The common misquote drops two words. The actual text:
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10)
Two corrections in one verse. First: the object of moral concern is the love, not the money. Second: it is “a root of all kinds of evil,” not “the root of all evil” — meaning many evils trace back to it, not that every evil does. The misquote turns a tool into a sin and overstates the claim.
“Money is inanimate and morally neutral. But when money begins to control us, that’s when trouble starts. As the age-old adage goes, it’s okay to have money — just don’t let money have you.” (Dizzy Disciple, [13:04])
What Jesus actually condemns
Jesus does not condemn money. He condemns money’s elevation to master.
“No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
The rich young ruler (Mark 10) is the test case. He had kept the commandments his whole life. Jesus told him to sell everything not because his wealth was sinful but because his wealth had become his god. The same wealth in different hands could fund an orphanage, dig a well, or sustain a missionary family. Randy Alcorn, cited in the source: “Take this thing that is commonly used for evil and use it for good. Use it wisely and use it well. Use it for eternal purposes.”
The misquote’s pastoral damage
Reading 1 Timothy 6:10 without the qualifier produces two opposite errors:
- It villainizes anyone with means. Generosity gets framed as suspicion-management rather than stewardship.
- It spiritualizes poverty as virtue. But 1 Timothy 5:8 — “if anyone does not provide for his relatives… he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” — assumes provision is a Christian obligation, which requires resources.
The pastoral correction is to recover the missing words. The problem is never the tool. The problem is what the heart will not release.