The Epistle of 1st Timothy
Chapter 2- The Church & Its Members

1 Timothy 2:1-15
Introduction

Paul told the church at Corinth, "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40). Although the Church is an "organism", it still must be "organized." Paul states that there are three groups or members of the New Testament church - Bishops (pastors), Deacons, and Saints (Philippians 1:1). In 1 Timothy 2 and 3, Paul instructs Timothy and the church of Ephesus how each of these groups should conduct themselves and coordinate their efforts within the church. The successful ministry of the church depends upon all three groups doing their part.

In 1 Timothy 2 Paul gives instruction concerning the "Saints". This group makes up the majority of the local assembly and contains men, women, and children. There are many lessons the church should learn in 1 Timothy Chapter Two. As we study this chapter, we will find that prayer is the essence of our Christian walk.

Praying Men in the Church (1 Timothy 2:1-8)

vs. 1 - The importance of prayer can never be overemphasized! Prayer should be preached in the pulpit, taught in the Sunday school class, and instructed to our youth. Prayer is the single most vital aspect of our Christian walk of life. Without spending time in prayer, we are powerless to serve God effectively.

Paul states, "First of All". This is clear indication that there is no greater matter of importance in our individual lives or in corporate worship. Prayer is communing with God on a personal basis. There is a greater need of praying saints in the church today than any other ministry. ALL saints can participate in prayer, but few do so with regularity. There are no prerequisites for prayer, except one be born-again.

Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call upon me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." It is interesting that God has to command us to do what we should desire to do as His children. Prayer secures for the individual the power of God needed to complete whatever task is at hand.

Paul presents four types of prayers that we should pray: supplications, prayers, intercessions, and the giving of thanks. Each of these are somewhat different, but all are necessary. Supplications are the earnest requests made to God for something in our life. Prayers refers to praise and worship by one offering prayer. Intercessions involve praying on the behalf of others. The giving of thanks refers to our expressions of appreciation to God for His grace and mercy. Volumes of books are written on the importance of prayer. Suffice it to say that Paul believed in the necessity of prayer within the church.

Paul instructs the church to "pray for ALL men." This includes praying for our enemies and those with whom we may not politically agree. As Christ hung upon the Cross He prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). The Lord instructed us to "pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matt. 5:44). We will always find it is difficult to harbor ill feelings towards others when pray for them regularly.

vs. 2 - Paul recognized the need of the church to pray for those in authority. Romans 13:1 states, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." By praying for those in authority over us, we are praying in the will of God. One of the motivations for Christians to pray for those in authority over us is explained in verse 2: "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." It is so important that we recognize that though this is not our world, we are ambassadors of Christ in this world. When others see us conducting ourselves as good citizens, God is glorified. If we are rebellious and contentious, we bring reproach upon the name of the Lord.

vs. 3 - Paul accentuates the importance of prayer in our lives - "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;" There is no greater reason for praying than to please God our Savior!

vs. 4 - This is one of the greatest verses in the Word of God! Paul reveals that God desires that ALL men be saved. There are those today who believe in "limited atonement". They believe that the blood of Jesus Christ is able to save only a "select" group of people whom the Lord has ordained to be saved. They contend that the blood CANNOT save those whom the Lord has not chosen to be saved. This false teaching suggests that man is NOT a "free moral agent" and therefore, a person cannot resist the drawing of the Holy Spirit of God. The Word of God does not teach this doctrine. In 1 John 2:2 we read, "And he (Jesus Christ) is the propitiation (that which satisfies the holiness and righteousness of God) for our sins: and NOT FOR OURS ONLY, but ALSO FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD." It is quite clear that the blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to atone for EVERY MAN’S SINS!

Paul states in 1 Timothy 2:4 that God would have all men to be saved! Aren’t you glad to know that He cares about you? Aren’t you glad to know that no matter who you are or what you have done, no matter where you live or what race you belong to God desires that YOU BE SAVED? Praise His Holy Name!

