1 Timothy 6:6 (ASV)

Passage

But godliness with contentment is great gain:

Nearby Context

1 Timothy 6:4 he is puffed up, knowing nothing, but doting about questionings and disputes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

1 Timothy 6:5 wranglings of men corrupted in mind and bereft of the truth, supposing that godliness is a way of gain.

1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain:

1 Timothy 6:7 for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out;

1 Timothy 6:8 but having food and covering we shall be therewith content.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "godliness", "contentment", "great", and "gain". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "godliness" and "contentment", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "wranglings of men corrupted in mind and..." into verse 7's "for we brought nothing into the world...", so "godliness" and "contentment" belong inside that flow. In 1 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "godliness" and "contentment" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.