Among a long list of ungodly traits, Paul says that people would be “lovers of money” (2 Timothy 3:2). Elsewhere, he writes, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).
The statement is often mistakenly cited as, “Money is the root of all evil,” when in fact it says, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” The Bible condemns the love of money, not money itself. The difference is significant. The love of money is an intellectual, psychological, or spiritual factor associated with money that is not inherent in money itself.
The deception that money itself is a root of evil leads to the idea that one must remain poor to shun evil. Another deception is that this root of evil is absent or weaker in those who are poor. However, since the love of money is a mental disposition, this means that one may love money and not have money. It is possible for anyone to love money and be possessed by this root of evil. On the other hand, it is possible for a rich man to love God, and be free from the love of money.
Evil begins in the mind. As Jesus says, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly” (Mark 7:21-22). He declares that evil comes forth from the heart, that is, the mind.
One false doctrine asserts a sharp distinction between the spirit and the soul of man. It identifies the heart with the spirit, and the mind with the soul. However, the Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament defines “heart” (Greek: kardia) as “the inner person, the seat of understanding, knowledge, and will.”[1] Kittel says, “The heart is the seat of understanding, the source of thought and reflection,”[2] and it affirms that “The NT use of the word agrees with the OT use.”[3] Unless it is referring to the physical organ, when the Bible refers to the “heart,” it is speaking of the mind, while the context might stress a specific function.
Gordon Clark estimates that, “The term heart denotes emotion about ten or at the very most fifteen percent of the time. It denotes the will maybe thirty percent of the time; and it very clearly means the intellect sixty or seventy percent.”[4] He concludes, “Therefore when someone in the pews hears the preacher contrasting the head and the heart, he will realize that the preacher either does not know or does not believe what the Bible says. That the gospel may be proclaimed in its purity and power, the churches should eliminate their Freudianism and other forms of contemporary psychology and return to God’s Word.”[5]
As Jonathan Edwards writes, “The mind, with regard to the exercises of this faculty, is often called the heart.”[6] And Thayer says, “Kardia…the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors…used of the understanding, the faculty and seat of the intelligence.” The heart is the intellectual aspect of man. Therefore, the distinctions between head and heart faith, and head and heart knowledge, are unbiblical inventions. In fact, the head, or brain, is not the mind at all. We are not naturalists, evolutionists, or behaviorists. The mind of man is incorporeal, made in the image of God.
It is often said that the mind consists of the intellect, will, and emotion. However, this is a misrepresentation, since these are functions of the mind, and not different parts that combine to constitute the mind. Just as digestion is a function of the stomach and not a different organ from the stomach or a standalone organ that makes part of the stomach, the activities of the mind are not as parts within a man that are distinct from his mind. The mind thinks – it reasons, decides, feels, and so on. Even the “spirit” does not refer to a different part of the person, but only an aspect or function of the mind or soul. Therefore, the human person consists of mind and body. For all general purposes, we may consider the terms mind, soul, spirit, and heart as interchangeable.
Jesus teaches that “greed” is one of those things that come from men’s minds (Mark 7:22). When Paul says that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), the “love” refers to the thoughts, and the “money” refers to the content of the thoughts. Therefore, the “love of money” is a way of thinking about money that generates “all kinds of evil.”
He says that the love of money is “a root of all kinds of evil” (NIV), and not “the root of all evil” (KJV). Many kinds and instances of evil occur due to the love of money, but not every kind and every instance of evil come from it. This is significant. Since the Bible does not blame all evil on the love of money, it would distort our view of reality if we attempt to trace every instance of evil to it.
The passage also defines the love of money: “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:9-10). The “love of money” is equated with “eager for money,” and it is evident in those who “want to get rich.”
A lover of money is one who is eager for money, or one who wants to get rich. This is more than an acceptance of wealth, but it is a strong and enduring desire for it. The word translated “want” (Greek: boulomai) denotes a considered desire, and not an impulsive one: “This desire to be wealthy is not a passing emotional thing, but the result of a process of reasoning. Mature consideration has been given the matter of the acquisition of riches, with the result that that desire has become a settled and planned procedure.”[7] Many people, including some of those who claim to be Christians, regard the pursuit of wealth their highest goal. It is their conclusion that money is the most important thing. Then, they arrange their lives around this aim, and formulate strategies to obtain it. They are driven by the love of money.
