Having mentioned the church in the previous chapter by putting someone out, Paul moves on to instructions as to how the church should be run.
Paul exhorts the church to prioritise prayer. Is this surprising? One might have thought that the priority might be teaching of the Word of God. Prayer is the commencement of our communication with God, which seems to start a series of instructions for public worship. We are to pray for all men.
Supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks: These terms describe the wide categories of our communication with God. These are the kinds of prayer that should be offered when God’s people come together (v1).
Supplication is simply asking but it doesn’t stop there. We should be bold to ask God for remember nothing is impossible with God. Our supplication must be in accordance with God’s word.
Prayers is a broad ranging word referring to all communication with the Lord.
Intercessions are the prayers we make on behalf of others.
Giving thanks should always be in our prayers. Writing to the Thessalonians he said, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”. Thus, it is essential that we do this, and more so because it is God’s will for us. We often say that we would like to know God’s will, well here is a clear answer. All the more reason why giving thanks should come into our prayers.
These aspects of prayer should be for all men because there is no one who doesn’t need prayer. All men is referring to all men. We find it easy to pray for those we love, like friends and family, but does it really mean all? We are more than happy to eagerly pray for those of our family or close friends who we dearly want to be saved or who are sick or in trouble. Those we don’t particularly love, or even our enemies, or those who have mistreated us. All men, then really does mean all men.
We might pray for all to become believers, to stop mistreating us, or such like, but would we really find it easy to give thanks for them? The answer is, we must.
Secondly, we should pray for those in authority (v2). The early Christians were often accused of not respecting those in authority. The apostles stated that where God and state conflicted, they were to obey God rather than Caesar. Often, they were thrown into prison for defying the authorities who told them not to preach or use the name of Jesus, as in the case of Peter and John in Acts 5:29 but they were defiant. They did, however, support the authorities and prayed for them. The difference being that they refused treat their rulers as god, choosing to honour the One God. Paul stated that the authorities were ordained of God to keep order and punish evildoers (Romans 13) and were worthy of our respect.
Consequently, there was a reason for praying for those in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
One early church leader Tertullian is said to have stated: “We pray for all the emperors, that God may grant them long life, a secure government, a prosperous family, vigorous troops, a faithful senate, an obedient people; that the whole world may be in peace; and that God may grant, both to Caesar and to every man, the accomplishment of their just desires.”
We have seen, even in our day, that Christians have and are being marginalised, discriminated against, simply for being Christians. More and more, are other religions treated with greater respect, often through fear, but we must ask ourselves, have we not helped the situation at times? Are we afraid to stand up for what we believe, and do it with humility and Christlike reverence? It was often said that we once lived in a Christian country, which was questionable, but there certainly was a respect for Christian principles, even by those who were in authority, even though they probably were not true Christians themselves. There is no doubt that during the war years, we witnessed the working of God in our nation, in protecting us from wicked enemies. Sadly, that protection seems to have been removed or certainly less than it was, and we must ask ourselves, are we, Christians, partly to blame? In certain liturgy, there were regular prayers for the monarch and royal family and officers of state, and those in positions of authority. Do we still pray regularly for them?
One has said that we should pray for a government and rulers that would leave us alone and let us live as Christians. We look for no special favours, simply a level playing field. Christian persecution is growing worldwide and increasing here in UK. Certain other religions are increasingly powerful and exerting their influence, but we must remain faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ, whatever the cost. Our Lord is stronger than they are, and we must trust Him. Sadly, we have become, less Christlike in our behaviour. Many leaders have fallen in sin, particularly in immorality. We must not, whoever we are, whether leaders or not. The Devil is out to trap us, make no mistake about that, but he is defeated foe, so, let us not give him an inch. It won’t be easy, but it is absolutely essential. Acts 4:13,14 says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.” However, we must ask the question, do those of our day know who this Jesus is? Acts 17:6 it was said that these men had turned the world upside down. Have we made an influence, are we making an influence to turn the world upside down? Perhaps we might say the right way up, but what are we doing about it?
