1 Timothy 2:9-10

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9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.~ 1 Timothy 2:9-10

If men do not step up to be the leaders in our families, churches and communities, the framework God has given in His word for an effective society will not have the foundation it needs to work properly. So, having addressed the men, now the Apostle Paul addresses the women.

The Bible clearly reveals that both men and women are created in the image of God and stand as equals in the eyes of God. And, the Bible is also clear with regard to the roles of men and women. The pattern for these roles begins in the story of the creation in Genesis 2, and continues throughout both testaments of the Bible.

In today's text, the Apostle Paul is addressing the fact that in the church in Ephesus some women were flaunting their wealth, beauty, and bodies at inappropriate times. This was causing problems in the church. So, the Apostle Paul begins with a discussion about the appearance of the women. The contrast here is between the artificial and the authentic, the artificial glamour of the world and the true authentic beauty of a godly life.

The culture in Ephesus had been long been influenced by the worship of Diana in the temple dedicated in her name. Diana, also known as Artemis, was the Roman goddess of the hunt. Worship in the Temple of Diana included erotic acts between the men and the temple prostitutes.

One writer from that time wrote, "There is nothing that a woman will not permit herself to do. Nothing that she deems shameful. And when she encircles her neck with green emeralds and fastens huge pearls to her elongated ears, so important is the business of beautification.  So numerous are the tiers and stories piled one another on her head that she pays no attention to her own husband."

Now, to have the women in the church appearing like prostitutes would have been to cast the wrong message to the city they were all trying to reach. In addition, it would distract from the people worshiping God during the meeting. Paul was not forbidding the use of jewelry or nice clothes, but rather the excessive use of them as substitutes for real beauty which is of the heart.

In v.9 we read, "I also want the women to dress modestly."  The word “dress” is the Greek word kosme. We get our English word “cosmetic” from it. It has to do with how a woman prepares herself. It means basically “to arrange, to put in order, to make ready.” The Apostle is saying, "a woman is to make herself ready to worship God."

Like the men, the preparation for the women involved the proper adornment on the outside. She was to be dressed in a manner that fit her heart for God. Her clothing was to reflect a worshipful heart focused on God, not bring attention to herself.

At the end of v.9 we read, "not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes."  

Now, the Apostle addresses a certain distinct style that was popularized in Ephesus at that time. It was common practice in their culture to braid their hair with a gold chain. It was a way of flaunting their wealth. Gold, of course, has always been valuable, and in those days pearls were about three times the value of gold, so a woman could put a fortune on her head. And, given the poverty in Ephesus at that time, this practice was a distraction to the poor.

In v.10 we read, "but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."

The profession of our hearts love for God should be expressed in the way we carry ourselves. Paul's emphasis in the passage is on the heart. If we are giving to God our hearts, we will be defined by Him. The key to this kind of heart is to foster a Spirit-filled heart! To be Spirit-filled does not mean that we as believers need to get more of the Spirit in our lives. To be Spirit-filled is to be giving more of ourselves to God on a daily basis. It is really about who is in control of our lives.

Finally, it was the Lord Jesus who stood and in a loud voice declared, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit." (John 7:37-38). This should be the experience of the believer in Christ. And, if it is not, we should repent of self and allow Him to call the shots in our lives. This will result in our increased worship of God which will in turn point others to worship Him as well.

1 Timothy 2:5-8

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5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle — I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles. 8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. ~ 1 Timothy 2:5-8

 

God does not desire people to sin, yet we sin. The result of people who sin and have no Savior, well, they go to hell, not because of what God has done. Man goes to hell because man rebelled against God and man refuses to receive the free gift of salvation from God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though I am born again, I still sin. The sin of the born again reduces the quality of our lives now. It is a sanctification issue. God gives instruction like today's, so that we will live a better quality of life now.

 

In v.5-6 we read, "5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time." 

 

There’s only one God, the God of the Bible. Many believe there are many paths to heaven, but it was the Lord Jesus who said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." For those who believe there are many pathways, their argument is with the Sinless One.

 

Now, we pray for all men, because God wants all men to be saved. And God is the only one who can save, and Christ is the only mediator through whom they can come to that salvation. All men have the same Savior God and the same mediator, and thus we must pray for the salvation of all men, because apart from Christ they are damned eternally. 

 

According to today's text, it was Christ “who gave Himself.” He didn't give a portion of Himself. He did not give something He possessed, not something He owned, not something He didn’t need. He gave Himself “as a ransom for all people.”

 

Our prayers are based on the work of the Lord Jesus. The power in our prayers is in the One who hears them. The word "ransom" means “a price paid to free a slave.” His death was “on our behalf.” Though the death of Christ is efficient only for those who trust Him, it is sufficient for the sins of the whole world. The Lord Jesus became the Bound One so that we might be set free. The idea is that an exchange has taken place. Christ exchanged His life for our lives. He died the death that all mankind deserves.

 

In v.7 we read, "And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle — I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles."

 

Because Christ died as a ransom for all mankind, the Apostle says, "I was appointed a herald and an apostle." After his encounter with the Lord Jesus on that road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul was never the same. I can say that this is my story as well. No, I didn't all of a sudden stop sinning and walked on water. No, my disposition was different. Something happened to me and it took me some time to figure out what had happened. I had been invaded by none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Of course, this is what He promised us in His word. He promised to come and live in us as the result of us believing in Him as our Savior.

