Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Timothy 2:1
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men;
1 7. Directions for Common Prayer and Intercession for all, since the Gospel is for all
1. I exhort therefore that, first of all ] Rather, I exhort therefore first of all; as my first special injunction after my general charge and commission, ch. 1 1Tim 1:3 5, 18, 19; the verb itself partly suggests the taking up of the subject in new form.
that supplications be made ] The position of the Greek verb suggests its being middle voice rather than passive. So R.V. margin and Alford following Chrysostom: ‘I exhort to make supplications.’ The present tense implies the habitual making; and the absence of a subject leaves it unemphatic. In a modern rendering it might run exactly “I recommend therefore first of all the practice of common supplication and prayer, of common intercession and thanksgiving, in behalf of all men.” The middle is found in 17 places at least in N. T., in two of these governing the same word ‘supplications,’ Luk 5:33; Php 1:4. So Chrysostom in his comment here uses as the natural phrase ‘for all the world we make our supplication.’ The only place where the passive occurs is in the perfect participle, Heb 12:27, ‘as of things that have been made.’
supplications, prayers, intercessions ] In the first word there is, from its derivation, the idea of a felt ‘want’ and petition for its supply; cf. esp. Php 1:4; Luk 1:13 ; 2Ti 1:3. Notice how in English, in the prayer of St Chrysostom, ‘our common supplications’ is explained by “requests” and by “desires and petitions.”
In the second, the idea of vow and ‘worship towards’ God, cf. Mat 21:13, ‘ my house shall be called the house of prayer,’ Act 2:42, ‘they continued stedfastly in the breaking of bread and the prayers.’
In the third, the idea of a personal interview and solicitation, such as Abraham’s for Sodom: either (1) against, or (2) for some one: for (1) cf. Act 25:24, ‘made suit to me, crying that he ought not to live,’ Rom 11:2, ‘he pleadeth with God against Israel’: for (2) Rom 8:26, ‘The Spirit (and Rom 8:34 Christ Jesus) maketh intercession for us,’ Heb 7:25 ‘He ever liveth to make intercession for us.’ See note also on chap. 1Ti 4:5.
The plural of each as being a collection of concrete examples is the earlier way of representing the abstract noun; and it also helps to give the force, implied by the whole context, of common, public, prayer. Augustine says that the four words refer to the liturgical form of administration of Holy Communion: we may certainly say the converse that our ‘Divine Liturgy’ is modelled on this authorised rule, taking e.g. the modern ‘Prayer for the Church Militant’ with its express embodiment of this passage, or the ancient Gloria in Excelsis (1) “In earth peace, goodwill towards men: (2) we bless thee, we worship Thee, O Lord, (3) Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us; (4) we give thanks to Thee, God the Father Almighty”: or taking the service as a whole, we get (1) the supplication for mercy and grace in the Kyrie after each Commandment, in the collects for the Queen and that for the day and the Church Militant, (2) the prayer of worship in the prayers of humble access and consecration, (3) the intercession in the Lord’s Prayer and following prayers, (4) the thanksgiving of the Gloria in Excelsis summarising all before.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I exhort, therefore – Margin, desire. The word exhort, however, better expresses the sense of the original. The exhortation here is not addressed particularly to Timothy, but relates to all who were called to lead in public prayer; 1Ti 2:8. This exhortation, it may be observed, is inconsistent with the supposition that a liturgy was then in use, or with the supposition that there ever would be a liturgy – since, in that case, the objects to be prayed for would be prescribed. How singular would it be now for an Episcopal bishop to exhort his presbyters to pray for the President of the United States and for all who are in authority. When the prayer is prescribed, do they not do this as a matter of course?
First of all – That is, as the first duty to be enjoined; the thing that is to be regarded with primary concern; compare Luk 12:1; 2Pe 1:20. It does not mean that this was to be the first thing in public worship in the order of time, but that it was to be regarded as a duty of primary importance. The duty of praying for the salvation of the whole world was not to be regarded as a subordinate and secondary thing.
Supplications – It is not entirely easy to mark the difference in the meaning of the words used here, and it is not essential. They all relate to prayer, and refer only to the different parts of prayer, or to distinct classes of thought and desire which come before the mind in pleading for others. On the difference between the words supplications and prayers, see notes on Heb 5:7.
Intercessions – The noun used occurs only in this place and in 1Ti 4:5, of this Epistle. The verb, however entungchano, occurs in Act 25:4; Rom 8:27, Rom 8:34; Rom 11:2; Heb 7:25. See the meaning explained in the Rom 8:26 note; Heb 7:25 note. There is one great Intercessor between God and man, who pleads for our salvation on the ground of what he himself has done, but we are permitted to intercede for others, not on the ground of any merit which they or we possess, but on the ground of the merit of the great Advocate and Intercessor. It is an inestimable privilege to be permitted to plead for the salvation of our fellow-men.
Giving of thanks – That is, in behalf of others. We ought to give thanks for the mercy of God to ourselves; it is right and proper also that we should give thanks for the goodness of God to others. We should render praise that there is a way of salvation provided; that no one is excluded from the offer of mercy; and that God is using so many means to call lost sinners to himself.
For all men – Prayers should be made for all people – for all need the grace and mercy of God; thanks should be rendered for all, for all may be saved. Does not this direction imply that Christ died for all mankind? How could we give thanks in their behalf if there were no mercy for them, and no way had been provided by which they could be saved? It may be observed here, that the direction to pray and to give thanks for all people, showed the large and catholic nature of Christianity. It was opposed entirely to the narrow and bigoted feelings of the Jews, who regarded the whole Gentile world as excluded from covenant mercies, and as having no offer of life. Christianity threw down all these barriers, and all people are on a level; and since Christ has died for all, there is ample ground for thanksgiving and praise in behalf of the whole human race.
See Supplementary note, 2Co 5:14.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
1Ti 2:1-2
I exhort, therefore, that, first of all, supplications.
Prayer for others
The true Christian, however, recognizes in human history the moral government of God, He believes, because God has declared it, that a mysterious but all-wise Providence governs the nations upon the earth; and that Jehovah continually regards the moral qualities of human agencies. He believes that the decay and calamities of successive empires have ever had a close and direct connection with their contempt of virtue and religion.
I. The duty of prayer for others, and more especially for persons in authority, Intercessory prayer is here stated to be a duty; for when the apostle says I exhort, he speaks by Divine command. If we recognize the authority of revelation, we must admit the act of intercession for others to be an act in precise conformity with the revealed will of God. But there are two results of the most beneficial kind which necessarily arise from intercessory prayer.
1. In every case in which we implore God on behalf of others, we recognize Him as the source of power, authority, mercy and grace. The address we make to Him implies our conviction that He is the Preserver and the Benefactor from whom all succour is derived.
2. But prayer forgathers is, besides this, an act of charity. We cannot voluntarily exercise this duty but in the spirit of charity. Prayer for others implies, by its very act, our participation in their wants, our sympathy in their sorrows, our general interest in their welfare.
II. But the nature and importance of this duty will be rendered more evident as we consider the design for which prayer for others is to be offered–that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. There are two ways in which public prayer may be supposed to be the direct channel of benefit to the community.
1. In the first place, there is nothing which so tends to allay irritation, to excite compassion, to restrain envy and revenge, to calm the turbulent passions of every kind, as social prayer. Were large bodies of men honestly and frequently united in prayer to God for a blessing upon the community; were they to connect earthly government with Gods kind purposes to the world of social order and of mutual good will, these united prayers would be found to be the strongest cement of the various parts of the social fabric, by bringing out before the minds of all the highest and the noblest motives by which intelligent beings, and at the same time capable of affection, can be influenced. Imagine the rich unfeignedly imploring Gods blessing upon the poor–and where could be found room for the exercise of injustice and oppression? Imagine the poor praying for the rich–and where would be found room for the exercise of envy, of violence, of revenge, and of robbery? Imagine the rich praying for the rich–and where would be room for the display of rivalry, contention, and selfish ambition? Imagine the poor praying for the poor–how much kindness and mutual affection would be immediately drawn out into active operation! Imagine those in authority imploring God for a blessing on every measure they undertake, and upon all their national policy–and where would be any scope for individual and selfish aggrandizement? where would be any disunion of the interests of the ruler and the ruled? Or imagine the minds of the community united in prayer for those whom God has set over them–and where would be the wish for riot, for outrage, for insubordination, or violence?
2. But a second method in which prayer will powerfully act upon a nation is through the direct blessings which God, the righteous and the Almighty Governor, will certainly bestow. It is evident that God designs to bestow these blessings through this very channel. How easily can He send healthful seasons and external peace! How easily can He enlighten the minds, and prompt the measures of those by whom the affairs of the State are administered! (G. Noel.)
Prayer for those in authority
I. The duty enjoined in the words of our text–namely, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings, and all that are in authority.
1. The constituent parts of this important duty. The several parts of public worship are comprehended in the text, in what the apostle denominates supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks. By supplications we understand the deprecation of those calamities to which we are exposed in common with all men. The apostle next speaks of prayers–by which we understand petitions–which it is our privilege to present to the throne of the heavenly grace, through Jesus Christ, for the supply of our various wants. The apostle, in connection with prayer, speaks of intercessions–that is, prayer–for others; those petitions which we are called to offer for all sorts and conditions of men, according to their several necessities. To supplications, prayers, and intercessions, the apostle adds giving of thanks, as an expression of our gratitude for all the benefits vouchsafed to us by the great Author of our being.
2. The extent of our Christian obligations in regard to this duty. The apostle teaches us that in our acts of public devotion we are to pray for all men. Here is nothing partial, exclusive, or sectarian. But we are not only taught to pray for all men in general, but for our rulers in particular, whether supreme or subordinate. And as it is the Lord that giveth salvation unto kings, to Him we ought to pray on their behalf, that He may bless them in their royal persons, families, and government. The honour, welfare, and happiness of nations depend much on the wisdom, piety, and government of those who reign. But in praying for all that are in authority, we should not only pray for kings and for ministers, but also for magistrates, who may either be a great blessing or a great curse. It becomes us to pray, from a consideration of the importance of their office.
3. The order in which this is presented by the holy apostle. I exhort, therefore, that, first of all, supplications and prayers be made for all men. This is not a secondary duty, a thing merely optional; no; it is a duty of paramount importance, which ought to take the precedency of every other in the public assemblies of the Church of God. The prayers of the people of God are more to be depended on than all the strength of our fleets or armies.
II. The arguments by which this important duty is enforced.
1. That as professing Christians we may give no just cause of offence to the government under which we live; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty; that we may be preserved from all sedition, privy conspiracy, and rebellion; so live as the gospel may not be blamed; but that we who, by the principles of our Divine religion, are taught to abhor everything that would be injurious to others, conduct ourselves so as to prove that we are the friends of all and the enemies of none. If the State be not in safety, the subjects cannot be secure; self-preservation, therefore, ought to lead men to pray for the government under which they live. The psalmist, a true patriot, inspired with the love of his country, a holy zeal for the glory of God, and an ardent desire for the prosperity of both Church and State, says, when speaking of the people of God, I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. For my brethren and companions sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good. Let us, then, cultivate the spirit of true loyalty, patriotism, and religion, as that which is best calculated to promote our individual interest, the Churchs good, and the commonwealth of the nation.
2. That we may secure the Divine approbation of our conduct, which is done by sincerely, faithfully, and affectionately praying for all men; for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God and our Saviour, and therefore has the highest possible sanction. It is not said that it is good and acceptable in the sight of God to speak evil of dignitaries, by railing against those who are higher in rank, power, or authority than ourselves, whether in Church or State. The evil is prohibited; it is written, thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people; and, therefore, to indulge in it were a crime in the sight of God, as well as contrary to the rules of that society by which many of us profess to be governed, which says, that We shall neither speak evil of magistrates nor of ministers. It is not said that it is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour to treat the office of rightful governors with contempt.
3. That the will of God, in reference to the salvation of our guilty race, may be accomplished. If we ask, what is the will of God our Saviour concerning the human race? we are taught to believe that it is gracious and merciful. He would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Many have been saved in answer to prayer; and we, have good reason to believe that more would if we had prayed more.
III. The inferences which may be deduced from the subject.
1. That we are not good subjects unless we pray for all our constituted authorities. In early times, the members of the Jewish Church were called to pray for heathen princes, even for those who carried them away captive into Babylon, unto the God of heaven, for the life of the king and of his sons, and in obedience to the command of God Himself, by the prophet Jeremiah, as a means of securing their own interests that ye may be increased therein and not diminished; seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it; for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
2. If we are not praying subjects, we are not good Christians; for all good Christians are men of prayer, and no Christian can be satisfied with merely praying for himself, his family, or the Church of God.
3. We conclude, from the nature of this duty, that if we are not good Christians we shall never yield a conscientious obedience to the apostolic exhortation recorded in our text. (A. Bell.)
The duty of prayer for all who are in eminent place
I. On the object of government. I leave it to men of another taste and profession to enter minutely into the inferior objects of government, as well as into the means by which those objects may be obtained; and, keeping within the boundary of the text, shall observe that government is intended to promote security, happiness, piety, and religious influence. It has often been stated that a large portion of all codes of law, as of all history, is a proof of human depravity. Men have fallen from God; and, corrupted in their social propensities, they envy, injure, and destroy each other. All communities, therefore, have found it necessary to agree to some restraint, and to lodge in some hands a controlling power; the individual is to be blended with the general good, that the general may return individual advantage. Security, then, is one great object of government. And it is the glory of government to hold the shield over all–to defend the poor, the fatherless, and the widow, as well as the men of might, and the great, and the noble. Now, though under God, mens personal and social happiness greatly depends on their own industry and carefulness, yet has it some connection with the government under which we live. There are numerous ways in which religion and piety may be aided by the men who are in authority, and especially by kings becoming nursing fathers, and their queens nursing mothers. The word we render honesty is of rather questionable meaning; some translate it gravity; its general import is to behave decorously and worthily. As connected with godliness, it implies a desire that Christians may be allowed to conduct religious worship, and the whole of their profession, in a way suitable to religion itself; and that, being delivered from the evils of persecution, they may be exempt from temptation to act inconsistently with their high vocation. The gravity and dignity here mentioned convey, however, to me the idea of Christian influence–influence of character, of benevolent exertion.
II. The best way of securing this object. There are numerous ways in which some good may be done, and in which, therefore, it is our duty to act. Home, and its immediate vicinity, and the nearest relations, are the great sphere of our influence; and here the Christian must act in promoting the morals, the intelligence, and the spirituality of all around him. The Christian, too, has political privileges; and in votes, and in petitions, and in every peaceful and constitutional way, it is his duty to act for the public good in the fear of the Lord. The laws, too, must be supported in their majesty by all–even by the humblest in society; as, without the countenance of the many, the few who have to enforce them, however elevated their rank and unbroken their integrity, will be too feeble, and the object of government will not be obtained. Nor must it be forgotten that well-directed charity is a most efficient way of promoting the security and happiness, as well as the godliness, of the community. The way, however, of securing this object marked out in the text is prayer. I attach importance to prayer, for the following reasons:–
1. God generally deals with nations according to their moral character and piety. From the times in which the Assyrian, the Persian, the Grecian, the Roman Powers were punished, to the days of revolutionary and sanguinary France, Providence has preached this awful doctrine. Hear Isaiah: If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.
2. That a nations morals and piety will be in the degree of its prayerfulness.
3. I urge prayer, because the hearts of kings, and of nobles, and of senators–of all in authority–are at the disposal of Him who hears His people when they call. He can turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness; He bringeth to nothing the devices of the wise; He inspired Solomon with wisdom; by Him kings reign and princes decree righteousness.
III. Our present inducement to seek this object in this way especially.
1. You will see the necessity of prayer for the nation when I remind you of the hazard which always attends measures which have not been tried.
2. You will see the necessity of prayer for the nation when I remind you of the important business which its parliament has to transact.
3. The delicate position of the nations, and our connection with them, will further show the need of grace to enlighten all who take a lead in our public affairs.
4. There is another reason why, at this time, we should be earnest in prayer of a more religious kind–viz., the near approach of the latter-day glory in the Church. (J. K. Foster.)
On intercession for others
I am led by these words to consider the great Christian duty of praying for others. Perhaps there is none more neglected, with so little consciousness of sin in the omission of it. It is enforced by the example of the most eminent saints. Thus Abraham interceded with God for Sodom; and He said, in answer to his prayer, I will not destroy it for tens sake. Moses, the illustrious type of the great Intercessor, prayed for the people; and we learn that God would have destroyed the Israelites had not Moses His chosen stood in the gap: I prayed, saith he, unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, destroy not Thy people and Thine inheritance, which Thou hast redeemed through Thy greatness. God forbid, said Samuel, that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you. The Psalmist exhorts to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, They shall prosper that love thee Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. Isaiah expresses his determination not to hold his peace for Zions sake and for Jerusalem not to rest until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. Daniel humbled himself before God day and night, and fasted and prayed for the sins of the Jews. I would not, however, enforce this duty merely, or chiefly, because it is enjoined to us by thee precepts and recommended to us by the practice of patriarchs, judges, psalmists, prophets, and apostles, and of Him who is in all respects our great Example: it is rather because this duty is included within the general obligation of Christian love, of which it forms an essential part. Leaving, therefore, the question of the duty of intercession, I proceed to consider its advantages.
I. Intercession for others may be considered as the means of exciting benevolent affections in ourselves. Ask me, What is the glory of an angel above a devil? I answer, It is the spirit of love which animates the one, of which the other is destitute. It is not the absence of external splendour, it is not the suffering and misery, it is the want of benevolence, by which a fallen spirit is degraded, and which makes him odious. Ask me, What is the peculiar glory of the gospel above every other religion? I reply, It is the spirit of love which breathes in it. The providence of God seems purposely to have placed the Christian in a scene where the exercise of love is needed, and his benevolent affections continually called forth; where wants and miseries present themselves on every side amongst his fellow-creatures and his friends. What can he do for them? His own means are insufficient to relieve them; but he can pray; he can implore God to supply what he cannot do. Have you a dear relation sick or afflicted? Are you indebted to a generous benefactor to whom you cannot repay the debt of gratitude? O what a just and noble return may you render him by your prayers!
II. Intercession for others will also produce the spirit of love in those for whom we pray. Love creates love. You cannot meet your friend after your heart has been engaged in fervent supplication for him, without expressing that genuine tenderness which will produce a reciprocal regard in him. Intercession enlarges the exercise of friendship: it opens a new source of love. Let not a Christian say, I am forsaken–I meet with no acts of kindness. Has he then no Christian friends? Let him think of them as interceding for him. Intercession for our friends refines our friendship and redeems it from those debasing feelings by which the attachments of worldly men are so often degraded.
III. The third advantage on intercession foe our friends consists in its exciting our love towards God. This is its direct influence. Can you go to the Father of Mercies day by day imploring blessings upon all you love? can you diversify these petitions, adapting them to the various necessities, sorrows, and circumstances of your friends? and do you not exclaim, How infinite the riches, how boundless the power, how vast the bounty of the Being I address? He is the Giver of all good things to my children, to my friend, to my neighbour, to my country, to the whole world, to the universe!
IV. The last advantage which i shall mention in intercession for our friends is that it is the direct means of promoting their welfare. Why, when He intends to bless, may He not do so through the medium of prayer and intercession? Can anything be more consonant to the general analogy and constitution of the world? Even the great benefits of redemption are conveyed to us through the intercession of the Redeemer. What an example did He exhibit of the performance of this duty!
V. Let us learn who has been our truest friend, to whom we have been most indebted. Think often of Him who has laboured the most for your welfare, who has most watched over your soul, and prayed the most effectually for you. Think of Him who now liveth to make intercession for you. That Friend is Christ. (J. Venn.)
Gordon and intercessory prayer
Canon Wilberforce told the following characteristic incident about General Gordon:–Just before General Gordon started, as he believed for the Congo, he sent to a prayer-meeting over which the Canon was presiding, asking for the prayers of those assembled. He said in his letter, I would rather have the prayers of that little company gathered in your house to-day than I would have the wealth of the Soudan placed at my disposal. Pray for me that I may have humility and the guidance of God, and that all spirit of murmuring may be rebuked in me, When he reached London on his return from Brussels, and his destination was changed, the General sent the Canon another message, Offer thanks at your next prayer-meeting. When I was upborne on the hearts of those Christians I received from God the spiritual blessing that I wanted, and I am now calmly resting in the current of His will.
Pray for those in authority
When Abraham Lincoln was going from Springfield to Washington he stood upon the platform of the car, and his old friends and neighbours were gathered round him to wish him an affectionate God-speed in the course upon which he was entering. He had come to rule and reign in times of difficulty and trouble, and he said, Well, friends and neighbours, there is one thing you can do for me that I ask you to do, and that is–pray for me, and the train went off, bearing him to Washington. That is the spirit that one would desire to see amongst those who are in authority and influence, and it is the spirit that we well may cultivate towards those in authority over us.
Prayer for those in authority
Methodism in Ireland was, at the time of its union with England, looked upon with suspicion, and this was especially the case during the time of the rebellion. Lord Cornwallis happened to spend a few days with Speaker Foster. At that time Mr. Barber was stationed in that circuit as the minister. He and Mr. Fosters gardener, who was also a Methodist, were walking in Speaker Fosters grounds one day, when Barber, who was instant in season and out of season, asked the gardener to engage in prayer. They both knelt down, and Barber was praying aloud, when Lord Cornwallis and Speaker Foster, who were out walking, heard voices, drew near, and listened. Among the requests made to God were appeals for assistance to the Government, who were placed in such trying circumstances, and that God would bless and direct the counsels of the Lord-Lieutenant–Lord Cornwallis. Barber in his prayer breathed the deepest loyal devotion, and concluded by imploring a blessing upon the Methodists, and that they should be saved from the devil and Squire Ruxton of Ardee. Who is this squire? asked Lord Cornwallis, and Mr. Foster replied that he was a neighbouring squire, who persecuted the Methodists. And what does this praying mean? asked Lord Cornwallis. Oh, replied Mr. Foster, this gardener of mine is one of those Methodist fellows, and I must dismiss him. You will do no such thing, said the other. Did you hear how he prayed for me, for the Council, for the King, and for the Government? Indeed, these Methodists must be a loyal people; and as for Squire Ruxton, just take my compliments to him, and tell him that I think these Methodists are very good people, and that he must leave them alone. That prayer of poor Barbers put a stop to the worst persecution ever endured in that neighbourhood, and, while passes were required of others, free permission was given to the Methodist preacher to go where he liked and do what he liked.