Paul goes on to state why we should pray for all and for those in authority (v3,4) “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Firstly, it is good and acceptable in God’s sight. What more reason do we need? Surely, we want to please God and carry out his will. All need salvation from the highest to the lowest.
It is clear from this that God uses people to reach others with the gospel otherwise all would be saved despite us.
Being saved is connected to coming to a knowledge of the truth, therefore, we need to teach/preach the truth which is absolutely necessary for a person to come to be saved. There are some sincere friends who believe that only the elect will be saved. I know that the Bible seems to indicate both election and free will and I am not able to explain it. There are many eminent Bible scholars who are proponents of this teaching, some who I call great friends, however, there are also many equally eminent Bible teachers/preachers who do not go along with it. Equally they are great friends. It can be very confusing. I have absolutely no doubt that all salvation is God’s doing but I also believe that man does have a free will. I have great difficulty in believing that God chooses some and not others but condemns them to a lost eternity.
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle; I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying; a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” (v5-7)
Paul reminds Timothy of the God they serve, there is no other, One God and One Mediator between God and men, The man Christ Jesus. The only way to God is through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) Note he is not ‘a’ way but ‘the’ way. One God, one Mediator, and one way.
Many believe that all roads lead to God, so long as one is sincere, but that is totally wrong. There is no other way. The Bible says so, and what’s more, Jesus himself says so. We cannot come to God anyway we choose. The story of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-3) is evident of that.
One mediator means one, not many, and it is to be done God’s way, through Jesus Christ. We can devise many ways, in fact, Proverbs 14:12 says, that man thinks he knows the best ways. “There is way that seems right to man but is end is the way of death”. Why try others when they end in death? If there are others, why did The Lord Jesus have to go to the cross and suffer? It was Jesus Christ who gave his life a ransom for all. A ransom is a payment made to free someone who has been taken captive by an enemy who demands money for their release.
One writer says, Jesus gave Himself as a hostage, as a payment for our sins. He put Himself in our place and received the punishment and wrath from God the Father that we deserved. This is the basic message of the gospel.
There are those who do not like or even believe in the wrath of God, but it is true. God’s wrath is against sin; it offends Him so much that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, gave His own life to appease a Holy God. He paid the price in full so that we go free. If we do not trust in Him and receive the salvation which he offers, we will face the wrath of God, make no mistake!
Note that the ransom is for all. That does not mean that all will be saved, but that there is sufficient for all to come to Christ in repentance and faith. Paul states that this was the message he preached that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation and he had been appointed by God to do this. He also states that he is not lying. I wonder why he needed to say that. Maybe there were those who still found it difficult to believe that he was genuine. There were, and still are, those who do not accept that Jesus is the Messiah. One would have thought by now any doubts would have been dispelled, but there’s always those who like to throw spanners in the works. Paul had certainly been opposed to the gospel, but the Lord had saved him and brought about the amazing change in his life. Of that he was in no doubt.
Paul began ministry to the Jews and wherever he went his first port of call was the synagogue to speak to the Jews. However, because of the rejection by the Jews, his main ministry became to the Gentiles (see Acts 13).
Remember that this chapter is dealing with order in the church, and he continues with his desire, “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” (v8)
One could ask why it was his desire which sounds rather less than ‘laying down the law’. Whatever it means he wanted the men to pray everywhere, which I believe was in every church when it meets together. The Bible clearly says that we should pray wherever we are, but Paul is here referring to meeting in the church gatherings. When the church meets, the men should take the lead. That is Paul’s assumption that the men lead in gatherings of the church.
We must digress here and consider the subject of the role of women in the church.
This, of course, leads us to some difficult and often controversial statements and current trends in our churches. Here are some of my thoughts but I strongly recommend that you read the scriptures for yourself and seek the Lord’s guidance.
There were gatherings in the Acts of the Apostles (16) where women met in the open air to pray and men joined with them, including Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke. The church meeting was not restricted to a building; in fact, they probably didn’t have one, they met mostly, if not entirely, in people’s homes or in the open somewhere, like in Acts 16 by the riverside.