We should all be thankful that God is "longsuffering toward ALL of mankind, not willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come unto repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Romans 10:13 teaches us that "WHOSOEVER shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." There are many today who ARE LOST, but, praise God, they CAN BE SAVED if they obey the Gospel. What is the Gospel? The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus Christ died (for the sins of the world), according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that He rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 14:3-4). By realizing that you are a sinner, and realizing that Christ has done for you what you could never do for yourself, you can repent (change your attitude toward sin and self) and trust in Jesus Christ as your only means of salvation. Romans 10:9-10 states, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

In Romans 6:17 we read, "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have OBEYED from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you." This is the very essence of "obeying the Gospel." Before one can be saved, there must first be the delivery of "doctrine." Paul states that those who have heard the doctrine and believed in the teaching had been delivered from the bondage of sin and were no longer servants of sin, but servants of righteousness. They had been forgiven of their sins on the basis of Christ sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection, they had OBEYED from the HEART that doctrine which he had delivered. Many today believe the gospel intellectually (in their minds), but this type of belief does not exhibit faith and will not save them. We must believe in our hearts, trust in the Lord Jesus as the only means of salvation available, have confidence that He is able to save to the uttermost all them that repent of their sins and call upon Him. Faith does not question, "Why?" Faith boldly asks, "Why Not?"

An acrobat once performed a daring feat at Niagara Falls. He pushed a wheelbarrow across a tight rope stretched across the rapidly flowing river. Many news reporters and other spectators were there to watch this remarkable attempt to do what seemed to be to most, the impossible. Finally, after successfully crossing over the tight wire, not once, but twice, the man was mobbed by enthusiastic reporters. As they came to interview him, many proclaimed that they had witnessed one of the most remarkable achievements performed by man; unbelievable they shouted. One reporter, however, stated, "I never for a moment doubted that he could cross over and back safely!" To which the acrobat replied, "Sir, did you really think that I could do this feat?" "Yes, without a doubt!" proclaimed the reporter. "Sir, if I were to cross the tight rope again, do you think that I could do so successfully?" Again the reporter confidently said, "Why, of course you could." "Then get into the wheelbarrow!" said the acrobat. The truth is that many people believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died upon the cross for the whole world, but they do not exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith puts us in the wheelbarrow. Faith is the manifestation of what we truly believe.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 states, "…..when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that OBEY NOT THE GOSPEL of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in ALL THEM THAT BELIEVE…." Will you be one of the people that will see the Lord coming in flaming fire taking vengeance, or will you be one of those in which the Lord will be glorified and admired because you have believed in the Gospel message delivered unto you? The CHOICE is yours today!

vs. 5-7 In these three verses we learn what is the "Basis of our Prayer". Prayer is based upon the finished work of Jesus Christ as our Mediator. By His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection, the wages of sin has been satisfied and our justification has been secured. By the ascension and position taken by Christ at the right hand of the Father, we have a Great High Priest who is ever making intercession for believer daily (Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:24-25). There is only One who mediates between God and man - The Man Christ Jesus. A person need not confess their sins to an earthly priest because only Christ can mediate between God and man.

Why is Christ Jesus qualified to be our Mediator? Paul explains in verse 6, "Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." There is only One Mediator because there is only One who could secure our salvation by His death, burial, and resurrection - The Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul boldly proclaims that it is by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that he is "ordained" (appointed) a "preacher," (herald of the King). He proclaimed that it was this same Jesus Christ who also ordained him an "apostle," (one sent with a special commission) and a "teacher," (one who instructs). The same One who "ordains the end" (Salvation of the soul) also "ordains the means to the end" (those who spread the Gospel message).