Prayer for rulers
I. We ought to pray for those who are in authority more frequently and earnestly than for other men, because they more than other men need our prayers. In other words, they need a more than ordinary share of that wisdom and grace which God alone can bestow; and which He seldom or never bestows, except in answer to prayer.
1. This is evident from the fact that they have a more than ordinary share of duties to perform. All the duties which God requires of other men, considered as sinful, immortal, and accountable creatures, He requires of rulers. It is incumbent on them, as it is on other men, to possess personal religion; to exercise repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; to love and fear and serve their Creator; and to prepare for death and judgment. In addition to the various personal duties of a moral and religious nature which are required of them as men, they have many official duties which are peculiar to themselves–duties which it is by no means easy to perform in a manner acceptable to God and approved of men.
2. They are appointed and they are required to be ministers of God for good to those over whom they are placed. There is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God. Since, then, legislators, rulers, and magistrates are the ministers and vicegerents of God for good, they are sacredly bound to imitate Him whom they represent; to be such on earth as He is in heaven; to fake care of His rights and see that they are not trampled upon with impunity; to be a terror to evil-doers and a praise and encouragement to such as do well.
3. As the influence of their example must be great, it is their indispensable duty to take care that this influence be ever exerted in favour of truth and goodness; and to remember that they are like a city set upon a hill which cannot be hid. Now consider a moment how exceedingly difficult it must be for a weak, short-sighted, imperfect creature like man to perform these various duties in a proper manner, and how large a share of prudence and wisdom and firmness and goodness is necessary to enable him to do it. Surely, then, they who are called to perform such duties in a peculiar manner need our prayers.
II. Those who are invested with authority need more than other men our prayers, because they are exposed more than other men to temptation and danger. While they have a more than ordinary share of duties to perform, they are urged by temptations more than ordinarily numerous and powerful to neglect their duty. They have, for instance, peculiarly strong temptations to neglect those personal, private duties which God requires of them as men, as immortal and accountable creatures; and a performance of which is indispensably necessary to their salvation. They are exposed to the innumerable temptations and dangers which ever attend prosperity. How powerfully, then, must they be tempted to irreligion, to pride, to ambition, to every form of what the Scriptures call worldly-mindedness? It can scarcely be necessary to add that persons who are exposed to temptations so numerous and powerful need our prayers.
III. This will appear still more evident if we consider that, should those who are clothed with authority yield to these temptations and neglect either their personal or official duties, the consequences will to thee be peculiarly dreadful. They will, like Jeroboam, make their people to sin. We are informed by an inspired writer that one sinner destroyeth much good. This remark is true of every sinner, but it is most emphatically true of sinners who are placed in authority.
IV. We ought to pray with peculiar earnestness for all who are in authority, because our own interest and the great interests of the community require it. This motive the apostle urges in our text. Pray, says he, for all in authority, that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty. These expressions plainly intimate that if we wish to enjoy peace and quiet–if we wish godliness and honesty, or, in other words, religion and morality, to prevail among us, we must pray for our rulers. Farther, the peace and prosperity of a nation evidently depend much upon the measures which its rulers adopt in their intercourse with other nations. Once more, the peace and prosperity of a nation depends entirely on securing the favour of God. (E. Payson.)
Christians exhorted to pray for the Queen and Parliament
I. In the first place, with respect to the duty itself.
1. The nature of it stands very distinctly expressed and announced in the text. Observe, however, that you are not to suppose from this, that kings, princes and senators, and all that are in authority, are always to be considered as ungodly, unconverted men; not, it may be, a part of Gods Church themselves.
2. As to the external circumstances, in which the duty is contemplated as being discharged, I would just remark that the apostle is giving direction to Timothy for regulating the actings and order of the Church as a society; and is, therefore, in the text, more especially contemplating the Church as such.
3. The internal feeling and state of mind with which the duty is to be discharged. There is emphatically demanded from us, in this duty, earnestness and warmth, sincerity and faith. Try to call into exercise a calm, resolute, honest sentiment of hearty faith in this agency which you exercise.
4. And consider, again, that in relation to this duty, every heart and every lip has its importance. It is the sum and amount of faith in the mass of the people, which is represented in the Scripture as prevailing with God.
II. To mention some considerations, which should be felt to enforce and urge upon us its discharge.
1. In the first place, to go to the highest at once, we have the Divine command as it stands in the text, and as that text is corroborated and sustained by other passages of the Divine Word. The will of God is the supreme source of moral obligation.
2. A consideration enforcing the discharge of this duty on Christians arises from the fact, that the possession of any power whatever involves an obligation to its proper and efficient employment. If, therefore, it be true that Christian men are contemplated as having the privilege of offering intercession for others, if they are possessed of this amazing power of presenting supplications which shall actually exercise a real agency with God and a beneficial influence upon man, the very possession of that power, that spiritual function, involves an obligation to its conscientious exercise.
3. But we go on to observe that there are these special considerations. You may put them to yourselves in some such way as this. The important position and aspect which these parties sustain in relation to Gods government of the world. For kings and rulers, and men in authority, are represented as Gods ministers. Because of this, we are called upon, both for their sake and our own, to commend them to God, that they may indeed be His ministers, by intelligently falling in with His will, and seeking voluntarily to accomplish His purposes.
4. Another consideration is the influence which the character, conduct, and determinations of those in authority must have upon the rest of mankind for evil or for good.
5. Another consideration which specially commends persons in authority to the intercessions of Gods Church, is the view which Christians may perhaps feel themselves compelled to take of their condition and character. It may be, that Christians may be compelled to feel that a king is necessarily surrounded by circumstances dangerous to his religion, perilous to his soul. It may be, that Christians may think that the circumstances connected with distinguished rank are unfavourable to the proper exercise and culture of those principles and sentiments, which it becomes man as a sinner to entertain, and therefore to that state of mind which is a necessary preparation for the reception of the Gospel of God. It may be, that Christians may sometimes be compelled to think that persons in these high stations are not surrounded by the best, the most enlightened and scriptural, spiritual guides.
III. Concluding observations. I think this subject should be felt to present to us the primitive Church in an interesting aspect, and in various ways to illustrate the greatness of our religion. This little society of Christian men–despised, persecuted, contemned–they had prayers for their persecutors; they had love for them. Let me observe, that the important Christian duty which I have been enforcing upon you tonight, must not be made a substitute for all other duties, which as Christian Englishmen you are called to perform. By being Christians, you ceased not to be citizens; as citizens, all your political duties remain the same; the only thing is, that you are to discharge them under religious motives, and with a conscientious desire in them to be accepted of God, whether or not you are approved of men. (T. Binney.)
Prayer for kings
I. The apostle exhorteth christians to pray for kings with all sorts of prayer; with , or deprecations, for averting evils from them; with , or petitions, for obtaining good things to them; with , or occasional intercessions, for needful gifts and graces to be collated on them.
1. Common charity should dispose us to pray for kings.
2. To impress which consideration, we may reflect that commonly we have only this way granted us of exercising our charity toward princes; they being situated aloft above the reach of private beneficence.
3. We are bound to pray for kings out of charity to the public; because their good is a general good, and the communities of men (both Church and State) are greatly concerned in the blessings by prayer derived on them. The prosperity of a prince is inseparable from the prosperity of his people; they ever partaking of his fortunes, and thriving or suffering with him. For as when the sun shineth brightly, there is a clear day, and fair weather over the world; so when a prince is not overclouded with adversity or disastrous occurrences, the public state must be serene, and a pleasant state of things will appear. Then is the ship in a good condition when, the pilot in open sea, with full sails and a brisk gale, cheerfully steereth on toward his designed port. Especially the piety and goodness of a prince is of vast consequence, and yieldeth infinite benefit to his country. So, for instance, how did piety flourish in the times of David, who loved, favoured, and practised it! and what abundance of prosperity did attend it! What showers of blessings (what peace, what wealth, what credit and glory) did God then pour down on Israel! How did the goodness of that prince transmit favours and mercies on his country till a long time after his decease! How often did God profess for His servant Davids sake to preserve Judah from destruction; so that even in the days of Hezekiah, when the king of Assyria did invade that country, God by the mouth of Isaiah declared, I will defend this city to save it for Mine own sake, and for My servant Davids sake. We may indeed observe that, according to the representation of things in Holy Scripture, there is a kind of moral connection, or a communication of merit and guilt, between prince and people; so that mutually each of them is rewarded for the virtues, each is punished for the vices of the other.
4. Wherefore consequently our own interest and charity to ourselves should dispose us to pray for our prince. We being nearly concerned in his welfare, as parts of the public, and as enjoying many private advantages thereby; we cannot but partake of His good, we cannot but suffer with him. We cannot live quietly if our prince is disturbed; we cannot live happily if he be unfortunate; we can hardly live virtuously if Divine grace do not incline him to favour us therein, or at least restrain him from hindering us.
5. Let us consider that subjects are obliged in gratitude and ingenuity, yea in equity and justice, to pray for their princes. They are most nearly related to us, and allied by the most sacred bands; being constituted by God, in his own room, the parents and guardians of their country. To their industry and vigilancy under God we owe the fair administration of justice, the protection of right and innocence, the preservation of order and peace, the encouragement of goodness, and correction of wickedness.
6. Whereas we are by Divine command frequently enjoined to fear and reverence, to honour, to obey kings; we should look on prayer for them as a principal branch, and the neglect thereof as a notable breach of those duties.
7. The praying for princes is a service peculiarly honourable, and very acceptable to God; which He will interpret as a great respect done to Himself; for that thereby we honour His image and character in them, yielding in His presence this special respect to them as His representatives.
8. Let us consider that whereas wisdom, guiding our piety and charity, will especially incline us to place our devotion there where it will be most needful and useful; we therefore chiefly must pray for kings because they do most need our prayers.
II. The other (thanksgiving) i shall but touch, and need not perhaps to do more. For–
1. As to general inducements, they are the same, or very like to those which are for prayer; it being plain that whatever we are concerned to pray for, when we want it, that we are bound to thank God for, when He vouchsafeth to bestow it.
2. As for particular motives, suiting the present occasion, you cannot be ignorant or insensible of the grand benefits by the Divine goodness bestowed on our king, and on ourselves, which this day we are bound with all grateful acknowledgment to commemorate. (I. Barrow.)
The duty of public intercession and thanksgiving for princes
I. It recommends a great duty to us, the duty of making supplications, prayers, and intercessions, and of giving thanks for kings, and all that are in authority.
II. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.
1. Our applications to God in behalf of the princes and rulers of this world are highly reasonable, as they are proper expressions of our good-will to mankind, whose fate is in their hands, and whose welfare in great measure depends upon their actions and conduct.
2. As the virtues and vices of those who govern, operate on all inferior ranks of men in the way of natural causes, so have they another and a more extraordinary effect; inasmuch as God doth often take occasion to reward or punish a people, not only by the means of good or ill princes, but even for the sake of them.
3. The cares of empire are great, and the burthen which lies upon the shoulders of princes very weighty; and on this account, therefore, they challenge, because they particularly want our prayers, that they may have an understanding heart to discern between good and bad, and to go out and in before a great people. With what difficulties is their administration often clogged by the perverseness, folly, or wickedness of those they govern! How hard a thing do they find it to inform themselves truly of the state of affairs; where fraud and flattery surround and take such pains to mislead them!
4. That the providence of God doth, in a very particular manner, interpose towards swaying the will and affections, directing, or overruling the intentions of those who sit at the helm; for the kings heart is in the hand of God, as the rivers of waters; He turneth it whithersoever He listeth (Pro 21:1). He gives a bent to it this way or that, which it takes as certainly and easily as a stream is derived into the channels, which the hand of the workman prepares for it. These prayers are never so becomingly and forcibly addressed to God as in the great congregation. Blessings of a public nature and influence require as public and solemn acknowledgments; and the proper way of obtaining mercies, which affect many, is by pouring out the joint requests of many in behalf of them; for in the spiritual, as well as the carnal warfare, numbers are most likely to prevail.
III. I proceed to consider the special motive there proposed, to quicken us into the exercise of it, that so we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. I shall briefly show in what respects the devotions recommended by the apostle contribute to this end; and how far, therefore, our own ease, advantage, and happiness are concerned in paying them. And–
1. They have a plain tendency this way, as they are a prevailing argument with God so to dispose and incline the minds of princes that they may study to promote the quiet, good, and prosperity of their kingdoms.
2. Such prayers facilitate our leading a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty; inasmuch as they express, in the most significant manner, our love, and zeal, and reverence towards the persons of princes; and by such instances of duty invite them to make us suitable returns. They effectually prevent those jealousies, which men clothed with sovereign power are too apt to entertain of their inferiors, and promote that good understanding between them, which is the common interest, and should be the common aim of both, and wherein the security and happiness of all well-ordered states chiefly consist.
3. A quiet and peaceable life is the fruit of these public devotions, as we ourselves derive from thence a spirit of meekness, submission, and respect to our superiors, and are led into an habitual love and practice of those mild graces and virtues which we, at such times, solemnly exercise and pray God to inspire us with; and which, when generally practised, make crowns sit easy on the heads of princes, and render them and their subjects equally a blessing to each other.
IV. Press on Christians this duty.
1. The princes for whom the apostle pleads were infidels, without Christ, aliens from His commonwealth and strangers from the covenants of His promise (Eph 2:12); and such also they were, by the permission of God, to continue for three hundred years after the coming of our Saviour, that so His gospel might not owe its first establishment, in any degree, to the secular powers, but might spread and fix itself everywhere without their help and against their will, and manifest to all the world its Divine original by the miraculous manner in which it should be propagated. If then the tribute of supplications and thanksgivings was due to those heathen princes, is it not much more due to those who are Christians, who are ingrafted as principal members into that mystical body, of which Jesus Christ is the head?
2. That the Roman emperors, for whom the apostle here directs that prayers should be made, were usurpers and tyrants, who acquired dominion by invading the liberties of a free people, and were arbitrary and lawless in the exercise of it. Their will and pleasure was the sole standard of justice; fear was the foundation of their government, and their throne was upheld only by the legions which surrounded it. Even for such rulers the first Christians were exhorted to supplicate and give thanks. How much more reasonably and cheerfully do we, who are met here this day, now offer up that sacrifice for a Queen, who wears the crown of her forefathers, to which she is entitled by blood, and which was placed on her royal head, not only with the free consent but with the universal joy and acclamations of her subjects.
3. Those who governed the world at or near the time of St. Pauls writing this epistle, had no personal merits or virtues to recommend them to the prayers of the faithful. Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, under whom the Christian faith was disseminated, and for all whom, we may presume, the faithful equally made their supplications were not only bad princes but bad men, infamous for their lust, cruelty, and other vices; but they were in authority, and that gave them a right to be mentioned in the sacred offices of the Church. How different from their case is ours, whose eyes behold on the throne a Queen who deserves to sit there, as well by her virtue as by her birth.
4. The emperors of Rome, for whom the primitive Christians were obliged to pray and to give thanks, were their avowed enemies and persecutors, who did what they could to hinder the establishment of the Church of Christ, and to suppress those very assemblies wherein these devotions were offered up to God in their behalf. Whereas she, for whom we now adore and bless the good providence of God, is, by her office and by her inclination the defender and friend, the patroness and nursing-mother of His Church established among us. (F. Atterbury, D. D.)
Prayer for others
This stands out in the history of Paul more eminently than in that of any of the other apostles. He ceases not to make mention of others in his prayers. We may well suppose that that which was manifest in the example of the Lord, and that which the disciples, doubtless, took from His example, was eminently acceptable before God.
1. A habit of praying for others, keeps our minds on a higher plane than does always thinking about our own selves. Praying for others increases in you those compassions and kindnesses toward men which society needs in every part. There is yet much rude and savage nature left among men. There is much of the forest and the wilderness left in society. We speak of them as the mass, the rabble, or the common people. We think of them as we do of flocks of birds, without individualizing them; without specializing their wants, and temptations, and trials; without bringing ourselves into personal relations with them. They are mere animated facts before us. It is a bad thing for men to live, and grow up, and call themselves Christians, and form the habit of looking at the great mass of men and seeing nothing in them but their physical constitution and external relations. And the habit of praying for men brings back the manhood to your thought, and sympathy, and heart in such a way as to lead you to imagine their history, and to feel for them with a true-hearted interest. As we look at men without individualizing them, we are apt to think of them as so many forces without attributes. We see them working, delving, earning, achieving. They are to us very much like rains, like winds, like laws of nature. And the sight is a bad one because it hardens the heart. It is dangerous to look upon the weak side of men. Anything is dangerous to your manhood which takes your sympathy away from your fellow-men, and makes your heart hard toward them. What we need is to have such sympathy with men that every day we shall carry their cases before God, and look at their vulgarities in the light of Gods pity, and not in the light of our own contempt and cynical criticism.
2. The habit of praying for men tends, also, to increase our patience and our tender helpfulness towards them, and prepares us for just thoughts concerning them. There is many a man who would not smite his neighbour with his fist, but who smites him unmercifully with his thoughts. There is many a man who would not pierce a fellow man with an instrument in his hand for all the world, but who does not hesitate to pierce him and wound him to the very quick with his thoughts. In the court-room of our own secret souls, we condemn men unheard. We argue their case, and they have no chance to make plea in return. And if we are Christian men, we shall see to it that that inside, silent hall of judgment, the soul, is regulated according to the most scrupulous honour, and conscience, and manhood, and sympathy.
Nor do I know of any other way in which this can be so well done as by the habit of praying for others. Having, then, considered the duty, more particularly, of praying for all men, let us specialize.
1. We naturally pray for our children first. We remember them in our family prayer. And how much better it is, in praying for them, to follow out the line of their disposition, and, as it were, to bathe our affection for them in the heavenly atmosphere! How much more beautiful they will be to us!
2. Then I think we ought to pray for our associates and our friends, not in the general way alone. General good wishes are not without their use; but special prayers are needful. I do not think that we sufficiently search out and know our friends. We are to pray for all that are despised. It is wholesome that from day to day we should send our mercies out, as it were. It is wholesome that we should have something to compare our lot with. As sweet is better to our taste when we have taken something sour, so joy is better for having the touch of sorrow near to it.
3. We are to pray for all those who are in peril and distress; for all those who are shut up in various ways. Prayer for such people keeps alive pity. It deepens humanity.
4. Then we are to pray for our enemies. That duty is made special. It is made one of the fundamental evidences of the relationship of God Himself. Once more.
5. We cannot fulfil the spirit nor the letter of this command if we pray only for our own sect. (H. W. Beecher.)
Praying for others
The ties which bind Christians to one another are at once so subtle and so real, that it is impossible for one Christian to remain unaffected by the progress or retrogression of any other. Therefore, not only does the law of Christian charity require us to aid all our fellow-Christians by praying for them, but the law of self-interest leads us to do so also; for their advance will assuredly help us forward, and their relapse will assuredly keep us back. (A. Plummer, D. D.)
Aspects of the times; or, what the Church has to say of earthly governments
I. Government is of God. It has its germ and root in the fatherly relationship. The early patriarch was monarch of his own house, lord of his own castle and flocks, and of the keeper thereof.
II. Government as of God is to be obeyed. Conscience, which binds us by direct ties to the throne of God, must, of course, always be obeyed.
III. Government as of God is to occupy a foremost place in our petitions. First of all–too often, indeed, it is last of all, and sometimes seldom at all.
IV. Government blessed by God will thus ensure the weal of man. (W. M. Statham.)
Intercessory prayer
Prayer is a first necessity of the Christian life. Without it we are like soldiers in the arid desert, who grow more and more weary as they think of distant wells separated from them by relentless foes, and we are ready to exclaim, My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. When we pray we become conscious of the reality of unseen things until they completely outweigh in importance worldly affairs, and then it becomes possible to us, and even natural to us, to live as strangers and pilgrims. The connection with what precedes is tolerably clear. Timothy had been exhorted to wage a good warfare on behalf of the truth, but prayer for himself and others was essential to victory, because it alone would bring into the field of conflict the unseen powers of heaven. Even the Pagan Greeks were said to be inspired in their fight against the Trojans by the thought that the gods were with them; but theirs was only dim and superstitious remembrance of the truth that heaven fights for those who pray–as Elisha found when the Syrians encircled the city. Prayer offered by the church in Ephesus in Rome, in Jerusalem, received answers in the spiritual victories of believers, and in the effects produced through their witness-bearing upon the hearts of the people.
I. The variety of prayer is indicated by the use of these differing phrases, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks. We may think of these phrases separately in order to get a clearer notion of the meaning of each; but one shades off into another; and you can no more exactly define each than you can say of the colours of a sea at sunset, the blue begins just here, and the glow of crimson and the sheen of the gold just there. The more you pray the more you will discover the variety of soul-utterances to God; the calm contemplation; the agonizing supplication; the childlike talk with the heavenly. Father; and the seraphic praisefulness. These are only known through experience. When the untaught, unmusical lad takes up a violin, it is as much as he can do to produce one steady tone, but in the trained hands of the accomplished musician that same instrument wails, and pleads, and sings. Much more varied are the utterances of the human soul, when a full answer is given to the prayer of the disciples, Lord, teach us to pray.
