Godliness isn’t a means of gain because godliness with contentment is great gain. How do know when we are becoming more godly? I think we will know we are becoming more godly when we become more like Jesus. And becoming more like Jesus means that we become more cheerful, more willing, more generous and more sacrificial with our time , talent and treasure.
Look at 1 Timothy 6:3 – 10…
3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Becoming more like Jesus means that we become more cheerful, more willing, more generous and more sacrificial with our time, talent and treasure.
As we’ve looked at this passage over the last few weeks we’ve learned that: 1: The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (v9-10); 2: A person who loves God with their money is content with the basic necessities (v8) and a person who loves God with their money is content with not pursuing material gain (v7).
This week we’re going to highlight verse 6, which says, “godliness with contentment is great gain.” This phrase comes right after the Apostle Paul explains that some people think godliness is a means of gain.
There were false teachers in Timothy’s church that were teaching false doctrine as a means to get rich. They thought Christianity was a cash cow. They tickled people’s ears with their false doctrine and then lined their pockets with cash.
But Paul warns Timothy that Christianity isn’t a give-get scheme. Christianity is all about finding our contentment in becoming more like Jesus.
We often feel discontent with what we already have. We live our lives under the rule of the almighty dollar instead of living under the rule of our Heavenly Father. And in our pursuit of earning more money we think we’ll find contentment in a bigger bank account balance or more possessions.
But the truth is, there’s no peace to be found in accumulating more wealth or possessions. Peace can only be found in the generous presence of Jesus. And the only thing worth pursuing in this life is becoming more like Jesus who poured out his life generously and sacrificially and cheerfully so that we could become part of the family of God.
So godliness isn’t a means of gain because godliness with contentment is great gain. Therefore we will know we are becoming more godly when we become more like Jesus. And becoming more like Jesus means that we become more cheerful, more willing, more generous and more sacrificial with our time, talent and treasure.