Folks who have studied 1 Timothy 2 may be aware that the chapter seems rife with controversy. Yet, what would you say is the most important, controlling word in this chapter tonight?
I would argue that the controlling word is “godly”. 1 Timothy 2 contains verses that may surprise or confuse us, but its purpose is clear - to promote godliness. We learn God’s design for godliness as we read this chapter. We should be reminded that our lives are will be weighed against what God requires for godliness.
Are you a godly person? Does your life reflect God as He has revealed Himself?
(A) Prayer that petitions God our provider (1 Tim 2:1-3)
In 1 Timothy 1, Paul was concerned that Timothy restore order to the church in Ephesus (1 Tim 1:3-11). That is why Paul charged Timothy to stay there. Do you value orderliness in your church? Paul thought it was important, even necessary! There must be an orderliness to our faith and practice. The order of our faith refers to our doctrinal orthodoxy. The Ephesians were to understand the truth of the doctrine they were taught, and to uphold the statement of the church’s rule of faith. The orderliness of practice, then, refers to whether the people in the church were living godly lives according to what their faith required.
We see the background to this teaching in 1 Timothy 1 where Paul first gave his ministry charge to Timothy, and then offered ministry encouragement to Timothy. The latter came in the form of reminding Timothy of the power of the gospel based on his own life as an example. Ministry encouragement is being reminded of the power of the gospel.
Now, Paul turns to ministry wisdom.
Timothy’s ministry is to be grounded in prayer. Timothy must teach others to make supplication, prayer, intercession and thanksgivings for all people (1 Tim 2:1). These are 4 different ways of saying “pray” and refer to different postures of prayer. Some of us are more drawn to private prayers where we talk to God about our day and unpack our day. In our desperation, we may also look to bring a request before Him. Sometimes as a body, we intercede for one another or for the body. At other times, we have a longer time of prayer as we recount God’s blessings with gratitude, knowing that God hears and answers prayer.
Do you tend to favour one or downplay another of these four? Paul emphasises all aspects. If you’d like to find out more praying well, Paul Miller’s “A Praying Life” is a helpful resource where you can read more.
From 1 Timothy 2:2, we see that our prayer should also include the public sphere, so that the Christian can practice his or her faith unhindered. This verse also helps us think about the relationship between church and state, and and that we should pray for the government so that the Christian faith can be undisturbed. A peaceful and quiet life is a good thing, Paul says. A similar point is raised in the letter to the Thessalonian church in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 — “and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”
There are practical implications for us on different levels. Consider the lives we lead now. If you live among peaceful, quiet, unimpressive Christians, you should give thanks for them and for their lives. If your parents, for instance, live this way, praise God that they modelled for you quiet, dignified, godly Christianity. We should come to value and treasure quietness and godliness in peace.
But also, do you pray for your government? Have you prayed that government would be stable, reliable, and it would not get in the way of the gospel in Singapore? When you travel, do you pray for peace in the land for the sake of the Christians in the land? These are the priorities of a Christian pastor.
We are rightly rebuked if all of our prayer life consists of personal gain and worldliness, private circumstances of prosperity and my will for an easy life. We should pray for society, government and peace that is good for the gospel. War, famine, hardship, and crisis are not always good conditions for the gospel to spread. In those circumstances, Christians are not able to live peaceful, quiet and godly lives. It is our prayer lives that ought to be rich and vibrant, so thatour lives are quiet, godly and dignified So, what do you pray for?
Thus, Paul is teaching Timothy that petition reveals a prayerful dependence on God. This is the goal of godliness in prayer.
(B) Preaching that proclaims God our Saviour (1 Tim 2:4-7)
Indeed, God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4). He provided a mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all (1 Tim 2:5-6a).
Now, does 1 Timothy 2:4 mean that the beliefs of the universalist are true — that everyone will be saved? It is important for us to remember that Christians don’t just build our doctrine on one verse but we read it in light of other passages and must harmonise the fullness of Biblical revelation. Yes, 1 Timothy 2:4 is true. But the Bible also speaks about hell as a real place. There will be people in hell.
