolatry of self and money, fight the good fight of faith, and find our ultimate, lasting contentment in Christ alone. Let’s pray.
Father, thank You for the clarity and urgency of Your Word. The warnings Paul gave Timothy two thousand years ago are desperately needed in our hearts tonight. We confess that the temptation to use You for our own selfish ends lives in every single one of us. Forgive us for the times we have reduced the majestic gospel of Jesus Christ to a self-centered pursuit of comfort and gain.
Teach our hearts true contentment. Anchor our souls in the sufficiency of Christ. If You choose to change our circumstances, we will praise You; but if You call us to walk through trials and lack, remind us that possessing Jesus is greater than all the wealth of this world. May our lives bring honor and glory to the King of kings and Lord of lords. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.