1 Timothy 2

CHAPTER 2THEME: Public prayer and woman’s place in the churches

1 Timothy 2:1

PUBLIC PRAYERPublic prayer is prayer for the public and for public officials. Paul says that Christians are to pray for public officials, and I take it that he meant that the prayers were to be made in the church. To bring this up-to-date, he is saying the Democrats ought to pray for the Republicans, and the Republicans ought to pray for the Democrats. Many years ago a famous chaplain of the Senate was asked by a visitor, “Do you pray for the senators?” He replied, “No, I look at the senators, and then I pray for the country!” That is exactly what Paul says we need to do. We need to pray for our country, and we need to pray for those who have authority over us. If you are a Republican and a Democrat is in office, pray for him. If you are a Democrat and a Republican is in office, pray for him. “For kings.” Paul says we are to pray for the kings who rule. You may ask, “Yes, but are we to pray when the government is a corrupt one?” Paul is saying we are to pray even if it’s a corrupt government. We are to pray for whoever is in power. Remember that the man who was in power in Rome when Paul wrote was bloody Nero, yet he says we are to pray for kings, whoever they are. “That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” Any government is better than no government. Some people may question that, but an evil, corrupt government, if it really governs, is better than anarchy. I agree with those who argue that politics is crookedman has certainly corrupted and misused political powerbut there does remain a semblance of law and order. Civil government is a gift from God, and we ought to give thanks for it and pray for it. Many of us fall short of praying for our government in order that we might continue to live quietly and peaceably.

1 Timothy 2:3

A second reason we should pray for government is in order that the gospel might continue to go out to the lost. I believe that we are actually going to see the persecution of Christians in this country in the future. I do not mean the persecution of church membersthe liberal church is so compromised today that they will go along with whatever comes along. I am saying that genuine believers in Christ may encounter persecution. Paul was beginning to experience persecution himself, and he said the believers were to pray for the leaders who were responsible for it. It was “good and acceptable in the sight of God” to pray for these men. Why? Because it is God’s will that all men might be saved. It is not important for you and me to get a certain man elected to office. I have never in my ministry recommended a candidate for office. I am not called to do that, and I don’t believe any minister is. I am to pray for our leaders regardless of who they are in order that the gospel can go out. I want a man in office who is going to make it possible for the Word of God to continue to be given to the lost. This should be our concern and our prayer.

1 Timothy 2:5

“For there is one God.” The Romans worshiped many gods, and today people worship many gods in a different sort of way. People are giving themselves to many thingssome to pleasure, some to entertainment, and so on. The entertainment world, for example, has become a religion of sorts for many people. There are women who would sacrifice their virtue in a moment and men who would sacrifice their honor in order to become a movie or television star. People have many different gods today. But there is only one God, and He is the Creator. “And one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” In Old Testament times the Israelite went to the temple where there were many priests. He could go to God through them. Paul is saying that now there is only one Mediator to whom we are to go. We are not to go to any human being down here; it is not necessary to go through a minister. There is a Mediator between God and man. We need a mediator, we need a priest, and we have one, the Great High Priest. Job’s heart cry even in his day was, “Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both” (Job_9:33). In effect, Job was crying out, “Oh, if there were somebody who could take hold of God’s hand and then take hold of my hand and bring us together that there might be communication and understanding between us!” Well, my friend, today we have a Mediatorthe Lord Jesus Christ has come. He has one hand in the hand of Deity because He is God. He is able to save to the uttermost because He is God, and He has paid the price for our salvation. He is a Mediator because He has also become man. He can hold my hand; He understands me. He understands you; you can go to Him, and He is not going to be upset with you. He will not lose His temper or strike you or hurt you in any way. You may say, “Well, I’ve failed. I’ve done such-and-such, and I’ve come short of the glory of God.” My friend, He knows that, and He still loves you and wants to put His arm around you. Isaiah wrote to the Lord: “In all their affliction he was afflicted …” (Isa_63:9). Some scholars say that this should read, “In all their affliction he was not afflicted.” Either way you read it, it is wonderful. I think maybe God wants us to see it both ways, but I like it, “In all their affliction he was not afflicted.” God went through the wilderness with the children of Israel. When they failed and disobeyed at Kadesh-barnea, He didn’t say, “Well, good-byeI’m through with you, you’ve failed.” No, He went with them for forty years. But He also went on ahead: He gave Moses their instructions for living for the time when they would enter the Promised Land. But He waited for them and dealt patiently with them in their time of affliction in the wilderness. He wasn’t afflicted; He didn’t break down and fail, but just stayed there with them. He has dealt with me in the same way, and it is wonderful to have such a Mediator through whom we can go to God. And you should go through Him, because there is really no use coming and telling me your troubles. I may not be sympathetic with you; I might not really understand your case. He does. He’s human. He is a daysman, a Mediator. He has put His hand in mine. I don’t put my hand in His; He puts His hand in mine. That is the wonder of it all! He has come down and put His hand in mine and taken hold of me, but He also holds on to God because He is God, and He has brought us together. This Mediator is the One the world needs to know because there is but one way to salvation. Peter said to the religious leaders of his day: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Act_4:12). Christ is the only way, but the tremendous thing is that He will bring you right through to God if you will turn to Him. One time while in Canada I was told that I needed to get onto a certain freeway to get to Detroit, Michigan, but if I missed that freeway I was in real trouble. It took a great deal of manipulating around, but once I managed to find that freeway it brought me right into Detroit. I was thankful for the man who had said, “There is only one way.” I am also thankful that I have been told there is one way to God, one Mediator. He is the only One who can bring us together: He can bring us to God because He is God and He is also a man, “the man Christ Jesus.”

