Bible Study 1 Timothy 2: 1-15

 

A Commentary of the Book of 1 Timothy

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study 1 Timothy 2: 1-15

Text: 

Exhortation to Prayer

2 First of all, then, I exhort that petitions and prayers, requests and thanksgivings, be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in [a]authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and [b]dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the [c]full knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the witness for [d]this proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a [e]preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

Instructions for Women

9 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, with modesty and self-restraint, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women professing godliness. 11 A woman must learn in quietness, in all submission. 12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13 For it was Adam who was first formed, and then Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, [f]fell into trespass. 15 But she will be [g]saved through the bearing of children, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with self-restraint.

Verse by verse commentary:

Verse 1: “First of all, then, I exhort that petitions and prayers, requests and thanksgivings, be made for all men,”

Paul’s desire was for the Ephesian Christians to have compassion for the lost, to understand the depths of their pain and misery, and to come intimately to God pleading for their salvation. “Petitions” references the needs of the one being prayed for. People need salvation so that is an appropriate “need” to pray on their behalf. “Requests”means  “to fall in with someone,” or “to draw near so as to speak intimately.” Other translations use the word “intercession” here. The idea is to be asking things for others. A balanced prayer life includes praying for the lost, prayers for the needs of others, and doing so with thanksgiving. We should always be thankful that we have the privilege of prayer to the One True God.

Verse 2: “for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

Since so many powerful and influential political rulers are hostile to God, they are often the targets of bitterness and animosity. However, Paul urges believers to pray that these leaders might repent of their sins and believe the gospel, which meant that the Ephesians were even to pray for the salvation of the Roman emperor, Nero, a cruel and vicious blasphemer and persecutor of the faith. The purpose of this type of prayer is that true believers could “lead a tranquil and quiet life.” This references a state of existence free from external control or restriction. The role of government is to protect civil rights and establish freedom for people to live their lives. This is another vital part of your prayer life.

Verse 3: “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,”

Paul is telling Timothy that this practice of prayer is “good and acceptable,” in God’s sight. We should take this message to Timothy and adopt it in our prayer life. When Scripture tells us something is good in God’s eyes, we would do well to hear and obey. Remember in Hebraic thinking, you don’t hear anything until it impacts your daily life.

Verse 4: “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth.”

The Greek word for “desires” is not that which typically expresses God’s will of decree (His fixed eternal purpose), but God’s will of desire. There is a distinction between God’s will of desire and His eternal saving purpose. In God’s Sovereignty, He is able to bring those He has given to the Son to Him with none lost. His general desire may be to save everyone, but for reasons only known to Him, He does not do so. The question is not, “Why doesn’t God save everyone?” But rather, the real question is, “Why does He save anyone?” God does not want men to sin. He hates sin with all His being. His Holiness demands both His hatred of sin and His Love for His elect. Thus, He hates its consequences, i.e. eternal wickedness in hell. God does not want people to remain wicked forever in eternal remorse and hatred of Himself. Yet, God, for His own glory, and to manifest that glory in wrath, chose to endure “vessels . . . prepared for destruction” for the supreme fulfillment of His will. In His eternal purpose, He chose only the elect out of the world  and passed over the rest, leaving them to the consequences of their sin, unbelief, and rejection of Christ. In summary, God’s elect receive grace and mercy and the nonbeliever receives justice. However, no one receives injustice.

Verse 5: “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

This is the fundamental affirmation of the Jewish faith. There is only One Who arbitrates between God and humanity and reconciles them. You don’t need a priest, minister or preacher to mediate for you, because you have the risen Christ as your substitute. Paul’s focus is on Christ’s humanity, perhaps because the false teachers had denied that Christ was truly human. A Gnostic belief was that everything physical or human was bad and only the spirit was good. The argument went, since Christ is God, He could not be human because all flesh was evil. Paul is destroying that argument with this text. The full humanity of Christ is essential to His serving as Mediator of the covenant of grace.

Verse 6: “who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the witness for this proper time.”

This verse describes the result of Christ’s substitutionary death for believers, which He did voluntarily and reminds one of Christ’s own statement in Matt. 20:28, “a ransom for many.” The “all” is qualified by the “many.” Not all will be ransomed (though His death would be sufficient), but only the many who believe by the work of the Holy Spirit and for whom the actual atonement was made. This is one reason why you must read all of Scripture together to get the intended meaning of the passage being studied. If you don’t, this verse could be a prooftext for universal salvation (meaning everyone is saved). We know that is a false doctrine. Not everyone goes to heaven, in fact, most will go to the flames of hell. The road to heaven is narrow, not broad. 

