1 Timothy 6:6
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
Paul has just warned against those who treat religion as a path to financial profit, and he corrects them by redefining where true gain is found.
What Does 1 Timothy 6:6 Mean?
Paul redefines profit: real wealth is godliness joined to contentment, a combination that yields far more than money ever could.
He is answering people who imagined that religion was a means to financial gain. Paul agrees that there is great gain in godliness -- but only when it is paired with contentment, a settled satisfaction that does not depend on having more. Godliness without contentment can still chase riches; contentment without godliness can drift into mere indifference. Together they produce something Paul calls "great gain." The word for contentment carries the sense of self-sufficiency, being adequately supplied from within rather than always reaching for the next acquisition. This is not passivity but freedom -- the person who is content is no longer ruled by craving and is free to enjoy what God provides and to give generously. In a culture that measures success by accumulation, this short verse quietly overturns the scale. The one who walks faithfully with God and is at peace with what he has possesses a treasure the wealthy often miss. True riches, Paul says, are measured not by what you hold but by how little you need to be at rest.
In the Original Language
"Contentment" is autarkeia, sufficiency or satisfaction, and "gain" is porismos, a means of profit or acquisition.
Cross References
“for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”
- Philippians 4:11
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have.”
- Hebrews 13:5
“Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.”
- Proverbs 15:16
Application
Measure your wealth not by what you accumulate but by your peace with what God has already given.