It is contradictory to say that there are people in hell and that God also desires for all to be saved? Thus theologians speak of God having a will of command and a will of decree. 1 Timothy 2:4, like Ezekiel 18:23, tells us that God does not delight in the death of the wicked and he urges us to repent – this is his will of command, what He tells us to do based on His desire. Yet, by His will of decree, the wicked will meet the flames of judgment because God is sovereign. As we proclaim Christ, some will reject the the word of God that is salvation and there will be eternal consequences.
The reality of this certain judgment should stir or spur you to think harder about the people in your life. Who are the people that you see every day, but have not proclaimed Jesus to? Do you live alongside your family, friends, co-workers and neighbours with an intentionality to pray, look for opportunities to share the gospel kindly, humbly, respectfully whenever you can?
Friends, this is God's will for your life, that you speak of His gospel to the lost. Learn how to share the gospel quickly and simply. Learn how not to just share your testimony, but to speak of Jesus with courage, conviction and personal stake.
It is this Jesus that Paul was appointed to proclaim. Paul understood clearly his own relationship to this Gospel, and the task he had been given. Paul was appointed a preacher and apostle for this testimony (1 Tim 2;7). He stresses that proper, godly preaching by men of God should proclaim God our Saviour in Jesus Christ. This gospel about Jesus Christ is what our prayers for peace enable to flourish. This is why godliness in the believer is important. Our lives either hold back, or speed the Gospel along to others.
(C) Propriety that pleases God our Maker (1 Tim 2:8-15)
In this next section, Paul speaks to Timothy about what kind of lives are lived by godly people, especially as God makes them male and female. This teaching about godly manhood and womanhood may be new to some. You should consider that the Bible does not speak of godly manhood and womanhood in the same ways. It is spoken of in gendered terms. Godliness thus plays itself out in specific, gendered ways depending on who we are and how God made us. We are godly older men and women or younger men and women. And these are not just conceptual categories, but identity markers that the Bible states are distinct and vital.
So, first, what is the mark of godly manhood? The men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger of quarrelling (1 Tim 1:8). Psalm 63:3-4 also sheds light on the posture of prayer — that one is engaged and the whole self is brought to prayer.
Isn’t this an interesting thing to select for men? When Paul thinks of godly manhood, he asks if the men of the church pray? Are they dependent on the living God? Are they engaged in prayer with sanctified, clean hands? This is an excellent ambition for the men of God. Aspire not to power and position or leadership titles. Aspire not to be knowledgeable of doctrine. Aspire to be a good pray-er. The praying person will never lack resources, power and peace as he is confident he can get it from the One who has it all at His disposal.
Notice also the negative condition here. Godly men are not to be filled with anger or quarrelling. One geared towards power and authority often finds himself angry. How commonly men struggle with anger because of an inability to control situations. One of the things men struggle with, especially older ones, is the struggle with how we feel when life slips out of our control. In our old age, this can translate into a habit of quarrelling with others and getting into fits of rage.
Godly men know that anger will not produce the righteousness that God requires and they should not allow the sun to go down on their anger. They also know that quarrelling is not a good use of time. Godly men supplicate God and trust Him to be in control, even when we have none.
Men, take this to heart. Pursue prayer that brings you to peaceful dependence on Almighty God.
In describing godly women, Paul highlights different areas of concern. He speaks of their spiritual pursuits (1 Tim 2:9-10). They are to pursue simplicity and dignity – adorning themselves in respectable apparel, not with braided hair and gold etc (1 Tim 2:9). He rejects the sense of worldliness and culture that was rife and rampant in Ephesus. But this is deeply ingrained in our modern culture even today. Via digital media, we are led to desire and feast our eyes on what is beautiful, attractive and marketable. The entire digital marketing industry is based on holding our attention and capturing our interest. Through visuals, audience segmentation and gamification, we see modern equivalents of “braided hair and gold” on social media that grips our eyes. We do know this, yet we still give our digital browsing so much time. Perhaps, we can do that less?
Instead, women are to adorn themselves with what is proper for women who profess godliness with good works. This is a call to love godly living, a life of good works. It is not just about what is being worn.
What has your heart? Do you love good works? Do you love godliness? Do you love a life that smells with the aroma of Christ, the man of sorrows? This is the Christ who had no place to lay His head, who died for the sinners of this world. This is the Christ that we love.
