The Love of Money Is the Root of All Evils
St. Polycarp emphasizes the dangers of the love of money and encourages believers to live a life of righteousness, prioritizing their relationship with God and their roles in family and community.
St. Polycarp of Smyrna emphasizes the dangers of the love of money as the root of all evils, urging believers to focus on righteousness and the commandments of the Lord. He instructs wives to walk in faith, love, and purity, cherishing their husbands and showing love and chastity to all. Additionally, he advises the teaching of children in the ways of God and encourages widows to be discreet, prayerful, and to avoid all forms of evil, knowing that God sees all things, even the secrets of the heart.
Text
"But the love of money is the root of all evils." Knowing, therefore, that "as we brought nothing into the world, so we can carry nothing out," let us arm ourselves with the armour of righteousness; and let us teach, first of all, ourselves to walk in the commandments of the Lord. Next, [teach] your wives [to walk] in the faith given to them, and in love and purity tenderly loving their own husbands in all truth,
and loving all [others] equally in all chastity; and to train up their children in the knowledge and fear of God.
Teach the widows to be discreet as respects the faith of the Lord, praying continually for all, being far from all slandering, evil-speaking, false-witnessing, love of money, and every kind of evil; knowing that they are the altar s of God, that He clearly perceives all things, and that nothing is hid from Him, neither reasonings, nor reflections, nor any one of the secret things of the heart.
Sermon Outline
- The Dangers of the Love of Money
- Living a Life of Righteousness
- The Importance of Family and Community
- Teaching Wives to Walk in Faith and Love
- Training Children in the Knowledge and Fear of God
- Guiding Widows in Discretion and Prayer
- Avoiding Evil and Loving God
Key Quotes
“But the love of money is the root of all evils.” — St. Polycarp of Smyrna
“Knowing, therefore, that 'as we brought nothing into the world, so we can carry nothing out,'” — St. Polycarp of Smyrna
Application Points
- We should prioritize our relationship with God above all else, recognizing the dangers of the love of money.
- We should teach our children to fear God by modeling a life of obedience to His commandments.
- We should guide widows in discretion and prayer, encouraging them to avoid evil and love of money.