Jesus contradicts this kind of thinking: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Then, he teaches that “anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God” (v. 21) is called a fool (v. 20). The one who concludes that money is the most important thing, and then structures his whole life around this principle, is a stupid person. People value wealth too much are unintelligent.
However, we must make a crucial distinction. The Bible never opposes wealth itself, and it never opposes legitimate practices and occupations that produce wealth. As Proverbs 10:4 says, “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.” In fact, God is one who gives his people “power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18, ESV). Paul writes that Christ suffered poverty so that we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9), and that God would supply our needs according to his glorious riches by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
Therefore, we denounce those who, in the process of refuting the so-called “prosperity gospel,” blaspheme the word of God by their unbelief and tradition. Their rejection of God’s promises is arguably more sinful and destructive than the love of money, because it entails a direct denial of Christ’s atonement – the context of 2 Corinthians 8:9 is financial wealth, not spiritual wealth, just as Matthew 8:17 refers to physical healing, not spiritual healing. The atonement must include health and wealth, or we would remain sick and poor even in heaven. To deny this is to renounce Christ and the Christian faith.
Although the Bible says, “Forget not all his benefits” – that he both forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases (Psalm 103:2-3), faithless theologians and preachers make it a matter of orthodoxy to reject some of his benefits. They preach a different gospel. They refuse his benefits, and refuse to allow others to reach for them. They persecute those who teach God’s people to have faith in his promises, and to depend on him for health and wealth. They spread unbelief and heresy, thinking that they are doing God a favor, but they have become the servants of demons.
Wealth is not the problem, but it is the mental factor – the love of money – that is reprehensible. As Proverbs 28:20 says, “A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.” Then, it is much worse to hate God’s promises and to persecute those who teach on them and reach for them.
Although some are not possessed by an ambitious pursuit of wealth, if they are anxious about material things, they are still guilty of the worship of money:
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:24-34)
Verse 24 does not make God and money mutually exclusive, but it makes service, love, and devotion toward God and money mutually exclusive. Although a person deals with both God and money in his life, he can serve, love, and devote himself to only one of the two, not both. Again, the issue is not whether he has money. It is possible for a rich man to love God and for a poor man to hate God.
Then, in verse 25, Jesus assigns service, love, and devotion to the intellectual realm: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” The end of the verse echoes what he says in Luke 12:15: “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Life is more than wealth and material possessions. The love or worship of money is a way of thinking that is inconsistent with this principle. One who appears innocent under Paul’s description of the love of money, but who still thinks of money as the deciding factor in life, is one who remains enslaved to it, and thus becomes as one who hates and despises God (v. 24).
Jesus stresses that service to God or money is defined by one’s thoughts: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?…And why do you worry about clothes?…So do not worry…Therefore do not worry.” (v. 27-28, 31, 34). In another place, he states, “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).
To worship God is to enthrone him in our thoughts: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14); “May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD” (Psalm 104:34). On the other hand, to devote our thoughts to money is to serve it as a deity, and to be overly concerned about material things is to be enslaved to it. This excludes the worship of God and amounts to a denial of his supremacy.
Paul says that the love of money produces disastrous results: “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Those who want to be rich fall into many “foolish” desires, so that no matter how successful they are in attaining wealth, they are unintelligent people. They “pierce themselves with many griefs,” and their desires “plunge men into ruin and destruction.”
As Lenski writes, “Men who are set on being rich snatch at the tempting bait, are caught in the snare, are held by the lusts. So shrewd they thought themselves, but see into what they have fallen! They may get rich, may boast of their wealth, their business acumen, their successful deals. But look at the most successful among them – their lusts are ‘reasonless,’ such as a reasonable man must shun!”[8] The word translated “foolish” means senseless, mindless, or unintelligent. After careful consideration, the lovers of money can do no better than to conclude that wealth is supreme. The Bible calls them stupid.
The most significant effect is that the love of money causes them to “wander from the faith.” As Luke 9:25 says, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” Destruction begins in the mind. When a man’s priority is to make money instead of to know God, he strays from the faith that he professes. He starts to slip away from Christ.