II. The subjects of prayer specially referred to in this passage are not the necessities of the saints themselves, but the wants of other men, and especially of all those who had authority and who exercised influence over society. Listen to what Tertullian says in his apology respecting the practice of these early Christians. We Christians, looking up to heaven with outspread hands, because they are free from stain; with uncovered heads, because there is nothing to make us blush; without a prompter, because we pray from our hearts; do intercede for all emperors, that their lives may be prolonged, their government be secured to them, that their families may be preserved in safety, their senates faithful to them, their armies brave, the people honest, and the whole empire at peace, and for whatever other things are desired by the people or the Caesar. If that was the custom under heathen rule, how much more is it our duty under a Christian government! Therefore let us pray that our national affairs may be guided with wisdom; that amidst the tortuous channels of foreign policy, where so many cross currents and hidden rocks abound, the ship of state may be firmly anal safely steered; that questions likely to provoke anger and suspicion may be settled on fair principles of justice; and that in all home legislation inequalities and injustices of every kind may be swept away, the needs of a chronic pauperism met, temptations to drunkenness and profligacy lessened where they cannot be removed; and thus God, even our own God, will bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. We may fairly widen the application of these words still further. Some of our truest kings are uncrowned. A man who directs and rules the thought of a nation has more power than one who gives expression to it; and we have seen instances in which a man has lost far more than he has gained by exchanging the position of an editor for that of a legislator.
III. The issue of such prayers is thus described–That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty, or rather in all godliness and gravity, as those who are not perturbed by earthly strifes, but see in the state of society around them the germs of the righteousness and peace which are of heaven.
IV. The acceptability of such prayers in the sight of God is expressly asserted. (A. Rowland, LL. B.)
Kings over-ruled by God
And how many instances do we find in Scripture history, and in ancient and modern history, in which God has over-ruled the counsels of kings for the welfare of his Church! See how the heart of one Pharaoh was turned towards Joseph; how the madness and stoutheartedness of another issued in his own ruin and in the glory of God how Nebuchadnezzar and Darius, and even the wicked Belshazzar, all advanced the holy Daniel in the kingdom; how Cyrus and other Persian monarchs assisted in rearing the temple of the God of Israel; how Constantine was brought to acknowledge the true God; and how, in the days of our own glorious Reformation a wicked and ungodly king was yet made an instrument in Gods hand of conferring the most unspeakable blessings on our land and on the world. (H. W. Sheppard.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER II.
Prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving, must be made for all
men; because God wills that all should be saved, 1-4.
There is but one God and one Mediator, 5-7.
How men should pray, 8.
How women should adorn themselves, 9, 10.
They are not suffered to teach, nor to nor to usurp authority
over men, 11-14.
How they may expect to be saved in child-bearing, 15.
NOTES ON CHAP. II.
Verse 1. I exhort – that, first of all] Prayer for the pardon of sin, and for obtaining necessary supplies of grace, and continual protection from God, with gratitude and thanksgiving for mercies already received, are duties which our sinful and dependent state renders absolutely necessary; and which should be chief in our view, and first of all performed. It is difficult to know the precise difference between the four words used here by the apostle. They are sometimes distinguished thus: –
Supplications] . Prayers for averting evils of every kind.
Prayers] . Prayers for obtaining the good things, spiritual and temporal, which ourselves need.
Intercessions] . Prayers in behalf of others.
Giving of thanks] . Praises to God, as the parent of all good, for all the blessings which we and others have received. It is probable that the apostle gives directions here for public worship; and that the words may be thus paraphrased: “Now, I exhort first of all that, in the public assemblies, deprecations of evils, and supplications for such good things as are necessary, and intercessions for their conversion, and thanksgiving for mercies, be offered in behalf of all men – for heathens as well as for Christians, and for enemies as well as for friends.” See Macknight.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Timothy (as was said before) was left at Ephesus to manage the affairs of the church there in the absence of Paul, who in this Epistle directs him as to this management. First he exhorts him to see that prayers should be made for all men.
Supplications, dehseiv, for supply of wants.
Prayers, proseucav, signifieth much the same; some will have it to signify petitions for the conservation or increase of what good things we have.
Intercessions, enteuzeiv, prayers for others, whether for the averting of evils from them, or the collation of good things upon them.
And giving of thanks; and blessings of God for good things bestowed upon ourselves or others. These Paul wills should be made , which may be of all men, or for all men, but the next verse plainly shows that it is here rightly rendered
for all men, for there were at this time no kings in the church. Paul here establisheth prayers as a piece of the public ministry in the church of God, and a primary piece; therefore he saith, he exhorts that first of all; not in respect of time so much, as, principally, intimating it a great piece of the public ministry, which he would by no means have neglected. And he would have these prayers put up for all orders and sorts of men, such only excepted of whom St. John speaks, 1Jo 5:16, who had sinned that sin, for which he would not say Christians should pray.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1. thereforetaking up againthe general subject of the Epistle in continuation (2Ti2:1). “What I have therefore to say to thee by way of acharge (1Ti 1:3; 1Ti 1:18),is,” c.
that, first of all . . . bemadeALFORD takesit, “I exhort first of all to make.” “First ofall,” doubtless, is to be connected with “I exhort”what I begin with (for special reasons), is . . . As thedestruction of Jerusalem drew near, the Jews (including those atEphesus) were seized with the dream of freedom from every yoke; andso virtually “‘blasphemed” (compare 1Ti1:20) God’s name by “speaking evil of dignities”(1Ti 6:1; 2Pe 2:10;Jdg 1:8). Hence Paul, inopposition, gives prominence to the injunction that prayer be madefor all men, especially for magistrates and kings(Tit 3:1-3) [OLSHAUSEN].Some professing Christians looked down on all not Christians, asdoomed to perdition; but Paul says all men are to be prayedfor, as Christ died for all (1Ti2:4-6).
supplicationsa termimplying the suppliant’s sense of need, and of his owninsufficiency.
prayersimplyingdevotion.
intercessionsproperlythe coming near to God with childlike confidence, generally inbehalf of another. The accumulation of terms implies prayer inits every form and aspect, according to all the relations implied init.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I exhort therefore, that first of all,…. The two principal parts of public worship, being the ministry of the word and prayer; and the apostle having insisted on the former, in the preceding chapter, in which he orders Timothy to charge some that they teach no other doctrine than that of the Gospel, gives an account of his own ministry, and call to it, and of the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to his trust, and stirs up Timothy to the faithful and diligent discharge of his work and office; now proceeds to the latter, to prayer, and exhorts unto it; either Timothy in particular, for so read the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, “I exhort thee”, or “desire thee”; or else the church in general; unless it should rather be thought to be a charge to Timothy to exhort, and so Beza’s Claromontane copy reads, “exhort thou therefore”: but it is commonly considered as an exhortation of the apostle’s, which he was very urgent in: it was what lay much upon his mind, and he was greatly desirous that it should be attended unto; for so the words may be read, “I exhort first of all”, or before all things; of all things he had to say, this was the chief, or it was what he would have principally and chiefly done by others: for this does not so much regard the order of time, that prayer should be made early in the morning, in the first place, before anything else is done, and particularly before preaching, which seems to have been the custom of the primitive saints, Ac 4:31 but the pre-eminence and superior excellency of it; though the words may be rendered, “I exhort, that first, the supplications of all be made”: and so may regard public prayer, the prayer of the whole church, in distinction from private prayer, or the prayer of a single person; which is expressed by different words,
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks: the first of these, “supplications”, signifies such petitions for things that are wanted by men, either by themselves or others; and that either for their bodies or souls, as food and raiment for the one, and discoveries of pardoning love, supplies of grace, spiritual peace, comfort, c. for the other: and the second word, “prayers”, signifies good wishes and desires, directed and expressed to God for things that are in themselves to be wished for, and desired of God, either for ourselves or others: and the next word, “intercessions”, intends either complaints exhibited in prayer against others that have done injuries or prayers put up for others, either for the averting of evil from them, or for the bestowing some good thing on them: and the last word, “thanksgivings”, with which requests should always be made known to God, designs that branch of prayer in which thanks are given to God for mercies received, whether temporal or spiritual: and these are to
be made for all men; not only for all the saints, for all the churches of Christ, and, ministers of the Gospel; nor only for near relations and friends, according to the flesh; but for all the inhabitants of the country and city in which men dwell, the peace and prosperity of which are to be prayed for; yea, for enemies, and such as reproach, persecute, and despitefully use the saints, even for all sorts of men, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, high and low, bond and free, good men and bad men: for it cannot be understood of every individual that has been, is, or shall be in the world; millions of men are dead and gone, for whom prayer is not to be made; many in hell, to whom it would be of no service; and many in heaven, who stand in no need of it; nor is prayer to be made for such who have sinned the sin unto death, 1Jo 5:16 besides, giving of thanks, as well as prayers, are to be made for all men; but certainly the meaning is not, that thanks should be given for wicked men, for persecutors, and particularly for a persecuting Nero, or for heretics, and false teachers, such as Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom the apostle had delivered to Satan. But the words must be understood of men of all sorts, of every rank and quality, as the following verse shows.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| Universal Prayer Recommended. | A. D. 64. |
1 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. 5 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. 8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
Here is, I. A charge given to Christians to pray for all men in general, and particularly for all in authority. Timothy must take care that this be done. Paul does not send him any prescribed form of prayer, as we have reason to think he would if he had intended that ministers should be tied to that way of praying; but, in general, that they should make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks: supplications for the averting of evil, prayers for the obtaining of good, intercessions for others, and thanksgivings for mercies already received. Paul thought it enough to give them general heads; they, having the scripture to direct them in prayer and the Spirit of prayer poured out upon them, needed not any further directions. Observe, The design of the Christian religion is to promote prayer; and the disciples of Christ must be praying people. Pray always with all prayer, Eph. vi. 18. There must be prayers for ourselves in the first place; this is implied here. We must also pray for all men, for the world of mankind in general, for particular persons who need or desire our prayers. See how far the Christian religion was from being a sect, when it taught men this diffusive charity, to pray, not only for those of their own way, but for all men. Pray for kings (v. 2); though the kings at this time were heathens, enemies to Christianity, and persecutors of Christians, yet they must pray for them, because it is for the public good that there should be civil government, and proper persons entrusted with the administration of it, for whom therefore we ought to pray, yea, though we ourselves suffer under them. For kings, and all that are in authority, that is, inferior magistrates: we must pray for them, and we must give thanks for them, pray for their welfare and for the welfare of their kingdoms, and therefore must not plot against them, that in the peace thereof we may have peace, and give thanks for them and for the benefit we have under their government, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Here see what we must desire for kings, that God will so turn their hearts, and direct them and make use of them, that we under them may lead a quiet and peaceable life. He does not say, “that we may get preferments under them, grow rich, and be in honour and power under them;” no, the summit of the ambition of a good Christian is to lead a quiet and peaceable life, to get through the world unmolested in a low private station. We should desire that we and others may lead a peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, implying that we cannot expect to be kept quiet and peaceable unless we keep in all godliness and honesty. Let us mind our duty, and then we may expect to be taken under the protection both of God and the government. In all godliness and honesty. Here we have our duty as Christians summed up in two words: godliness, that is, the right worshipping of God; and honesty, that is, a good conduct towards all men. These two must go together; we are not truly honest if we are not godly, and do not render to God his due; and we are not truly godly if we are not honest, for God hates robbery for burnt-offering. Here we may observe, 1. Christians are to be men much given to prayer: they ought to abound herein, and should use themselves to prayers, supplications, c. 2. In our prayers we are to have a generous concern for others as well as for ourselves we are to pray for all men, and to give thanks for all men; and must not confine our prayers nor thanksgiving to our own persons or families. 3. Prayer consists of various parts, of supplications, intercessions, and thanksgivings; for we must pray for the mercies we want, as well as be thankful for mercies already received; and we are to deprecate the judgments which our own sins or the sins of others have deserved. 4. All men, yea, kings themselves, and those who are in authority, are to be prayed for. They want our prayers, for they have many difficulties to encounter, many snares to which their exalted stations expose them. 5. In praying for our governors, we take the most likely course to lead a peaceable and quiet life. The Jews at Babylon were commanded to seek the peace of the city whither the Lord had caused them to be carried captives, and to pray to the Lord for it; for in the peace thereof they should have peace, Jer. xxix. 7. 6. If we would lead a peaceable and quiet life, we must live in all godliness and honesty; we must do our duty to God and man. He that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile; let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and pursue it,1Pe 3:10; 1Pe 3:11. Now the reason he gives for this is because this is good in the sight of God our Saviour; that is, the gospel of Christ requires this. That which is acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour we should do, and should abound in.
II. As a reason why we should in our prayers concern ourselves for all men, he shows God’s love to mankind in general, v. 4.
1. One reason why all men are to be prayed for is because there is one God, and that God bears a good will to all mankind. There is one God (v. 5), and one only, there is no other, there can be no other, for there can be but one infinite. This one God will have all men to be saved; he desires not the death and destruction of any (Ezek. xxxiii. 11), but the welfare and salvation of all. Not that he has decreed the salvation of all, for then all men would be saved; but he has a good will to the salvation of all, and none perish but by their own fault, Matt. xxiii. 37. He will have all to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth, to be saved in the way that he has appointed and not otherwise. It concerns us to get the knowledge of the truth, because that is the way to be saved; Christ is the way and the truth, and so he is the life.
2. There is one Mediator, and that mediator gave himself a ransom for all. As the mercy of God extends itself to all his works, so the mediation of Christ extends itself thus far to all the children of men that he paid a price sufficient for the salvation of all mankind; he brought mankind to stand upon new terms with God, so that they are not now under the law as a covenant of works, but as a rule of life. They are under grace; not under the covenant of innocence, but under a new covenant: He gave himself a ransom. Observe, The death of Christ was a ransom, a counter-price. We deserved to have died. Christ died for us, to save us from death and hell; he gave himself a ransom voluntarily, a ransom for all; so that all mankind are put in a better condition than that of devils. He died to work out a common salvation: in order hereunto, he put himself into the office of Mediator between God and man. A mediator supposes a controversy. Sin had made a quarrel between us and God; Jesus Christ is a Mediator who undertakes to make peace, to bring God and man together, in the nature of an umpire or arbitrator, a days-man who lays his hand upon u both, Job ix. 33. He is a ransom that was to be testified in due time; that is, in the Old-Testament times, his sufferings and the glory that should follow were spoken of as things to be revealed in the last times, 1Pe 1:10; 1Pe 1:11. And they are accordingly revealed, Paul himself having been ordained a preacher and an apostle, to publish to the Gentiles the glad tidings of redemption and salvation by Jesus Christ. This doctrine of Christ’s mediation Paul was entrusted to preach to every creature, Mark xvi. 15. He was appointed to be a teacher of the Gentiles; besides his general call to the apostleship, he was commissioned particularly to preach to the Gentiles, in faith and truth, or faithfully and truly. Note, (1.) It is good and acceptable in the sight of God and our Saviour that we pray for kings and for all men, and also that we lead a peaceable and quiet life; and this is a very good reason why we should do the one as well as the other. (2.) God has a good will to the salvation of all; so that it is not so much the want of a will in God to save them as it is a want of will in themselves to be saved in God’s way. Here our blessed Lord charges the fault: You will not come unto me that you may have life, John v. 40. I would have gathered you, and you would not. (3.) Those who are saved must come to the knowledge of the truth, for this is God’s appointed way to save sinners. Without knowledge the heart cannot be good; if we do not know the truth, we cannot be ruled by it. (4.) It is observable that the unity of God is asserted, and joined with the unity of the Mediator; and the church of Rome might as well maintain a plurality of gods as a plurality of mediators. (5.) He that is a Mediator in the New-Testament sense, gave himself a ransom. Vain then is the pretence of the Romanists that there is but one Mediator of satisfaction, but many of intercession; for, according to Paul, Christ’s giving himself a ransom was a necessary part of the Mediator’s office; and indeed this lays the foundation for his intercession. (6.) Paul was ordained a minister, to declare this to the Gentiles, that Christ is the one Mediator between God and men, who gave himself a ransom for all. This is the substance of which all ministers are to preach, to the end of the world; and Paul magnified his office, as he was the apostle of the Gentiles, Rom. xi. 13. (7.) Ministers must preach the truth, what they apprehend to be so, and they must believe it themselves; they are, like our apostle, to preach in faith and verity, and they must also be faithful and trusty.
III. A direction how to pray, v. 8. 1. Now, under the gospel, prayer is not to be confined to any one particular house of prayer, but men must pray every where: no place is amiss for prayer, no place more acceptable to God than another, John iv. 21. Pray every where. We must pray in our closets, pray in our families, pray at our meals, pray when we are on journeys, and pray in the solemn assemblies, whether more public or private. 2. It is the will of God that in prayer we should lift up holy hands: Lifting up holy hands, or pure hands, pure from the pollution of sin, washed in the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness. I will wash my hands, &c., Ps. xxvi. 6. 3. We must pray in charity: Without wrath, or malice, or anger at any person. 4. We must pray in faith without doubting (Jam. i. 6), or, as some read it, without disputing, and then it falls under the head of charity.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
First of all ( ). Take with . My first request (first in importance).
Intercessions (). Late word (Polybius, Plutarch, etc.), only here in N.T. and 4:5, though the verb in Rom 8:27; Rom 8:34; Rom 11:2; Rom 11:25. The other three words for prayer are common (Php 4:6).
For all men ( ). The scope of prayer is universal including all kinds of sinners (and saints).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
I exhort [] . See on consolation, Luk 6:24.
First of all [ ] . Connect with I exhort. The only instance of this phrase in N. T.
Supplications be made [ ] . The phrase occurs Luk 5:33; Phi 1:4. o LXX o Class. Dehsiv is petitionary prayer. Proseuch prayer is limited to prayer to God, while dehsiv may be addressed to men. The two are associated, 1Ti 5:5 : the inverse order, Eph 6:18; Phi 4:6.
Intercessions [] . Only here and ch. 4 5. LXX, 2 Macc. 4 8. The verb ejntugcanein, commonly rendered to make intercession, Rom 8:27, 34; Rom 11:2; and uJperentugcanein to intercede in behalf of, Rom 8:26. The verb signifies to fall in with a person; to draw near so as to converse familiarly. Hence, enteuxiv is not properly intercession in the accepted sense of that term, but rather approach to God in free and familiar prayer. Entugcanein in the passages cited is not to make intercession, but to intervene, interfere. Thus in Rom 8:26, it is not that the Spirit pleads in our behalf, but that he throws himself into our case; takes part in it. So Heb 8:25 : not that Jesus is ever interceding for us, but that he is eternally meeting us at every point, and intervening in al our affairs for our benefit. In ejnteuxeiv here the idea of interposition is prominent : making prayers a factor in relations with secular rulers.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
PRAYER AND SEX ORDER IN WORSHIP AND SERVICE
1) “I exhort therefore, that, first of all,” (parakalo oun proton panton) The first special injunction after his first charge or commission to Timothy regarding unsound doctrine was regarding “prayer for all men,” from emperors to paupers.
a) “Supplications” (deeseis) “petitions”; seem to refer to supplications in hours of special crisis.
b) “Prayers” (proseuchas) Paul’s object seems to have been to teach that public prayer should be made for every kind of human need, Eph 6:18; Php_4:6.
c) “Intercessions” (enteukseis) “Prayers to God on behalf of others,” as Abraham’s prayer for Sodom and Gomorrha, Gen 18:23-33.
d) “And giving of thanks” (eucharistias) Every kind of prayer should be accompanied by thanksgiving, Col 4:2; 1Th 5:17-18.
2) “Be made for all men” (poieisthai huper panton anthropon) “is to be made on behalf of all men.” Intercessory prayer in behalf of others blesses both the one praying and the object of the intercessory prayer, Rom 1:14-16; Rom 9:1-4; Rom 10:1-3.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
1 I exhort therefore. These exercises of godliness maintain and even strengthen us in the sincere worship and fear of God, and cherish the good conscience of which he had spoken. Not inappropriately does he make use of the word therefore, to denote an inference; for those exhortations depend on the preceding commandment.
That, above all, prayers be made. First, he speaks of public prayers, which he enjoins to be offered, not only for believers, but for all mankind. Some might reason thus with themselves: “Why should we be anxious about the salvation of unbelievers, with whom we have no connection? Is it not enough, if we, who are brethren, pray mutually for our brethren, and recommend to God the whole of his Church? for we have nothing to do with strangers.” This perverse view Paul meets, and enjoins the Ephesians to include in their prayers all men, and not to limit them to the body of the Church.
What is the difference between three out of the four kinds which Paul enumerates, I own that I do not thoroughly understand. The view given by Augustine, who twists Paul’s words so as to denote ceremonial observances customary at that time, is quite childish. A simpler exposition is given by those who think that “requests” are when we ask to be delivered from what is evil; “prayers,” when we desire to obtain something profitable; and “supplications,” when we deplore before God injuries which we have endured. Yet for my own part, I do not draw the difference so ingeniously; or, at least, I prefer another way of distinguishing them.
Προσευχαὶ is the Greek word for every kind of prayer; and δεήσεις denotes those forms of petitions in which something definite is asked. In this way the two words agree with each other, as genus and species. ᾿Εντεύξεις is the word commonly used by Paul to signify those prayers which we offer for one another. The word used for it in the Latin Translation is “ intercessiones,” intercessions. Yet Plato, in his second dialogue, styled Alcibiades, uses it in a different sense, to moan a definite petition offered by a person for himself; and in the very inscription of the book, and in many passages, he shows plainly, as I have said, that προσευχὴ is a general term. (31)
But not to dwell longer than is proper on a matter that is not essential, Paul, in my own opinion, simply enjoins that, whenever public prayers are offered, petitions and supplications should be made for all men, even for those who at present are not at all related to us. And yet this heaping up of words is not superfluous; but Paul appears to me purposely to join together three terms for the same purpose, in order to recommend more warmly, and urge more strongly, earnest and constant prayer. We know now sluggish we are in this religious duty; and therefore we need not wonder if, for the purpose of arousing us to it, the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of Paul, employs various excitements.
And thanksgivings. As to this term, there is no obscurity; for, as he bids us make supplication to God for the salvation of unbelievers, so also to give thanks on account of their prosperity and success. That wonderful goodness which he shews every day, when
“
he maketh his sun to rise on the good and the bad,” (Mat 5:45,)
is worthy of being praised; and our love of our neighbor ought also to extend to those who are unworthy of it.