It is clear that men should lead in the congregational meetings of the church. I know there are many local churches where the congregations are very small, and some have few men able to lead. One wonders whether they should continue or consider joining with another, and some women are very able. Biblical leadership does appear to be male. In these days of equality this can cause tension, but the Bible seems to be clear. The church is not a social enterprise nor is it governed by worldly standards and legislation regarding sexual equality. The Bible also says that we are all equal in God’s sight, but in the church, His rules apply. There is no ground for ill-treatment or abuse of anyone, and no one is to be treated less or inferior to men.
Women have traditionally fulfilled supportive roles in serving the church and gained their greatest joy and sense of accomplishment from being wives and mothers, but the feminist movement has successfully influenced many women to abandon these divinely ordained roles. However, sadly this movement has made inroads in the church, creating chaos and confusion regarding the role of women both in ministry and in the home. Only in Scripture can God’s intended design for women be found. God created Adam first and Eve later for the specific purpose of being Adam’s helper. Eve was equal to Adam, but she was given the role and duty of submitting to him. The words ‘helper’ and ‘submission’ cause the heckles to rise in some, but there is no hint of one being less than the other.
Before you get upset, let me also remind you that husbands have a great responsibility towards their wives. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. That is a sacrificial love, no greater love has been shown. In a way submission fades into very little compared with that love. So, the responsibility upon the man is huge.
One writer says that the word “helper” carries very positive connotations—even being used of God Himself as the helper of Israel (Deuteronomy 33:7; Psalm 33:20)—it still describes someone in a relationship of service to another. The responsibility of wives to submit to their husbands, then, was part of the plan from creation, even before the curse. The first books of the Bible establish both the equality of men and women and also the support role of the wife (see Exodus 21:15, 17, 28–31; Numbers 5:19–20, 29; 6:2; 30:1–16).
In many ways Jesus liberated women, he even allowed a small group of women to travel with him and the disciples (Luke 8:1-3) and the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection was Mary Magdalene and he told her to go and tell his disciples (John 20). You may recall that the disciples didn’t believe her, perhaps because women were not permitted to be witnesses in Jewish courts because they were considered to be unreliable.
While the men have been given the primary responsibility for the leadership of their families and the church, wives and mothers are urged to be “keepers at home” (Titus 2:5), meaning managers of the household. Their home and their children are to be their priority, in contrast to the world’s emphasis today on careers and full-time jobs for women outside the home.
The Apostle Paul respected women and worked side by side with them in the gospel (Philippians 4:3 and Romans 16) and they fulfilled a role in the church, but none were in leadership, the disciples, the apostles were all men, and no women were appointed elders or pastors. In this letter to Timothy, he urged that men should be leaders and that no women should exercise authority over men.
Women, like men, receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit and are involved in the work of the gospel. Women are witnesses to the resurrected Christ (Matthew 28) and are to pass on this good news. Many of the gospel workers mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:1-23 are women. Women are included in the command for us all to teach one another in the body of Christ (Colossians 3:16).
Many women excel in gifts of hospitality, mercy, teaching, evangelism, and helping/serving. Much of the ministry of the local church depends on women. I believe that women in the church are not prevented from public praying (1 Corinthians 11:5), only from having spiritual teaching authority over men. The Bible nowhere restricts women from exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12). Women, just as much as men, are called to minister to others, to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23), and to proclaim the gospel to the lost (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15).
God has ordained that only men are to serve in positions of spiritual teaching authority in the church. This does not imply men are better teachers or that women are inferior or less intelligent. It is simply the way God designed the church to function. Men are to set the example in spiritual leadership—in their lives and through their words. Women are also to set an example in their lives, but in a different was (1 Peter 3:1-6). Women are encouraged to teach other women (Titus 2:3–5). The Bible also does not restrict women from teaching children. The only activity women are restricted from is teaching or having spiritual authority over men. This bars women from serving as pastors to men. This does not make women less important, by any means; rather, it gives them a ministry focus more in agreement with God’s design.