1 Timothy 2:6

“Ransom” is antilutron in the Greek, and it means a “redemption price.” Christ paid a price for our redemption. We needed to be redeemedyou and I were lost sinners, and He was the ransom.

1 Timothy 2:7

“I am ordained” might be better translated “I am appointed.” 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. “(I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;).” It might seem strange to you that Paul would say this to a young preacher who is his personal friend. I think he is saying it to encourage himTimothy knows it is true. “A teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity [truth].” Again this is something that he did not write to the churches. He has always said that he is an apostle of the Gentiles; here he says that he is not only the apostle to give the gospel, but he is also the one to teach the Gentiles.

1 Timothy 2:8

HOW MEN ARE TO PRAY"I will"Paul is not making this a matter of his will, but is saying, “I desire.” “That men pray every where"that is, in every place where believers meet. Paul is talking about public prayer, prayer in the public service. “Lifting up holy hands.” This was a custom practiced in the early church. It revealed the dedication in the lives of those praying. Now there are those who lift up their hands in services today, and they are sometimes criticized for it. There is nothing wrong with lifting up your hands if it is something you feel you want to do. Personally, I have always hesitated to do it because I’m not too sure about my hands, wether they are clean or not, clean physically or otherwise. Notice that Paul says, “holy hands.” This would mean that they are hands dedicated to God’s service. My friend, you ought not to poke up your hands in a meeting if those hands are not used for the service of Christ. “Without wrath"all sins have been confessed. You don’t come in prayer with anger in your heart, or a bitter spirit, but with all your sins confessed. “Without …doubting.” In Heb_11:6 we read: “But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” When we come to God in prayer, we are to come in faith. One of the reasons I feel that our prayer meetings are not better attended today is that people lack faith. They do not believe that God is going to hear and answer prayer. I do not mean to be irreverent, but I sometimes think that the Lord must yawn during our prayer meetings because they are so boresome. Prayer should be made in our public services by those who have their sins confessed, who come without bitterness in their hearts, and who come in faith, believing that God will hear and answer. It is this kind of prayer that will make a prayer meeting what it ought to be.

1 Timothy 2:9

HOW WOMEN ARE TO PRAYPaul has given the way that men ought to pray, and now he will say how women are to pray. This passage will also touch on the matter of women’s dress and their place in the local church. We live in a day when there are two extreme positions relative to the place women should occupy in the local and visible church. Both positions use this passage of Scripture to support their stand. One position permits women to occupy a place of prominence and leadership in all public services. They have women preachers, choir directors, and officers. No position is withheld from them and, as a result, the women are not only prominent but we find that they become dominant in the church. When I was a pastor in Nashville, Tennessee, a tent was put up across the street from my church. The Baptist preacher in town was a good friend of mine and together we went over to meet the husband and wife team who were going to hold meetings. The wife did the preaching, and the husband did all the leg work. We watched him putting up the tent and setting out the benches and all that sort of thing. He also led the singing. That’s all right if you like it that way, but I don’t.