(31) “ Δεήσεις, if we attend to its etymological import, is derived ἀπὸ τοῦ δεῖσθαι, ‘from being in want’ and is a petition for that οὗ δεόμεθα, ‘which we want.’ It is very correctly defined by Gregory Nazianzen in his 15 Iambic Ode: Δέησιν οἵου τὴν αἴτησιν ἐνδεῶν, ‘consider that when you are in want of anything, your petition is δέησις.’ If we attend again to the customary usage of the word, it signifies ‘a petition for a benefit.’ My opinion is, that the various names express one and the same thing, viewed under various aspects. Our prayers are called δεήσεις, so far as by them we declare to God our need; for δέεσθαι is “to be in need.’ They are προσευχαὶ, as they contain our wishes. They are αἰτήματα, as they express petitions and desires. They are ἐντεύξεις, as we are permitted by God to approach Him, not with timidity, but in a familiar manner: for ἐντεύξις is a familiar conversation and interview.” — Witsius on the Lord’s Prayer
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES
1Ti. 2:1. Supplications, prayers, intercessions.The first is a special form of the second. Intercession is prayer in its most individual and urgent formprayer in which God is sought in audience and personally approached (Ellicott). Thanksgivings are always to accompany prayers.
1Ti. 2:2. For kings, and all that are in authority.It is very noticeable that the neglect of this duty on the part of the Jews led to the commencement of their war with the Romans. That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life.A life that is free from the rude shocks consequent on political strife, and equally free from participation in intrigue or sedition. In all godliness and honesty.R.V. in all godliness and gravity. The former word describes the direction of our reverence to whatever is truly worthy of it. Honesty denotes the decency and propriety of deportment which befits the chaste, the young, and the earnest, and is as it were the appropriate setting of higher graces and virtues (Ellicott).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.1Ti. 2:1-3
Prayer a Universal Duty.
I. Should be offered for all classes.I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and all that are in authority (1Ti. 2:1-2). There is very little difference of meaning in the terms here used for prayer. And yet this heaping up of words, says Calvin, is not superfluous; but Paul appears purposely to join together three terms for the same purpose in order to recommend more warmly and urge more strongly earnest and constant prayer. We know how sluggish we are in this religious duty, and therefore we need not wonder if for the purpose of rousing us to it the Holy Spirit employs various excitements. While we are to pray for all men, kings and all that are in authority are mentioned as especially needing our prayers: their exalted position and great responsibilities needing help from heaven that their duties may be discharged with impartiality and justice. Though public authorities may be opposed to the gospel, as was the case in the apostles days, they are not to be neglected in our prayers. The scope of a Christians desires and gratitude, when he appears before the Lord, must have no narrower limit than that which embraces the whole human race. The solidarity of the whole body of Christians, however distant from one another in space and time, however different from one another in nationality, in discipline, and even in creed, is a magnificent fact of which we all of us need from time to time to be reminded, and which, when we are reminded of it, it is difficult to grasp. Members of sects that we never heard of, dwelling in remote regions of which we do not even know the names, are nevertheless united to us by the eternal ties of a common baptism and a common belief in God and in Jesus Christ. The Eastern sectarian in the wilds of Asia, and the Western sectarian in the backwoods of North America, are members of Christ and our brethren, and as such have spiritual interests identical with our own, for which it is not only our duty but our advantage to pray. What shall we say, then, about the difficulty of realising the solidarity of the whole human race? The population of the globe, those who are not even in name Christian, outnumber us by at least three to one (Plummer). For these we should not fail to pray, and give all the assistance we can to missionary enterprise and humanising efforts.
II. Should be accompanied with thanksgiving.And giving of thanks (1Ti. 2:1). Prayer is cold and meaningless unless it is interfused with a thankful spirit. Gratitude prompts prayer, and in the answers God is continually giving, finds new themes for supplication. A Maryland planter was riding to one of his plantations under a state of religious awakening. He heard the voice of prayer and praise in a cabin, and, listening, discovered that a negro from a neighbouring estate was leading the devotion of his own slaves, and offering fervent thanksgiving for the blessing of their depressed lot. His heart was touched, and with emotion he exclaimed, Alas! O Lord, I have my thousands and tens of thousands, and yet, ungrateful wretch that I am, I never thank Thee as this poor slave does, who has scarcely clothes to put on, or food to satisfy his hunger!
III. Should be offered in order to secure real progress in the Christian life.That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty (1Ti. 2:2). Here is a reason for praying for kings and magistratesthat they may use their power in the maintenance of peace and good order and in defending the interests of true religion, that while restraining the violence of wicked man they may not recklessly plunge the nation into war. The Christian has a reverence for law, and the maintenance of law and order is helpful to growth and progress in religion. I have been benefited by riding alone a long journey in giving that time to prayer. Making an errand to God for others, I have gotten something for myself. I have been really confirmed in many particulars that God heareth prayers, and therefore I pray for anything, of how little importance soever. He enables me to make no question that this way, which is mocked and nicknamed, is the only way to heaven (S. Rutherford).
IV. Prayer for all classes has the Divine approval.For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour (1Ti. 2:3). God is willing that all should be saved; therefore we should meet the will of God in behalf of others by praying for the salvation of all men. More would be saved if we prayed more. Since God wishes that all should be saved, do you also wish it, and if you wish it pray for it. For prayer is the instrument of effecting such things (Chrysostom).
Lessons.
1. True prayer is ever unselfish.
2. Prayer is the vital element of religious progress.
3. Acceptable prayer is answered prayer.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
1Ti. 2:1-3. Forms of Prayer in Public Worship.
I. Are useful and necessary to obviate and prevent all extravagant levities or worse impieties in public worship.
II. That ministers less learned may have provision of devotions made for them.
III. That all the members of the Church may know the condition of public communion and understand beforehand what prayers they are to join in.
IV. To secure the established doctrine and faith of the Church.Bishop Bull.
1Ti. 2:1-2. Prayer for Kings and Governors.
I. Common charity should dispose us to pray for kings.
II. We are bound to pray for kings out of charity for the public.
III. Subjects are bound in gratitude, equity, and justice to pray for their princes.
IV. Princes need our prayers.
V. Prayer is the only allowable method for redressing our case if we suffer by princes.Barrow.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
II. PUBLIC WORSHIP 2:115
1.
PRAYER 1Ti. 2:1-7
Text 2:17
1 I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men; 2 for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil life in all godliness and gravity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 who would have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all: the testimony to be borne in its own times; 7 whereunto I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth, I lie not) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Thought Questions 2:17
41.
The word therefore in 1Ti. 2:1 connects 1Ti. 2:1-15 :1Ti. 2:1-7 with those proceeding; show the connection.
42.
How is the word first to be understood? Is Paul giving instructions for the pastoral prayer?
43.
Define each of the four words relating to prayer and show their inter-relation.
44.
Why mention: kings, and all that are in high place?
45.
Are we to understand from Pauls admonition that our praying is going to affect the decisions of State? How? Why?
46.
Define the difference in the use of the word quiet and the use of the word tranquil. God, our Saviour, is most pleased when we pray after the order here prescribed; why?
47.
If God wants all men saved why doesnt He save them?
48.
There are four arguments for universal prayer. These arguments are found in 1Ti. 2:5-7. See if you can define them.
49.
Why mention the humanity of Christ Jesus as in 1Ti. 2:5?
50.
What is the meaning of the expression ransom for all?
51.
What is the testimony, of 1Ti. 2:6?
52.
Unto what was Paul appointed?
Paraphrase 2:17
1 Now I exhort, first of all, that in the public assemblies, deprecations of evils, and supplications for such good things as are necessary, and intercessions for their conversion, and thanksgiving for mercies, be offered in behalf of all men, for heathens as well as for Christians, and for enemies as well as for friends;
2 But especially for kings, and all who have authority in the state, by whatever name they may be called, that, finding us good subjects, we may be suffered to lead an undisturbed and peaceable life, while we worship the only true God, and honestly perform every civil and social duty.
3 For this, that we pray for all men, and especially for rulers, although they be heathens, is good for ourselves, and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.
4 Who commandeth all men to be saved from heathenism ignorance and Jewish prejudices, and to come to the knowledge of the truth, that is, of the gospel, through the preaching of the word.
5 For there is one God, the maker, benefactor, and governor of all, and one Mediator between God and men; consequently, all are equally the objects of Gods care: This Mediator is the man Christ Jesus.
6 Who voluntarily (John x. 18.) gave himself a ransom not for the Jews only, but for all. Of which doctrine the publication and proof is now made in its proper season; so that, since Christ gave himself for all, it is certainly the will of God that we should pray for all.
7 For the bearing of which testimony concerning the benevolence of God towards all men, and concerning Christs giving himself a ransom for all, I was appointed an herald, or messenger of peace, and an apostle divinely inspired, (I call Christ to witness that I speak the truth and lie not), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth; that is, in the true faith of the gospel.
Comment 2:17
1Ti. 2:1. The use of he word exhort indicates something far stronger than just a suggestion. Paul wants these instructions carried out to the letter, as well as in the spirit in which they were given. Notice the word, therefore; Paul is saying: upon the basis of what has been said in chapter one, primary in importance is the proper attitude in public worship, particularly in prayer, When Timothy, or any one of the church leaders prayed in public, here are the instructions as to attitude and requests,
The four words here used each have a different meaning and application; however, there is much overlapping in application or use. Supplications are those expressions in prayer that relate to the deepest needs of the heart; such needs are far more personal than those expressed by prayers. General requests are covered in the second word. Please do not fail to associate such praying with the object: all men, Intercessions is not as specific here as we usually think of it. Here the thought is much more one of pleading on behalf of others, than acting in the official capacity as a mediator. How very negligent we are in the area of thanksgiving in prayer. Just what is it about all men that would be a cause for thanksgiving? To ask such a question is an indication of our need for such an exhortation.
Are we to pray for sinners? This verse should forever settle that question. If we would exercise these four elements in prayer for all men we would indeed be praying for sinners; and doing it just like God intended.
1Ti. 2:2. All men is generic; kings, and all that are in high place are some of the specific men for whom we should pray.
Why pray for these men? Because it will effect certain changes in them and their administration that would not otherwise prevail. God is still ruling in the affairs of men. It is still God who raises up and casts down the rulers of this nation and word. God does not operate on mans schedulebut He acts in answer to the prayers prayed like Daniel of old did (Cf. Dan. 6:10). Not only so, but the very attitude necessary to pray after this manner, would help the one praying to be able to lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity. Such will be true in any society at any time. Tranquil refers to the outward calm, Quiet refers to the inward condition of the one praying.
When God answers our prayers we should show our gratitude by living a life pleasing to God,
1Ti. 2:3. The expression good is to be thought of in the same sense as the use of the word good when God looked upon His creation and said it is good; i.e., a pleasure to the All-Mighty. Because God is a Saviour for all men, it is most acceptable to Him that we pray for the salvation of all men.
1Ti. 2:4. The thought begun in 1Ti. 2:3 is completed in 1Ti. 2:4. Such praying is admirable in Gods sight because He wants all men to be saved, or come to an acknowledgment of the truth.
God has made provision for the salvation of all men. He loves all men. He has commissioned that the good news be preached to all men; therefore it is with satisfaction that He hears prayers ascending on behalf of all men. We like the distinction made by Homer Kent in the use of the verbs:
Furthermore, God wishes all men to be saved. The verb thelo is employed which denotes a desire springing out of the emotions or inclinations, rather than out of deliberation boulomia. Hence this is a reference to Gods moral will which applies to all men. However, this moral will of God may fail, and often does. Men sin, although God does not want them to. Consequently, if men are lost, it is because they opposed Gods will which gave His Son to save them. This does not teach universalism, for God does not violate mans opportunity to choose. The passive voice of the infinite sothenai (to be saved) may be suggestive. God wishes all men to be saved, that is, to experience salvation through the appointed channel of personal faith in Christ. If the text had used the active voice, Wishes to save all men, one would wonder why God does not then do so. (Ibid., p. 103)
1Ti. 2:5. We like the thought that in 1Ti. 2:5-7 we have four arguments in favor of praying for all men: (1) The unity of GodThere is one God; (2) The unity of the Mediator,and one mediator; (3) The availability of the ransom,who gave himself a ransom for all; (4) The commission to the Gentiles1Ti. 2:7. (For this we are indebted to Homer Kent). If there is only one God (and we know there is), if there is only one Mediator (and we are sure of this), and they were provided for all menhow could we be exclusive in our concern and prayers?
1Ti. 2:6. Christ is not only the one Mediator but also the one payment for mans soul. God has given His Son as an exchange for all men.
The act of His giving Himself as a ransom price on behalf of man, relates directly to His worthiness to be the universal Mediator. We like the thought that there must have been one who was both God and man in order to be a Mediator. Only this one could meet the great kidnappers ransom price; it was the God-Man Christ Jesus!
The expression: the testimony to be borne in its own times is not easy of understanding; the question is: what is to be the content of the testimony?
We prefer the thought this phrase compares very favorably with Gal. 4:4 and has reference to the fulness of time when God sent forth His Son, He was to be the one mediator; the one ransom. It is now time to give this testimony or good news.
1Ti. 2:7. The fourth and last reason for universal prayer on behalf of all men is found in the commission our Lord gave to Paul. If Christ sent Paul to preach to the Gentiles, (as he did Peter to the Jews), then surely we should pray for these objects of Gods concern and subjects of Pauls work.
The descriptive words: preacher, apostle, teacher, in faith and truth, indicate his task. He was one sent to herald forth; in so doing to teach all. This was to be done in faith, with the truth.
Fact Questions 2:17
26.
In what sense is the expression First of all used?
27.
Please define the terms: supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings as here used.
28.
In what particulars are we to pray for all men?
29.
What is the difference, if any, from a tranquil life, and a quiet life?
30.
Show the distinction in the use of the terms: godliness and gravity,
31.
What is good and acceptable with God?
32.
In what sense does God will that all men be saved?
33.
Are being saved, and coming to the knowledge of the truth, two different experiences?
34.
How does the thought of the oneness of God relate to the context?
35.
Show the contextual connection of the One Mediator.
36.
What is the testimony to be bourne in its own times?
37.
Unto what was Paul appointed a preacher and an apostle, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth?
Text 2:815
2.
MEN AND WOMEN IN WORSHIP 815
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
II.
(1) I exhort therefore.Now Timothy was to begin to carry out his master St. Pauls great chargethe charge which bade him teach all men to put their entire, their perfect, trust in the Saviour of sinnersby instructing the Church of Ephesus, in the first place, to pray constantly for all sorts and conditions of men. The detailed injunctions how the charge was to be carried out are introduced by the Greek particle oun, translated in our version by therefore; it may be paraphrased thus: In pursuance of my great charge, I proceed by special details; in the first place, let prayers for all be offered by the congregation.
Supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks.Many attempts, some of them not very happy ones, have been made by grammarians and commentators to distinguish between these terms, each of which denotes prayer. On the whole, it may be assumed that the Greek word translated supplications signifies a request for particular benefits, and is a special form of the more general word rendered prayers. The third expression in the English version translated intercessions suggests a closer and more intimate communion with God on the part of the one praying. It speaks of drawing near God, of entering into free, familiar speech with Him. The Greek word suggests prayer in its most individual, urgent form. The fourth term, giving of thanks, expresses that which ought never to be absent from any of our devotions, gratitude for past mercies. Archbishop Trench remarks how this peculiar form of prayer will subsist in heaven when, in the very nature of things, all other forms of prayer will have ceased in the entire fruition of the things prayed for, for then only will the redeemed know how much they owe to their Lord. The word eucharist is derived from the Greek word used in this placeeucharistiafor in the Holy Communion the Church embodies its highest act of thanksgiving for the highest benefits received.
For all men.Professor Reynolds well comments on the hardness of the task set us hereIt is difficult for us always to love all men, to think of all men as equally dear to God, or to regard all men as equally capable of being blessed. Timothy, after reading this letter, probably walked along the marble colonnade of the great temple of Artemis, or heard the hum of some twenty thousand Asiatic Greeks crowded in the vast theatre to witness the gladiatorial fight, or encountered a procession of Bacchantes, or turned into the synagogue on the side of the Coresias and saw the averted looks, and felt the bitter hatred of some old friends. We, with some knowledge of the modern world, have to look into the hells upon earth; to survey the gold-fields and battle-fields; the African slave-hunts; the throngs and saloons of Pekin, Calcutta, and Paris; the monasteries of Tibet; and make prayers, petitions, intercessions, and thanksgivings, too, on behalf of all men. In the beginning of the Gospel, Timothy received this quiet injunction from the Apostle Paul. Now the once whispered word peals like the voice of many waters and mighty thunderings over the whole Church of God.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Chapter 2
THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE GOSPEL ( 1Ti 2:1-7 ) 2:1-7 So then the first thing I urge you to do is to offer your requests, your prayers, your petitions, your thanksgivings for all men. Pray for kings and for all who are in authority, that they may enjoy a life that is tranquil and undisturbed, and that they may act in all godliness and reverence. That is the fine way to live, the way which meets with the approval of God, our Saviour, who wishes all men to be saved, and to come to a full knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator, between God and man, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself a ransom for all. It was thus he bore his witness to God in his own good times, a witness to which I have been appointed a herald and an envoy (I am speaking the truth: I do not lie), a teacher to the Gentiles, a teacher whose message is based on faith and truth.
Before we study this passage in detail we must note one thing which shines out from it in a way that no one can fail to see. Few passages in the New Testament so stress the universality of the gospel. Prayer is to be made for all men; God is the Saviour who wishes all men to be saved; Jesus gave his life a ransom for all. As Walter Lock writes: “God’s will to save is as wide as his will to create.”
This is a note which sounds in the New Testament again and again. Through Christ God was reconciling the world to himself ( 2Co 5:18-19). God so loved the world that he gave his Son ( Joh 3:16). It was Jesus’ confidence that, if he was lifted up on his Cross, soon or late he would draw all men to him ( Joh 12:32).
E. F. Brown calls this passage “the charter of missionary work.” He says that it is the proof that all men are capax dei, capable of receiving God. They may be lost, but they can be found; they may be ignorant, but they can be enlightened; they may be sinners, but they can be saved. George Wishart, the forerunner of John Knox, writes in his translation of the First Swiss Confession: “The end and intent of the Scripture is to declare that God is benevolent and friendly-minded to mankind; and that he hath declared that kindness in and through Jesus Christ, his only Son; the which kindness is received by faith.” That is why prayer must be made for all. God wants all men, and so, therefore, must his Church.
(i) The gospel includes high and low. Both the Emperor in his power and the slave in his helplessness were included in the sweep of the gospel. Both the philosopher in his wisdom and the simple man in his ignorance need the grace and truth that the gospel can bring. Within the gospel there are no class distinctions. King and commoner, rich and poor, aristocrat and peasant, master and man are all included in its limitless embrace.
(ii) The gospel includes good and bad. A strange malady has sometimes afflicted the Church in modern times, causing it to insist that a man be respectable before he is allowed in, and to took askance at sinners who seek entry to its doors. But the New Testament is clear that the Church exists, not only to edify the good, but to welcome and save the sinner. C. T. Studd used to repeat four lines of doggerel:
“Some want to live within the sound
Of Church or Chapel bell;
I want to run a rescue shop
Within a yard of hell.”
One of the great saints of modern times, and indeed of all time, was Toyohiko Kagawa. It was to Shinkawa that he went to find men and women for Christ and he lived there in the filthiest and most depraved slums in the world. W. J. Smart describes the situation: “His neighbours were unregistered prostitutes, thieves who boasted of their power to outwit all the police in the city, and murderers who were not only proud of their murder record but always ready to add to their local prestige by committing another. All the people, whether sick, or feeble-minded or criminal, lived in conditions of abysmal misery, in streets slippery with filth, where rats crawled out of open sewers to die. The air was always filled with stench. An idiot girl who lived next door to Kagawa had vile pictures painted on her back to decoy lustful men to her den. Everywhere human bodies rotted with syphilis.” Kagawa wanted people like that, and so does Jesus Christ, for he wants all men, good and bad alike.
(iii) The gospel embraces Christian and non-Christian. Prayer is to be made for all men. The Emperors and rulers for whom this letter bids us pray were not Christians; they were in fact hostile to the Church; and yet they were to be borne to the throne of grace by the prayers of the Church. For the true Christian there is no such thing as an enemy in all this world. None is outside his prayers, for none is outside the love of Christ, and none is outside the purpose of God, who wishes all men to be saved.
THE WAY OF PRAYER ( 1Ti 2:1-7 continued) Four different words for prayer are grouped together. It is true that they are not to be sharply distinguished; nevertheless each has something to tell us of the way of prayer.
(i) The first is deesis ( G1162) , which we have translated request. It is not exclusively a religious word; it can be used of a request made either to a fellow-man or to God. But its fundamental idea is a sense of need. No one will make a request unless a sense of need has already wakened a desire. Prayer begins with a sense of need. It begins with the conviction that we cannot deal with life ourselves. That sense of human weakness is the basis of all approach to God.
“Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness he requireth
Is to feel your need of him.”
(ii) The second is proseuche ( G4335) , which we have translated prayer. The basic difference between deesis ( G1162) and proseuche ( G4335) is that deesis ( G1162) may be addressed either to man or God, but proseuche ( G4335) is never used of anything else but approach to God. There are certain needs which only God can satisfy. There is a strength which he alone can give; a forgiveness which he alone can grant; a certainty which he alone can bestow. It may well be that our weakness haunts us because we so often take our needs to the wrong place.
(iii) The third is enteuxis ( G1783) , which we have translated petition. Of the three words this is the most interesting. It has a most interesting history. It is the noun from the verb entugchanein ( G1793) . This originally meant simply to meet, or to fall in with a person; it went on to mean to hold intimate conversation with a person; then it acquired a special meaning and meant to enter into a king’s presence and to submit a petition to him. That tells us much about prayer. It tells us that the way to God stands open and that we have the right to bring our petitions to one who is a king.