Verse 7: “For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”

Paul says that he was appointed a preacher and an apostle. “Preacher” comes from the Greek word kerux, which means “a herald or a trumpet,” referring to one who gives out the gospel. He has been appointed one to declare the gospel. To be a Gospel minister is not a profession or choice by the man, but rather, it is a calling and appointment by God Himself.

Verse 8: “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.”

The Greek word is for “men” as opposed to women. God intends for men to be the elders when the church meets for corporate worship. One of the signs of an apostate church is that it violates Scripture in ordaining women into church leadership as elders and pastors. The matter was settled in Paul’s mind and it should be so  in ours as well. The “lifting up holy hands’ is not a command for a certain physical posture, but rather a prerequisite for prayer. Our “hands” meaning our lifestyle and how we live our lives must be holy. Holy hands means a holy life. If you have a holy life, you will not have wrath. Wrath and holiness cannot exist at the same time. Dissension refers to a hesitant reluctance to be committed to prayer. Those with “holy hands” will not have wrath or hesitancy in their life.

The rest of this chapter contains instruction for women.

Verse 9: “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, with modesty and self-restraint, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly clothing,”

In the last part of this chapter, Paul moves to the problem of the divisive spirit of the false teachers, with specific admonitions for men and women. “Adorn” means to make ready or arrange. “Modesty” basically refers to self-control over sexual passions. Godly women hate sin and control their passions and their appearance so as not to lead another into sin. Specific practices that were causing distraction and discord in the church. Women in the first century often wove “gold, pearls,” or other jewelry into their hair styles (“braided hair”) to call attention to themselves and their wealth or beauty. The verse makes clear that our dress should not call attention to ourselves while we are in a place of worship. The focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ, not our appearance.

Verse 10: “but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women professing godliness.”

Godly women who have publicly committed themselves to pursuing holiness should support commands of modesty, not only in their demeanor, wardrobe, and appearance, but by being clothed with righteous behavior. Godly people pursue sanctification daily. True believers desire to point others to Christ and not to themselves.

Verse 11: “A woman must learn in quietness, in all submission.”

Women are not to be the public teachers when the church assembles, but neither are they to be shut out of the learning process. The form of the Greek verb translated “must learn” is an imperative. That means it is a command.  Paul is commanding that women be taught in the church, but they are not to be elders, i.e. pastors. “Quietness” and “submission” (“to line up under”) were to characterize the role of a woman as a learner in the context of the church assembly. Women are not inferior to men, but they do have different roles to play in the church.

Verse 12: “But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.”

Paul is forbidding women from holding the office and role of the pastor or teacher. He is not prohibiting them from teaching (other women or children) in other appropriate conditions and circumstances. Paul forbids women from exercising any type of authority over men in the church assembly, since the elders are those who rule. Elders are always men.

Verse 13: “For it was Adam who was first formed, and then Eve.”

A woman’s subordinate role did not result after the Fall as a cultural, chauvinistic corruption of God’s perfect design; rather, God established her role as part of His original creation. God made woman after man to be his suitable helper. This does not mean the man is more important or has a license to abuse or subjugate women. In fact, when one reads the Hebrew account of creation, the woman is created to be a warrior to protect the man and her family. This is an essential role for a woman. Many times, a woman can destroy her family by her actions when she violates God’s Word.

Verse 14: “And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into trespass.”

Women in the church were living impure and self-centered lives, and that practice carried over into the worship service, where they became distractions. Paul was instructing Timothy to confront the issue and resolve it using these verses. There is some question whether Eve was created when God gave the instructions on living in the Garden of Eden. Either way, she was deceived when she fell into temptation and sinned. Adam was not deceived. He willfully violated God’s command.

Verse 15: “But she will be saved through the bearing of children, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with self-restraint.”

The word “saved” is better translated as vindicated. The woman will be preserved in the birth process. That Paul does not have Eve in mind here is clear because the verb translated “will be saved” is future, and he also uses the plural pronoun “they.” He is talking about women after Eve. The conditional nature of “saved” refers to the godly appearance, demeanor, and behavior commanded of believing women in the church.  Women are motivated by the promise of deliverance from any inferior status and the joy of raising godly children.