SEV Biblia, Chapter 6:6
¶ Pero gran ganancia es la piedad con contentamiento.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Timothy 6:6
Verse 6. But godliness with contentment is great gain.] The word godliness, eusebeia, here, and in several other places of this epistle, signifies the true religion, Christianity; and the word contentment, autarkeia, signifies a competency, a sufficiency; that measure or portion of secular things which is necessary for the support of life, while the great work of regeneration is carrying on in the soul. Not what this or the other person may deem a competency, but what is necessary for the mere purposes of life in reference to another world; food, raiment, and lodging. See ver. 7. So, if a man have the life of God in his soul, and just a sufficiency of food and raiment to preserve and not burden life, he has what God calls great gain, an abundant portion. It requires but little of this world's goods to satisfy a man who feels himself to be a citizen of another country, and knows that this is not his rest.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 6. But godliness with contentment is great gain .] By godliness is not meant any particular grace, but all the graces of the Spirit of God; as faith, hope, love, fear, etc. the whole of internal religion, as it shows itself in outward worship, and in all acts of holiness of life and conversation; and which the doctrine that is according to godliness teaches and engages to; and this is gain, very great gain indeed. A man possessed of true godliness is a gaining, thriving, man: such as are godly, or truly gracious, they are come into good and happy circumstances, and are possessor of the true, solid, satisfying, durable, and unsearchable riches of grace; all their debts are paid, they are richly clothed, and deliciously fed, and are in a good family, even the household of God, who before were in debt, arrayed in rags, were in a starving condition, and strangers and foreigners; yea, they are heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ, and have both a right and a meetness for the heavenly inheritance; they are now made kings and priests to God, and, in the present state of things, have God to be their portion, and exceeding great reward; they have an interest in Christ, and in all spiritual blessings in him, and have the Spirit as the earnest of their future inheritance; they are rich in faith, and in good works; their souls, which were lost, are gained, and shall be saved with an everlasting salvation; and ere long they will be possessed of all the riches of glory, signified by a house not made with hands, a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God, an incorruptible inheritance, and a kingdom and glory: how great is the gain of godliness! And what adds to this gain, and now goes along with it, is contentment; for this is not to be considered as the condition of godliness being great gain, as if it was not so without it; but as the effect of godliness, what that produces, and as a part of its gain. The word here used signifies sufficiency; and so it is rendered in the Vulgate Latin version: it designs a competency of the good things of this life; and what that is, is expressed in 1 Timothy 6:8 and such God gives to them that fear him, his godly ones, who shall lack no good thing convenient for them; for godliness has the promise of this life, as well as of that which is to come; and God does give to such all things pertaining to life and godliness, even all things richly to enjoy. The word indeed properly signifies self-sufficiency, which in its strict sense, only belongs to God, who is El-Shaddai, God all-sufficient and self-sufficient; but here it intends such a sufficiency as a man himself judges to be so; for this phrase does not so much design the thing itself, which is a sufficiency, as the opinion, the sense which the godly man has of it, who himself judges it, as Jacob did, to be enough; and such a man is content with what he has, and thankful for it, submits quietly to the will of God, and patiently bears every adverse providence: and this is now the fruit and effect of godliness, or true grace, and is a considerable part of that gain which godliness brings with it; and such a man is a happy man indeed, let his circumstances be what they will. The Jews have a saying f85 , that he is a rich man whose spirit rests in, or is contented with his riches; that is, as the gloss explains it. who rejoices in his portion, be it little or much: thus, though godliness is not gain, nor gain godliness, in the sense of the false teachers, yet is it true gain in a spiritual sense.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 6-10 - Those that make a trade of Christianity to serve their turn for thi world, will be disappointed; but those who mind it as their calling will find it has the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come. He that is godly, is sure to be happy in anothe world; and if contented with his condition in this world, he ha enough; and all truly godly people are content. When brought into the greatest straits, we cannot be poorer than when we came into thi world; a shroud, a coffin, and a grave, are all that the richest man in the world can have from all his wealth. If nature should be conten with a little, grace should be content with less. The necessaries of life bound a true Christian's desires, and with these he will endeavou to be content. We see here the evil of covetousness. It is not said they that are rich, but they will be rich; who place their happiness in wealth, and are eager and determined in the pursuit. Those that ar such, give to Satan the opportunity of tempting them, leading them to use dishonest means, and other bad practices, to add to their gains Also, leading into so many employments, and such a hurry of business as leave no time or inclination for spiritual religion; leading to connexions that draw into sin and folly. What sins will not men be drawn into by the love of money! People may have money, and yet no love it; but if they love it, this will push them on to all evil. Ever sort of wickedness and vice, in one way or another, grows from the love of money. We cannot look around without perceiving many proofs of this especially in a day of outward prosperity, great expenses, and loos profession.
Greek Textus Receptus
εστιν 2076 5748 δε 1161 πορισμος 4200 μεγας 3173 η 3588 ευσεβεια 2150 μετα 3326 αυταρκειας 841
Vincent's NT Word Studies
6. Contentment (autarkeiav). Only here and 2 Cor. ix. 8. The adjective aujtarkhv self-sufficient, Philip. iv. 11. Comp. sir. xl. 18. Aujtarkeia is an inward self-sufficiency, as opposed to the lack or the desire of outward things. It was a favorite Stoic word, expressing the doctrine of that sect that a man should be sufficient unto himself for all things, and able, by the power of his own will, to resist the force of circumstances. In Ps. of Solomon v. 18, we read: "Blessed is the man whom God remembereth with a sufficiency convenient for him" (en summetria autarkesiav); that is, with a sufficiency proportioned to his needs.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
6:6 {With contentment} (meta autarkeias). Old word from autarkes (autos, arkew) as in #Php 4:11. In N.T. only here and #2Co 9:8. this attitude of mind is Paul's conception of "great gain."