“Thou art coming to a King;
Large petitions with thee bring;
For his grace and power are such,
None can ever ask too much.”
It is impossible to ask too great a boon from this King.
(iv) The fourth is eucharistia ( G2169) , which we have translated thanksgiving. Prayer does not mean only asking God for things; it also means thanking God for things. For too many of us prayer is an exercise in complaint, when it should be an exercise in thanksgiving. Epictetus, not a Christian but a Stoic philosopher, used to say: “What can I, who am a little old lame man, do, except give praise to God?” We have the right to bring our needs to God; but we have also the duty of bringing our thanksgivings to him.
PRAYER FOR THOSE IN AUTHORITY ( 1Ti 2:1-7 continued) This passage distinctly commands prayer for kings and emperors and all who are set in authority. This was a cardinal principle of communal Christian prayer. Emperors might be persecutors and those in authority might be determined to stamp out Christianity. But the Christian Church never, even in the times of bitterest persecution, ceased to pray for them.
It is extraordinary to trace how all through its early days, those days of bitter persecution, the Church regarded it as an absolute duty to pray for the Emperor and his subordinate kings and governors. “Fear God,” said Peter. “Honour the Emperor” ( 1Pe 2:17), and we must remember that that Emperor was none other than Nero, that monster of cruelty. Tertullian insists that for the Emperor the Christian pray for “long life, secure dominion, a safe home, a faithful senate, a righteous people, and a world at peace” (Apology 30). “We pray for our rulers,” he wrote, “for the state of the world, for the peace of all things and for the postponement of the end” (Apology 39). He writes: “The Christian is the enemy of no man, least of all of the Emperor, for we know that, since he has been appointed by God, it is necessary that we should love him, and reverence him, and honour him, and desire his safety, together with that of the whole Roman Empire. Therefore we sacrifice for the safety of the Emperor” (Ad Scapulam 2). Cyprian, writing to Demetrianus, speaks of the Christian Church as “sacrificing and placating God night and day for your peace and safety” (Ad Demetrianum 20). In A.D. 311 the Emperor Galerius actually asked for the prayers of the Christians, and promised them mercy and indulgence if they prayed for the state. Tatian writes: “Does the Emperor order us to pay tribute? We willingly offer it. Does the ruler order us to render service or servitude? We acknowledge our servitude. But a man must be honoured as befits a man but only God is to be reverenced” (Apology 4). Theophilus of Antioch writes: “The honour that I will give the Emperor is all the greater, because I will not worship him, but I will pray for him. I will worship no one but the true and real God, for I know that the Emperor was appointed by him…. Those give real honour to the Emperor who are well-disposed to him, who obey him, and who pray for him” (Apology 1: 11). Justin Martyr writes: “We worship God alone, but in all other things we gladly serve you, acknowledging kings and rulers of men, and praying that they may be found to have pure reason with kingly power” (Apology 1: 14,17).
The greatest of all the prayers for the Emperor is in Clement of Rome’s First Letter to the Church at Corinth which was written about A.D. 90 when the savagery of Domitian was still fresh in men’s minds: “Thou, Lord and Master, hast given our rulers and governors the power of sovereignty through thine excellent and unspeakable might, that we, knowing the glory and honour which thou hast given them, may submit ourselves unto them, in nothing resisting thy will. Grant unto them, therefore, O Lord, health, peace, concord, stability, that they may administer the government which thou hast given them without failure. For thou, O heavenly Master, King of the Ages, givest to the sons of men glory and honour and power over all things that are upon the earth. Do thou, Lord, direct their counsel according to that which is good and well-pleasing in thy sight, that, administering the power which thou hast given them in peace and gentleness with godliness, they may obtain thy favour. O thou, who alone art able to do these things, and things far more exceeding good than these for us, we praise thee through the High Priest and Guardian of our souls, Jesus Christ, through whom be the glory and the majesty unto thee both now and for all generations, and for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Clement 61).
The Church always regarded it as a bounden duty to pray for those set in authority over the kingdoms of the earth; and brought even its persecutors before the throne of grace.
THE GIFTS OF GOD ( 1Ti 2:1-7 continued) The Church prayed for certain things for those in authority.
(i) It prayed for “a life that is tranquil and undisturbed.” That was the prayer for freedom from war, from rebellion and from anything which would disturb the peace of the realm. That is the good citizen’s prayer for his country.
(ii) But the Church prayed for much more than that. It prayed for “a life that is lived in godliness and reverence.” Here we are confronted with two great words which are keynotes of the Pastoral Epistles and describe qualities which not only the ruler but every Christian must covet.
First, there is godliness, eusebeia ( G2150) . This is one of the great and almost untranslatable Greek words. It describes reverence both towards God and man. It describes that attitude of mind which respects man and honours God. Eusebius defined it as “reverence towards the one and only God, and the kind of life that he would wish us to lead.” To the Greek, the great example of eusebeia ( G2150) was Socrates whom Xenophon describes in the following terms: “So pious and devoutly religious that he would take no step apart from the will of heaven; so just and upright that he never did even a trifling injury to any living soul; so self-controlled, so temperate, that he never at any time chose the sweeter in place of the bitter; so sensible and wise and prudent that in distinguishing the better from the worse he never erred” (Xenophon: Memorabilia, 4, 8, 11). Eusebeia ( G2150) comes very near to that great Latin word pietas, which Warde Fowler describes thus: “The quality known to the Romans as pietas rises, in spite of trial and danger, superior to the enticements of individual passion and selfish ease. Aeneas’ pietas became a sense of duty to the will of the gods, as well as to his father, his son and his people; and this duty never leaves him.” Clearly eusebeia ( G2150) is a tremendous thing. It never forgets the reverence due to God; it never forgets the rights due to men; it never forgets the respect due to self. It describes the character of the man who never fails God, man or himself.
Second, there is reverence, semnotes ( G4587) . Here again we are in the realm of the untranslatable. The corresponding adjective semnos ( G4586) is constantly applied to the gods. R. C. Trench says that the man who is semnos ( G4586) “has on him a grace and a dignity, not lent by earth.” He says that he is one who “without demanding it challenges and inspires reverence.” Aristotle was the great ethical teacher of the Greeks. He had a way of describing every virtue as the mean between two extremes. On the one side there was an extreme of excess and on the other an extreme of defect, and in between there was the mean, the happy medium, in which virtue lay. Aristotle says that semnotes ( G4587) is the mean between areskeia ( G699) , subservience, and authadeia ( G829) , arrogance. It may be said that for the man who is semnos ( G4586) all life is one act of worship; all life is lived in the presence of God; he moves through the world, as it has been put, as if it was the temple of the living God. He never forgets the holiness of God or the dignity of man.
These two great qualities are regal qualities which every man must covet and for which every man must pray.
ONE GOD AND ONE SAVIOUR ( 1Ti 2:1-7 continued) Paul concludes with a statement of the greatest truths of the Christian faith.
(i) There is one God. We are not living in a world such as the Gnostics produced with their theories of two gods, hostile to each other. We are not living in a world such as the heathen produced with their horde of gods, often in competition with one another. Missionaries tell us that one of the greatest reliefs which Christianity brings to the heathen is the conviction that there is only one God. They live for ever terrified of the gods and it is an emancipation to discover that there is one God only whose name is Father and whose nature is Love.
(ii) There is one Mediator. Even the Jews would have said that there are many mediators between God and man. A mediator is one who stands between two parties and acts as go-between. To the Jews the angels were mediators. The Testament of Dan ( Dan 6:2) has it: “Draw near unto God, and unto the angel who intercedes for you, for he is a mediator between God and man.” To the Greeks there were all kinds of mediators. Plutarch said it was an insult to God to conceive that he was in any way directly involved in the world; he was involved in the world only through angels and demons and demigods who were, so to speak, his liaison officers.
Neither in Jewish nor in Greek thought had a man direct access to God. But, through Jesus Christ, the Christian has direct that access, with nothing to bar the way between. Further, there is only one Mediator. E. F. Brown tells us that that is, for instance, what the Hindus find so hard to believe. They say: “Your religion is good for you, and ours for us.” But unless there is one God and one Mediator there can be no such thing as the brotherhood of man. If there are many gods and many mediators competing for their allegiance and their love, religion becomes something which divides men instead of uniting them. It is because there is one God and one Mediator that men are brethren one of another.
Paul goes on to call Jesus the one who gave his life a ransom for all. That simply means that it cost God the life and death of his Son to bring men back to himself. There was a man who lost a son in the war. He had lived a most careless and even a godless life; but his son’s death brought him face to face with God as never before. He became a changed man. One day he was standing before the local war memorial, looking at his son’s name upon it. And very gently he said: “I guess he had to go down to lift me up.” That is what Jesus did; it cost his life and death to tell men of the love of God and to bring men home to him.
Then Paul claims to himself four offices.
(i) He is a herald of the story of Jesus Christ. A herald is a man who makes a statement and who says: “This is true.” He is a man who brings a proclamation that is not his own, but which comes from the king.
(ii) He is a witness to the story of Christ. A witness is a man who says: “This is true, and I know it” and says also “It works.” He is a man who tells, not only the story of Christ, but also the story of what Christ has done for him.
(iii) He is an envoy. An envoy is one whose duty is to commend his country in a foreign land. An envoy in the Christian sense is therefore one who commends the story of Christ to others. He wishes to communicate that story to others, so that it will mean as much to them as it does to him.
(iv) He is a teacher. The herald is the person who proclaims the facts; the witness is the person who proclaims the power of the facts; the envoy is the person who commends the facts; the teacher is the person who leads men into the meaning of the facts. It is not enough to know that Christ lived and died; we must think out what that meant. A man must not only feel the wonder of the story of Christ; he must think out its meaning for himself and for the world.
BARRIERS TO PRAYER ( 1Ti 2:8-15 ) 2:8-15 So, then, it is my wish that men should pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, with no anger in their hearts and no doubts in their minds. Even so it is my wish that women should modestly and wisely adorn themselves in seemly dress. This adornment should not consist in braided hair, and ornaments of gold, and pearls, but–as befits women who profess to reverence God–they should adorn themselves with good works. Let a woman learn in silence and with all submission. I do not allow a woman to teach or to dictate to a man. Rather, it is my advice that she should be silent. For Adam was formed first, and then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived, and so became guilty of transgression. But women will be saved through child-bearing, if they continue in faith and love, and if they wisely walk the road that leads to holiness.
The early Church took over the Jewish attitude of prayer, which was to pray standing, with hands outstretched and the palms upwards. Later Tertullian was to say that this depicted the attitude of Jesus upon the Cross.
The Jews had always known about the barriers which kept a man’s prayers from God. Isaiah heard God say to the people: “When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood” ( Isa 1:15). Here, too, certain things are demanded.
(i) He who prays must stretch forth holy hands. He must hold up to God hands which do not touch the forbidden things. This does not mean for one moment that the sinner is debarred from God; but it does mean that there is no reality in the prayers of the man who then goes out to soil his hands with forbidden things, as if he had never prayed. It is not thinking of the man who is helplessly in the grip of some passion and desperately fighting against it, bitterly conscious of his failure. It is thinking of the man whose prayers are a sheer formality.
(ii) He who prays must have no anger in his heart. It has been said that “forgiveness is indivisible.” Human and divine forgiveness go hand in hand. Again and again Jesus stresses the fact that we cannot hope to receive the forgiveness of God so long as we are at enmity with our fellow-men. “So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” ( Mat 5:23-24). “If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” ( Mat 6:15). Jesus tells how the unforgiving servant himself found no forgiveness, and ends: “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” ( Mat 18:35). To be forgiven, we must be forgiving. The Didache (compare G1322) , the earliest Christian book on public worship, which dates from about A.D. 100, has it: “Let no one who has a quarrel with his neighbour come to us, until they are reconciled.” The bitterness in a man’s heart is a barrier which hinders his prayers from reaching God.
(iii) He who prays must have no doubts in his mind. This phrase can mean two things. The word used is dialogismos ( G1261) , which can mean both an argument and a doubt. If we take it in the sense of argument, it simply repeats what has gone before and restates the fact that bitterness and quarrels and venomous debates are a hindrance to prayer. It is better to take it in the sense of doubt. Before prayer is answered there must be belief that God will answer. If a man prays pessimistically and with no real belief that it is any use, his prayer falls wingless to the ground. Before a man can be cured, he must believe that he can be cured; before a man can lay hold on the grace of God, he must believe in that grace. We must take our prayers to God in the complete confidence that he hears and answers prayer.
WOMEN IN THE CHURCH ( 1Ti 2:8-15 continued) The second part of this passage deals with the place of women in the Church. It cannot be read out of its historical context, for it springs entirely from the situation in which it was written.
(i) It was written against a Jewish background. No nation ever gave a bigger place to women in home and in family things than the Jews did; but officially the position of a woman was very low. In Jewish law she was not a person but a thing; she was entirely at the disposal of her father or of her husband. She was forbidden to learn the law; to instruct a woman in the law was to cast pearls before swine. Women had no part in the synagogue service; they were shut apart in a section of the synagogue, or in a gallery, where they could not be seen. A man came to the synagogue to learn; but, at the most, a woman came to hear. In the synagogue the lesson from Scripture was read by members of the congregation; but not by women, for that would have been to lessen “the honour of the congregation.” It was absolutely forbidden for a woman to teach in a school; she might not even teach the youngest children. A woman was exempt from the stated demands of the Law. It was not obligatory on her to attend the sacred feasts and festivals. Women, slaves and children were classed together. In the Jewish morning prayer a man thanked God that God had not made him “a Gentile, a slave or a woman.” In the Sayings of the Fathers Rabbi Jose ben Johanan is quoted as saying: “‘Let thy house be opened wide, and let the poor be thy household, and talk not much with a woman.’ Hence the wise have said: ‘Everyone that talketh much with a woman causes evil to himself, and desists from the works of the Law, and his end is that he inherits Gehenna.'” A strict Rabbi would never greet a woman on the street, not even his own wife or daughter or mother or sister. It was said of woman: “Her work is to send her children to the synagogue; to attend to domestic concerns; to leave her husband free to study in the schools; to keep house for him until he returns.”
(ii) It was written against a Greek background. The Greek background made things doubly difficult. The place of women in Greek religion was low. The Temple of Aphrodite in Corinth had a thousand priestesses who were sacred prostitutes and every evening plied their trade on the city streets. The Temple of Diana in Ephesus had its hundreds of priestesses called the Melissae, which means the bees, whose function was the same. The respectable Greek woman led a very confined life. She lived in her own quarters into which no one but her husband came. She did not even appear at meals. She never at any time appeared on the street alone; she never went to any public assembly. The fact is that if in a Greek town Christian women had taken an active and a speaking part in its work, the Church would inevitably have gained the reputation of being the resort of loose women.
Further, in Greek society there were women whose whole life consisted in elaborate dressing and braiding of the hair. In Rome, Pliny tells us of a bride, Lollia Paulina, whose bridal dress cost the equivalent of 432,000 British pounds. Even the Greeks and the Romans were shocked at the love of dress and of adornment which characterized some of their women. The great Greek religions were called the Mystery religions, and they had precisely the same regulations about dress as Paul has here. There is an inscription which reads: “A consecrated woman shall not have gold ornaments, nor rouge, nor face-whitening, nor a head-band, nor braided hair, nor shoes, except those made of felt or of the skins of sacrificed animals. “The early Church did not lay down these regulations as in any sense permanent, but as things which were necessary in the situation in which it found itself.
In any event there is much on the other side. In the old story it was the woman who was created second and who fell to the seduction of the serpent tempter; but it was Mary of Nazareth who bore and who trained the child Jesus; it was Mary of Magdala who was first to see the risen Lord; it was four women who of all the disciples stood by the Cross. Priscilla with her husband Aquila was a valued teacher in the early Church, who led Apollos to a knowledge of the truth ( Act 18:26). Euodia and Syntyche, in spite of their quarrel, were women who laboured in the gospel ( Php_4:2-3 ). Philip, the evangelist, had four daughters who were prophetesses ( Act 21:9). The aged women were to teach ( Tit 2:3). Paul held Lois and Eunice in the highest honour ( 2Ti 1:5), and there is many a woman’s name held in honour in Rom 16:1-27.
All the things in this chapter are mere temporary regulations to meet a given situation. If we want Paul’s permanent view on this matter, we get it in Gal 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In Christ the differences of place and honour and function within the Church are all wiped out.
And yet this passage ends with a real truth. Women, it says, will be saved in child-bearing. There are two possible meanings here. It is just possible that this is a reference to the fact that Mary, a woman, was the mother of Jesus and that it means that women will be saved–as all others will–by that supreme act of child-bearing. But it is much more likely that the meaning is much simpler; and that it means that women will find salvation, not in addressing meetings, but in motherhood, which is their crown. Whatever else is true, a woman is queen within her home.
We must not read this passage as a barrier to all women’s service within the Church, but in the light of its Jewish and its Greek background. And we must look for Paul’s permanent views in the passage where he tells us that the differences are wiped out, and that men and women, slaves and freemen, Jews and Gentiles, are all eligible to serve Christ.
-Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
Fuente: Barclay Daily Study Bible
PART SECOND.
CHURCH ORDER PRESCRIBED, 1Ti 2:1 to 1Ti 4:16.
1. In worship, 1Ti 2:1-15.
a. Public prayer universally to be offered by men, 1Ti 2:1-8 .
1. Therefore As an outflow from the general charge of 1Ti 1:18. First of the specific elements of the charge.
Supplications, prayers, intercessions Words nearly synonymous, accumulated to show the variety yet oneness of prayer. Supplication is the call of felt need; prayer is the generic word for asking divine favour; intercession is more immediate and personal entreaty.
All men The religion for our entire race suggests prayer for the entire race.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men, for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity.’
‘Therefore.’ To what does this ‘therefore’ refer? The only answer is that it has in mind the spiritual warfare in which Timothy was to engage. Here is, as it were, the first bombardment of the war.
And Paul here brings out that the first essential in the present warfare is prayer. He thus exhorts ‘first of all’ that much spiritual effort be put into praying and giving thanks for all who are in high places, among all nations (this last is what ‘kings and all in high places’ has very much in mind). Note the accumulation and multiplication of the thoughts, ‘supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings’. The powers that be are needful of prayer of all kinds, and are, as it were, to be flooded with and surrounded by both prayers of all kinds and thanksgiving. If we are to distinguish them we may see supplications as referring to prayers for the physical and emotional needs of men, prayers as indicating prayers for the spiritual needs of men, intercessions as revealing that we come as subjects to a King on behalf of others because we have privileged access, and thanksgiving as revealing that we are grateful for all the He does, and has done, for us.
‘For all men’, that is, for all men at all levels of society, including all levels of authority. And the aim was so that Christians might be able to live in peace and tranquillity, and live godly and serious lives (compare Jer 29:7). This does not mean that they should be humourless. The godliness was so that they might please their Father in Heaven by the purity of their lives and worship, the gravity was because they must take seriously their world responsibility described in the next verse. All Christians are to be very grave when they are considering the evangelising of their neighbourhood as part of world evangelisation.
‘Godliness.’ That is piety, Godly faith, genuineness towards God from a worshipful heart’. This is a word not used previously by Paul, but Paul is here writing to a prominent church leader, and therefore portraying things from a different angle than he does in his earlier letters. This is, in fact, the explanation for many of his new terms found in the Pastoral letters.
‘Gravity.’ Aristotle places the word halfway between complacency and wilfulness. It signifies concern about what is important and right. Thus the Christian’s concern is first to be towards God, and then concerning what is important and right.
But we must not overlook the important lesson here that Christians are not just to be tied up in themselves and their own little world. They are to have broad vision, and they must even have an effect on ‘kings’, and both Josephus and the inscriptions indicate that this title included Caesar himself. It thus referred to kings large and small. For the peace and tranquillity of the world matters to God. Peace is His aim, and indeed final peace and tranquillity in Heaven is His final aim. This is made clear in some of the earliest words of Jesus, ‘Blessed are the peace-makers, for theirs is the Kingly Rule of Heaven’ (Mat 5:9).
This is the other side of the daily prayer, ‘bring us not into testing, but deliver us from evil’ (Mat 6:13). While testing, trial and persecution is often the lot of the Christian, his prayers should be to avoid testing, not to be tried and to escape persecution, for he is aware of his own weakness and frailty. He is to look for peace and tranquillity. Then he knows that whatever comes to him comes from God, and he will be able to rejoice in it (Jas 1:2).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Rallying The Troops. Paul’s Exhortation To The Men And Women Of The Church To Pray ( 1Ti 2:1-10 ).
Having called Timothy to war the good warfare, while ensuring that he maintained faith and a good conscience, and having given examples of those who had not, Paul now calls on all the men and women in the church to join in that warfare. And they are to do that first by praying for all in authority, praying that they would govern wisely and justly so that all Christians may be able to lead a tranquil and quiet life in godliness and all seriousness of purpose. For this will then lead on to the progress of the Gospel which will be pleasing to God Who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
And he stresses that there is only one truth which offers salvation, and that is that there is One God, and one Mediator between Himself and men, the Man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself a ransom for all, in a once and for all action, although testimony to it would be borne to it at the right times. This indeed was why he, Paul, was appointed as a preacher and Apostle, bringing faith and truth to the Gentiles. So in view of this all Christians in every place where Christians meet are to pray genuinely in total unity of spirit, ensuring that their hands are holy (unstained by sin and sanctified to God), and their manner of dress modest (for the same reason), and that there is no anger or dissension in their hearts.
Note the continued emphasis on ‘all’ and Paul’s emphasis that he was appointed as the Apostle of the Gentiles (1Ti 2:7). This would serve to confirm the Jewish nature of the false teaching being combated by Timothy.
Analysis.
a
b This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who would have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth (1Ti 2:3-4).
c For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, the testimony to be borne in its own times (1Ti 2:5-6).
b To which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth, I lie not), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth (1Ti 2:7).
a I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and disputing. In the same way that women adorn themselves — through good works (1Ti 2:8-10).
