"As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life" (1 Timothy 6:17–19, ESV).
After the famous warning of 6:10, Paul turns to Timothy with a direct charge for those who have money.
The tone shifts from warning to commission.
Apply this study Move from cautionary reading to active stewardship.
Use our Net Worth Calculator , Budget Calculator , and Tithe Calculator to translate Paul's charge into a working life.
The Greek vocabulary "The rich" is tois plousiois — those with surplus beyond daily need.
Paul does not flinch at the category; the church at Ephesus has wealthy members and they are not asked to liquidate. "In this present age" — en tō nyn aiōni — places the wealth in eschatological context.
It is real, but temporary. "Haughty" is hypsēlophroneō — to think highly of oneself, literally "high-minded." Wealth's first temptation is not consumption but pride. "Uncertainty" is adēlotēs — that which is not visible, not stable, not reliable.
Paul does not say riches are evil; he says they are unreliable .
Trusting them is a category error, like trusting a cloud. "Richly provides" is parechonti plousiōs — God himself is the abundant provider.
The wordplay with plousiois ("the rich") is deliberate: the rich are urged to recognize that God is richer, and the source of every benefit. "Generous" is eumetadotos ("ready to give") and "ready to share" is koinōnikos ("communal, fellowshipping").
The two words pair an active willingness with a structural belonging — the wealthy Christian is integrated into the body, not detached from it. "Storing up" is apothēsaurizontas — laying up treasure.
Paul reverses Jesus' warning of Matthew 6:19–20: the right kind of treasure-storing is precisely what generosity accomplishes. "Foundation" is themelion — building-language. "Truly life" is tēs ontōs zōēs — life that is actually life, in contrast to the simulacrum that money offers.
The Ephesian context Paul writes to Timothy, his apprentice now leading the Ephesian church.
Ephesus was the fourth-largest city of the Roman empire, a banking center, a temple-tourism hub for Artemis, and a port of immense commercial traffic.
Wealthy converts had every reason to slip into pride, hoarding, or syncretism.
The earlier verses of chapter 6 warn against the love of money (6:9–10) — these later verses charge those who already have it.
Paul's structure is striking.
He does not tell the rich to become poor.
He tells them to be rich differently — rich in good works, rich in generosity, rich in shared life.
Wealth is not removed; it is redirected.
Four commands for the wealthy Christian The passage condenses to four imperatives: Do not be haughty ( hypsēlophroneō ).
Pride is wealth's natural fruit.
Counter it by practicing visible humility — eating with the poor, learning from believers without resources, refusing the seat of honor.
Do not set hope on riches ( ēlpikenai ).
Hope is the orientation of the soul toward what one expects to deliver.
Money cannot deliver.
Run the question: what would collapse in me if my net worth fell to zero? Do good and be rich in good works ( plouteō en ergois kalois ).
Direct the surplus to action — funding ministries, employing the unemployed, building structures of mercy.
Wealth that does not work is unfaithful wealth.
Be generous and ready to share.
Decide in advance how much will be given, and structure life so it can be given.
Generosity that depends on momentary feeling rarely materializes.
The eschatological reversal Verse 19 is the hinge: by giving in this age, the rich are "storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future." Paul is not promising more material wealth.
He is promising eschatological reward, the same treasure Jesus described in Matthew 6:19–20.
Generosity is the only known mechanism for converting earth-currency into heaven-currency.
Paul calls the result "that which is truly life" — implying that the life money buys here is, by comparison, not really life at all.
What this passage does not teach It does not require divestment.
The wealthy are charged to remain wealthy in a particular way, not to liquidate.
It does not bless every form of giving.
Generosity is paired with good works — directed, productive, kingdom-building.
Random or self-promoting giving does not fulfill the charge.
It does not promise return on giving.
The reward is eschatological, not immediate.
Modern prosperity readings invert the passage entirely.
Application: a framework for the wealthy disciple Practically, the passage suggests a four-line balance sheet alongside the financial one: humility practiced, hope re-anchored, good works funded, generosity structured.
A wealthy Christian who can name how each is being lived is fulfilling 1 Timothy 6:17–19.
One who cannot is being warned by it.
For continued study, see our exegesis of 1 Timothy 6:10 , our Matthew 6:19-21 study , our walkthrough of Luke 12:15 , our 2 Corinthians 9:7 study , and our Acts 20:35 walkthrough .
Translate the charge into structure with our Budget Calculator , Net Worth Calculator , and Tithe Calculator .
All Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.