Verses 1-4 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
As stated many other times when studying the epistles, this letter was divided up into chapters and verses long after the Apostle Paul wrote it, and so it should really be read from beginning to end as one chapter. Therefore, this chapter is a continuation of chapter one.
So the Apostle Paul is exhorting or strongly encouraging Timothy to not end up like Hymenaeus and Alexander, and one way to prevent “shipwrecking” from the Faith is to be able to live in peace. And to accomplish the peaceful life, supplications (requests), prayers, intercessions (praying on behalf of another), and thankfulness should be made for all (every, each, any, collectively) men. All men did/does not just mean those of like Faith, but those people who are unbelievers in the LORD Jesus Christ as well. The Greek word translated as “men” is “anthropos” from which comes the English word anthropology, the study of mankind. It means male or female or all people. Then the Apostle Paul adds specifics such as kings or worldly leaders and for those in authority which would include the leadership of the Church.
Application: So what should these prayers for worldly kings and leaders contain? Should they be, “God bless the governors, the president, and the congress or parliament, etc.?” Absolutely not. Secular leaders usually are not God fearing and usually are serving the Devil. So how can God bless evil and sin? He won’t of course. Verse 4 above tells the believer how to pray for these kings and people in authority: pray for their conversion and salvation, nothing more. This is the will of God.
Verses 5-7 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
The knowledge of the truth in verse 4 above is that Jesus is the mediator between God and people and that He was/is the ransom for all. The Greek word translated as “mediator” Is “mesites” and it means one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship. The Greek word used in verse 5 above for “man” is the same as that used in verse 4, anthropos. So it is the physical body God inhabited called Jesus that gave Himself a ransom. The Greek word translated as “ransom” is “antilutron” and it means what is given in exchange for another as the price of his redemption. Mankind can only be saved from sin, death and Hell by acknowledging and accepting this truth. In other words, there is only one way to Heaven and that is through the shed blood of the LORD Jesus Christ. No other way will do. And this fact or truth has been testified or witnessed to down through time, starting with the apostles, particularly with the Apostle Paul who testified to and taught non-Jews the Gospel message.
Application: This writer will continue to state where appropriate in this study of God’s Word that there is no such thing as “the trinity”. Trinity means three people or things. Verse 5 above says categorically that there is one God, not three. One means a single individual or thing. Abusing the English language by distorting the meanings of words will not change the truth that there is only one God, and that He chooses to show or manifest Himself in three distinct ways: as Spirit or Father, as Jesus or Son because of the physical body, or as the Holy Ghost which came out of the physical body of Jesus when death on the cross occurred. Can people understand this? Not very well. Can it be accepted on faith because this is what the Bible says? Yes. Can the truth be altered? No. So why do most mainstream organized evangelical establishment churches teach three persons comprising a trinity? Because they do not comprehend and trust the Scripture to mean what it says, and so they invent a doctrine of man to make sense of that which they do not fully understand. Plain and simple.
Verse 8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
The Apostle Paul’s desire was salvation for all people and that believers everywhere would pray to the LORD in a manner that was worshipful and without doubt. The Greek word translated above as “men” is not anthropos, but “aner” and it is specific for a male or a husband, and for differentiating an adult man from a boy. However, the word can be used generically of a group of both men and women. Since the Apostle Paul in the following verses addresses women, this writer believes that his intent was to place the responsibility for spiritual leadership upon the men. This is consistent with Biblical teaching elsewhere.
Application: There are some denominations that teach the lifting of hands into the air for praise, worship and prayer. They site this verse as proof for their doctrine. This writer can find many other verses relating to this physical action primarily in the Old Testament such as Psalms 28:2, “Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle” and “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.” Psalms 134:2 Perhaps this action was a cultural one for the Hebrew people. But only two other verses have been found in the New Testament regarding the lifting of holy hands. One in Luke 24:44 states, “And he led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them” and Revelation 10:5 states, “And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven.” The idea seems to be that the hands which denote power, when lifted up by Christian believers towards Heaven or towards God, are giving that power to the LORD. In other words, it is a submissive gesture rather than an exalting of one’s self. Regardless, this gesture is not supported by enough verses in the New Testament to relegate it to a doctrinal command to Christians, and individual believers should be free to express themselves in the manner they choose.
Verses 9-10 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
The Greek word translated as “modest” is “kosmios” and it means well arranged, seemly or modest (dressing or behaving so as to avoid impropriety or indecency, especially to avoid attracting sexual attention). The Apostle Paul is instructing the women of the Church to dress in a manner pleasing to the LORD and which does not give sexual messages to men.
Application: Styles of dress change down through time. Women no longer wear long robes. There are some legalistic denominations that insist on women wearing dresses and putting their hair in a bun or under a bonnet. Women in the days of the apostles did not dress this way. They dressed in the manner that was the custom. Today, jeans, boots, and other styles of clothing have replaced the robe of the first century or the starched crinoline of the 19th century. The Apostle Paul was not establishing a dress code. Modesty is the key. If a woman wears jeans that are so tight that they are provocative, she is not pleasing the LORD Jesus. If she wears jeans that are loose fitting and not provocative, then she is being modest. It is not the style of clothing so much as the way in which the clothing is worn. Jesus gave freedom. Religion gives control. Each Christian woman needs to examine her wardrobe and strive to please the LORD Jesus Christ. Then clothing will be modest and appropriate. This writer was chastised for wearing jewelry at one home Bible study situation. The believers there felt that only prostitutes wear jewelry and so any kind of jewelry was banned. Needless to say, this writer ignored the protests and did that which was pleasing to the LORD. The study eventually fell apart due to the legalism.
The Greek word translated as “shamefacedness” is “aidos” and it means modesty, bashfulness, reverence, regard for others, or respect. It does not mean a woman should walk about feeling shame or displaying a false sense of humility. Each individual has a personality that is God given and that aspect is not to be hidden in an attempt to present an appearance that is false. If a true believer, the love of God will shine through every woman and there will be no need to pretend to be what she is not.
The Greek word translated as “sobriety” is “sophrosune” and it means soundness of mind or self-control. The Greek word translated as “broided” is “plegma” and it means what is woven, plaited or twisted together. It was the style when this epistle was written for wealthy women to make elaborate braiding of their hair with gold or costly ornaments running through the braid. It would have been an attention getting hair style. The Apostle Paul was not saying that braiding the hair was wrong, but that adorning it or styling it in a way that caused people to stop and stare was inappropriate as all attention should be on the LORD Jesus Christ and not on His servants.
Verses 11-15 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. (1 Timothy 2)
These verses have caused controversy down through the centuries and have lead to women being prevented from preaching/teaching in the Church when they were/are qualified and when, on occasion, they would do a better job than their male counterparts. A careful examination of the wording here shows that the Apostle Paul is not giving commandments. Instead, he is saying what his opinion is of women in leadership roles in the Church and he is sharing this opinion with Timothy. This topic is handled on this web site under the topics section. This writer, if following the Apostle Paul’s opinion in these verses would not be writing this Bible study web site. This writer was called by the LORD Jesus Christ to write this study and this writer has no other choice than to obey. Amen.