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1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-4
Having instructed Timothy on prayer in v.1, the Apostle Paul now gets specific by exhorting him to pray for those in authority over him. There were those in the church at Ephesus who were teaching that only certain Jews who keep the law can ever be saved, and only certain Gentiles who enter into the elite understanding of mystical secrets can ever attain salvation.
In v.2 we read, "Pray for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."
Now, for the first 250 years after the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, Christianity was a rebellious counter-cultural sect that was persecuted on and off by the Roman government. Then, in 311 A.D. Rome’s attitude toward Christianity changed. An edict was written which made it legal to be a Christian. Then in 313 A.D., Rome issued the “Edict of Milan,” which restored even more rights of Christians. The whole fourth century was marked by Christians gaining more and more legitimacy in the Roman Empire until finally in 380 A.D., Christianity was made the official religion of the Roman Empire.
When we give ourselves to praying for the leadership in our lives, they begin to see us as caring, loving, and compassionate. They will have that view of us because when we pray to God, we will grow in our heart's ability to love God. And, when we pray for the unsaved around us, we will gain a heart for them.
And, when we learn of their sin, we will not be repulsed by their sin. And as God answers those
prayers that He commands us to pray, they will increasingly be drawn to the God whom we serve and perhaps be saved. The application of this teaching will produce a more favorable environment for us as we go about doing God's work in our communities. Partly, this is what happened for these early Christians.
In v.2, Paul reminds us to pray this way "that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."
It is often said that the purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth. The word
"peaceful" carries the idea of the absence of inside disturbance. The word "quiet"
carries the idea of the absence of outside disturbance. The believer in Christ is
never to be the agitator in society by involving himself in
those things which disrupt the community. A peaceful protest is biblical, but when we go to name calling and advancing strife of any kind, God is not in it and He is not pleased with it.
God has been clear, believers in Christ are to pray for the salvation of those in authority over us. If we were to come together to pray for the lost in our nation and to pray for our leaders and not engage in the power plays, we would see the move of God's hand around us in ways we have never seen before.
The word godliness, at the end of v.2, has the idea of an attitude of reverence for God and those in leadership. The word holiness brings the idea of completeness, a completeness that causes us to be satisfied with what we have and in need of nothing else. This disposition confronts the last of the ten commandments, "do not covet" which is what causes us to feel incomplete, insecure and wanting what is not ours.
In v.3-4 we read, " 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
We are to pray for the lost because it is God’s will. It is the will of God that people be saved. Paul references God as "our Savior." Praying for the lost is consistent with the nature and character of God which is to be our Savior.Now, in the Roman culture
that they were living in at that time, Caesar called himself the savior. Within the Roman province, he was the great savior of men who provided
peace and order, prosperity and protection. What Paul is saying went against the grain of the teaching of the cult of Caesar. As Paul pointed out to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1, the truth must be guarded and proclaimed if we are to realize the life the Lord Jesus died to give us. But, this can be done godliness and holiness.
The word saved, in v.4, means delivered, rescued from divine wrath and judgment. In Isaiah 45:22 we read, “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” If anyone is to be saved, there’s only one God who can do it. And, He has issued a call to the ends of the earth for anyone to be saved. He has done so repeatedly throughout the Scriptures because there is no other Savior.
There is no biblical theology that can teach that God is pleased with the damnation of the wicked. There is no theology that can teach that God does not want all men everywhere to be saved. For God has so loved the whole world that He sent His only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall be saved. It is difficult to explain the mystery of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, but realize that both are taught in the Bible and are harmonized in God’s great plan of salvation.
The word knowledge in v.4 yields a
deep, full, rich and complete knowledge. This knowledge is the knowledge of the true
God of salvation, the God of the Bible. God desires that all men come to the knowledge of the truth of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ because He is the only Savior. This knowledge is a personal relationship with God, Himself.
Finally, in 410 A.D., the Visigoths, a barbarian tribe, entered Rome and destroyed it. The Christians were very confused for they thought that the Roman Empire became the kingdom of God. Perhaps, in their comfort the Christians were not as fervent in their prayers as they were when they were being persecuted. For them and us, this is a reminder that we are citizens of heaven who have a mission while on this earth. And, our mission is to pray for the lost and to live in such a way that the gospel is desired by those we meet.