Worship does not first consist of our songs and postures, but of our thoughts regarding the things of God. It is easy to put on the proper expressions, but it requires a true transformation of personality to consistently think sincere and reverent thoughts toward God. As God says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Isaiah 29:13). The Bible makes no sharp distinction between the heart and the mind, but it distinguishes between the heart and the mouth. True worship is in the mind. Then, expressions of worship could proceed naturally from the mind, or could be performed in pretense and hypocrisy.
Therefore, a person who appears to worship God on the outside, but who is obsessed with money on the inside, is not a true worshiper of God. Unlike the hypocrites, “the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23). We cannot escape our minds. Our thoughts define us, and God knows our thoughts: “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar” (Psalm 139:2; also Hebrews 4:12); “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
No one who loves money is at the same time a faithful Christian. Just as James writes, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22), some who are eager for money also consider themselves superior believers, able to grasp a bigger vision for themselves and for the church. They deceive themselves, and it is possible that many of them are not believers at all. Jesus makes it clear that although God and money could coexist in one’s life, the worship of God and money are mutually exclusive, and worship first has to do with our thoughts, our obsessions.
Later in 1 Timothy 6, Paul continues, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
Since the world measures success in terms of wealth, it is easy for those who have money to become proud. The Bible warns about the temptation to take credit for financial prosperity: “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).
God is the one who grants the “power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18, KJV), and who “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). He gives us material things even “for our enjoyment,” and not only for charity and ministry. The Bible indeed teaches a gospel of prosperity – God has blessed his people with wealth throughout history, and Jesus purchased prosperity for us as he suffered poverty in our stead (2 Corinthians 8:9). There are those who reject this out of their unbelief, hypocrisy, and self-righteousness. They identify faith in God for prosperity with love for money, and condemn both of them. Their position opposes God’s attributes, God’s actions, God’s promises, and Christ’s atonement. They are the enemies of God’s people and the Christian faith.
The problem is not money, but an unwillingness to suffer hardship and persecution for the sake of Christ. The problem is not a prosperity message, but an ungodly desire for wealth. Nevertheless, unbelief is the greatest problem of all, because without faith, a person will get nowhere with God without faith. The high-minded phony that criticizes faith in God for prosperity is no better than the one who is obsessed with wealth, but the critic is the bigger hypocrite, because he uses the faults of others to camouflage his own unbelief and cynicism.
In any case, the rich should not think too highly of themselves, and they should not rest their hope in the wealth they possess, because material riches form an unreliable foundation for their present and future life. Money can offer some comforts for their earthly existence, but unless it is used to promote the gospel (Luke 16:9), its power cannot extend to the life to come: “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:7).
Wealth provides no guarantee even for the present life, as God says in one of the parables, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” (Luke 12:20). Anyone who loves and depends on money is a stupid person. The difference in intelligence between one who trusts in God and one who relies on wealth is like the difference in power between the Almighty God and feeble Mammon.
Timothy is to “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:18). As they obey this, they will gain peace and security that money cannot buy: “In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (v. 19). No matter how much a person covets and enjoys a life of wealth, it is not “truly life” until he takes hold of the life that comes only through Jesus Christ, who says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
In contrast to the love of money, the Christian mentality is one of godliness with contentment: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Timothy 6:6-8). To appreciate what he means by contentment, we need to examine the verses that lead up to this.
Verses 1-5 say, “If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.”
False doctrines are related to the misconception that “godliness is a means to financial gain.” All false ideas are traceable to false theology, because religious convictions constitute the presuppositions that govern all other beliefs. The false doctrines mentioned allow for the kind of thinking that fosters the love of money. To explain the transition from verses 1-5 to verses 6-8, we should consider the last phrase in verse 5.
These people who have been “robbed of the truth” think that “godliness is a means to financial gain.” The word “robbed” suggests that they once had the truth, but it has been taken away from them, so that they have become “men of corrupt mind.” The word “godliness” could confuse some readers, especially when the words “godliness” and “gain” are used with slightly different meanings in the next verse. In verse 5, Paul is not opposing the biblical teaching that God would bless those who believe and worship him, often with financial prosperity. Then, although there is an erroneous teaching that equates a person’s spirituality with his level of wealth, this verse also does not target this idea.
