Written ~ 10-23-2024
Read 1 Timothy Chapter Two
1 Timothy 2
For our chapter today I will be seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit. In our modern day some of the things Paul says in this chapter have been misunderstood, misconstrued and discarded as not relevant to today’s church. Through much prayer and by reading through the footnotes in my Life Application Study Bible I will attempt to bring understanding to this chapter and show how Paul’s words can be applicable to what each of us face today.
1 Timothy 2:1-2…
1 “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”
Did you know it is a privilege to pray for others? We have an all-powerful God who, through Salvation in Jesus, has allowed us to come to His throne with our requests. When we take the time to pray for the needs of others, we surrender control over their circumstances and place them in the capable hands of an almighty God. Believers everywhere need prayer for the varying degrees of persecution they will face when serving the Lord with all their hearts. Believers everywhere have challenges to work through, whether it’s hardships in their relationships, or physical sickness, or they have a lack of peace and joy. When the Lord brings someone to mind, stop what you are doing, just for a moment and pray for that person. It might be that God is bringing them to your mind for a much greater purpose than what you can see on the surface.
When Paul says in verse one to “intercede on their behalf,” do you know what that means? It means we can step in and pray for someone who may not have the strength to pray for themselves. We can bring their requests to the Father. When we know a fellow believer is hurting and can’t seem to lift their eyes towards heaven and pray for their own suffering, Paul is urging us to pray for them. That’s why it is so important to have a core group of believers in your network of friends, those who know you, those who love you and who know your situation and when you can’t pray, they can pray for you.
Interceding on someone’s behalf doesn’t just include people you know personally; God could be placing on your heart to pray for believers on the other side of the world. If He’s asked you to pray, then pray, even if you don’t know why or you don’t know who it is you’re praying for.
In verse two Paul continues by urging us to pray for “kings and all who are in authority.” In Paul’s time the rulers were brutal and cruel men who loved nothing more than to torture and mutilate believers because of their faith in Christ. In the timeframe of this letter, Nero was emperor and ruling Rome with almost remarkable cruelty. When much of Rome was destroyed by fire in AD 64, Nero blamed the believers for the destruction, by doing so it brought unrelenting persecution to believers. In the Life Application Study Bible, it says: “Not only were Christians denied certain privileges in society, but some were even publicly butchered, burned, or fed to animals.” This kind of brutality may not be what we face today, but Satan’s grip on powerful leaders across the world can certainly usher in a cruelty we have never witnessed before. That’s why Paul says to “pray for kings and all who are in authority…”
It just so happens as I write these words; the United States is seeing one of the fiercest election years for President than it’s ever seen before. So, when Paul says to pray for “kings and all who are in authority,” I am confident that our Presidential candidates fall into that category. What does Paul say about how we are to pray about for those running for office? “Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.” When opinions and emotions have become so heightened because of policy, personality and position… we must, as believers, humble ourselves and pray for the nation’s leaders. Whether you like them or not. If Christians would pray for this country in the way Paul is urging us to, God’s mysterious plan will begin to unfold before our eyes.
And why does Paul say to pray for “kings and all who are in authority?” In verse two it says, “…so we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” When we pray, God listens. We need to pray for the Salvation of our nation’s leaders.
1 Timothy 2:3-6…
3 “This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
5 For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the man Christ Jesus. 6 He gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone.
This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.”
When we pray, even if we don’t “like” someone, it pleases the Lord. Praying for someone to be saved and to understand the truth of who Jesus is, takes all the focus off of ourselves and puts it on the Lord. It is God who wants us to pray, it is through Jesus Christ, our Savior, who bridges the gap between humanity and God. So, it is our privilege to bring our requests to the foot of God’s throne. We are to pray earnestly for believers everywhere. We are to pray for our nation’s leaders. We are to pray for Salvation and understanding for everyone.
1 Timothy 2:7…
7 “And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I’m not exaggerating – just telling the truth.”
In this verse, once again Paul is giving us the reason he qualifies as an authority to preach the Good News message. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-11 he goes into much more detail as to why he is qualified to be a preacher and apostle and why he has the authority to give Timothy instructions how to lead his church in a godly manner.
1 Corinthians 15:3-11…
3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, He was seen by more than 500 of His followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then He was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw Him. 9 For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
10 But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favor on me – and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by His grace. 11 So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.”
Paul’s authority to preach the Good News was given to him by God Himself. So, he was just confirming that fact in verse 2:7… Paul didn’t want there to be any misunderstanding as to why he was able to give Timothy instructions about leading the church at Ephesus in a godly, orderly manner.
The next set of verses are the first of many instructions Paul will give to Timothy. We will read through the remaining verses in the chapter, then break them down one by one to bring better understanding and also how we are to apply these instructions to our modern day.
1 Timothy 2:8-15…
8 “In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.
9 And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. 10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.
11 Women should learn quietly and submissively. 12 I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly. 13 For God made Adam first, and afterward He made Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.”
As you can probably understand these verses have been read with great controversy. Especially when women do not understand the meaning behind some of these verses. To better understand and communicate what each of these verses mean and how they are applicable to today’s believer, I will be consulting the Life Application Study Bible footnotes.
Verse 8…
“In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.”
Anger and controversy are not attitudes of the heart that we should be harboring when we come to the Lord in prayer. Not only is it displeasing to God, but it also makes prayer, sincere prayer, quite difficult…
- That is why Jesus said that we should interrupt our prayers, if necessary, to make peace with others. In Matthew 5:23-24 Jesus said, “So if you are presenting a sacrifice (a prayer) at the alter in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the alter. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice (your prayer) to God.”
