1 Timothy 2 - A Short Chapter with LOTS of Implications!

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Instructions on Worship

2 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. 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.

Since Timothy was a young pastor, Paul gave him very practical instructions on how to run a worship service. At the heart of the service is prayer. Although preaching, worship, and communion are all important parts of a worship service, prayer is at the heart of it. 

Importantly Paul says prayer should be made of behalf of "all people". Paul starts with kings and those in authority. It is interesting that Paul starts with these leaders. We have quite a tumultous political climate right now, which has caused lots of dissension in our culture and even in our churches. 

Paul says instead of complaining about the political process, pray for those who are in authority. Why? Because political and governmental leaders create a place where we can lead peace and quiet lives. They give us the freedom to live out our faith. We know in some countries the political authorities and their regimes do not permit Christian to worship publicly. The churches there need to underground and take their lives into their hands when they do so. 

Early Christians were often accused of undermining the state because they claimed a higher Lord other than Caesar. Yet they would point out that they supported the state by being good citizens and by praying for the emperor, not to him. - Guzik

We should pray for a government and rulers that would simply leave us alone and let us live as Christians. - Guzik

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. 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.

Verses 3-4 are very important verses. They show us the heart of God is that all people would be saved. God so loved the world He sent His only Son into the world not to condemn the world but to save it through him. No greater love is there than this that someone lay down their life for another. God proved his love that while we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us. 

Jesus said he was, "The way, the truth, and the life and no one could get to the Father except through him." Some people think that is narrow, but the truth is this way is open to everyone. God could not have done anything more to save us from our sin. 

Because of our sin we were at odds with God, but God provided a mediator to bridge the gap between us. Jesus was our ransom. A ransom is paid to set a slave free. We were slaves to sin and Jesus set us free. This is not just a nice story but really happened. It was witnessed by several people. 

God’s desire for all men to be saved is conditioned by His desire to have a genuine response from human beings. He won’t fulfill His desire to save all men at the expense of making men robots that worship Him from simply being programmed to do so. - Guzik

It is also simply logical. If Jesus was at least a good and honest man, then He told the truth when He said that He was the only way to God. If He did not tell the truth at this important point, then it is difficult to regard Him as even a good or honest man, much less a prophet from God. If He was wrong then He was either a liar or a lunatic. - Guzik

Paul's sole mission was to a messenger of this good news. Though he was not one of the original 12 disciples later called apostles, he was handpicked by Jesus to be a messenger to the Gentiles (though who were not Jewish). Though Paul was extremely Jewish, God picked him to be the messenget to the Gentiles. 

8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. 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.

Paul also wanted the believers to be respectful in worship. In their newfound freedom some of the believers might have gone overboard, especially the women. As for the men it seems like there were quarreling behind the scenes. In both cases it reminds us that worship is a holy thing. I think the best we might translate this today is that women should dress modestly (and men should too), and men (and women) should act respectfully toward each other. 

The problem with this passage is that some have applied it legalistically over the years. It is not about what you wear to church which makes you acceptable in God's sight. Man looks at the outside but God looks at the heart. So obviously there was something happening that warranted this specific instruction. 

11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

This is a very challenging passage, especially in the egalitarian society we live in, which makes almost no distinction between a man and a women. These passages are extremely hard to interpret. If one uses a literal method of intepretation a woman could never be a pastor, or lead a bible study where men were present. 

This also points to the fact that we cannot build a doctrine on a single passage, because other passages in Acts show women in leadership of the early church (I.e. Lydia and the church that met at her house). One of those to prophesy about Jesus was a woman, "Anna". 

“There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:36-38)

Note it said she spoke to all about the coming of Jesus in the temple. 

In other places in the New Testament, even in the writings of Paul, women are specifically mentioned as praying and speaking in the church (1 Corinthians 11:5).

In Christ Paul says that human distinctions are gone. He says in Galatians, "In Christ there is no Jew or Gentile, male nor female, slave or free, but all are on in Christ Jesus!"

Not every church would be ready for a women pastor, but the point is calling a woman pastor does not violate scripture. There have been many women throughout history that have played a huge role in preaching and teaching about Jesus. It would be sad if someone used this one verse to nullify all God has done through them. 

This commentator sheds some light on why this passage is "descriptive" not "prescriptive" for the church. 

"Some have said the reason for this is because in these ancient cultures (as well as some present-day cultures), men and women sat in separate sections. The thought is that women interrupted the church service by shouting questions and comments to their husbands during the service. Clarke expresses this idea: “It was lawful for men in public assemblies to ask questions, or even interrupt the speaker when there was any matter in his speech which they did not understand; but this liberty was not granted to women.” - Guzik 

Finally, Paul seems to blame Eve for Adam's fall. We know they both disobeyed the Lord's command. They were equally guilty of disobedience. Adam blamed Eve for his own sin, and God did not buy it. 

"The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Genesis 3:12

Then, we see Adam's punishment for his OWN disobedience, not Eve's. 

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:17

Some men have used these verses to take advantage of women and dominate them. Clearly, God has called us to love and respect each other as men and women, just as Jesus loved and died for the Church, his bride. 

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

You see here Paul's directions for how a husband should love and respect each other. 

This commentary provides some helpful clarification of the role of Adam and Eve in the Fall. 

 Both Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, and Eve clearly sinned first. Yet, the Bible never blames Eve for the fall of the human race, but always blames Adam (through one man sin entered the world, Romans 5:12). Adam is responsible because of there was a difference of authority. Adam had an authority Eve did not have; therefore he also had a responsibility Eve did not have. Adam failed in his responsibility in a far more significant way than Eve did. (Guzik)

As well, Eve was deceived, and Adam was not deceived. Eve was tricked; but Adam sinned knowing exactly what he was doing when he rebelled. This means that though Adam’s sin was worse, Eve’s ability to be more readily deceived made her more dangerous in a place of authority. “Eve’s reasoning faculty was at once overcome by the allegation of jealousy felt by God, an allegation plausible to a nature swayed by emotion rather than by reflection.” (White)