We shall have to come to some of this again later.
Back to 1 Timothy 2
Lifting up holy hands (v8). This was common in prayer in that culture. It was the men to do this and lead in prayer, representing the congregation before God. Notice its not just hands but holy hands. We are to come with clean hands and a pure heart. Psalm 24:3-5 asked the question – Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD or who may stand in His Holy place? This was about a right to stand before God. He who has clean hands and a pure heart. This is not talking about washed hands, but clean actions and pure intentions.
It has become common for people to raise their hands in singing. Singing is only part of our worship; worship is our lives 24/7. It is vital, therefore, that we are in close fellowship with God day in day out, and this affects our total lives. If we are not, raising our hands becomes meaningless.
The Psalmist goes on to add, one who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is no casual habit of lifting up one’s hands, but a thoughtful, careful consideration of who God is, and what we are before Him.
Without wrath and doubting: When we pray angry, or pray without faith, we can do more bad than good – especially when the prayer is public. We must have no unforgiving spirit against someone else when we are asking for forgiveness for our own sins. Our faith must be in God, no doubting when we come before him.
Just as the men are to pray, the women are to dress modestly and with propriety. Ladies, do be careful how you dress. Sadly, many leave a lot to be desired. Propriety says that women should display appropriate standards of morals, professing godliness and good works. Modesty indicates not attracting attention to ourselves. Paul here adds, not with braided hair or gold or pearls of costly clothing (v9,10).
One writer has said that modesty and propriety make a woman more beautiful than jewellery. Another said, dress attractively but not seductively. How we dress reflects our heart and attitude. Who are we trying to attract or please, God or man?
One might not think that our outward appearance was important in our public worship, but it certainly is.
“Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence” (v11,12).
It is rather difficult to see that they re to be in silence, not permitted to speak. If so, they shouldn’t be allowed to sing or pray (1 Corinthians 11:5). Elsewhere ‘silence’ is translated ‘peaceable’. Anna spoke in the temple when Jesus was taken there as an infant.
I understand that to learn in silence has the idea of receiving the teaching of men. The principle is submission. In some cultures, men and women sat separately which suggests they would have to shout questions and comments across the room. This would lead to chaos. There is no question of inferiority, they were under authority. “I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man”.
To Titus, Paul says that women should teach younger women and children, but they must respect leadership and authority of the man. Therefore, not all speaking or teaching is necessarily against God’s order. It must be done in submission to the men appointed by God to lead.
In recent years there has been a tremendous change in the acceptance of authority. These changes have not been for the good of society. Things have become worse and less safe. Authority is not accepted and we have returned to the days of the Judges in the Old Testament where everyone did that which was right in their own eyes, resulting in anarchy and chaos.
Authority and submission are important to God. They have set a wonderful example in the trinity – God the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. They clearly display this and failure to exercise biblical authority and submission is a sin against God. The failure of men to lead in their homes has extended into the churches and has led to the rejection of male authority. Inferiority and superiority are nothing to do with authority and submission. God the Father and The Son are equal but have different roles, as does The Holy Spirit.
Moving with the times has nothing to do with pleasing God. We change behaviour, clothes and sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the difference, but God never changes, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. God gave the reasons for recognising authority in the church. He goes right back to creation (v13,14). Adam was created first, but Eve was deceived. Now the Bible does not lay the blame for the fall on Eve, but on Adam. The reason was authority. Eve was deceived but Adam’ s action was rebellion, knowing what he was doing, his sin was worse. Nevertheless, she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control (v15).
Many regard this as one of the most difficult passages in the Bible. What about those godly women who die in childbirth? What about sinful women who have survived childbearing? What about childless women, are they denied salvation?
One writer has said that the ‘woman race’ did something bad by being deceived and falling into transgression, however, the ‘woman race’ did something great by being used by God by bringing the saving Messiah into the world.
We cannot leave this without noting the words, “Faith, love, and holiness, with self-control”. These words re positives. All qualities which God wants in us all, including women. These are vitally important for home life and church life, and especially nurturing children.
