This is the unabbreviated edition, retaining the research and documentation. The main message is v. 8. The woman's responsibility has been left in this edition.

1 Timothy Chapter 2

Now Paul starts his exhortation of Timothy.

Church and State

The first thing Paul brings to Timothy for encouragement is prayer for all men, especially those in authority -- so the church can live in peace. Without prayer for the government, we will lose our peace, and the state will persecute the church. The Lord even wants those in civil government saved.

Paul is writing during the reign of Nero. Nero was probably about this time persecuting Christians in unbelievable style, e.g., hanging them on crosses, drenching them with pitch, setting them on fire, and racing his chariots by the light produced from the pitch.

In view of Nero's reign, this passage is very striking -- Paul is telling Timothy to pray for the "rulers" in civil government. Implied here is that a lack of prayer for them was a reason for the persecution. Is a reason we are seeing what we see today because we as Christians are not praying for those in authority? Is this a reason they do not have the knowledge of the truth? The context of Paul's words here sure implies this is true. Even if the church started praying according to Paul's instructions to Timothy, it was not for another 300 years that peace came, and the state was subdued to Christianity. However, the Christianity that the state yielded to was a very corrupt Christianity, for the state wanted to retain its power with the support of Christians -- a pagan mix, which became Romanism.

As the church fails to pray for the state, the state will not allow us to live a quiet and peaceable life.

V. 4, is the method (prayer) of bringing all men into the knowledge of the truth.

Note the method ordained by God for a peaceful co-existence with the state, prayer, v. 1. This is not conservative political action, but Christian action. Implied also here is the conversion of civil rulers as the result of prayer and faithful proclamation of the gospel.

We should say a word about v. 4:

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Ver. 4. Who will have all men to be saved, &c.] The salvation which God wills that all men should enjoy, is not a mere possibility of salvation, or a mere putting them into a salvable state; or an offer of salvation to them; or a proposal of sufficient means of it to all in his word; but a real, certain, and actual salvation, which he has determined they shall have; and is sure from his own appointment, from the provision of Christ as a Saviour for them, from the covenant of grace, in which everything is secured necessary for it, and from the mission of Christ to effect it, and from its being effected by him: wherefore the will of God, that all men should be saved, is not a conditional will, or what depends on the will of man, or on anything to be performed by him, for then none might be saved; and if any should, it would be of him that willeth, contrary to the express words of Scripture; but it is an absolute and unconditional will respecting their salvation, and which infallibly secures it: nor is it such a will as is distinguishable into antecedent and consequent; with the former of which it is said, God wills the salvation of all men, as they are his creatures, and the work of his hands; and with the latter he wills, or not wills it, according to their future conduct and behaviour; but the will of God concerning man's salvation is entirely one, invariable, unalterable, and unchangeable: nor is it merely his will of approbation or complacency, which expresses only what would be grateful and well pleasing, should it be, and which is not always fulfilled; but it is his ordaining, purposing, and determining will, which is never resisted, so as to be frustrated, but is always accomplished: the will of God, the sovereign and unfrustrable will of God, has the governing sway and influence in the salvation of men; it rises from it, and is according to it; and all who are saved God wills they should be saved; nor are any saved, but whom he wills they should be saved: hence by all men, whom God would have saved, cannot be meant every individual of mankind, since it is not his will that all men, in this large sense, should be saved, unless there are two contrary wills in God; for there are some who were before ordained by him unto condemnation, and are vessels of wrath fitted for destruction; and it is his will concerning some, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned; nor is it fact that all are saved, as they would be, if it was his will they should; for who hath resisted his will? but there is a world of ungodly men that will be condemned, and who will go into everlasting punishment: rather therefore all sorts of men, agreeably to the use of the phrase in #1Ti 2:1 are here intended, kings and peasants, rich and poor, bond and free, male and female, young and old, greater and lesser sinners; and therefore all are to be prayed for, even all sorts of men, because God will have all men, or all sorts of men, saved; and particularly the Gentiles may be designed, who are sometimes called the world, the whole world, and every creature; whom God would have saved, as well as the Jews, and therefore Heathens, and Heathen magistrates, were to be prayed for as well as Jewish ones. Moreover, the same persons God would have saved, he would have also
come to the knowledge of the truth: of Christ, who is the truth, and to faith in him, and of all the truth of the Gospel, as it is in Jesus; not merely to a notional knowledge of it, which persons may arrive unto, and not be saved, but a spiritual and experimental knowledge of it; and all that are saved are brought to such a knowledge, which is owing to the sovereign will and good pleasure of God, who hides the knowledge of Gospel truths from the wise and prudent, and reveals them to babes: whence it appears, that it is not his will with respect to every individual of mankind; that they should thus come to the knowledge of the truth; for was it his will they should, he would, no doubt, give to every man the means of it, which he has not, nor does he; he suffered all nations to walk in their own ways, and overlooked their times of ignorance, and sent no message nor messenger to inform them of his will; he gave his word to Jacob, and his statutes unto Israel only; and the Gospel is now sent into one part of the world, and not another; and where it does come, it is hid to the most; many are given up to strong delusions to believe a lie, and few are savingly and experimentally acquainted with the truths of the Gospel; though all that are saved are brought to the knowledge of such truths as are necessary to salvation; for they are chosen to it through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth. (John Gill, Online Bible)

