Commentary on 1 Timothy 2
1 Timothy 2
"First of all, then, I urge that
entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all
men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a
tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and
to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator
also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for
all, the testimony borne at the proper time. And 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." (1st Timothy 2:1-7).
1. Paul gets to the main body of the letter with the statement "first of all":
the first of all things is prayer. Paul encourages Timothy to pray for all men.
An entreaty is an earnest request. This is to be from the heart, a sincere
request. A petition is a solemn earnest plea. To give thanksgiving is to simply
express thanks. Paul tells Timothy to do these things on behalf of all men.
Prayers need to be offered up for all men, and these prayers need to be from the
heart. Christ had said that even sinners love those who love them, a Christian
is different, because he is concerned for all men.
2. For kings and all who are in authority. In Romans 13: Paul says that no
authority exists apart from God. So we should always pray for those rulers,
instead of complaining against them. The rulers are there to give us peace and
enforce a civil law, and we should pray that they do their job as they should,
and as they can, so as a Christian we can live a life void of governmental
persecutions.
3. This statement in verse three could be referring to the verses preceding or
following it. It seems to make more sense going to verse 4. God is described as
our savior, and verse 4 goes on to talk about God desiring that all men to be
saved.
4. It is a true statement that God desires all men to be saved. God is not
sitting above the earth searching for people to slip up. God has set up a plan
that can save anyone who wants to come to know Him. God has given the world the
bible that everyone who follows it can come to a true knowledge of the truth,
and the gospel of good news.
5. There is only one God, and there is only one mediator to reach God. That is
Christ. Christ is pictured often as sitting at the right hand of God, we can
pray to Him, and He is there to mediate, or act between two sides, between man,
and God.
6. Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all. We are all enslaved to sin and
Christ's life was the only ransom that could ever save us. This happened at the
proper time, there was no better time then when God set up His kingdom.
7. Paul was appointed a preacher and an apostle to teach about Christ being a
ransom for sinners. To help lead all men to a knowledge of the Truth. Paul
mentions that he is not lying, perhaps to emphasize his apostolic authority.
Paul has linked prayer for all men to salvation for all men. It is important
that we are always prayerful for everyone, and anyone that they may come to the
knowledge of God's truth.
"Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting
up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. Likewise, I want women to adorn
themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair
and gold or pearls or costly garments; but rather by means of good works, as
befits women making a claim to godliness. Let a woman quietly receive
instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or
exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was
first created, and then Eve And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman
being quite deceived, fell into transgression. But women shall be preserved
through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity
with self-restraint ."(1st Timothy 2:8-15).
8. Due to the importance of prayer, Paul wants every man who prays to do so
without holding anything back. A man should have no wrath or dissension when
praying for other men. He needs to do this with a pure heart and mind. There is
no hypocrisy in the Christians prayer.
9. Paul needed to tell Timothy to instruct the women to be careful to dress
themselves properly. Whatever the women wear when assembling with the saints
should never be a distraction to the purpose of the gathering.
10. A woman should let her character and her claim to godliness be through her
works, not her outfits!
11. Her character should be a quiet one this does not mean a women can not make
a sound, but this describes a spirit that describes how she needs to receive
instruction.
12. Paul says that he does not allow a woman to exercise authority over a man.
It is the responsibility of the man to teach the woman. Paul goes on to explain
why.
13. Adam was first created. From the very beginning Eve was created to help
Adam.
14. Also, the fateful day when man fell from grace in the Garden of Eden, it was
the woman who was deceived by the serpent, not man. Man was only deceived when
the Woman tempted him.
15. The Greek word for preserved literally means saved. Though there is pain in
childbirth, it is a blessing that life is created in the woman. Especially when
the children continue in the things that a godly woman teaches them.
By Nathan E. Quinn
From Expository Files 8.8; August 2001