In addition to the immediate context (6:3), at the beginning of the letter, Paul also writes that he has left Timothy at Ephesus so that he would “command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer” (1:3). Thus 1 Timothy 6:5 is written as part of an attack against teachers of false doctrines. Paul clearly does not think that these people possess true godliness and that they at the same time consider such piety as a way to make money. J. B. Phillips conveys the correct sense of the verse, that these “men of warped minds…have lost their real hold on the truth but hope to make some profit out of the Christian religion.”[9]
The issue is not that these teachers have a false view of God’s blessings, but that they are not thinking about his blessings at all. Rather, they wish to profit from teaching their distorted version of the Christian faith. They wish to make a business out of religion. Titus 1:11 describes a similar problem: “They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach – and that for the sake of dishonest gain.”
Nevertheless, Paul explains that godliness is indeed “great gain” (v. 6) in a sense. Since true godliness is characterized by “contentment,” he is referring to something different from the false teachers. While they are motivated by “the love of money” (v. 10), Paul teaches a godliness that pursues “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (v. 11).
Earlier in the letter, he writes, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). It betrays a lack of foresight to pursue the things of this world instead of faith, holiness, and spiritual maturity. People are impressed with their own abilities to advance in their careers and to make profitable business investments, but they lack insight into what comes after death. They may ignore the issue, or believe all kinds of false ideas about it. But godliness holds promise for both the present life and the life to come.
As for contentment, Paul speaks to both the rich and the poor, and so it has little to do with the amount of a person’s wealth. It is an intellectual factor, and an attitude or mentality. It is a serious error to think that an attack on greed is an attack on wealth, and that to promote contentment is to promote poverty. Christians can be “rich in this present world” (v. 17) and live in godliness at the same time, that is, if they will take care to “put their hope in God…and to be generous and willing to share” (v. 17-18).
The word “contentment” (Greek: autarkeia) had been used to denote a prime virtue from the time of Socrates, and especially by Stoic and Cynic thought, referring to an inward self-sufficiency. “The demand is that man should be content with the goods allotted to him by fate or by God…who thus becomes an independent man sufficient to himself and in need of none else.”[10] Barclay writes, “This was one of the great watchwords of the Stoic philosophers. By it they meant a complete self-sufficiency. They meant a frame of mind which was completely independent of all outward things, and which carried the secret of happiness within itself.”[11]
This self-sufficiency is “a frame of mind,” and does not directly refer to the skills and knowledge needed for survival. It is more of an indifference to circumstances than the ability to provide for one’s own necessities. A Stoic “will not groan under torture; and in general he will suppress emotion as irrational.”[12]
There is a famous story about Epictetus, the slave. As his master was torturing his leg, he said with great composure, “You will certainly break my leg.” When the bone broke, he continued in the same tone of voice, “Did I not tell you that you would break it?” The good life, therefore, does not consist of externalities, but it is an inward state, a strength of will, and self-control.[13]
Paul uses the language of Stoicism, not to borrow from its system, but for the sake of communication. He takes advantage of its laden meaning so that he could be easily understood, just as other biblical texts employ terms from Greek philosophy and the Roman military.
Christian contentment indeed exhibits an indifference to circumstances and a suspicion of emotions, while it highly prizes rational thinking and inward satisfaction, but Stoic contentment is in fact an imitation of Christian contentment, and it cannot establish it upon a factual and rational foundation. Stoicism perceives a virtue that it cannot explain and that it cannot attain. But the Christian fulfills this virtue as he finds satisfaction in God through Jesus Christ.
The love of money is antithetical to the Christian faith, and religion should not be pursued for financial gain. Nevertheless, true godliness is indeed profitable, holding promise for this life and the life to come. As Jesus says, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29). True godliness, the kind that does not lust after money but that exhibits profound contentment, is more profitable than the love of money.
Christian contentment is not an elimination of all desire, but it is an intensification of one’s desire toward God to a point where all other things become insignificant. Psalm 42:1 says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” And Paul denounces his earthly credentials in order to pursue Christ: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8).
Physical things are not corrupt in themselves, but God’s creation can be enjoyed with thanksgiving. The body is not evil in itself, but it is the mind that sins through it. Likewise, material possessions are not evil, but it is the mind that produces sinful thoughts about them. As a state of mind, Christian contentment so finds its satisfaction in God that it naturally results in a relative indifference toward circumstances and material riches.
There is a confusion that identifies “self-denial” with asceticism. While Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24), the Christian faith is not an ascetic religion. Paul rejects the slogan, “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” (Colossians 2:21). He defines the contentment he has in mind, and the source of this virtue: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11-13).