- God wants us to obey Him immediately and thoroughly. Our goal should be to have a good relationship with God and also with others.
When we are able to pray without the hinderance of anger or controversy, we are able to come to the Lord with hands raised high and with joy on our lips. When you have something, anything, hanging over your head when you come to pray, reconcile those differences immediately! Then rejoice!
Verses 9 and 10…
9 “…I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. 10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.”
First off, what these verses are not saying is that it is prohibited or unscriptural to wear nice clothes, fix your hair and wear beautiful jewelry. But what these verses are saying is that as a Christian woman our sole focus should not be on those things in order to draw attention to ourselves, especially in a place of worship.
- Paul was not prohibiting these things; he was simply saying that women should be careful about drawing attention to themselves through how they dress. Modesty and decency are the key ideas. Gentle, modest and loving character gives a light to the face that cannot be duplicated by even the best cosmetics. A carefully groomed and well-decorated exterior may be artificial and cold without good character. The general rule for women and men emphasizes that both behavior and dress MUST express submission to and respect for Jesus Christ.
Verses 11 and 12…
11 “Women should learn quietly and submissively. 12 I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.”
I would say these two verses have caused some heated debate among women in the church. So, let’s clarify what Paul is saying here. In Paul’s other letters, and even in the Book of Acts where Luke records Paul’s missionary journeys, there are several instances where women have played a huge role in the church. In Acts 18:24-26, Paul commended Priscilla of being a great preacher and teacher. In Romans 16:1, Phoebe was mentioned to have worked in the church. Then in Romans 16:6 and 12, Paul lists several other women who were the Lord’s workers. Then again in Philippians 4:2, we hear about Euodia and Syntyche who were also the Lord’s workers.
- Paul was very likely prohibiting the Ephesian women, not all women, from teaching. Most likely, Paul did not want the Ephesian women to teach because they didn’t yet have the knowledge or experience.
- In addition, some of the women were apparently flaunting their newfound Christian freedom by wearing inappropriate clothing. Paul was telling Timothy not to let anyone into a position of leadership who was not yet mature in the faith. The same principal applies to churches today.
Verses 13 and 14…
13 “For God made Adam first, and afterward He made Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result.”
Within the context of this chapter, these verses are continuing with what Paul was instructing about the woman’s role in the church. Not all women, but in particular the women in the church at Ephesus. These women were not yet knowledgeable in their newfound faith in the Lord. They were easily deceived by the false teachers who had made their presence well known in the church, their twisted messages confused many and it began to cause a lot of questioning about what they had originally learned about the Lord.
- In previous letters, Paul discussed male and female roles in marriage (see Ephesians 5:21-33, Colossians 3:18-19). Here he talks about the male and female roles within the church. The roles Paul points out are God’s design for His created order – that God established these roles to maintain harmony in both the family and the church.
Verse 15…
15 “But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.”
I must admit, verse 15 caught me off guard a little bit. As a woman who has not birthed nor conceived any children of her own, I was a little concerned as to what this verse meant. So, the following is the explanation given from the Life Application Study Bible footnotes… it gave me great comfort… if you’re in my shoes, I hope it causes comfort in your heart as well.
- This verse is confusing for many modern readers of Paul’s letters. While there are several legitimate options for understanding Paul’s meaning here, what is clear is that Paul does NOT say that the only way for women to be saved is by having children. Such an interpretation is a false teaching. Our Salvation, whether we are male or female, comes from Christ alone.
- The phrase “saved through childbearing” can be understood in several ways:
- #1) Women who fulfill their God-given roles are demonstrating true commitment and obedience to Christ. One of the most important roles for a wife and mother is to care for her family.
- #2) The childbearing mentioned here refers to the birth of Jesus Christ. Women (and men) are saved spiritually because of the most important birth, that of Christ Himself.
- #3) This phrase refers to the lessons learned through the trials of childbearing. Through this experience, women can develop the qualities of love, trust, submission, sacrifice and service.
- #4) Because man sinned, men were condemned to painful labor. Because woman sinned, women were condemned to pain in childbearing. Both men and women, however, can be saved through Christ by trusting and obeying Him.
- No matter what situation you find yourself in, draw close to Christ and look for ways to carry His loving presence to the people around you. Look for opportunities to be a mother to the motherless, be a wonderful and inspiring aunt or be a grandmother to children who need your love and kindness. If you or a loved one struggles with infertility or unwanted singleness, reflect on these verses: Psalm 68:5-6; Psalm 113:9; Isaiah 54:1-5; Galatians 4:27.
Because verse 2:14 is specifically talking about the deception and sin Eve fell into and verse 2:15 goes right into “But women will be saved through childbearing,” I also believe Paul is saying that women can be saved even though the first woman fell into sin by being deceived. Whether or not a woman has had children of her own, the fact remains, Salvation is received through Jesus alone and all women whether married or single must live their Christian walk with faith, love, holiness and modesty.
These first few instructions given to us by Paul may seem difficult to apply to our lives today. If you have any lingering doubt to the meaning behind what Paul has said. Ask the Father to guide you. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you clarity. There will be times that Scripture may seem a little hard to understand, but through continued study and the openness to learn from the Holy Spirit; wisdom and knowledge will be obtained.
In the next chapter we will learn some of the specific details the leaders of the church must adhere to…
Until then…
God bless you!!
~AMEN~