The Hidden Love of Money in Religious Hearts

When we think of those obsessed with wealth, we tend to picture billionaires on yachts, tech moguls funding joyrides to space, or celebrities flaunting excess on social media. To us, the love of money lives in the domain of the irreligious elite the obvious materialists. But Jesus saw something deeper, more deceptive, and far more common. He located the love of money not just in palaces but in pulpits not just in luxury but in legalism.

The Bible warns that the love of money isn’t a sin exclusive to the world’s wealthy; it’s a pervasive spiritual cancer that can eat away at even the most outwardly pious soul. It’s not just found in secular indulgence, but in the hearts of Pharisees, preachers, and miracle workers those who appear the most religious.

The Root of All Evils

Paul’s warning in 1 Timothy 6:10 is striking: “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” And this isn’t just about materialism. This love reveals where the soul finds its hope, security, and joy. If your heart is more satisfied in what money can do than in what God provides, then money has become your god.

Jesus himself declared, “You cannot serve God and money” (Luke 16:13). These two masters are incompatible, and yet many who claim to serve God actually live in devotion to the comforts and control that money offers.

Religious and Rich at Heart

Let’s look at four examples that expose the religious face of money-love:

1. Pharisees: Law-Keepers with Greedy Hearts

The Pharisees were revered as the ultimate rule-followers. But Jesus saw beyond the robes and rituals. In Luke 16:14, right after warning that you can’t serve both God and money, we read, “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.”

In Matthew 23, Jesus gets to the heart of their hypocrisy: “Inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence... full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (vv. 25–28). These men who projected outward righteousness were internally ruled by desires for power, money, and status. They were not squeaky-clean religious elites they were deeply corrupted by hidden idols.

2. The Rich Young Ruler: Moral Yet Miserable

In Mark 10, a young man with a moral résumé approaches Jesus. He’s kept the commandments. He’s done the right things. But when Jesus tells him to sell his possessions and follow Him, the man walks away sorrowful. Why? Because he had “great possessions” (v. 22).

His morality was a veneer for a heart owned by wealth. His love for money outweighed his desire for God. Jesus knew it. He gently touched the idol in this man’s life and the man chose the idol.

3. Judas: Miracle Worker and Thief

Judas walked with Jesus for three years. He preached the kingdom, healed the sick, and cast out demons (Mark 6:7, 13). He held the disciples’ moneybag (John 12:6). Outwardly, he was a trusted team member. Inwardly, he was a thief.

He didn’t betray Jesus out of mere disillusionment or confusion. He sold the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). The love of money fueled the greatest betrayal in history.

Even those who work miracles, who teach truth, who walk with the church can still be lovers of money.

4. Philippians 3: Religious Boasting and Earthly Minds

In Philippians 3, Paul warns of those who “walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly... with minds set on earthly things” (vv. 18–19). Scholars debate whether these are legalists or libertines. Paul says: yes. Both.

Whether flaunting freedom or flaunting righteousness, their hearts are the same they are driven by earthly desires. Greed wears both suits and sandals. It quotes Scripture and indulges in sin. Either way, it dethrones Christ and crowns appetite.

Paul’s Own Confession and Cure

If anyone had reason to boast in religious credentials, it was Paul: “as to righteousness under the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:6). And yet, Paul realized that underneath his self-righteous zeal lived a love of earthly gain. He had to learn contentment (Philippians 4:11). He had to be freed from the love of money and he tells us exactly how that happened.

In Philippians 3:7–8, Paul writes “Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

This is the secret. What breaks the love of money is not guilt. It’s not austerity. It’s not even religious performance. It’s a greater affection a better treasure. When Christ becomes supremely valuable, everything else looks like rubbish in comparison.

Learning Contentment in Christ

Contentment isn’t something we’re born with. Paul had to learn it. He says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content... I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (Philippians 4:11–12). That secret wasn’t willpower it was a Person. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (v. 13).

If you're still striving for peace through possessions, or chasing worth through wealth, the antidote isn’t found in poverty it’s found in knowing the surpassing worth of Christ. He alone satisfies. He alone is secure. He alone is treasure.

Where Is Your Treasure?

The love of money doesn't always look like luxury. It often looks like religious pride, respectable greed, quiet covetousness, or disguised discontent. It slips into the hearts of the moral, the disciplined, even the miracle-working.

Jesus calls us not just to generosity but to a deeper repentance, one that exposes our false securities and redirects our desires. He calls us to treasure Him above all else.

If you feel its grip, there is hope. Paul was once enslaved by status and religious gain but he was freed by the glory of Christ. And you can be too.

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