 

This is true for all who have been born again. And, no it does not mean that God means for all of us to go to Bible College or Seminary. It does mean that since we know the truth and have experienced the invasion of God in our lives, we have the same calling to share this Good News to whomever desires it.

In v.8 we read, "Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing." 

 

Based upon all that we have learned, the Apostle commands the men to pray. He specifically uses the word for males here and he commands the men to pray. Now, in the Jewish synagogue in the Old Testament time, only men were permitted to pray. This does not mean that the prayers of women are not important, it is that God expects and has commanded men to lead in this world. And, one way that we lead is through prayer. And, when we ignore God's teaching on any subject, we neglect the culture of God. 

 

Now, apparently in Ephesus this was being tested by some women who were usurping the male role. We will see this in 1 Timothy 2:9-15. It is God’s pattern for the life of the church that men are those who lead in the public worship.

 

The Apostle Paul states three essentials here for effective prayer, and the first is “lifting up holy hands.” No holy activity on our part will ever make us holy. It is only the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross that makes us right in God's eyes.  

 

In Psalm 24 we read, "3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 the one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god." The point is whoever prays must be cleansed by the precious blood of Christ and we must be the kind of person who is living a life that is sincere.

 

Now, the second essential for effective prayer is “without anger” which requires that we are on good terms with one another. A person who is constantly having trouble with other believers, who is a troublemaker rather than a peace-maker, will not have effectual prayers. 

 

The third essential is “without disputing.” When we have anger in our hearts, we often have open disagreements with others. We must learn to disagree without being disagreeable. If we spent more time preparing to pray and getting our hearts right before God, our prayers would be more effective.

1 Timothy 2:2-4

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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.

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.

1 Timothy 1:19-20

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19 Holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. ~ 1 Timothy 1:19-20

In the previous verses, the Apostle Paul reminded Timothy to fight the battle that all believers in Christ are engaged in. The church in Ephesus was being attacked by false teachings through false teachers.

In v.19 we read, "Holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith." 

We are in danger every time we forsake a life of faith in the God of the Bible and when we ignore the promptings of a conscience that has been sensitized to the truth by the Holy Spirit. In order to fight the fight the way it ought to be fought, we must first hold on to our faith, which means believing the truth which is only found in the scriptures.  

Faith is both a verb and a noun. The faith is the content of truth and faith is believing in that truth. True faith is holding onto God's definitions of all things. We could say it's keeping faith in the faith. We must not swerve from the truth of God and we must not abandon the God of truth. The nice thing is the God of truth has promised not to abandon His children.

This brings us to the two key words in the entire epistle of 1 Timothy: doctrine and godliness. Truth and purity is the same as the faith and a good conscience. Believers in Christ are called to the truth; we are called to sound doctrine. The emphasis is on godliness which comes out of a sound doctrine or the definitions of the God of the Bible.

When we teach wrong doctrine, it is not that we do not understand, it is that we are accommodating evil. Rather than bowing to the false teaching which appeals to our flesh, we must come to the place where we are defined by God's word. The bottom line is our willingness to bow our wills to God's word whether we understand it or not. 

Soren Kierkegaard once said, “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”

In v.20 we read, "Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme."

The word the Apostle Paul uses here for blaspheme means to speak against God. It means to speak to the contrary regarding God's definition to any given subject. It means to embrace and to live by that which is contrary to God.

If we love someone, we will tell them the truth. To not tell them the truth is to care not for their eternity. The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to hand these two false teachers over to Satan. Some have to be confronted in this way and if they aren't willing to repent, they have to be handed over to Satan. This both protects the vulnerable in the church and it confronts the blasphemers to the point of getting them to hopefully repent.

In 1 Corinthians 5, a man who called himself a believer was having an affair with his stepmother. While we should not judge another's motives, we are expected to be honest about each other’s conduct. Public and blatant disregard to God's word must be publicly addressed.  

In 1 Corinthians 5:5, of this unrepentant brother, the Apostle Paul wrote, “deliver such an one unto Satan.” This man had to be dealt with in this way because his sin could become common place in the church. He also had to be confronted so that his testimony could be restored. As is always, the goal of this type of discipline must be redemptive. The goal is to shake him in such a way that he turns away from that which will eventually destroy him.

When it involves people, the battle often is about loving them enough to tell them the truth. This battle is to live redemptively among those who have lost their way, to be involved in their lives and to give of ourselves in order to bring them back into a sound relationship with the truth and reality. 

The Apostle Paul had mentioned earlier in this chapter that he was at one time guilty of blaspheming. He knew it first hand and there was no way that Hymenaeus and Alexander were going to go undetected by Paul. Paul went through his trials as a blasphemer so that he would be in the position to protect the church and possibly help the wayward. What a novel way to look at our trials, severe as they may be. 

The cohorts of Satan are out to shipwreck us and our faith. It doesn't help that we have a sinful bent in our souls that has not been erased by our new birth. God's definitions of things must be of utmost importance to us. The believer in Christ must not only protect the truth by appropriately teaching it, we must also live it. In fact, the best way to perpetuate the truth is by living it. Don't expect to be perfect at it, you will not be. But, the goal is to preserve that which preserves us.