Monday, January 18, 2021

1 Timothy 2:1

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I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people . ~ 1 Timothy 2:1

Having instructed Timothy in 1 Timothy 1 to stand against the false teachers in Ephesus primarily by being sensitive to the Holy Spirit to correct them out of the posture of love, Paul turns our attention to the importance of prayer while doing such. Prayer is much more than addressing God, it is personally and relationally experiencing God. In 1 Timothy 2:1, the Apostle Paul underscores this truth.

In 1 Timothy 2:1 we read, "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people." 

The emphasis in today's text is obviously on prayer. There are seven different Greek words used in the New Testament for the word “prayer,” and four of them are used here in v.1. Petitions are requests for other people's felt needs. Prayers is an overarching word used for the expression of our needs. Intercession is when we pray on behalf of another. Thanksgiving is the expression of a grateful disposition. 

The formula is unfolding here: love for the truth plus love for others plus prayer is the formula thus far for dealing with false teaching. And, in 1 Timothy 2 focuses on the second part of the formula: PRAYER.

Now, prayer is the wish of the heart. But, it is far more than just a wish. It is the expression of our souls. And, the believer in Christ is called to talking to God on the behalf of all men, unsaved and saved. It is very hard to hate someone when you are praying for them. 

The creation of the problem in the church at Ephesus was due to their exclusivism. There were divisions in the church which made it conducive for error to creep into the teaching. The Jews lived under the illusion that God had saved them for their own sake only and not for the sake of the world. Their view of themselves was that "God saved us, and we have now become the apple of His eye, and we do not let anybody else from the Gentile world come in on our exclusivity." This is part of the reason they needed to be prompted to pray for one another. These people thought they were the only ones God loved.

In v.1 we read, "I urge" or "I exhort" or "I encourage." The Apostle could have commanded them to pray, but an exhortation is far more effective than a command. With an exhortation comes the possibility of the heart being involved.

The purpose of our salvation partly is that we would be involved in God's work in this world. And, it is impossible for us to be involved in that work without engaging in prayer.  

After exhorting Timothy to pray, the Apostle employs four words: petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving. The reason he uses these four words was due to his desire to get their hearts engaged. Without engagement, there is no authenticity and connection with others.

The first word "petitions" springs from a sense of the need of those for whom we are praying. When we come to understand that the world is not saved, that it is headed to an eternity without God in hell, we must petition God for them. This comes out of a heart for them and it maintains a heart for them.

The second word "prayers" is a general word for prayer. This word is only used in the Scripture in reference to God. This prayer is only directed to God. When we pray, we’re not just going to just anyone who can meet a need, we’re going to God. This word carries the element of worship and reverence with it. When we pray like this, it is our desire that God might be honored and glorified. And, God is most glorified when sinners come to see His heart for them and respond in like manner.

The third word, "intercession" is used only here and one other time in 1 Timothy 4:5. The verb form of this word means to become intimately involved with someone. So, the idea of intercession is not the idea of a cold sort of legal advocate. It’s not the idea of hiring some attorney to come in and advocate for you. This word communicates heart involvement. And so, in our praying we are not merely standing in an indifferent way coldly advocating on the behalf of others. The believer is urged to pray for others out of a great personal compassion and involvement for them.

A fourth word, "thanksgiving" is the word from which we get our English word "eucharist." The believer should not operate as if anybody is outside the provision of God through the death of His Son. Out of gratitude for what God has done for us, we are positioned to pray for others. Thanksgiving is the only element of prayer that will continue forever. Everything else will end after we’ve entered His presence in heaven. 

Real prayer rises out of a heart out of a deep sense of the need of the lost, an understanding that the lost is damned to hell. It rises also out of an understanding of the glory of God and His worthiness to be praised. It also rises out of a deep felt sympathy and empathy where we get so involved in the lostness of the lost that we feel the pain of their lostness and we cry out to God on their behalf. And, it also has an element of thanks that is born out of our understanding of the heart of God for us and what He has done for us.