1 Timothy 2:9-15
The first part of this chapter dealt with the fact that we are to pray for everyone. This week I thought about church leaders--pastor, staff, deacons, teachers, etc. Let's don't forget to pray for them!
v 9 begins a section directed specifically to women. Uh-oh! OK then, let's see what it says. Women should be modest in their appearance. "They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do." And so we see that our mothers were right. We should first of all be beautiful on the inside. That's the first order for a Christian woman. Outward beauty means nothing if we're ugly on the inside. Then for the outward appearance. "Modest" is a key word. If we live in a modest home and drive a modest car, we all know that our homes or cars are not ostentatious or over-the-top for our culture and community. Well, dress is somewhat the same way. It's obvious that our appearance should not be sensuous or sexually provocative, but neither should it be outrageous in other ways so as to draw undue attention to ourselves. And Paul was not forbidding us to fix our hair or wear jewelry, But rather he was saying that these things should not cause people to turn their heads and stare. vv. 9-10
The next few verses require a little background information. Jewish women in the first century were not allowed to study and learn. Christianity liberated them into a new and exciting opportunity to learn God's Word. These women were new and inexperienced converts and apparently some were abusing this opportunity by speaking out publicly when they should have been listening and learning.
We know from other scriptures that women were active in the Lord's work in New Testament times. Priscilla and Phoebe are two that come to my mind immediately. This teaching of Paul in vv. 11-15 probably was meant to correct specific problems in the Ephesian church such as the fact that the women were not yet sufficiently taught in the scriptures and they may have been particularly vulnerable to false teachers. The comment in v. 14 about Adam and Eve is a hint that perhaps some of the women were being deceived by false teaching.
As a general principle, we, in our church, do believe that the primary teaching and preaching roles should come from men, especially when some or all of the learners are men. That is why, in our church, we don't ordain women to preach, and we generally do not place women teachers over men in Sunday school or other teaching ministries. This is not to say that a woman can never speak publicly in the church or that she should not be serving in many other ways! Without the work of faithful women, our church (and I suspect most churches) would indeed be hurting!
Regarding the comment in v. 15 about childbearing, I admit that I'm at a loss to explain this. Nowhere is it taught that bearing children is necessary for salvation or any kind of favor with God. We know that every individual--man, woman, or child--is saved by the birth of that special baby--Jesus Christ--and by our trust in Him.
We can certainly understand the last phrase that we should "continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty."
Psalm 107:1
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." This is a reminder for this Saturday to be thankful. The command to be thankful is mentioned so often in scripture that we dare not overlook it! May it never be said of us that we are ungrateful. God is indeed good, and what a comfort it is to know that His faithful love endures forever.
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