The virtue of contentment consists in satisfaction “in any and every situation,” regardless of the circumstances. However, it is not Christian contentment unless it is established on Jesus Christ. As Paul says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Whereas Stoicism teaches the sufficiency of oneself, it is something that the person puts on, and it is not founded on reason and ability. On the other hand, Christian contentment is founded on divine revelation, and it comes from the sufficiency of God, as he infuses us with the power of Jesus Christ.
A Christian can be content in various circumstances because God has strengthened his soul. Thus contentment is never a sign of weakness or resignation, but one of spiritual strength and maturity. A lover of money lacks this inner power, and so he is feeble, immature, and ignorant. Contentment does not hinder success in one’s career or business – we must not assume that lust and dissatisfaction are the only effective motivations for prosperity. Christian contentment indeed eliminates profit as the main objective, and so it will not sacrifice God and family for the sake of success, but there are biblical precepts that provide ample reasons for diligence.
A believer is motivated by the virtues of piety. He desires to honor God in all things, to provide for his family, and to finance the gospel. He considers factors such as the omnipresence and omniscience of God, the present and future rewards, and the duty and delight of obedience. He labors in order to fellowship with God, and not to earn favor with men, so that he becomes a conscientious worker who strives for excellence even without supervision and the threat of punishment. Thus Christian contentment does not diminish the motivation to achieve; rather, it produces the ideal worker.
The Bible’s doctrine of contentment contradicts certain ministry theories and models. The power of “team work” has been heavily touted. The assertion is that an isolated believer is weak, always feeble and in danger, but he becomes valuable and protected when joined with other people who would be just as pathetic and powerless as individuals. The “lone ranger” mentality is condemned, and the numerous biblical examples to the contrary are dismissed as exceptions. Another expression of this occurs in Christian spirituality, where it would insist that every believer requires doctrinal balance and emotional support from others, or he would almost certainly fail. However, this view does not come from the Bible, but it resembles theories in popular psychology and business management. It distorts biblical teachings on Christian community and mutual edification to the point of committing blasphemy against the sufficiency of Christ.
The Bible indeed teaches mutual edification and team ministry, but it never represents these things as always necessary. God can so instruct and strengthen a Christian that he becomes sufficient as a believer and a minister. The verses that we have been considering indicate that it is our duty to attain this inward strength and stability. In fact, there is usually a practical need to limit team ministry. Since most people are incompetent and unspiritual, it is often more effective to appoint one able worker for a task or reduce the people involved (Judges 7:1-7). Most people are deficient, and many are reluctant to learn.
Biblical passages have been distorted in order to assert an unqualified necessity of corporate spirituality. For example, 1 Corinthians 12-14 teaches that Christians need one another and that one man cannot do it all. However, the passage refers only to the context of the church and public assembly. It never says that an individual will fail as a believer or in his own ministry if left by himself.
Although it is true that most Christians cannot stand as individuals, this false doctrine of the necessity of corporate spirituality does nothing to correct this, but it is in fact part of the problem. It legitimizes the weakness and encourages it to persist. Instead of introducing the strength of Christ as the solution, it deceives the people into thinking that the Bible teaches an unhealthy dependence on men. The truth is that God’s grace is sufficient to enable Christians to thrive as individuals, and then to multiply their effectiveness when they come together as powerful and independent believers. Their sufficiency is in Christ alone.
Paul writes, “What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church” (1 Corinthians 14:26). This is how God thinks of a church. It is foolish to deny the independence of each person, and it is hypocritical to urge the idea of a team, but reject the power that each member is supposed to bring.
The one who brings a revelation brings it by himself, and the one who brings a tongue brings it by himself. They do not need each other in order to bring the revelation or the tongue – their individuals ministries could operate in relative independence – but the one who has the revelation would also benefit from the one who has the tongue, and vice versa. It is never said that they would be useless by themselves, but that together they could make a more complete contribution to the church.
If the church does not even believe in the Spirit’s manifestations, so that no one could bring a revelation or a prophecy, there is really no team ministry – there is a team, but no ministry. In fact, when compared to the biblical description of church, a congregation who rejects the Spirit’s power probably should not be called a church in the first place – it is pretending to be a church. It is self-condemning to reply that the preaching of the word is what makes a church, because if the church preaches the word, it would preach on what the Bible says on healing, prophecy, and all kinds of miracles that the Spirit performs through his people; otherwise, it is a trap to ensnare people in unbelief, tradition, and hypocrisy. It is a house of death.
