1 Timothy 6:10 “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.”
Very little in life seems to have invoked more controversy than the pursuit of money. The promissory note that indicates a value for goods and services has been the ambition of many lost pursuits. For those who have little, the ideal of having more falsely promises greater happiness. For those who have much and have placed their trust in it, the rotting hoard becomes more evident by the endless greed.
It’s no wonder the warning was given so long ago, the love of money becomes a root of all sorts of evil. Theft, extortion, bribery to name a few, it has divided households and subjugated people into slavery for thousands of years. The love of money is a root of all sorts of evil but it isn’t the only root that supplies the corruption of evil.
Matthew 3:7-10 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were a pious group of men who exemplified self-righteousness. The scathing rebuke of Christ was not left in question, their failure was amplified by their conduct. Jesus alluded to the fact of how the ugliness of their pride was a product of their hearts, epitomized by a bad tree with bad roots.
If we are wise we would do well to not only consider what is worthy but also what God deems as unworthy. The love of money is left with great judgment and the Pharisees demonstrated how their poor character didn’t leave such a pursuit out of their plans.
If the love of money is one root of evil, what else should we be warned of before we fall into another trap?
Root of False Knowledge
Among the myriad of bad ambitions, false knowledge would fall right along side the insidious roots of destruction.
1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.”
Many who think they have become wise have been made foolish, simply because they sought after that which did not profit them. There is so much deception in the world and false religions are found on every corner, for those who have been deceived the path of destruction is obscured by a passion to affirm bad teaching.
Romans 1:21-23 “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”
False religion is idolatry disguised as truth. Founded by men, most bad religions exalt mankind, giving people the reigns for directing their future and allowing a community of false believers or ritual practice to make people think it must be the right way. It has roots in deceptive knowledge and idolatry, if allowed to grow deeper, the uprooting of a bad tree would cause much grief and turmoil.
1 Corinthians 1:20-21 “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”
Believers in Christ must be able to speak the Truth in love. Not attacking those deceived but demonstrating the perfect Word through their testimony and example.
How can they know unless God’s people tell them?
Roots of Bitterness
At the heart of bitterness lies the evil roots of hatred and unforgiveness.
Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
Driving many toward destruction, bitterness is formed when unforgiveness reigns. Some would say they have been treated unjustly. Others might have an example of another who has done them wrong, treated them with contempt, or harmed them by harming someone they loved. The myriad of ways people form bitterness is as vast as the multitude of sins that exist within the world. If we allow bitterness to grow, the root of evil that it produces will do more harm than we could ever know.
Formed as a pocket of disdain, bitterness desires evil upon their enemy. Hatred grows, despising the one it is directed towards and with each passing day it grows darker and darker. It is rooted in pride, it grows in self-righteousness, and is founded in a murderous heart of unrepentance. By not forgiving, the Lord makes clear the repercussions of such a decision.
Matthew 18:33-35 “And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Giving the Lord your bitterness is to lay your vengeance at the foot of the Cross, declaring to God that your pain and self-justified anger is for the Lord to conclude. You choose Christ and by laying down your life for Him, you give Him everything…including your hurts.
Roots of Unbelief
Unbelief has traditionally been relegated to the unbeliever. Most Christians would never associate themselves as such, but Paul does not address the unbeliever but rather the brethren.
Hebrews 3:12 “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”
The pattern of unbelief can be demonstrated silently. As the children of Israel were following after God in the desert, a hardening of the heart began to occur. It’s one thing to be a follower when things are going well, it’s another when you’re thirsty, hungry, and unsure of your future.
Hebrews 3:13 “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
Sin is always the framework of bad roots, deceiving the victim into thinking they are justified by their actions.
Roots of Self-Confidence
For those of the world, being critical of self-confidence would be like attacking their core doctrine of inclusiveness. American culture has spiraled into a cornucopia of affirmation, whatever someone embraces, so everyone should affirm. Post-modernist thinking contributes toward a blurring of Truth, by making everything true, so then everything becomes good and right.
Mark 4:16-17 “And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.”
By having no foundation of Truth, people have no root by which they might grow unto righteousness, godliness, or knowledge of God. Since Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the world’s belief system has been made false—that is not an easy pill to swallow. The gospel makes sense to them, and the joy of knowing that grace has been offered is choked out when the necessity of complete surrender is applied.
Tribulation requires complete trust, and trust is not easily walked out.
The Root that Perishes
Of all the roots that seek nourishment apart from God, none are more troubling than the apathetic soul.
Job 8:11-13 “Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh?
Can reeds flourish where there is no water?
While yet in flower and not cut down,
they wither before any other plant.
Such are the paths of all who forget God;
the hope of the godless shall perish.”
Of all the people I’ve met, the most difficult to share the gospel with are those who just don’t care. If you ask them whether they care where they go after they die, they will tell you it doesn’t matter. The atheist or agnostic claims that life just ceases, there is no consequence for evil and there is no reward for goodness…it is all just meaningless.
What a sad state the hopeless individual has become, it requires careful skill in helping them see value in life. Love cuts through the haze of indifference, and at times love opens these sad individuals toward the prospect of a prayer. The faithful ambassador of Christ may not change their direction in one interaction, but they may open their eyes to the prospect of hope.
Let each day become an opportunity to reevaluate which roots are growing in your life, cut out the bad ones, let the Spirit of God nourish the good ones, and grow into the tree God ordained for you to become.
U.T. 