However, the Baptist preacher and I gave the meetings all the support we could, because they had good meetings and she did preach the gospel. This is an example of the fact that God has used some of these groups who have women preachers in a definite way; but I think, frankly, that He has used them in spite of, not because of, the position of women among them. The other extreme position on this issue is taken by those who do not allow women any place at all in their public services. You never hear the voice of a woman in public in their meetings, not even in singing. I have had opportunity for good ministry among some of these folk, but believe me, they push their women to the background. I fear that they lose a great deal of talent and that the women could make a marvelous contribution if they were permitted to do so. To illustrate this, allow me to tell you a story, and I hope you understand that I do so in a facetious manner. There is a little town in the Midwest where there lived a very prominent maiden lady. Everyone agreed that she would have made some man a wonderful wife, but she had never been asked and she died an old maid. The society editor for the local newspaper who normally would cover such a story was out of town, and the sports editor was asked to write up a little notice of this lady’s death. He concluded the article with these words: Here lie the bones of Nancy Jones: For her, life held no terrors. She lived an old maid, she died an old maid: No hits, no runs, no errors. Churches miss something when they will not use the talent of their women. God can and will use them in His work. The confusion that exists about this rather practical issue has been brought about by a misunderstanding of this passage of Scripture and also by an unfamiliarity with the Roman world of Paul’s day. Let’s establish first that God has used women. In the Word of God we see Deborah, Queen Esther, Ruth, and others. In church history, we find women like Mary Fletcher and Priscilla Gurney. There are multitudes of others whom God has used in a wonderful way. However, in the Roman world the female principle was a part of all the heathen religions, and women occupied a prominent place. The worship of Aphrodite at Corinth was probably one of the most immoral in which prostitution was actually made into a religion. The thousand vestal virgins who were in the temple of Aphrodite on top of the Acropolis there in Corinth were nothing in the world but prostitutes. They were characterized by very disheveled hair. The reason God said that a woman should have her head covered was so she would not be associated at all with religions like this. Also, in Ephesus where Timothy was at this time, women occupied a very prominent position in the worship at the temple of Diana.

In all the mystery religions there were priestesses. It is because of these heathen practices that Paul is emphasizing in this passage that this matter of sex is not to enter into the public prayer in the services of the Christian churches. We need to approach this passage with these factors in mind. “In like manner also"Paul has said how men are to pray in public, and now he will say how women are to pray. Note that he is saying women are to pray. That is not the issue, but he is telling them the way in which they are to pray in public. His emphasis will be upon inner adornment rather than outward adornment. Women are to pray in public, but they should not dress up from the viewpoint of appealing to God in a sexual or physical way. I want to make it very clear that I feel that a woman should dress as nicely as she possibly can. There is nothing wrong with a woman dressing in a way that is appealing to her husband (or, if she is single, to a man). I have made this statement before, and one lady wrote me in reaction to it: I never thought I’d see the day when I would feel a need to take you to task over anything. Usually I agree with you on everything that you say. But on Friday morning in your last study in Proverbs, I guess you hit a raw nerve. You were admonishing young men on choosing a wife, and you said, “First of all, make sure she’s a Christian.” I agree with that. Then you said, “And if possible, choose a pretty one.” Really, Dr. McGee, do you think that’s quite fair?

After all, there are far more plain, ordinary-looking girls and women than really pretty ones, and pray tell, where would they be if men chose only pretty ones? I happen to be one of those plain, ordinary-looking women, and I’m so glad my husband didn’t choose one of the pretty ones, or I’d have missed out on twenty-five years of happy married life. I’m not really angry with you. How could I be when you’ve taught me so much of the deep truths of God’s Word? I just wanted you to know that I think you ought to say a little something for us women whom the Lord did not choose to bless with physical beauty. I want to say something to that woman and to others: Have you ever stopped to realize that when your husband fell in love with you he thought you were beautiful? Yes, he did. I shall never forget the night that I met my wife. It was a summer night in Texas, and we were invited to the home of mutual friends for dinner. Frankly, these friends were tying to bring us together. I didn’t want to go because I had an engagement in Fort Worth that night.

My wife didn’t want to go because she was going with another fellow! But that night when I saw herI never shall forget her dark hair, her brown eyesthere in the candlelight I looked at her, and I fell in love with her. I proposed to her on our second date, and the reason I didn’t propose on that first date was that I didn’t want her to think I was in a hurry! She’d never won a beauty contest, but she was beautiful. How wonderful it was! I have a notion your husband thought you were beautiful also, and there is nothing wrong in dressing in a way to be attractive to him. But when you go to God in prayer, you don’t need that outward adornment. You need that inward adornment. When a woman is going to sing in church, to speak or to have any part in a church service, she ought to keep in mind that her appeal should in no way be on the basis of sex. She should seek to please God, and there is no way in which she can appeal to Him on the basis of sex at all. Such appeal characterized the pagan religions in the Roman world, and Paul is stressing that it should not be a part of the public services of the Christian churches.

1 Timothy 2:11

These verses have to do with the learning and teaching of doctrine. Keep in mind that the women led in the mystery religions of Paul’s day, and they were sex orgies. Paul is cautioning women not to sepak publicly with the idea of making an appeal on the basis of sex. Paul strictly forbade women to speak in tongues in 1Co_14:34.

1 Timothy 2:13

It was the sin of Eve that brought sin into the world. Now every time a woman bears a child, she brings a sinner into the worldthat is all she can bring into the world. But Mary brought the Lord Jesus, the Savior into the world. So how are women saved? By childbearingbecause Mary brought the Savior into the world. Don’t ever say that woman brought sin into the world, unless you are prepared to add that woman also brought the Savior into the world. My friend, no man provided a Savior: a woman did. However, each individual woman is saved by faith, the same as each man is saved by faith. She is to grow in love and holiness just as a man is.