Therefore, to have a team does not always mean there is going to be any “team ministry” or “team work.” The same is true in business – there may be a team at the office, but very little work is done, because the people are incompetent as individuals, so that they drag down and leech on one another when they come together. For there to be team ministry, the members must be independently sufficient and strong, and they must operate in God’s various gifts, such as teaching, healing, prophecy, and so on.
Those who advocate team ministry and the impotence of the individual might use the verse, “If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:10). Good! I answer with Jude 24-25: “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” Of course the Christian needs help, but if these people assume that it must always come from men, then their doctrine is false, destructive, and blasphemous. It is better to perish as a faithful individual than to join a team of idolaters whose trust is in one another and not in God.
They often argue that Paul worked with a team, but they cover up passages where he stood steadfastly even when he was alone: “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:16-18). When pressure comes, men might abandon us, and those who stress the weakness of individuals will be the ones who flee first. Since they lack strength in themselves, they cannot stand with others in the face of danger. Even when all men abandoned Paul, the Lord remained with him. This lesson is infinitely more important than team ministry, and it is in fact the proper foundation for team ministry.
The argument that Jesus worked with a team is also deceptive, because the disciples often hindered him more than they helped him. Jesus was the one who helped them. They were a constant annoyance, slow to believe and slow to understand. The Lord was visibly irritated with them a number of times. He did not need them, but they needed him. Then some say that even Jesus asked the disciples to pray with him before his arrest. However, they did not help him – they fell asleep! Perhaps these people also fell asleep when they read the Bible, desperately searching for something to justify their theory, their weakness, and their unbelief.
Jesus demonstrated an inward strength and sufficiency: “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me” (John 16:32). If we have “received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father'” (Romans 8:15), then we can also say, “You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.” It is indeed biblical to serve God as a community, combining our spiritual gifts and resources. However, an incorrect or exaggerated emphasis on team ministry becomes a dangerous doctrine that attacks the sufficiency of God. Unbelief makes people dependent on men, and hypocrisy turns it into their creed.
Paul says, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11). It means “to be completely detached from circumstances.”[14] It is a manifestation of knowledge and maturity. It is a complete spiritual independence and sufficiency sustained by the power of God. He indicates that it is something that could be learned. A Christian who is independent and sufficient is not necessarily arrogant and obnoxious. He might be eager to cooperate with others to achieve common goals, but he does not need them to function as a person and as a disciple.
This inward sufficiency liberates the Christian from the love of money. As God remains in him by faith, he also remains in a state of satisfaction, and he no longer lusts for material riches. He exhibits a serenity and calmness unmatched by any non-Christian. Nevertheless, he continues to succeed in his career or business, because he also pursues the virtue of excellence and believes in God’s promises of prosperity.
[1] Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, Vol. 2; Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1981; p. 250.
[2] Gerhard Kittel, ed., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Vol. 3; Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999 (Original: 1965); p. 612.
[3] Ibid., p. 611.
[4] Gordon H. Clark, The Biblical Doctrine of Man; Jefferson, Maryland: The Trinity Foundation, 1984; p. 82.
[5] Ibid., p. 87-88.
[6] The Works of Jonathan Edwards; Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2000 (Original: 1834); p. 237.
[7] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies From the Greek New Testament, Vol. 2; Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999 (Original: 1952); p. 95.
[8] R. C. H. Lenski, Commentary on the New Testament: The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus, and to Philemon; Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2001 (Original: 1937); p. 707-708.
[9] J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English; New York: Touchstone, 1988 edition. Similarly, William Barclay: “They are characteristic of men who regard their religion as a profit-making concern”; The New Testament; Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999 edition.
[10] Kittel, Vol. 1; p. 464, 466.
[11] William Barclay, The Letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon; Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1975; p. 128.
[12] Gordon H. Clark, Ancient Philosophy; The Trinity Foundation, 1997; p. 307.
[13] Ibid., p. 308.
[14] Practical Word Studies in the New Testament, Vol. 1; Chattanooga, Tennessee: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1998; p. 401.