Note that in ‘a’ Paul seeks for prayer for all in authority for peace and tranquillity so as to aid the spread of the Gospel, and in the parallel he seeks prayer from all men and women in the church, offered from a pure heart and spirit, with pure hands, or in modest apparel with good works, ensuring peace and tranquillity in the whole body of Christ. In ‘b’ he declares God’s desire that all levels of men and women, from the highest to the lowest, may be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, and in the parallel he declares that that was why he was made a preacher, Apostle and teacher to the Gentiles (‘to the Gentiles’ being so that people of all kinds may be saved), himself operating in faith and in truth. Centrally in ‘c’ he reiterates the Gospel message (1Ti 1:15) in a slightly different form.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
In View Of What Christ Has Done Paul Lays Out The Battle Plan For The Future And Organises God’s Forces In Order To Ensure That His Church Will Be The Mainstay Of All That He Has Accomplished ( 1Ti 1:18 to 1Ti 3:16 ).
Calling on Timothy to prepare for spiritual warfare (1Ti 1:18-20), he exhorts prayer for all men, and especially for all in high places, in order that the work of God might go forward peaceably among all men, for that was why He had sent His Mediator as a man among men and as a ransom for all (1Ti 2:1-7). All are to play their part in accordance with what God has revealed. Christian men (including women) are all to participate in this prayer, lifting up holy hands in Christian oneness, while Christian women are also to play their part by godly sobriety, and being careful to maintain their rightful place, lest the error of the Garden of Eden be repeated. Avoidance of this, and fulfilling of their major role in child-bearing, will then turn out for their blessing and salvation (1Ti 2:8-15). Meanwhile the principles of leadership are laid out as Paul gives advice to Timothy about the appointment of male ‘bishops/overseers’ and ‘deacons’, and also of ‘women’ (1Ti 3:1-13), and he concludes the section by pointing out that his instructions are being sent to him so that he might know how men and women are to behave within the household of God, that is the church of the living God (1Ti 3:14-15). Finally he ends by again directing his own and their minds to heavenly things (compare 1Ti 1:17), but this time in terms of the coming of the Incarnate One and what He has accomplished (1Ti 3:16), a truth of which the church is to be the mainstay in the world (1Ti 3:15).
We can summarise this section something like this:
Warring the good warfare and the collapse of some of the fabric (1Ti 1:18-20).
Rallying the troops both male and female to make use of their spiritual weapons (chapter 2).
Choosing the officers, both male and female (1Ti 3:1-13).
The responsibility of the Church as the pillar and mainstay of the truth and the description of the One Whose incredible accomplishment guarantees the success of the warfare and provides its incentive (1Ti 3:14-16).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Purpose of Prayer – The first order and priority of the Church is prayer. In fact, Jesus Christ made a comment on its priority within the Church by saying, “My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer.” (Mat 21:13, Mar 11:17)
Since the theme of the first epistle of Timothy is the divine service and church order, we must interpret 1Ti 2:1-7 to teach that all church members are called to pray. This is the first calling within a new believer’s life, is the call to come together in prayer with fellow believers. I remember this desire to join in corporate prayer as a young believer. Thus, prayer is for all members in the church to become involved in and not just for some individuals. It is our initial calling on our journey to individual callings.
With this calling and responsibility God delegates authority to the Church. It is important to note that God would not have called a Church to pray for the leaders of its nation unless the Church had been given divine authority over this nation to determine the outcome of its leadership. For example, when the nation of Israel cried out for a king like the other nations around them in 1Sa 8:1-22, God yielded to their cry and told Samuel to anoint Saul as their first king. Thus, the nation’s prayer determined their leadership. When the children of Israel cried out in the midst of Egyptian bondage, God harkened unto their cry and raised up Moses as their deliverer and took them out from under the rule of Egyptian government.
In addition, corporate prayer touches the hearts and lives of every member of society, so that the Church becomes the instrument by which God changes a society and eventually a nation. Thus, prayer is the first priority of the Church, because without good government and a peaceful society, the Church would live under persecution and would have difficulty establishing further order in the society in which God placed it.
In addition, when this passage tells us that it is God’s will that all men be saved (1Ti 2:4), it implies that there is a way for the church to conduct itself so that all men under their influence can be saves. This procedure is laid out in this passage of Scripture in 1Ti 2:1-7, which is prayer (1Ti 2:1-6) and the preaching of the Gospel (1Ti 2:7). In other words, God has made a way for all men to be saved, and it is through this first order of prayer mixed with the preaching of the Gospel that Paul is giving to Timothy.
Paul Was a Man of Prayer – Paul would not have ask Timothy and other believers to make this the first priority if Paul had not done so himself in his personal life. He opens almost every one of his epistles with prayer as a priority in his relationship with them.
Rom 1:9, “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;”
Gal 4:19, “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,”
Eph 1:15-16, “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;”
Php 1:3-4, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,”
Col 1:3, “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,”
1Th 1:2, “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;”
2Th 1:3, “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;”
2Ti 1:3, “I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;”
Phm 1:4, “I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,”
1Ti 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
1Ti 2:1
1Ti 2:1 “that, first of all” In 1Ti 2:1-8 Paul gives Timothy the first instruction on setting the church in order. This charge is concerning prayer, the vital union between God and man. This means that prayer is the priority of the church during its assembly.
1Ti 2:1 “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men” – Word Study on “supplications” Strong says the Greek word “supplications” “ deesis ” ( ) (G1162) means, “ a petition,” and i t comes from the verb ( ) (G1189), which means, “ to beg (as binding oneself), i.e. petition:–beseech, pray (to), make request.” BDAG translates it as “an entreaty,” or “prayer,” being used “almost always, as in the LXX exclusively addressed to God.” The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 19 times in the New Testament, being translated in the KJV as “prayer 12, supplication 6, request 1.”
Comments – Supplications are prayers with a need brought before God.
Word Study on “prayers” Strong says the Greek word “prayers “ proseuche ” ( ) (G4335) means, “prayer (worship), an oratory (chapel),” and it comes from the verb ( ) (G4336), which means, “ to pray to God, i.e. supplicate, worship.” The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 37 times in the New Testament, being translated in the KJV as “prayer 36, pray earnestly + 3346 1.”
Word Study on “intercessions” Strong says the Greek word “intercessions” “enteuxis” ( ) (G1783) means, “an interview, a supplication,” and it comes from the verb ( ) (G1793), which means, “to chance upon, to confer with, to entreat.” The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 2 times in the New Testament, being translated in the KJV as “intercession 1, prayer 1.”
Word Study on “giving of thanks” Strong says the Greek word “giving of thanks” “ eucharistia ” ( ) (G2169) means, “gratitude, grateful language (to God as an act of worship).” The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 15 times in the New Testament, being translated in the KJV as “thanksgiving 9, giving of thanks 3, thanks 2, thankfulness 1.”
1Ti 2:2 Comments – When we read 1Ti 2:1 listing four types of prayers, supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks, we tend to look for some relationship between them. My suggesting is to interpret them in progressive order of God working in the lives of an individual at different levels. In other words, begin by lifting up supplication for the souls of men. We then earnestly beseech the Lord for them with worship. We next intercede for their lives, with the Holy Spirit praying through us in tongues. We then see God working in their lives and we give thanks as they are saved and used by God.
1Ti 2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
1Ti 2:2
Gen 47:7, “And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.”
Note the same thought in Jer 29:7 regarding prayer for leadership.
Jer 29:7, “And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.”
Note a parallel thought in Isa 32:17, which shows that when righteousness rules in the land, then, it has quietness and assurance.
Isa 32:17, “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.”
It is well known that when there is quietness and peace in a land, it is easier to spread the Gospel. In a land of trouble, turmoil, war and poverty, it is very difficult to travel and to freely spread the Good News of Jesus Christ (Pro 29:2).
Pro 29:2, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”
Anyone who has ever lived in a corrupted society, as I have lived in Africa for the last fifteen years, has experienced the aggravation and difficulties of performing otherwise simple business transactions under these circumstances. Corrupt officials block simple transactions in order to force a bribe out of individuals in society through fear and intimidation. When we have godly leadership in a country, or in a sector of its society, we find it a peaceful experience to conduct our daily affairs under their leadership. Thus, the underlying message of this passage in Timothy is the onward progression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to transform society. When Christians take leadership roles, life is much easier for everyone.
1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 1Ti 2:4
1Ti 2:4 mentions a number of phases of mankind’s redemption. It first refers to God the Father’s foreknowledge of us, by which He first predestines for all men to be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus Christ. It then mentions man’s initial justification through faith in Jesus Christ. Finally, it mentions the first step in sanctification, which is indoctrination.
In April 1997 the Lord gave to me a dream in which He told me that there were two steps in the Christian life; there was conversion, and then discipleship. We see a reference to both phase of the Christian life in 1Ti 2:4. Once both steps are completed, it is difficult to re-convert someone out of an erroneous teaching and discipleship plan. He reminded me of how people in cults will do fanatical things, such as committing suicide with their leader. This is because such people have been through both conversion and discipleship. Then He quickened the words to me the phrase, “And many disciples followed their conversion.” Jesus had many who believed in Him (converts), but He had few disciples.
Why did Paul add the fact that it was God’s will for all men to be saved? One reason is the key word “will.” When praying a prayer of faith, it is necessary to know what God’s will is. So here the Lord has conveniently provided our bases of faith, i.e., His will, which is His eternal Word. Here we see that it is God’s will for everyone to be saved. Therefore, we can pray for everyone.
We know that we can pray for all men to be saved because Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all; that is, His blood was pure enough to be accepted by the Father in behalf of the sins of all humanity.
We must understand that this statement in 1Ti 2:4 serves as a general statement about God’s will for us to pray for all people; for we know that some people have been saved by the precious blood of Jesus and then willfully rejected His redemption (Heb 6:4-6; Heb 10:26-29).
Heb 6:4-6, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”
Heb 10:26-29, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
In this case God commands us in 1Jn 5:16 not to pray for such people.
1Jn 5:16, “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:5
It is interesting to note another instance when Stephen recognized Jesus Christ as the Son of man when He saw Him standing at the right hand of the Father. Perhaps Jesus was telling Stephen see that He too had suffered in His humanity, but was now glorified by the Father, and that Stephen, too, must suffer in order to be received up into eternal glory.
Act 7:55-56, “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.”
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
1Ti 2:6
1Ti 2:6 “to be testified in due time” Comments The Greek literally reads, “in its own time” ( ). In other words, the testimony of Jesus Christ, which is the proclamation of the Gospel, had its own appointed time in history make its presentation. Scholars often refer to this period of time as the dispensation of grace (Joh 1:17). God, who as foreknown all things, planned this period for redemptive history.
Joh 1:17, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
1Ti 2:7 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.
1Ti 2:7
1Ti 2:7 “I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle a teacher of the Gentiles” – Comments – In 1Ti 2:7 Paul lists the three callings and offices that he held as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, referring to his own callings as a preacher, an apostle and a teacher. Compare an almost identical verse in 2Ti 1:11, “Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.” It is possible that Paul’s callings as a preacher, apostle and teacher are listed in the order in which he received them, since the theme of the callings of the Church provides the structure of the epistle of 1 Timothy. However, Kenneth Hagin says that these offices are listed according to their priority in Paul’s life as a minister of the Gospel, saying, “Even though Paul was an apostle and a prophet, he considered himself first a preacher of the Gospel. In these cases where Paul mentions his ministry, he puts his preaching ministry first.” [94] This issue of priorities is illustrated in Act 20:24, “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Hagin illustrates the important of a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ keeping his priorities balanced by explaining that a prophet does not prophesy every time he stands behind a pulpit. He must wait until the Spirit gives him a word to speak. Otherwise, he should preach or teach until such a prophecy comes forth, so that he does not stray into error by making his own prophecies. Another danger is seen in Hagin’s illustration in his own life. There was a time when he was not obedient to the office of a prophet and spent most of his time teaching. He fell and broke his arm, then received a visitation from Jesus. The Lord explained that he must put the office of the prophet as his priority and then the office of a teacher. [95]
[94] Kenneth Hagin, He Gave Gifts Unto Men: A Biblical Perspective of Apostles, Prophets, and Pastors (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Faith Library Publications, c1992, 1993), 93-94.
[95] Kenneth Hagin, The Ministry of a Prophet (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Faith Library Publications, c1968, 1983), 9-10.
“a preacher” Paul’s early years began by evangelizing the regions of Syria and Cilicia as a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Gal 1:21). A preacher is someone who proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ on a regular basis. Paul began as a preacher of the Gospel and was faithful. He refers to his preaching ministry in Gal 2:1-2. Therefore, God later called him and anointed him in other areas, such as an apostle and a teacher.
Gal 1:21, “Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;”
Gal 2:1-2, “Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.”
If one is sent by God, then he is sent to preach the Gospel, “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom 10:15) God has ordained that it is the foolishness of preaching saves those who believe, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” (1Co 1:21) Kenneth Hagin comments on 1Ti 1:11, “Notice Paul didn’t say, ‘I am first ordained an apostle. ’ No, Paul said first, ‘I am ordained a preacher, ’ because he was first and foremost a preacher of the good news. He was a sent one for the purpose of preaching and teaching the gospel.” [96]
[96] Kenneth Hagin, He Gave Gifts Unto Men: A Biblical Perspective of Apostles, Prophets, and Pastors (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Faith Library Publications, c1992, 1993), 46, 175-181.
“and an apostle” After a number of years of preaching the Gospel in Syria and Cilicia, Act 13:1-3 records how God set Paul and Barnabas apart as apostles to the Gentiles.
“a teacher” – Paul went often to the synagogues of Greek and Roman cities during his missionary journeys to reason with the Jews about the Word of God concerning Jesus, both before and after his calling as an apostle to the Gentiles (Act 13:1-3). It is easy to see Paul standing in the office of a teacher during such dialogues. It is possible that Paul stood in the office of a teacher before an apostle, since Act 13:1 lists Paul among the prophets and teachers in Antioch.
Act 13:1, “Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.”
“of the Gentiles” – In 1Ti 2:7 and 2Ti 1:11 Paul declares that he is a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher to the Gentiles. If we examine his upbringing, it is easy to see how God prepared Paul for this ministry to the Gentiles from the time he was born.
Paul the apostle was both a Roman citizen through his father and a Jew by his mother. He was born in Tarsus, the chief city of Cilicia, where Greek culture predominated. In this city was a great university, which Strabo, writing about A.D. 19, tells us was a school known for its enthusiasm for learning, especially in the area of philosophy. Strabo placed this university ahead of those at Athens and Alexandria in its zeal for learning ( Geography 14.5.13). [97]
[97] Strabo writes, “The inhabitants of this city apply to the study of philosophy and to the whole encyclical compass of learning with so much ardour, that they surpass Athens, Alexandreia, and every other place which can be named where there are schools and lectures of philosophers.” See The Geography of Strabo, vol. 3, trans. H. C. Hamilton and W. Falconer (London: George Bell and Sons, 1889), 57.
Paul’s claim to be a Roman citizen from Tarsus tells us that his family was one of wealth and standing. The fact that he was born in Tarsus, but brought up in the city of Jerusalem (Act 22:3) implies that he did not reach university level before leaving Tarsus, although his early education took place in this Greco-Roman environment. Thus, he was strongly influenced by its teachings, and very familiar with the Greek’s deep dependence upon human reason. In his quest for education, he found himself seeking a meaning in life that went beyond his reasoning. Because of his Jewish heritage, he was later trained in the strictest of sect of the Jews, that of a Pharisee, and in this training, he sat under the most well-known Hebrew teacher of his day, a man called Gamaliel (Act 22:3).
Act 22:3, “I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.”
It is from this upbringing that we see why Paul was a man of zeal and great achievement; for he was raised in an atmosphere of physical and mental achievement. However, in these two educational environments, he was yet to find a purpose in life. Yes, he came closer at the feet of Gamaliel than at the University of Tarsus, but it did not answer the most important question in life, “What is the meaning of life and why am I here?”
Paul could have easily reasoned with the greatest Greek minds to these Greek converts; for he says, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom” (1Co 2:1; 1Co 2:4). We see Paul quoting from the Greek poet Aratus in Act 17:28 while preaching in Athens, and from the Cretan prophet Epimenides in Tit 1:12, revealing that Paul was schooled to some degree in Greek rhetoric, philosophy, sophistry and literature. He had seen man’s wisdom at its best as he studied Greek philosophy; and he had seen man’s religion at its best as he studied under Gamaliel. It is this heritage that prepared Paul to become the apostle as well as a preacher and teacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.
It is also important to comment on Paul’s wisdom in walking in these offices throughout the course of his ministerial career. His primary calling was as an apostle to the Gentiles, which he states in Rom 11:3, “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office.” In addition, he opens his New Testament epistles with this apostolic title. However, in his efforts to serve as an apostle, he developed an anointing in the office of a teacher. This anointing developed as he taught new believers during church plantings and as he taught believers at Antioch when he went on furlough in between his missionary journeys. However, he never abandoned his missionary efforts as an apostle in pursuit of his new anointing as a teacher. In contrast, many ministers today become tired of their callings after a number of years and look for new opportunities to move into different aspects of the ministry. They interpret the development of these secondary offices and anointings as “new callings,” in which some pursue at the cost of abandoning their primary calling. Bob Nichols says that the signature of a man’s calling is what he has already accomplished, rather than what he hopes to accomplish. [98] In other words, a minister can look back on what God has already used him to accomplish as a testimony of his calling. Any new pursuits are at the risk of abandoning the work that God desires to fulfill in a minister’s life.
[98] Robert Nichols, Lighthouse Television Annual Directors’ Meeting, Sheraton Hotel, Kampala, Uganda, 3 November 2008.
1Ti 2:7 “I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not” Comments – Why would Paul emphatically declare that he was not lying to him, for Timothy was not one to doubt the genuineness of Paul’s life and ministry. This is a bold declaration to make concerning oneself, to state one’s ministry offices without sounding boastful. Perhaps the authority that Paul held in these divine offices, and was now delegating in part to Timothy, compelled him to remind Timothy and those who might resist Timothy’s exertion of his new authority. There can be strong resistance to change in any society, and Paul knew the strong resistance that existed in Ephesus, having just mentioned Hymenaeus and Alexander in 1Ti 1:20. So, Paul made this statement because Timothy needed to hear the strength and weight of authority that was charging him to this challenging task for those times when he faced resistance.
1Ti 2:7 “in faith and verity” Comments – The word “verity” is the Greek word , meaning “truth.” [99] The phrase “in faith and verity” can be paraphrased “in the faith in Jesus and in the truth of God’s Holy Word.”
[99] The Greek word is similar in usage to the word , meaning “verily.”
1Ti 2:5-7 Comments – The Office and Ministry of Jesus and the Church in Bringing All Men Unto Salvation – In 1Ti 2:5-6 Paul the apostle refers to the present-day ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ as the mediator between God and man (1Ti 2:5-6). Then he refers to his own calling as a preacher, an apostle and a teacher (1Ti 2:7). Paul is emphasizing these two callings within the context of the calling of the Church to intercede for men. Thus, we can see how the Church is called to pray for men to be saved, while Jesus is mediating between the souls of these lost men and the Father, while Paul is preaching the Gospel to them. Together these callings can convert many people into the Kingdom of God.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The First Order: Corporate and Personal Prayer with Pure Heart (Emphasis on Heart Preparing Its Before God) The first step of setting a church in order while halting self-appointments among ambitious, self-centered church members is to bring the congregation together in corporate and personal prayer; for it is in such gatherings that purity of heart is developed and where godly leadership will soon arise. Thus, Paul tells Timothy to begin setting the church in order by calling them together for corporate prayer (1Ti 2:1-15). Paul explains to him what they are to pray about (1Ti 2:1-2) and why they are to pray for men (1Ti 2:3-8). Here is a place where men’s hearts are exposed and made known, when the church enters into the presence of the Lord through prayer. Those who will hear Timothy will immediately obey this charge of corporate prayer, and those who are self-seeking will avoid such events, or show themselves as ineffective in such times of prayer. Timothy will then be able to scope out such individuals whose heart is pure. He will identify those who have lifted their hands in prayer from a pure heart (1Ti 2:9), and who have their wives standing with them in submission (1Ti 2:10-15).
Outline Here is a proposed outline:
1. The Purpose of Prayer 1Ti 2:1-7
2. The Attitude of Prayer 1Ti 2:8-15
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Setting the Church In Order 1Ti 2:1 to 1Ti 6:19 is the body of the epistle in which Paul gives Timothy specific instructions on how to set the church in order. Young believers do not know how to conduct themselves unless they are taught how to do this; thus, Paul places a special emphasis on respect and reverence upon the house of God, because it is a place dedicated to God. A new believer has to learn how to conduct himself in church since it is a new and sacred experience for him.
After Timothy is given his commissions and told how to appoint leadership (1Ti 1:3-20), Paul gives him three things to do in order to set qualified and trained leadership over the church of Ephesus. First, Timothy is to establish this church by calling the congregation to corporate prayer, where godly men will be identified (1Ti 2:1-15). This instruction includes the role of women role in the church. In a new church with new converts, women can dress very immodestly, so Paul is telling Timothy to set these issues straight so that prayer is not hindered. (Note that Jesus set the temple in order by driving out the moneychangers and saying that God’s house must be established as a house of prayer [Mat 21:12-13 ].) These times of corporate prayer will help Timothy identify those with a pure heart. Second, Timothy was instructed to appoint and train elders and deacons by giving them certain qualifications to meet (1Ti 3:1 to 1Ti 4:16). Timothy will begin to look for those who qualify as leaders out of the faithful who follow him in corporate prayer and exhibit a pure heart, and appoint them as bishops and deacons (1Ti 3:1-13). Finally, he will train those whom he has chosen to be future leaders (1Ti 3:14 to 1Ti 4:16). Thus, the steps to becoming a church leader are to first become a man of prayer (1Ti 2:1-15). As the desire for the ministry grows, a person will allow the Lord to develop his character so that he can qualify for the office of a bishop (1Ti 3:1-13). Finally, this person is to train himself unto godliness (1Ti 3:14 to 1Ti 4:16). We see this same method of selecting and training leaders in the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. He left home and called many to follow Him. For those who did forsake all and followed Him, Jesus chose twelve, whom He then trained for the work of the ministry. The third aspect of setting the church in order is regarding those church members who do not aspire to leadership positions of bishops and deacons. Thus, Paul gives Timothy guidelines on how to set in order additional roles of each member of the congregation (1Ti 5:1 to 1Ti 6:19). The passage on corporate prayer (1Ti 2:1-15) will emphasize the spiritual aspect of the congregation as the members prepare their hearts before the Lord. The passage on the appointment and training of church leadership (1Ti 3:1 to 1Ti 4:16) will emphasize the mental aspect of the congregation as certain members train for the ministry. The passage on the role of additional members (1Ti 5:1 to 1Ti 6:19) will emphasize the physical aspect as they yield themselves to a godly lifestyle.