If the "Basis of Prayer" is the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ upon the Cross of Calvary, then PRAYER is vitally important as an activity of the church. Paul admonished the church to pray for ALL men because Jesus Christ died for ALL men. To not pray for some is deny that Christ Jesus died for ALL. When we harbor ill-feelings toward others, we deny that they are important to the Lord who died for ALL men everywhere. If Christ loved them enough to suffer the anguish of the Cross, then we should be willing to pray for them!

vs. 8 - Paul not only instructs us concerning the "activity of prayer", but he also instructs us concerning the proper "attitude of prayer." He gives four instructions concerning our attitude. Paul says that all men pray "Everywhere". How sad when we allow location to restrict our prayer lives. We should never be ashamed to bow our head and pray at a restaurant or at work. We should be willing to pray wherever or whenever the Holy Spirit impresses us to do so. He says that we should pray "lifting up holy hands". It seems many today are afraid of being labeled "charismatic" if they lift up their hands in praise or prayer. "Lifting up holy hands" suggests that we "have a holy life".

The Psalmist David stated that the Lord will not hear his prayer if he regarded iniquity in his heart (Psalms 66:18). One should first spend time confessing sins before making supplications and intercessions known to the Lord. It has been said that ACTS (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication) is a good formula use in prayer. May I suggest that CATS would be better. Confession should precede adoration, thanksgiving, and supplication in order that God hear our prayers.

"Without wrath" suggests that we should never attempt going to the Lord in prayer when we have ought against others. The attitude of our prayer should always be done without harboring ill-feelings toward people. "Without doubting" indicates that when we pray we should have faith that God will answer our prayers, if we pray in the will of God. James 1:6-8 teaches, But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a waave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways."

Paul is teaching that "effective praying" requires that we have a "right attitude". Having a right attitude means that we have both a "right relationship with God" and a "right relationship with our fellow man." There is much praying that does not ascend to the throne of God. We should examine our attitudes and motives before we pray. God desires that we pray, but proper prayer requires that we do so in light of God’s Word.

Praying Women in the Church (1 Timothy 2:9-15)

One preacher entitled a sermon preached on this passage, Adam’s Rib or Women’s Lib." It would seem that this passage has nothing to do with whether or not women are to be thought of as second class citizens, as some might teach. This passage is concerned with the attitude of women in the activity of prayer. The key verse to consider is found at the beginning of 1 Timothy 2:9, "In like manner also…" Paul has been discussing the attitude of praying men in the church. Now Paul addresses the attitude of women in their prayer life.

The Lord is not concerned with the outward man, so much as He is with the inward man. In the Apostle Paul’s day, it was not uncommon for women to wear apparel that drew attention to themselves within the church. We find the same thing often occurring today. The house of God is a place where the saints are to be edified and the Gospel preached to the lost. Prayer is a major part of corporate worship, and there should be no room for "religious floorshows."

vs. 9 - Paul contends that what a person wears outwardly is a reflection of what they think inwardly. He states that women should be "adorned themselves in modest apparel". The word "modest" has the connotation of "decently; orderly. "Shamefacedness" means "modest; that which avoids extremes". "Sobriety" means "having a sound mind; using good sense". "Not braided hair, gold, pearls, costly array" means that women should use "good judgment" in what they wear. In this passage, Paul instructs believers to evaluate their motives.

vs. 10 - Here we find clarification of verse 9. Paul emphatically states that women (men and children should be implied as well) should dress in a manner which "professes godliness", not "goddessness." No doubt many women desired to draw attention to themselves, rather than to the Lord. Our main objective as believers should be to lead others to the Lord Jesus Christ. Whenever we attempt to draw attention to ourselves, we do disservice to the ministry of Christ. John the Baptist sought to direct others to Jesus Christ, not himself. He serves as a good example for believers to emulate. God have mercy upon ministers who desire to be the center of attention in corporate worship! This is the result of the flesh rearing its ugly head in our lives. We should constantly guard against being puffed up and vain. We should diligently guard our hearts against seeking to glorify ourselves instead of the Lord whom we serve.

vs. 11-12 These two verses have been widely misunderstood. Keep in mind that verse 9 begins with "In like manner also…". The Apostle Paul is not suggesting that women have no part in corporate worship. He is teaching truth concerning our "attitude toward prayer." There are many godly women who minister in a variety of ways in the church. However, some have misinterpreted these two particular verses to suggest that women should never speak within the church.

