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1 Timothy 6:6
Contentment and Godliness
1 Timothy 6:6
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
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Why it is worth knowing
- Contentment is paired with godliness, not mere resignation but holy satisfaction
- “Great gain” redefines wealth: not money but a well-ordered soul
- The surrounding context contrasts this with the love of money
- Contentment is not achieved by getting more but by valuing what is truly valuable
Where it sits: 1 Timothy 6:6-10
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we certainly can’t carry anything out. But having food and clothing, we will be content with that. But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation, a snare, and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Hear the passage it sits in, sung word for word, on BibleDo's 1 Timothy page.
Background
Paul is responding to false teachers who used religion as a means of financial gain (verse 5). He counters by redefining gain itself: the real wealth is godliness combined with contentment. The Greek word for “contentment” (autarkeia) was used by Stoic philosophers to describe self-sufficiency: independence from external circumstances. Paul takes the concept and grounds it not in the self but in God: contentment from knowing God is with me is more stable than contentment from circumstances. This verse has guided Christians across centuries who faced poverty, persecution, and deprivation.