Outline Here is a proposed outline:
1. The First Order: Corporate & Personal Prayer 1Ti 2:1-15
2. The Second Order: Appointing & Training Church Leaders 1Ti 3:1 to 1Ti 4:16
3. The Third Order: the Roles of the Congregation 1Ti 5:1 to 1Ti 6:19
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
An Admonition to Pray for All Men on the Basis of Christ’s Atoning Death
For whom Christians should pray and why:
v. 1. I exhort, therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
v. 2. for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
v. 3. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior,
v. 4. who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the Truth. Having laid the basis of sound doctrinal teaching in, the first chapter, as Timothy was to observe it in his work in the congregation, the apostle now speaks of the order of services as it then obtained in the congregations, referring particularly to the custom of public prayer: I exhort, then, that, first of all, be made supplications, worshipings, intercessions, thanksgivings for all men, for kings and all that are in authority, that a tranquil and quiet life we may lead in all piety and honesty. The duty of making prayer prominent in the Christian life is here enjoined with emphasis, as among those obligations incumbent first of all. Prayerful intercourse between the Lord and the believers is not observed nearly so carefully and dutifully as the Lord’s will requires it. The exhortation of the apostle, therefore, is altogether in order to this day. He names supplications, the prayers that flow from the consciousness of need and misery; worshipings, in which the ideas of adoration and supplication are combined; intercessions, prayers made in behalf of someone else, Rom 8:27-34; and thanksgivings, since it is self-evident that Christians always acknowledge the gifts of the Lord with grateful hearts. Since the feature of intercession is prominent even in the names of prayers as here given, it is not surprising that the apostle now mentions some of the persons that are to enjoy the benefit of this labor of love. In general, all men are here included; all men without exception are objects of the Christians’ prayers, whether converted or unconverted, whether friends or enemies, Mat 5:45-46. But from this great mass the apostle separates certain classes by mentioning them by name: kings and all that are in authority, all that occupy a position of power in the world, especially the persons that constitute the civil government. Christians that pray for the needs of all men cannot overlook the special needs of the government, no matter what form this government may have; they pray to the Lord for the peace of the city and country of which they are citizens, knowing that in the peace thereof they shall have peace, Jer 29:7. If the government makes proper use of the various functions entrusted to it by God, as the prayer of the Christians asks, then the result will be that they can lead a quiet, tranquil, peaceable life, in all godliness, in the right worshiping of God, and in all honesty, in good conduct toward all men. The Christian religion, which, the believers confess and profess, must find its expression in daily life.
Lest Timothy and all other readers of the letter overlook the emphasis of the passage, the apostle calls attention to it in stating the reason for demanding such general prayer: This is fine and acceptable before our Savior, God, who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Prayer for all men is enjoined by God, and it is this prayer that is good, approved of God; it meets with His pleased appreciation when Christians give evidence of the spirit of love toward all men, living in them. God the Father is here again called the Savior of men, for in this capacity His love extends to all human beings without exception. Deliberately and in the face of all modern opposition Paul here explains the term “Savior” as applied to God, saying that God will have all men to be saved. God’s gracious will is universal, it has in mind all men without exception, Rom 8:32; Tit 2:11. It is not merely a pious wish which He holds, but it is His earnest, will that all men should be partakers of the salvation earned by the atoning work of Christ. And the manner in which they receive this salvation which is prepared before all people is this, that they come to the knowledge of the truth. All men should not only know about the message of perfect redemption as contained in the Gospel, but it is God’s will that they also should accept the saving grace, apply its glorious assurance to themselves, and thus become the owners of the bliss pledged therein, Joh 3:16.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
1Ti 2:1
First of all, that for that, first of all, A.V.; thanksgivings for and giving of thanks. A.V. I exhort therefore. The insertion of the connecting particle “therefore” marks that this arrangement of Church prayers is a partas the following words, first of all, mark that it is the first partof that charge or administration which was now committed to Timothy. Supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings (see the Prayer for the Church Militant). The question naturally arises whether the first words here used , and have any distinctive meaning, or are merely accumulated, like synonyms m legal documents, or various phrases in rhetorical addresses, to ensure completeness and to add force. It is against the notion of any distinctive meaning attaching to them that no such distinction can be supported by actual use. In Php 4:6 two of the words ( and ) are used in conjunction as here with , with no apparent difference, both being the way of making known their requests to God (so also Eph 6:18 and 1Ti 5:5). Again, in the ancient Liturgies, the words and are constantly used of the same praying. It may, however, perhaps be said that every is a , though every is not a . The is a “petition”a distinct asking something of God, which a need not necessarily be. It may be merely an act of adoration, of confession, of recital of God’s mercies, and so on. So as regards , here rendered “intercessions.” There is nothing in the etymology/ or in the use of this word, which only occurs elsewhere in the New Testament in 1Ti 4:5, to limit the meaning of it to “intercession.” Nor has it this meaning in the passage where it occurs in the Liturgy of St. Clement, near the close, where God is addressed as , “Who understandest the petitions even of those who are silent.” In 2 Macc. 4:8 and Diod. Sic., 16:55 it seems to mean “a request preferred in a personal interview,” which is an extension of its common meaning in classical Greek of “access,” “an interview,” “social intercourse,” or the like. But when we turn to the use of the verb in the New Testament, we seem to get the idea of “intercession.” is to go to someone to ask him to take action against or in favor of some third party (see Act 25:24; Rom 11:2; Rom 8:27, Rom 8:28, Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25); and so Chrysostom (quoted in Steph., ‘Thesaur.’) explains to be the action of one who applies to God to avenge him of those who have done him wrong. So that perhaps “intercessions” is, on the whole, the best rendering here, though an imperfect one; and would comprise the prayers for the emperor, for the Church, for the sick, travelers, slaves, captives, etc., for the bishops, clergy, and laity, etc., and such prayers as “Turn away from us every plot () of wicked men”.
1Ti 2:2
And all for and for all, A.V.; high place for authority, A.V.; tranquil and quiet for quiet and peaceable, A.V.; gravity for honesty, A.V. For kings, etc. The early Liturgies closely followed these directions. “Every day, both in the evening and the morning, we offer prayers for the whole world, for kings, and for all in authority” (Chrysost., in loc.). So in the Liturgy of St. Mark: “Preserve our king in peace, in virtue, and righteousness…. Subdue his enemies under him… incline him to peace towards us and towards thy Holy Name, that in the serenity of his reign we too may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all piety and honesty [or, ‘gravity’].” In the Liturgy of St. Clement: “Let us pray for kings and those in authority, that they may be peaceably inclined toward us, and that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all piety and honesty [or, ‘gravity’].” In the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom: “Let us pray for our most religious and God-protected emperors, and all their palace and court.” “We offer this our reasonable service on behalf of our most faithful and Christian () emperors, and all their palace and court.” And in the Liturgy of St. Basil: “Remember, Lord, our most religious and faithful kings… that in their serenity we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity. Remember, O Lord, all rulers and all in authority, and all our brethren in the palace, and the whole court.” In high place ( ); elsewhere only in 1Co 2:1, where it is rendered “excellency.” But in Rom 13:1 we have “the higher powers;” and in 1Pe 2:13, , “the king as supreme.” In 2 Macc. 3:11 the phrase, , occurs; and in Polybius, It is often used in Polybius for “authority” or “power.” That we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity. The prayer for the rulers is recommended (as was explained in the above extracts from the Liturgies) in order to obtain for Christians a tranquil life, undisturbed by persecution and molestation, in spite of their peculiar way of life. Their wish was to be allowed to live in the faith and obedience of the gospel, “in godliness and gravity,” without being interfered with by the heathen magistrates. The clause in the Prayer for the Church Militant which corresponds to this is “that under her we may be godly and quietly governed.” Tranquil (); found only here in the New Testament. The derivatives, , etc., are common in the LXX. They all apply to a still, undisturbed, life. Quiet (); found only here and l Peter 3:4 in the New Testament, and in the LXX. in Isa 66:2. But the noun and the verb are common. Godliness (). One of the words almost peculiar to the pastoral Epistles (1Ti 3:16; 1Ti 4:7, 1Ti 4:8; 1Ti 6:3,1Ti 6:5, 1Ti 6:6,1Ti 6:11; 2Ti 3:5; Tit 1:1); but elsewhere only in Act 3:12; 2Pe 1:3, 2Pe 1:6, 2Pe 1:7; 2Pe 3:11. Cornelius was , and so was one of the soldiers who waited upon him (Act 10:2, Act 10:7). Ananias was (Act 22:12, T.R.). The adverb is also peculiar to the pastoral Epistles (2Timothy fit. 12; Tit 2:12). Gravity (): so rendered also in the A.V. of 1Ti 3:4 and Tit 2:7the only other places in the New Testament where it is found. So also the adjective (1Ti 3:8, 1Ti 3:11; Tit 2:2). Elsewhere in the New Testament only in Php 4:8, where it is rendered” honest” in the A.V., and “honorable” in the R.V. In classical Greek is properly spoken of the gods, “august,” “venerable,” and, when applied to persons, indicates a similar quality. Here is the respectable, venerable, and dignified sobriety of a truly godly man.
1Ti 2:3
This for for this, A.V. and T.R. Acceptable (); only here and 1Ti 5:4 in the New Testament, and in one doubtful passage in Aquila’s version of Son 1:13. Found in Plutarch. The verb , to receive gladly, is frequently used by St. Luke (Luk 8:10; Act 2:41, where see note; etc.). God our Savior (see 1Ti 1:1 and Luk 1:47; Tit 1:3; Tit 2:10, Tit 2:13 (perhaps); Tit 3:4; 2Pe 1:1 (perhaps); Jud 1:25, by which it appears that the phrase is confined to the pastoral among St. Paul’s Epistles). In the Old Testament the phrase occurs frequently (see 2Sa 22:3; Psa 106:21; Isa 43:3; Isa 45:21, etc.).
1Ti 2:4
Willeth that all men should be saved for will have all men to be saved, A.V.; come to for to come unto, A.V. All men, etc.; to show that it is in accordance with God’s will to pray for “all men” (1Ti 2:1).
1Ti 2:5
One .. also for and one, A.V.; himself man, for the man, A.V. For there is one God, etc. The connection of ideas indicated by seems to be this: Pray to God for all men, Jews and Gentiles, barbarians, Scythians, bond and free. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of the one God, who is the God of all the nations of the earth. And God wills that all should come to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, because Jesus Christ is the One Mediator between God and all men, by whom alone men can come to the Father, and who gave himself a ransom for all. One Mediator. The term is only applied to our Savior in the New Testament here and in Heb 8:6; Heb 9:15 : Heb 12:24. In the only other passage where St. Paul uses it (Gal 3:19, Gal 3:20) it is applied to Moses the media-tar of the Old Testament. In the LXX. it only occurs in Job 9:33. Himself man. Surely an infelicitous and unnecessary change from the A.V. Even supposing that the exact construction of the sentence requires “Christ Jesus” to be taken as the subject and “man” as the predicate, the English way of expressing that sense is to say, “the man Christ Jesus.” But it is very far from certain that , standing as it does in opposition to , is not the subject, and must not therefore be rendered “the man.” The man. The human nature of our Lord is here insisted upon, to show how fit he is to mediate for man, as his Godhead fits him to mediate with God.
1Ti 2:6
The testimony to be borne in its own times for to be testified in due time, A.V. . This phrase is somewhat obscure, and is differently explained. But the most literal rendering and the best sense seems to be: “ The testimony, at its proper time, to which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle,” meaning that the mediation and redemption of Jesus Christ was the subject-matter of that testimony which he Paul was appointed to bear at the proper time. must be taken together, without any intervening stop. This accounts for the article . The exactly parallel place is Tit 1:1, Tit 1:2, as a close comparison of the two passages will show. A further proof of the identity of thought in the two passage’s is the recurrence in both of the phrase, . A ransom (); here only in the New Testament, but it is used perhaps by Symmachus in Psa 48:9 (49., A.V.), where the LXX, have , following the reading , instead of as in the Hebrew text. “What means a ransom? They were about to perish, but in their stead he gave his Son, and sent us as heralds to proclaim the cross” (Chrysostom). The equivalent word in the Gospels is . does ,at seem to differ materially in me, ulna from , the common classical word for “ransom” (i.e. redemption money), and used by our Lord of his own life given as a ransom for many. It is the price given as an equivalent for setting free the prisoner, or sparing the forfeited life; (Luk 24:21, etc.), (Luk 1:68, etc.), (Act 7:35), (Luk 21:28; Rom 3:24, and passim), have all the sense of “redeem,” “redemption,” and the like. In its own times. The notion of a time specially appointed for Christ’s coming into the world is frequently dwelt upon in Scripture; e.g. Gal 4:4; Eph 1:10; Heb 1:2 (camp. Act 17:30, Act 17:31; 2Co 6:2). (See the same phrase, 1Ti 6:15.)
1Ti 2:7
Was appointed for am ordained, A.V.; truth for truth in Christ, A.V. and T.R.; I lie for and lie, A.V.; truth for verity, A.V. I was appointed, etc. It is quite in St. Paul’s manner thus to refer to his own apostolic mission (see Rom 1:5; Rom 11:13; Rom 15:16; 1Co 1:1, 1Co 1:17; 1Co 3:10; 2Co 5:18; Gal 1:1, etc.; Eph 3:2, Eph 3:8; and many other places). A preacher (; as in 2Ti 1:11). So Mar 16:15, “Preach the gospel” is ; and in Mar 16:20, “They… preached everywhere” is ‘ ; and 2Ti 4:2, “Preach the word” is ; and generally it is the word rendered “preach.” It combines the idea of authority in the preacher who is the authorized herald (Rom 10:15), and publicity for his message (Mat 10:27; Luk 12:3). I speak the truth, etc. The reason for this strong asseveration of his office as the apostle of the Gentiles is not at first sight apparent. But it was probably made in view of the antagonism of the Judaizing teachers referred to in 1Ti 1:3, 1Ti 1:19, 1Ti 1:20 (comp. Rom 11:13; Rom 15:15, Rom 15:16).
1Ti 2:8
Desire for will, A.V.; the men for men, A.V.; in every place for everywhere, A.V.; disputing for doubting, A.V. I desire, etc. He takes up the subject again which he had opened in 1Ti 2:1, but had somewhat digressed from in 1Ti 2:4-7, and gives further directions as to the persons who are to make the prayers spoken of in 1Ti 2:1, viz. men ( ), not women, as it follows more at large in 1Ti 2:9-15. The stress is clearly upon “men” (or, “the men”it makes no difference); and there is no force in Alford’s remark that in that case it would have been . The prayers had been already ordered in 1Ti 2:1; the additional detail, that they were to be offered by men, is now added. In every place; not, as Chrysostom thinks, in contrast to the Jewish worship, which was confined to the temple at Jerusalem, but merely meaning wherever a Christian congregation is assembled. Lifting up holy hands. Alford quotes Clem. Ram. ‘To the Corinthians,’ Eph 1:1-23. 1 Timothy 29: .. (camp. Psa 26:6; Psa 28:2; Psa 43:1-5 :20; Psa 63:4; 2Ch 6:12, 2Ch 6:13). Without wrath. It appears from several passages in Chrysostom that the habit of praying angry prayers was not unknown in his day. “Do you pray against your brother? But your prayer is not against him, but against yourself. You provoke God by uttering those impious words, ‘Show him the same;’ ‘So do to him;’ ‘Smite him;’ ‘Recompense him;’ and much more to the same effect” (‘Hom.’ 6.). In ‘Hom.’ 8. his comment on this passage is: “Without bearing malice…. Let no one approach each God in enmity, or in an unsalable temper.” And disputing (). The exact meaning of is perhaps best seen in Luk 5:21, Luk 5:22, where both the verb and the substantive are used. The are carillings, questionings proceeding from a captious, unbelieving spirit. They are (Mat 15:19). The word is always used in a bad sense in the New Testament. Forms of prayer were not yet established in the Church, but these cautious show the need of them.
1Ti 2:9
In like manner for in like manner also, A.V. and T.R.; braided for broided, A.V.; and gold for or gold, A.V.; raiment for array, A.V. The apostle here passes on to the duties of women as members of the congregation, and he places first modesty of demeanor and dress, the contrary to these being likely to prove a hurt and a hindrance to their fellow-worshippers. Adorn themselves in modest apparel. This is obviously the true construction, depending upon . There is a little doubt as to the exact meaning of here, the only place where it occurs in the New Testament. Alford argues strongly in favor of the meaning “apparel.” But it may also mean “steadiness” or “quietness” of demeanor; and then the phrase will be exactly parallel to 1Pe 3:5, “The incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit.” And the meaning will be, “Let Christian women adorn themselves with a decent and well-ordered quietness of demeanor, in strict accordance with [or, ‘together with’] shame-fastness and sobriety [, ‘in strict accord with,’ or ‘together with’] not with braided hair,” etc. A woman’s true ornament is not the finery which sire gets from the milliner, but the chaste discretion which she has from the Spirit of God. Modest (); only found in the New Testament here and in 1Ti 3:2, where it is rendered” of good behavior” in the A.V., and “modest” in the margin, “orderly” in the R.V. It is common in classical Greek in the sense of “welt-ordered,” “welt-behaved.” Shamefastness (, bashfulness). So the edition of 1611; “shamefacedness” in the later editions is a corruption. Archbishop Trench compares “stead fast,” “soothfast,” “root fast,” “master-fast,” “footfast,” “bedfast,” with their substantives (‘Synonyms of New Test.,’ 20.). Sobriety (, as in 1Ti 3:15, q.v.); soundness, health, purity, and integrity of mind. (Chrysostom, ‘Ap. Trench.’). Braided hair (); found only here in the New Testament, but used in Aquila and Theodotion, instead of the or of the LXX., in Isa 28:5, for , a “diadem,” or “twined garland.” In classical Greek are anything twined, tendrils of the vine, wickerwork, chaplets, etc. The corresponding word in 1Pe 3:3 is , “plaiting the hair.” Costly raiment ( ). For , comp. Luk 7:25; Luk 9:23; Act 20:33; Psa 45:10, LXX.; etc., which show tinct the word is used of any splendid garment (Schleusuer). , costly. St. Peter manifestly had this passage before him from the marked verbal coincidences, as well as close similarity of thought ( , (compared with ), , (compared with ), … (compared with ). (See reference to St. Paul’s Epistles in 2Pe 3:15.)
1Ti 2:10
Through for with, A.V. (The change from “with” to “through” is quite unnecessary, though more strictly accurate. “With” does equally well for and , the one applied to the ornaments and dress in or with which the woman adorns herself, the other to the good works by which she is adorned.) Professing godliness. In all ether passages in the New Testament where it occurs, means “to promise,” except in 1Ti 6:21, where, as here, it means “to profess,” as it frequently does in classical Greek: , etc. only occurs here in the New Testament; but it is used in the LXX. in Job 28:28; Gen 20:11; also in Xenophon. In Joh 9:31 we have , “a worshipper of God.” Through good works. Compare the description of Dorcas (Act 9:36, Act 9:39). mean especially acts of charity.
1Ti 2:11
A for the, A.V.; quietness for silence, A.V. Quietness is not so good a rendering as “silence,” because the quietness here meant is silence, as appears clearly by the parallel direction in 1Co 14:34. So Act 22:2, is properly rend red in the A.V., “They kept silence.” And (Luk 14:4 and Act 11:18) is read, red, both in the A.V. and the R.V., “They held their peace.” With all subjection ( ); as 1Ti 3:4. The words occur also in 2Co 9:13; Gal 2:5. But the verb is very common in the sense of “being subject.” It is used of the subjection of the wife to her husband (1Co 14:34; Eph 5:22; Col 3:18; Tit 2:5; 1Pe 3:1).
1Ti 2:12
Permit for suffer, A.V.; have dominion for usurp authority, A.V.; a for the, A.V.; quietness for silence, A.V. Permit. Why “permit” is better than “suffer” it is difficult to see. is rendered “suffer” in the R.V. in Mat 8:21; Mat 19:8; Mar 10:4; Luk 9:59, etc. Quietness (see preceding note). The true type of the womanly attitude is that of Mary, who “sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his Word” (Luk 10:39).
1Ti 2:13
Was formed (). The word used in the LXX. in Gen 2:7, …, “The Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground;” and in Gen 2:19 of the beasts of the field; whence the word (Wis. 7:1; 10:1), “first made;” “first formed,” A.V. So in Rom 9:20 man is called , “the thing made;” and God is , “he that made it.” “Plaster,” “plastic,” “protoplasm,” are, of course, from the same root. (For the argument, see the very similar one in 1Co 11:8, 1Co 11:9.)