The word "silence" literally means the same thing as the word "peaceable" in 1 Timothy 2:2. It means that women should not be contentious, nor should they desire to "usurp the authority over the man" whom God has placed in positions of leadership. In Paul’s day many of the Ephesian women were abusing their positions in the New Testament church, and they were creating discord and disturbances. Ephesus was the site of the Temple Diana, a Greek idol which was worshipped as the "goddesses of the fertility". Women were very prominent in the idolatrous worship of Diana, and many of the women were accustomed to asserting themselves in corporate worship. There seems that there was a carry-over of this same attitude within the Church of Ephesus. Some of these same women were attempting to disregard God’s divine order as stated in 1 Timothy 2:13-14 and in 1 Corinthians 11:3; 8-9.

Paul never suggested that women have no part in corporate worship, nor did he state that women should never teach. He did state that women should not teach men when he wrote, "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence" (vs. 12). The problem with many New Testament churches today is that there are not enough god fearing and devoted men to do the work that God has ordained the men to do! Women are not to preach, teach men, nor deacon. These positions in the church are divinely ordered in the Word of God.

Regardless what society has taught concerning the equality of women, God does not ordain women to preach, become deacons, or to teach men. The ways and thoughts of God are not in subjection to the ways and thoughts of liberals in America! God is still "Sovereign", and He is immutable (unchanging). God has ordained the man as the head of the home, regardless of what the ACLU or women activist groups might contend. We will learn more about the qualifications of pastors and deacons later in our study.

vs. 13-14 - Paul takes Timothy and us back to the creation of man. As we read the account in Genesis 1-2, we know that Adam was created before Eve. Eve was created by God as a "helpmeet" for Adam. Eve was created from Adam’s rib, and Adam and Eve were united by God as a family. Adam was appointed as the federal head of the family, but with this came spiritual responsibilities so often neglected by husbands. Notice that verse 14 reveals that it was Eve, the woman, that was deceived and therefore was the one who sinned first. In Romans 5:12 we read, "Wherefore, as by one MAN sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" If Eve sinned first, why is Adam blamed for sin being in the world? It is because Adam served as the federal head of the first family, and ultimately, Adam is responsible for the fall of man.

Paul is emphasizing this important aspect of headship, and in so doing, he reiterates the fact that God has divinely ordained man, not women, to hold positions of leadership in the church. Women are not to contend with men for these positions.

vs. 15 - If women are not to "usurp the authority over the man" in the church, then what ministries are available for women? Many women play prominent roles within the New Testament church today. They are active in teaching children, young women, music, working in the nursery, serving and helping others who are hurting in a variety of ways. Women serve in many ways in which they are far more gifted than most men. Every church should be thankful for the godly women who serve in different capacities, and do so without complaint or murmuring.

Paul suggests one ministry in particular which women are well suited. We should first look at two key words in verse 15 that sheds light on this ministry: "saved" and "childbearing". The word "saved" in verse 15 does not have the usual meaning of "regenerate" or "born-again". Here the word "saved" means "to find significance or fulfillment." Paul teaches that women shall find significance or fulfillment in Christian service by rearing up her children in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord." Proverbs 22:6 states, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

There is a great need for godly mothers who are dedicated to training up their children according to the Word of God. There is a decline in godly mothers who are concerned with teaching their children the principles of God’s Word. There is a direct correlation with the decline of motherhood to the increase of juvenile delinquency. Juvenile prisons are filled today with young boys and girls today who have been neglected by uncaring and unsaved parents. Timothy had been reared by his godly mother, Eunice, and a godly grandmother, Lois (2 Timothy 1:5). How many mothers have failed in raising their children properly? The importance of motherhood is far greater than what today’s society would have us to believe. No doubt, the current attitude toward motherhood is a doctrine conjured up by Satan himself! God bless Christian mothers who have not compromised their convictions to raise their children as taught in the Word of God! Solomon addressed the virtues of motherhood in Proverbs 31:10-31. There is not a greater virtue for a woman, nor is there a more needed ministry for women to enter.

1Timothy Chapter 3