Ryan Daniel Moran (Capitalism.com) reinterprets the common reading of 'for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil' from 1 Timothy. He notes Paul uses the rare Greek word philagoria (philargyria) and argues it better denotes an insatiable appetite or perception of lack. Moran claims acting from lack—wanting more from a place of scarcity—causes unethical behavior, while operating from abundance and service produces long-term success; money is a byproduct of service.
The phrase for the love of money is the root of all evil is probably the most controversial line from Scripture. This phrase that comes from the book of second Timothy is a letter from Paul to a church explaining to people how to live their lives and how to take care of one another. And in it he just throws in this sentence of for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And we throw this phrase around to each other and sometimes use it to carry a lot of guilt moving forward. But this phrase, this verse, doesn't mean what most people think that it means. Now if we look at the context of this passage, what Paul is telling the church is the importance of taking care of one another, the importance of not leaving people like widows and children out in the cold, of not letting each other go hungry. He's encouraging the importance of us being there for one another and ensuring that those who are in our inner circle are taken care of. And then he says, for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And we just pop out that phrase and use it as a way to feel guilty about wanting more out of life. But if we actually look at this phrase, Paul uses a really unique word. The phrase for the love of money, when translated from its original Greek, is the word philagoria. And the interesting thing about this word is that it's the only time it's ever used in scripture. Usually we can cross reference what phrases or words mean, especially since Paul wrote so much of the New Testament. We can find where else he used that word. But he only uses filagorea one time, and it's in this phrase. Now if we look at that original word of filagria, we kind of carelessly translate it as the love of money. We kind of assume that the English translation is accurate, but since it's the only time that word is used, translating it into common words like love and money aren't quite accurate. What that word, filagorea more closely translates to is something like the word arvaris in English. This insatiable appetite, it's this never ending need to get more.
And that is the root of all kinds of evil. If you think about your life and you think about the times when you've acted out of character or the times that you have done something that you regretted, it was never because you were in a really, really good place. It was never because you were feeling content or full of gratitude or appreciating everything around you. It was because you were perceiving your own state of life. As not having enough or not being complete. That's arvories, that's flagria. It's operating out of this state of lack. And we can operate from a state of lack in any situation. We can be business leaders and operate from a state of lack. We could be parents and operate from a state of lack. We can be students and operate from a place of lack. And when you're operating from that place, how do you show up? You're usually trying to get something from other people. You project your sense of lack onto the world and you cry its injustices. And then you try to take from other people that determines how you treat people and how you show up to that negotiation, to that business meeting, to that interaction with your parents or with your children or with those that you love. If you believe in God's provision, if you believe in God's abundance, then showing up with that state of lack is in direct conflict with the belief that God provides. You're rejecting that idea by showing up with Arvaris, with Phyllagh. So what Paul is saying is that the sense of lack, the perception of lack, is the root of all kinds of evil. And he goes on to talk about contentment and being generous and giving to others. Now the irony of this is that those of us in the west often translate this and use it as a way to feel guilty about success, guilty about creating wealth, guilty about success in business. But if you look at the most successful people in business, most successful people in the world, they created something from a place of abundance, from a place of service. The way to get rich, the way to make money, the way to build wealth, is to constantly be in a place of service. Money is the byproduct of being in a place of service. Are there people who lie and cheat their way to success? Sometimes in the short run, but those who win in the long term are showing up from that state of abundance. They're showing up with the intent of giving first. And we've all had those interactions with people who show up with some sort of a veiled intent. And none of us like interacting with or doing business with those people. They're showing up with arvaries, with folgeria. And it's that that is the root of all kinds of evil. So instead of interpreting this as a reason to feel guilty or as a reason to avoid success, it's instead a reminder that there's abundance. It's a reminder that the perception of lack is what kills success, is what kills contentment, is what kills happiness. And the opposite of that. Showing up in a state of service, of gratitude, of appreciation, is the root of all kinds of goodness and all kinds of abundance. And the byproduct of that just happens to be success and growth. So if you're a growth minded person, if you're an entrepreneur, if you're a business leader, this passage is simply a reminder to be grateful, to be appreciative, and to give from a place of service, because that's where abundance comes from.