Next, Paul addresses their spiritual learning (1 Tim 2:11-12 c.f., Titus 2:5, 1 Cor 14:34). The woman is to learn quietly with all submissiveness (1 Tim 2:11). We should point out that this was also revolutionary in the ancient world – that a woman was allowed, even commanded to learn. On the other hand, Paul clearly forbids women to teach or exercise authority over a man (1 Tim 2:12a). She is to remain quiet (1 Tim 2:12b). Now, when we read it today, we may think that it’s offensive of Paul to say so. But let’s read it closely. If we take the Scriptures at face value – it is undeniable that there is something here that Paul prohibits absolutely, regardless of cultural norms and contexts. Whether it’s the role, the act, the extent – Paul clearly forbids women from doing something, which we’ll discuss below.
Why? Paul gives 2 sets of reasons. First, Adam was formed first, then Eve (1 Tim 2:13). This first reason is grounded in the order of creation. Now this doesn’t mean that Adam was a superior creature. It’s a statement about the precedence that comes from order. Second, Adam was not deceived but the woman was (1 Tim 2:14). This argument comes from the order of the Fall. Paul is not saying that Eve was the reason for the fall, thus she is to be blamed. Rather, he states that it was the woman who was deceived and became a transgressor by deception. Implicitly, the man was not deceived even though he too became a transgressor. In fact, elsewhere Paul seems to put the greater blame on Adam as the “one man [through whom] sin entered the world” (Rom 5:12).
Based on these observations, the argument that states Paul’s prohibitions are temporary, transitional or cultural do not seem to hold much weight. It is hard to sustain the argument that it applies only to one rowdy woman in Timothy’s church, or this is just for the Ephesian church that had this problem, or that Paul was reacting to the Ephesian culture or the cult of Artemis. These arguments lay out transcendental norms grounded in Creation and the Fall.
So then - what is Paul prohibiting? He encourages Timothy to teach the church that women are not to be pastors. They are to be quiet — not that they cannot speak at all – but that they should not assume the roles of speaking to instruct and exercising office via the authoritative teaching role of the pastor/elder/overseer over the church. We know from elsewhere that Paul has an established pattern of working and commending women, like Phoebe, Prisca, Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Julia and Juna (Romans 16:1-2, 6-7, 12, 15). For godly women, Paul speaks of a life of quiet, godly submission in the pattern of Jesus in the spiritual learning of God’s Word. This quietness relates to the pastoral role, but the learning relates to the godliness of women. Godly women are to learn God’s Word voraciously, passionately, enthusiastically.
Now, admittedly in our egalitarian culture, some of us may struggle with whether this vision for womanhood is fair or right. This is not surprising. Many things in our culture teach us to associate ability with opportunity. We associate leadership with success. Those with gifts and ability should be allowed to do anything. Anyone prohibited from leadership is discriminated against. We should rightly consider where we have derived our norms from. We don’t approach the text with a blank slate but are reading this text with a bias already, influenced by many things in this world. While we wrestle with God’s Word, let us continue to let Scripture shape our norms and worldview.
1 Timothy 2:15 concludes by speaking of the woman who will be saved through childbearing. Now, Paul does not mean here that all women will be saved by bearing children. That would be odd and also strange - a gospel of works! Rather, we understand that Paul has in vision the second-born, deceived Eve, who is saved not by anything she achieves on her own, but as a model for godly womanhood, by hoping and waiting for the promised offspring of the woman who will crush Satan’s own head (c.f. Gen 3:15). What is required of Eve and of godly women? To continue persevering in faith, love and self-control.
Thus, this entire chapter is a sustained argument about godliness from start to finish. This world doesn’t want us, men and women in Christ, to look godly. The world desires for us to look more and more like the world, and for godliness to look foreign and strange so it stands out, looks odd and hopefully, will be abandoned. Thus 1 Timothy 2 instils in us vital principles for godly living.
It challenges us to think about our prayer life — what does our prayer life, and preaching diet look like and what are its respective goals?
It also encourages us to think about who we are as men or women — are you a godly man or woman and how do you know?
Finally, it also prompts us to think about how we approach God’s word — what challenges or offends you about the Bible’s teaching today and why?