But godliness with contentment is great gain.
εστιν δε πορισμος μεγας η ευσεβεια μετα αυταρκειας
13 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Having said that they suppose piety to be gain, he added, “Great gain is piety with contentment.” This does not mean when one has money, but when one does not have it. So that Timothy would not fall into despondency because of poverty, he encourages and consoles him. They think, he says, that piety is gain. Certainly it is, but not to the degree they think. It is much greater. That is, after first rejecting the former thought, he then extols the latter.
Those contentious men, he says, do not count it gain to be pious. Yet there is gain in piety, only not such as they suppose, but far higher. In it there is gain not when one possesses, but when one does not possess, for it teaches contentment. And contentment is great and secure wealth. Therefore let the pious not grow despondent as though they had nothing.
Blessed is he who has all that he desires, and desires nothing improper. Yet when people have obtained this good for themselves and for those whom they love, can we say that they have already attained blessedness?
They possess something that it is not forbidden to desire. But if they do not have something greater, better, and more filled with benefit or honor for them, they are still far from the blessed life.
Certainly, if by means of what they have they care for those who depend on them, not for the sake of what they possess, but for another purpose, namely to do good, then it is proper to desire this. But if it is for empty vainglory, proud splendor, excess, or harmful vanity, it is not proper.
I have warned the rich. Listen, you poor. Spend also, and do not acquire. Distribute what you have, and restrain the movements of greed. Listen, you poor, to the same Apostle: this is great gain. Gain is the acquisition of profit. The Apostle says, "Great gain is piety with contentment."
You have the world in common with the rich. You do not have a house in common with the rich, but you have a common heaven and a common light. Seek contentment, that which is sufficient, and no more. The rest burdens rather than relieves. It weighs down rather than glorifies.
But our gain is not fleeting, nor does it provoke an insatiable greed for profit. Our gain is the truth, which will be sufficient for our hidden life.
I address my word to my children, not to greedy merchants seized by thirst for profit. The discussion concerns those duties that I wish to impress as firmly as possible on you, whom I have chosen for the Lord's service.
Let these duties be sealed in your minds and conduct through constant exercise in them. Let them be revealed in speech and instruction. Therefore, intending to speak about what is profitable, I shall use the words of the Prophet: "Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness" (Ps 118:36).
I do this so that the word "profit" may not excite a passion for money. In other manuscripts it says, "Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to profit," that is, to that profit which seeks commercial gain, and which in human practice is directed toward the desire for money.
Usually only what brings gain is called profitable. But we speak of that profit which is found through losses, in order to gain Christ, in Whom piety and contentment are contained; cf. 1 Tim 6:6.
Certainly, that gain is great by which we acquire piety. It is rich before God, rich not with corruptible wealth, but with eternal gifts, in which there are no dangerous temptations, but constant and eternal grace.
“Now piety with contentment is great gain,” because it grants us eternal life. In the present life one must flee covetousness and love contentment with little. Then he confirms the counsel from nature itself.
Those men think of piety precisely as has been said. But piety truly is a great gain, because it grants eternal and inalienable wealth. Since those who labor in piety have need of necessities, the Apostle added, “with contentment.” This means providing oneself with what is needed to satisfy the body’s necessary needs.
Whoever has known that the human race is in the fall, and that the earth is the place of our exile, our prison, has surely known something else as well. After remaining here for a short time, we depart to receive either eternal blessedness or eternal punishment.
He has known that the one treasure of man on earth is Christ, the Savior of the lost. Therefore man's only and priceless acquisition on earth is the knowledge of Christ and assimilation to Christ.
Will one who wishes to acquire this treasure desire temporal possessions and enjoyments? On the contrary, he will flee them, fearing that they may distract him. He will be content not only with what is necessary, but also with scarcity. And the contented man is richer than the rich.
“Piety with contentment is great gain.” Practical wisdom also recognizes that only the one content with what he has is truly happy. Yet it does not show a man how to attain such contentment. Only Divine wisdom reveals to us that piety is necessary for man’s happiness, because it alone teaches him to be content.
On the contrary, the basic Christian rule for earthly well-being is to be content with little, or even only with what is necessary: “having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” For the root of all evils is the love of money.
Contentment with food and clothing is the measure of outward contentment, according to the Apostle's teaching. He grounds this measure in the fact that we come into the world without even these things, and can take nothing with us into the future life.
But the chief point is that outward contentment should correspond to piety, that is, to Christian teaching on this matter. Having spoken of the poor slaves, and then of those who strive to increase their means through false teaching, the Apostle establishes a common norm of outward contentment for all.
He limits it to the most necessary things: clothing and daily food. At the same time he cries out with fervor that the man has attained much who has acquired this view of outward goods and their use.
"Acquisition means nothing," teaches St. John Chrysostom. "It remains here and does not pass into the other world. We came into this world having nothing, and we shall leave it also having nothing. Therefore we need nothing superfluous. We must eat what is needed for nourishment, and in the measure needed for satisfaction. We must clothe ourselves with what can protect us from bad weather and cover nakedness. Simple clothing can do this. There must be nothing excessive."
"Moreover," Bishop Theophan adds, "the word clothing may include not only garments, but also shelter. The Apostle's thought is this: in satisfying necessary bodily needs, limit oneself to what is most necessary, so that care for it does not torment the head and heart."
"In vain do mortal men try to acquire possessions and strive to be rich!" cried one of the ancient interpreters, Ambrosiaster. "What purpose does human greed serve? Why fasten the burden of cares upon oneself and seek the gathering of riches? A man will go out as he came, as Job also writes: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I depart. Blessed be the name of the Lord' (Job 1:21). If misers did not keep what they have gathered for themselves alone, to their own destruction, then even a few of them could bring benefit to many, with benefit also for themselves."
Nevertheless, the Apostle does not deny that piety can bring a certain benefit. It brings benefit precisely by making a man content with his state. The Apostle praises this contentment and condemns the striving for enrichment.
Gain is again πορισμός: acquisition, possession of what is needed, and having it. Piety is true faith, with the disposition of the heart in the spirit of faith and a life corresponding to it.
Such piety, he says, is already in itself the acquisition of what is needed. Or it brings with itself possession of what is needed, not because it gives wealth, but because it disposes a man so that he feels completely satisfied regarding bodily needs, content with what he has.
Since piety disposes him to be content with what he has, by this very thing it extinguishes every impulse toward acquisition. The pious man is rich because he is content with everything and feels no lack in anything. Conversely, a rich man should be considered poor when he feels that much is still lacking to him.
The words "piety with contentment" do not mean piety with the possession of a sufficient quantity of necessities, although this meaning may also be allowed. Rather, they mean piety with the feeling of contentment, when piety so fills a man's heart that, according to its spirit, he feels content.
"Those men, the teachers of another doctrine and disputants, wrongly suppose that piety is gain" (Blessed Theophylact), "because they hypocritically clothe themselves in the garment of piety, so as to have in it a means for acquisition" (Oecumenius).
"There is gain in piety, but not as they suppose. It is far higher. In it there is gain not when one has possessions, but when one has none, for it teaches contentment. Contentment is great and lasting wealth" (Blessed Theophylact).
"Piety, then, is in itself a true acquisition, because it is content with what exists and does not seek excess. Or one may understand it this way: piety is gain because with it men do not seek abundance, but are satisfied with having enough of what is necessary" (Oecumenius).
Thus the spirit of piety, by making a man content and therefore rich, extinguishes the thirst for acquisitions. Yet natural reasoning can lead everyone to the same point. What sense is there in spending care and labor on this, when you will take nothing away from here with you?
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 8 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS