(This is part of the series exploring Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus. You can catch up on the series so far by clicking here. This entry considers Paul’s writings to Timothy covered in 1 Timothy 2.)
There is a constant theme about the priority of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout Paul’s words to Timothy and Titus. Everything is based on that. There is something about the boldness with which Paul writes that implies that if you have a problem with what he’s expressing, it’s for you to take it up with Jesus. It’s not just that, though, it’s about having that as the basis for the corrective work that is necessary to those who Paul commissions to the various churches.
We have this urging for the presence of prayer in the community of believers. The sentence is a complex one with a lot going on in it. Variety of prayers, variety of directions, but it’s the end of it that should be fascinating. It hints at a major theme in the purpose of correct teaching in the church. If there is correct teaching, then there is room for the correct focus to allow the correct character to flourish. We don’t pray for people and leaders so we can be alright and carry on with services as usual. We pray for people and leaders so that we can thrive in the environment cultivated by God to live the kind of lives that reflect God.
As Paul establishes that, he goes on to explore this glorious desire that God has to see people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Not just an encounter with the gospel, but an ongoing commitment to the truth of Jesus. Speaking of which, here is this splendid outline of the Mediator …
… the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
1 Timothy 2:5-6 (ESV)
This gospel is about the work of this man who did this act and expressed this character for his Father and for people to experience true liberty. Thus the priority of prayer is to encourage the saints to get in line with the purposes of God that is based on a revelation of the person of Jesus Christ and the work He did to free us.
As a result of this, it’s for the men to get in line with this. There’s the practice of prayer. There’s the posture of prayer and there is the person who prays – that is their character. The man’s character where this is concerned outlines their pursuit of the example of Jesus to be in line with His purposes. That character is about their reach to the Father as well as right relations with those with whom they pray.
For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.
1 Timothy 2:10 (NLT)
Up to this point in the reading of the chapter, there is little in the way of anything contentious. If the thread of the priority of the gospel and the character that reflects that is observed the next part should also be relatively straightforward. As men should pray with the right attitude, women should also have the right attitude when it comes to the gathering. As men express that with humility and meekness in their pursuit of the purposes of God, it makes sense that women likewise should be committed to a character that reflects God.
Paul is clearly aware of a problem in the church that Timothy is commissioned to sort out. A problem of attitudes and characters in the church being out of order. Men who would have problems with others and women would be more concerned with glamorous appearances rather than expressing godly character.
What also is out of order is how women look to grab for authority over men in the gathering. There is already a lack of godly character in the women that need to be addressed. There’s something of a spirit of being loud and showy, giving the impression that they’re large and in charge. Domineering, arrogant, loud and brash, this does not fit with what God had in mind when He made Eve.
God’s household should reflect the family He has in mind from the beginning. One where Adam was first and then Eve came alongside him. That alongside nature is compatible and complementary. Hence the call for a compatible and complementary attitude from women in the gathering. One that was lacking in the church in Ephesus where Timothy was sent by Paul to ensure that the right teaching would lead to the right focus on Jesus and the right character to emerge among the saints there as a result of that.
Modern eyes reading these words of Paul are challenged because of modern sensibilities and perspectives (although the underlying thinking is as old as what led to the expulsion from the garden).
Some are quick to twist what Paul says to give the impression of reinforcing male domination and treating women as less than second-class citizens. As if they should just be grateful to be in the company of the man who will tell her what to do because she doesn’t know better.
Others contort what’s being said by suggesting that Paul was prejudiced by the age he lived in and wasn’t as enlightened as we are about gender relations.
This is why it’s important again to appreciate that Paul is encouraging Timothy to bring about order in the church through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul’s charge to Timothy about the role of women in the gathering is based on what God did in the beginning and the order He set from the start. That order is not about one being better than the other. It’s not the grounds to domineer over others or subject people to feeling worthless. It is however an opportunity for all parties again to look at the order set and the character that comes with that order.
Being submissive sounds like a negative word in the ears of some today, but it is an essential requirement in all those who follow Jesus – even as Jesus displays that quality in giving His life as a ransom for many. Men do that in submission to the call of God in their lives as that is worked out in their responsible sacrificial relationship with women. Women do that in submission to the call of God in their lives and as that’s worked out in their relationship to men.
Women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.
1 Timothy 2:15 NLT
Hence the end of what Paul says in this part about the character again – character marked by what makes believers fruitful in their relationship with God – love, faith and holiness … with self-control. That is an ability not to be loud, brash with a desire to take over and take on control and power that does not go along with God’s plan to support and complement.
Any man reading that and thinking that Paul is giving him leverage to dominate his wife, or domineer women in general, has clearly not read what Paul has outlined. Indeed if women believe they have a challenge in terms of proper conduct and character in church, Paul is about to outline to Timothy some important credentials for those who lead that should make any man think again about any thoughts of being the one who’s large and charge.
The love for the gospel should centre the community of Christ on persistent communication with God. This communication is for people, for key decision-makers and people in positions of responsibility, so that the will of God can be expressed through His people living in the way that reflects Him.
That reflection is seen in relations between men and women that shows the order of God. Order in their interaction reveals the beauty of this glorious gospel that saw a man give His life so that people could return to the right relationship with the Father.
Questions
- Prayer is a priority for the gathering of the saints – how is that reflected in your experience and how can it be reflected in future practice?
- The gospel is at the heart of the priority of prayer – how does this priority affect the nature of your prayer individually and collectively?
- The issue of character is important to Paul in relation to the gospel – why is that a crucial matter for men as they prioritise praying for the sake of the gospel?
- How do you understand and apply what Paul has to say about women in this chapter?
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
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