A modern Christian Identity perversion of the Gospel (1:3) is that only the Anglo-Saxons are within God's saving grace. 2:4 is just one of a multitude of passage that destroys that argument.

Vv. 5-8

Vv. 5, 6, the only way to see all men come to the truth is through prayer. Men must come to the truth because there is only ONE way to come to God, and that is through the Truth, John 4:22. No man can worship the Father unless he comes to him through the Son, for the Son is the one who gave himself a ransom for all who would believe. (See Isa. 53.)

V. 7, Paul was (is) the one chosen by God to take the gospel message to the Gentiles. In faith and verity--that is, truth, as in Romans 9:1, I say the truth in Christ, I lie not...

(c) Faithfully and sincerely: and by faith he means wholesome and sound doctrine, and by truth, an upright and sincere handling of it. (Geneva)

V. 8, here Paul wraps up his instructions to Timothy on prayer. He requests that all men everywhere pray:

Let us look at what Paul is saying.

V. 1, he encourages Timothy to pray for all men, and especially those in authority.

V. 8, he sais this praying must be for all men, and especially those in authority.

He sais this praying must NOT be done out of the natural emotion or impulse of anger.

Remember the date: Paul is writing during the Reign of Terror under Nero. (2:1-4.) Paul sais we must pray for those in authority, but not after the natural impulse of "getting even with them," or seeing God reward their evil deeds in their attempts to destroy the church. Rather, we are to pray with the supernatural desire of seeing them converted to Christ, v. 4.

The natural desire is found in v. 2. Everyone in their right mind wants to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. However, this is not the motive for prayer. V. 4 gives us the proper motive for prayer: the salvation of all classes of men. No class of men is excluded from God's redemptive work through Christ.

The motive for prayer is that men would come to the knowledge of the truth.

The quiet and peaceable life is a fringe benefit as the church prayers and works toward v. 4, conversion of those in authority. Those rulers are converted, and the rest will take care of itself.

Observe:

FIRST

Men pray: Paul does not exclude women here. He is speaking of the public assembly. I believe he also shows us that the religious responsibility of any society lies on the men, not on the wives and women. The women's responsibilities are given in the next section, vv. 9ff.

SECOND

everywhere and for all things. Not just at church, and not just over meals. But everywhere and concerning all things.

Men should pray with their families, before a journey, concernign buisness deals.

THIRD

lifting up holy hands. Prue and undefiled hands toward God. Hands that are not pursuing courses of iniquity, but are lovers of what is pure and good. All spiritual excellence is necessarily implied in this. (Fairbairn, Pastoral Epistles, 123.)

Isaiah 1:15, And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; 17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

FOURTH

without wrath--that is, without anger shown in punishment, e.g., Romans 13:4. Wrath -- the root word goes back to "an internal motion especially that of plants and fruits swelling with juice." The natural disposition, temper, character, agitation of soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion, but especially anger.

A) without unholy anger towards men

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

FIFTH

without doubting---murmuring results from doubting him:

Without wrath and doubting; or reasoning, or disputation in a contentious way: the former of these, some think, has reference to "murmuring", as the Ethiopic version renders it, impatience and complaint against God in prayer, and the other to doubt and diffidence about being heard, and having the petitions answered; for prayer ought to be with praise to God, and faith in him: or rather "wrath" may intend an angry and unforgiving temper towards men, with whom prayer is made, which is very unbecoming; see #Mt 5:23,24 6:10 1Pe 3:7 and both that and doubting, or disputation, may have regard to those heats and contentions that were between the Jews and Gentiles, which the apostle would have laid aside, and they join together in prayer, and in other parts of public worship, in love and peace. Maimonides {l} says,
``men may not stand praying, either with laughter, or with levity, nor with confabulation, "nor with contention, nor with anger", but with the words of the law.''
And it is a saving of R. Chanina,
"in a day of "wrath", a man may not pray {m}.'' (Gill, Online Bible)

The indispensable condition of acceptable prayer is faith; and therefore doubting, which is the mark of a wavering spirit, is the conflict between faith and unbelief, must, so far as it prevails, be a hindrance to success. (See Fairbairn, p 123.)

Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

No doubt a primary reason we have women and children now in places of civil authority is because men have failed in their godly responsibility in society.

Men:

Men carry the primary responsibility for a godly society.

Men are to lead in prayer.

Men are to lead in reaching the lost with the truth and for Christ.

Our prayer is that God would raise up men to do his work.

Vv. 9-15

In like manner also...

The goal is a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, and reach all classes of men with the gospel, vv. 2, 4. There were several things given in order to have the quiet and peaceable life:

1) Prayer, &c., for all men, including those in authority.

2) Just as important as praying for those in authority, there must be proper authority in the church and proper authority in the home.

Paul is writing instructions to Timothy who has been left behind to organize probably over a hundred small churches in Ephesus, meeting in homes. In these many churches, false teachers were multiplying like rats, and were everywhere.

Evidently, Paul is dealing with a couple of issues that have or will rise in them. One issue was over those in authority (Rom. 13), which we will not pursue here. The other being here as Paul changes his theme from prayer to the women's place in the church.

Almost all false teachings today can be traced to a woman or about women. Women are attracted to false teachers, so here Paul lays down some guide lines for the Christian woman in the church. He by no means treats it completely here, but he does much more in 1 Cor. 11:5 & 14:34, 35. We will restrict ourselves to Timothy as Paul here is instructing Timothy (not the woman as in 1 Cor.) In setting up the church.

Vv. 9, 10.

He gives the manner of dress first. This is the first thing a person notices about a woman. Notice Paul does not deal with the manner of dress of a man, thoughthe same principle applies. Whether a man or another woman, their attention is immediately drawn to how a woman is dressed. Men with other men really don't pay much attention to how men dress. But God made it this way. (Women like to show off, and men like to look.)

Why is it this way? Maybe we wills see as we go through Paul's instructions.

V. 9, modest apparel

Any dress that causes lasciviousness is not modest. (1 Pet. 4:3.) That is, any clothing or manner of dress that stirs up the natural, lustful desires is sin. Whether the woman knows it stirs up lust or not, or whether she dresses intentionally like that or not, it is still sin. (1 Thes. 4:6.) God will avenge all who do this. Any manner of dress that encourages a stronger sensual desire than a spiritual desire is sin. (Concupiscence -- Possessing a stronger sensual desire than spiritual desire.) God will avenge.

Any dress that defrauds -- arouses a sensual desire in others that cannot be righteously satisfied, 1 Thes. 4:3-6.

Of course, this has been a problem since Eve. The old sin nature wants to attract attention to the flesh, the Old Man, and any manner of dress that does this is wrong. He refures to "fancy heir doos," fancy jewls and expensive clothing.

Now, who is to set the standard? See here in this passage, THE WOMAN BEING DECEIVED. (Therefore, it is the man over her who must establish her standard of dress, father or husband.)

FIRST, she is deceived in her manner of dress.

More often than not, she is deceived in her manner of dress. Many times she does not realize what causes lasciviousness, concupiscence and what defrauds.

Just look as women who claim to love the Lord and the cloths they love to ware. The cloths expose their "figure" to the last curve and fold in their skin. God will judge those who defraud (promise somethign with their clothing that is not according to their Christian testimony), 1 Thes. 4:6.

The only thign that is to draw attention to her is her good works, the inner man that shows through which includes neat and clean outer appearance. The natural inclination for a woman is an over attention of clothes, as well as to reveal her figure in ways that defraud. (She probably does not even realize what she is doing, so she needs to ask her father, if single, or her husband.) She is deceived over what is modest and what is immodest.

SECOND, she is deceived in her doctrine, v. 11.

She is to learn in silence. Elsewhere she is told by Paul that if she wants to know anything, let her ask her husband at home. (Or father if she is single.)

I am sure he saw this problem down the road, for at this time the Jewdisers were no doubt very strong anti-female teachers. So this probably was not a problem for Timothy yet. But it sure is today.

As shown from Eve by Paul, (vv. 13, 14) the woman is easily deceived by false doctrine. Maybe these false teachers were telling the women to assert their "God given rights" in the church. Of course, we know the women were already up in leadership in the cults with their priestesses.

A woman will get caught up in a false doctrine much quicker than will a man, as a rule. Therefore, Paul's warning, But I suffer not a woman to teach (over a man). To permit a woman to teach the word of God over a man is as Anti-Bible, Anti-God as anything can be.

I think that as men get lazy and no good, God raises up ladies to carry on his work, e.g., Deborah.

So then, 2), Paul tells Timothy not to let a woman teach.

THIRD, she is not to usurp authority over the man. I believe here the man is to have control of the direction of his home, the civil authority and the church. All is to be controlled under Christ. (1 Cor. 11:3.)

Thus, a woman is deceived in:

1) her apparel

2) her doctrine

3) goals for the life of the men in her life.

Here goal in life will be security for her and her family. His goal should be to please God no matter what.