1Ti 2:14
Beguiled (twice) for deceived, A.V.; hath fallen into for was in the, A.V. Beguiled (). The same word as is used in Gen 3:13, “The serpent beguiled me;” , LXX.. Hath fallen into transgression. Fell (not hath fallen) is the right tense to use here in English, though the Greek perfect, it is true, contains the further idea of continuance in the fall, as in 1Co 9:22; 1Co 13:11; 1Th 2:1; 2Pe 2:20. So also Mat 1:22; Mat 19:8; Mat 21:4; Mat 25:6; Mar 5:33; Joh 1:3; 2Co 1:19; and elsewhere, is best rendered by the past (not the perfect) tense. It has frequently the notion of transition into a certain condition (see Rom 6:5; Rom 7:13; 1Co 9:22; 1Co 13:11; 2Co 5:17; 2Co 12:11; Gal 4:16, etc.). Bishop Ellicott gives the passages in which is followed, as here, by (Luk 22:44; Act 22:17; 2Co 3:7; 1Th 2:5), “denoting entrance into, and continuance in, any given state.” As regards the apostle’s statement, Adam was not beguiled, we must understand it as based merely upon the text in Genesis to which he refers, in which Eve (not Adam) says, , “The serpent beguiled me.” Just as in Gal 3:16 he reasons from being in the singular number, and as the writer to the Heb 7:3 reasons from the silence of Gen 14:1-24. regarding the parentage of Melchizedek. Huther (in loc.) says that this mode of reasoning is peculiar to allegorical interpretation.
1Ti 2:15
But for notwithstanding, A.V.; through the child-bearing for in child-bearing, A.V.; love for charity, A.V.; sanctification for holiness, A.V. She shall be saved; i.e. the woman generically. The transition from the personal Eve to the generic woman is further marked by the transition from the singular to the plural, “if they continue,” etc. The natural and simple explanation of the passage is that the special temporal punishment pronounced against the woman, immediately after her sin, “In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children” (Gen 3:16)(to which St. Paul here evidently alludes)and endured by all women ever since, was a set-off, so to speak, to the special guilt of Eve in yielding to the guile of the serpent; so that now the woman might attain salvation as well as the man (although she was not suffered to teach)if she continued in faith and charity. The child-bearing ( ); here only; but the verb , which occurs in 1Ti 5:14, is found (though very rarely) in classical Greek. The equivalent, both in the LXX. and in classical Greek, is . The reference to the birth of Christthe Seed of the womanwhich some commentators Hammond, Peile, Wordsworth, Ellicott, etc.; not Bengel, Alford. or the German school generally) see here, is rather strained, and anyhow cannot be proved without an inspired interpreter. The stress which is laid by some of the above on the use of the definite article here has no justification (see e.g. 2Pe 1:5-7, where even the R.V. does not think of translating “the virtue,” “the knowledge,” “the temperance,” etc.). Nor is the meaning of , which Alford and others press, “through,” i.e. “in spite of,” like in 1Co 3:15, at all probable from the context. Sanctification (; Rom 6:19; 1Th 4:3, etc.). Sobriety (); as in 1Co 3:9. It only occurs besides in Act 26:25.
HOMILETICS
1Ti 2:1-15.Public worship.
The whole chapter is given up to directions concerning the public worship of the Church. We may notice the following particulars.
I. THE SUBJECTS OF PUBLIC PRAYER. When the Church meets together in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, it meets as pre-eminently the friend of the human race. As the Church of him who is the world’s Savior and Redeemer, it must manifest the same spirit of universal love which animated him. It is not as being haters of the human race (as their enemies falsely said), but as being true lovers of their kind, that Christians banded themselves together and refused all fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. This love, then, was especially to be shown in their united prayers. When they came together, though perhaps their enemies were thirsting for their blood, they were to offer up their united prayers for all men. Specially, with a view to the peace and order of society, should they pray for kings and governors and all in authority, that by God’s blessing upon their government the course of this world might be so peaceably ordered that his Church might serve him joyfully in all godly quietness. And if we consider how much human happiness depends upon good government on the part of the rulers, and upon quiet obedience to the laws on the part of the people, we shall see how much need there is for such prayers. In our own days the restless spirit that is abroad, the impatience of all control, and the general weakening of rule and authority all over the world, increases the need both of wisdom and strength in rulers, and consequently for the strengthening of their hands by the prayers and intercessions of the people of God.
II. THE PERSONS WHO ARE TO PRAY IN THE CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLIES. These are limited to the men. The prayers and the teaching in the congregation are to be conducted by men only. The difference of sex, and the different social and religious functions of each sex, are really of Divine appointment. As St. Paul says to the Corinthians (1Co 11:9), “the woman was made for the man, and not the man for the woman;” and all the subsequent relations of the man and woman, in the family, in the state, and in the Church, are naturally evolved from their primeval state as ordered by God. It is obvious, too, that there must be harmony in these various relations, and that the principle which rules in one department of life must rule in the others also. Anyhow, it is distinctly laid down, on the apostolic authority of St. Paul, that in the Church assemblies the functions of public prayer, and public teaching and preaching, are confined to men. The wide field of more private female ministrations is still open to godly women, and seems to be amply justified by the existence of prophetesses in the primitive Church, and by such examples as that of Priscilla (Act 18:26). As regards the character of the men who lead the prayers of the congregation, three qualifications are named: holiness, quietness of spirit, simplicity in the petitions. The hands that are lifted up to God in prayer must be clean hands, unstained by blood, untainted by bribes or dishonest gains, unpolluted by any evil deeds. The prayers that are offered must come from hearts where no malice or ill will dwells, no resentment for wrongs received or injuries endured; and from minds where the spirit of controversy is dumb, and no caviling is to be found. Sincerity and godly simplicity, with an honest faith in the faithfulness of God, are essential to acceptable prayer.
III. The third feature in the public assemblies of the saints on which St. Paul insists is THE MODEST DRESS AND DEMEANOUR OF THE CONGREGATION. This applies especially to the women, but it is true of the men also. Christians come to church to worship the glorious God, to humble themselves before his holy presence, and to hear his Word, not for display, not to attract notice, not for vain-glory or worldly vanity. It is, therefore, quite out of place for either men or women to make a parade of finery in church. The ornaments best suited for persons professing godliness at all times, but especially when they approach the throne of God, are those of a pure heart and a meek spirit, and an abundance of good works. It is the hidden man of the heart which needs adorning for its access to the court of heaven.
HOMILIES BY T. CROSKERY
1Ti 2:1.The regulation of public worship.
The apostle gives Timothy a series of injunctions respecting the assemblies for public worship, which sprang naturally out of the solemn charge he had given him in the previous chapter.
I. THE PARAMOUNT DUTY OF PUBLIC PRAYER. “I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, supplications, thanksgivings, be made for all men.”
1. The leading place given to prayer in this series of instructions respecting the administration of the Church, proves its pre-eminent importance. It is the breath of vital godliness.
(1) God promises to hear public prayer (2Ch 7:14-16);
(2) Christ sanctifies it by his presence (Mat 18:20);
(3) the saints delight in it (Psa 42:4);
(4) they are to be exhorted to the exercise of it (Heb 10:25);
(5) it is not to be conducted in an unknown tongue (1Co 14:14-16).
2. The variety of terms in which it is here described implies the diversity of circumstances in which God‘s people are placed.
(1) “Petitions.” This term expresses the sense of insufficiency and need, and may be a special form of a particular prayer.
(2) “Prayers.” This is prayer in general, as representing the spirit of devotion.
(3) “Supplications.” This signifies a closer dealing with God, a more childlike confidence in prayer.
(4) “Thanksgivings.” This suggests that element which ought never to be absent from our supplicationsgratitude for past mercies.
II. FOR WHOM ARE WE TO PRAY? “For all men.”
1. It would not be acceptable prayer if we were to pray only for ourselves. It is not Christ-like to look down with a sense of superiority upon the mass of men as sunk in perdition.
2. We are bound to love all men, and therefore to pray for their welfare. Much of our happiness depends upon our identifying ourselves lovingly with others.
III. PRAYERS ARE SPECIALLY TO BE MADE FOR KINGS AND ALL IN HIGH PLACE. “For kings and for all in high place.”
1. Such persons pre-eminently need our prayers.
(1) They wield great power for good or evil;
(2) they are exposed to many dangers;
(3) they are liable to greater temptations than other men.
2. God has power to influence their public action.
(1) The hearts of kings are in his hands;
(2) he sets them up and he removes them (Dan 2:21);
(3) he can establish their throne in righteousness and justice (Pro 16:12).
3. Kings can do much to promote the well-being of the Church of God. “That we may pass a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity.” We should pray for kings, because they can promote our outward peace and our inward tranquility, by restraining the bad and encouraging the good. Kings can thus protect us in the exercise of our religion and in the practice of godliness. Wicked kings can expose the godly to cruel risks, and expose their gravity to unseemly perils.
4. The duty of praying for kings is not affected by the consideration that they are pagans, or oppressors, or persecutors.
(1) Christians will pray the more earnestly for them that God will change their hearts. All the kings were pagans in the days of the apostle, and many of them persecutors.
(2) It was specially necessary to enjoin prayer for kings upon Christian communities, consisting largely of Jews who had an intense longing to throw off the Roman yoke. It is a curious fact that it was the cessation of prayer by the Jews on behalf of the Roman emperor that led to the final war four years after this injunction was given by the apostle. It may have been owing to his injunction that the Christians were not involved in the disasters of that fatal rebellion.T.C.
1Ti 2:3, 1Ti 2:4.The beneficial and acceptable nature of such catholic prayer.
“For this is good and acceptable before God our Savior.”
I. SUCH PRAYER FOR ALL SORTS OF MEN IS GOOD. It is good:
1. Because it springs from a good motive, a loving interest in our fellow-mere.
2. Because it is directed to a good end, the promotion of their highest welfare.
3. Because it is a divinely commanded duty.
II. SUCH PRAYER IS ACCEPTABLE BEFORE GOD OUR SAVIOR. It meets God’s highest approval because it is in accordance with his own gracious designs toward the sons of men.
III. REASON OR GROUND FOR THIS UNIVERSALITY OF OUR PUBLIC PRAYERS. It is good and acceptable “before God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” He wills that all men should be saved, therefore we should pray for all men. Our prayers will thus be in conformity with his wilt.
1. Consider the nature of the salvation here described.
(1) It is not mere salvation from intellectual error, for it is that which is involved in “the full knowledge of the truth.”
(2) It is not mere salvability, as if he made the salvation of all men possible.
(3) It is not salvation merely offered for man’s acceptance, but salvation actually obtained and enjoyed. The immediate end is “the knowledge of the truth,” the ultimate end salvation in its completeness.
2. Consider the relation of the Divine will to this salvation. “Who will have all men to be saved.”
(1) There is nothing in the language to justify the theory of Universalists that all men will ultimately be saved.
(a) The apostle uses the term , not the stronger term , which implies will with a purpose or intent.
(b) If he had used the term , he must have saved all; but the word is , implying his will that they should be brought, through the knowledge of the truth, to salvation.
(c) If we are to interpret the will of God by his providence, we must understand it in consistency with the fact that the large majority of mankind have never heard of salvation and have no knowledge of it.
(d) It must be remembered that many must have failed to reach this salvation before Christ died at all.
(2) The language of universality is consistent with other language of Scripture.
(a) Christ says, “And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me” (Joh 12:32); “All men shall see the salvation of the Lord” (Luk 3:6). The Messiah “shall pour out his Spirit upon all flesh” (Joe 2:28). Christ “died for all,” and he may therefore be truly called Salvator hominum. He died for all to arrest the immediate execution of the sentence of the Law upon man for sin; to obtain for him unnumbered blessings in this life, that he might secure a proper foundation for the offer of salvation through his blood.
(b) But the design of God in the death of Christ had not the same relation to all. He is “the Savior of all, but especially of them that believe.” He is the Savior of his people, of his Church, of the elect.
(c) The language of universality used in the passage was suggested by way of contrast to the restrictiveness of Gnostic teaching, which led the apostle to say to the Colossians that his aim was “to present every man perfect in Christ” (Col 1:28); perhaps, likewise, the restrictiveness of a narrow Judaism, for he emphasizes in the context his mission as “a teacher of the Gentiles.” There is deep mystery in God’s counsels. But he here sets forth his good will to man, and charges it on the conscience of believers to pray that all without exception should be brought to the knowledge of the truth.T.C.
1Ti 2:5-7.Reasons for this universality of prayer in the relation of all went to God and Christ.
“For there is one God, one Mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus.” The salvation of men cannot, therefore, be to us a matter of selfish indifference.
I. THE RELATION OF ALL MEN TO GOD. The unity of God is consistent with all differences of dispensation. “There is one providence belonging to the one God.” The apostle tells the Romans that, “as God is one,” he is the God of the Gentiles as well as the Jews (Rom 3:30). There is, indeed, “one God and Father of all” (Eph 4:4, Eph 4:5). The apostle also says, “The mediator” (Moses) “is not of one”one seed, i.e. including Jew and Gentile, for Moses had nothing, to do with the Gentilebut God is one, in relation to Jew and Gentile (Gal 3:20). In these passages the apostle sets forth the universality of the gospel offer. But in the text he infers the universality of the Divine good will from the provisions made for man’s salvation.
II. THE RELATION OF ALL MEN TO THE MEDIATOR. “One Mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus.”
1. There is but one Mediator. The Gnostic mediation of angels is, therefore, excluded (Col 2:15, Col 2:18). Likewise the mediation of saints and angels, as held by the Church of Rome. This idea is dishonoring to the only Mediator. There is no Scripture for the distinction made between a mediator of redemption (Christ) and mediators of intercession (saints and angels).
2. The Mediator was man as well as God.
(1) He was truly man, in opposition to the Docetic notion that he did not possess a real human nature.
(2) He was God as well as man in his Mediatorship, in opposition to the Roman Catholic theory that he only mediated in his human nature. The design of this error is to make way for human mediators. It is said to be absurd to conceive of Christ as God mediating between sinners and himself.
(a) We answer that the Divine nature operated in Christ’s priestly work as well as the human, for “he through the eternal Spirit” (his own Spirit) “offered himself to God” (Heb 9:14).
(b) If he did not mediate in his Divine nature as well as his human nature, he could not have been in any sense Mediator of the Old Testament saints, because their redemption was completed before he came in the flesh. The human nature is naturally emphasized because of the work of suffering and death which is here ascribed to him.
3. The passage does not imply that Christ was not God. He is elsewhere frequently called God and true God, but here there is a necessary reference to the catholic doctrine of a subordination of office.
4. The reference to the mediatorship brings up the idea of a covenant between God and man. Christ is the Head of humanity, the new Man, the Lord from heaven, able to restore the lost relationship between God and man.
5. The mediatory agency is wrought through Christ‘s sufferings and death. “Who gave himself a Ransom for all.”
(1) This proves that all the blessings of redemption come from the death of Christ, not merely from his incarnation.
(2) He voluntarily gave himself as the Victim, yet he is “God’s unspeakable Gift.”
(3) His death was strictly substitutionary. The words of the apostle resemble those of our Lord himself”he gave himself a Ransom for many” (Mat 20:28). He was thus the Substitute contemplated by the apostle as the Messiah who had obtained from the Father the heritage of all families and nations of the earth, not Jews alone, but Gentiles.
III. THE TRUE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE. “The testimony to be borne in its own times.”
1. Thus the death of Christ is the great message to be carried to all the world. It is not his birth, or his example, or his truth, but, above all, what is the completion of them allhis death on Calvary.
2. It is to be preached in all times till the second coming of the Lord.
3. The apostle‘s own relation to this testimony. “Whereunto I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I speak the truth, I lie not); a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” Thus the universality of the remedial scheme is represented by the very mission of the apostle himself. He was “a herald” to proclaim the glad tidings here; “an apostle”let men say what they will, he is an apostle, therefore the surpassing importance of his messageand “a teacher of the Gentiles”to mark the world-embracing character of his gospel”in filth and truth,” to signalize respectively the subjective and the objective elements in which his apostleship was to find its appropriate sphere.T.C.
1Ti 2:8.The conduct of public prayer by men.
The apostle now proceeds to indicate the persons by whom public prayer is to be conducted, and the spirit which is to govern this part of public worship.
I. PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLIES IS TO BE CONDUCTED BY MEN. “I wish then that prayer be made in every place by men.”
1. It is for men to manage and direct the public services of the Church; it is for women to take a more quiet though not less real place in worship. As woman had been emancipated by the gospelfor there were no longer “male and female” in Christand as she had taken such a prominent place in ministering to Christ, the apostles, and the saints, there may have been a disposition on the part of female converts to assert themselves actively in the public life of the Church at Ephesus and elsewhere. The apostle expresses not a mere wish or desire, but, what is equivalent to a solemn command, that the men alone should be responsible for the conduct of the public services. The injunction does not affect the right or duty of women to conduct prayer in private life or in meetings of their own sex.
2. Prayer is to be made in every place. This rule is to obtain in all public assemblies of the saints, wherever held. There is, perhaps, a recollection of our Lord’s words that there is to be no restriction of prayer to one holy place (Joh 4:21).
II. THE SPIRIT AND MANNER IN WHICH PUBLIC PRAYER IS TO BE CONDUCTED. “Lifting up holy hands without wrath or disputing.”
1. The posture must be reverent. It was customary for the Jews to pray with uplifted hands. It was likewise the general attitude adopted by the early Christians. It was the attitude significant
(1) of the elevation of the heart to God;
(2) of the expectation of an answer from heaven.
2. The uplifted hands must be holy. They must be hands unstained by vice. “Cleanse your hands, purify your hearts” (Jas 4:8). The hands must be free from any sin that would render prayer unacceptable to God. “Wash you, make you clean” (Isa 1:16).
3. Prayer should be free from all passionate feeling. “Without wrath and disputing.” Perhaps arising from religious altercation or debate. Prayer belongs to the peaceful heart. Faith and love are its two sustaining principles, and exclude the idea of passion against our fellow-men.T.C.
1Ti 2:9, 1Ti 2:10.The attire and deportment of women in the Christian assemblies.
The apostle continues his directions in relation to public prayer. “Likewise,” he says, in effect, “let women when they pray be modestly adorned.”
I. THEIR APPAREL AND DEPORTMENT. “Likewise also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefastness and sobriety; not with braided hair, and gold, and pearls, and costly raiment.”
1. The injunction refers specially to the dress of women in the Christian assemblies, which ought not to be showy or conspicuous, calculated either to swell the heart of the wearer with pride, or to attract the eyes of others in forgetfulness of the solemnity of public worship.
2. While adornment is expressly allowed, according to age and station, to the exclusion of anything slovenly, there must be nothing in the attire or deportment inconsistent with modesty, self-restraint, or Christian simplicity. There must be no excessive care bestowed upon the adjustment of the hair, and no adornment with gold, or pearls, or costly array inconsistent with the attire previously recommended. Plaiting the hair may be the most convenient way of arranging it, and wearing ornaments is no more sinful in itself than wearing apparel. The injunction is that women should not seek such adornments as would either endanger piety or draw away their affections from higher things.
II. THE TRUE ADORNMENT OF WOMEN. “But (which becometh women professing godliness) through good works.”
1. Religion is external as well as internal. There is the form which must be clothed with the power of godliness; religion must not be secret, but manifest to the world. Therefore women must profess the Christian name, and take part in the worship of the Church.
2. There must be a harmony between the profession of godliness and those deeds of mercy and piety which, Dorcas-like, show the true disciple of Jesus.
3. The highest distinction of women does not spring from dress or decoration, but from the luster that is thrown round their character by works of goodness. They will thus “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Tit 2:10).T.C.
1Ti 2:11-15.The proper sphere and behavior of women.
The apostle is still thinking of the public services of the Church.
I. THE WOMAN IS FORBIDDEN TO TEACH OR PREACH IN THE CHURCH. “Let a woman learn in silence in all subjection. But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to lord it over the man, but to be in silence.” This injunction has a threefold relationfirst to herself, then to her husband, then to the Church.
1. She is to learn in silence. This duty concerns herself. She is to be a learner, not a teacher. She is to give all devout attention to the public instruction, so as to learn more and more of Christ and his gospel. And if what she heard was either difficult or doubtful, she was to ask her husband at home (1Co 14:34); and, in case of his inability to meet her difficulties, she could resort privately to the authorized teachers of the Church. This learning attitude was to be “in all subjection” both to her husband and to the rulers of the Church. Yet it did not imply that she was to accept false teaching, or forego her just right to prove all things and reject what was unsound.
2. She is not to lord it over the man. As teaching or preaching is the act of those in authority, her assumption of this function would imply a lordship over her husband. Husband and wife are “heirs together of the grace of life,” but the gospel has not exalted woman to a position of authority over her husband.
3. She is not to teach in the Church.
(1) This injunction of the apostle does not forbid her teaching privately, either her children, as Timothy was taught by his mother, or her servants, or the younger women (Tit 2:4), or even her husband privately on fit occasions, or even strangers, as Priscilla taught Apollos (Act 18:26).
(2) It forbids her teaching in public.
(a) It is suggestive that the words usually translated in the New Testament “to preach” ( , ) are not used in connection with this prohibition, as if women were merely forbidden to preach, but still allowed to teach. The word used here is “to teach” (), and the word used in 1Co 14:1-40. ()”to talk, chatter, babble”is even more comprehensive. These words all include preaching as the greater includes the less; therefore preaching is also forbidden to women.
(b) Prophesying was forbidden to women as well as teaching. This was a supernatural gift enjoyed both by men and women in the primitive Church, but is not enjoyed now by either men or women. It is never in the New Testament used for preaching, or for mere speaking in meeting. But were there not women who prophesied in the Corinthian Church? (1Co 11:4, 1Co 11:5.)
() The gift of prophecy being connected with the gift of tongues, and both being now obsolete, the title of women to the exercise of such a gift in this age utterly fails.
() The apostle, in his discussion concerning prophecy and the gift of tongues, forbids women to speak at all in the Churches (1Co 14:1-40.). It was in the very midst of his injunctions respecting the use of supernatural gifts that he says, “As in all Churches of the saints, let your women keep silence in the Churches, for it is not; permitted to them to speak… for it is a shame for women to speak in the Churches.” Prophesying as well as preaching is forbidden to women.
() Much unnecessary difficulty has been caused by the passage respecting “a woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered” (1Co 11:5). The apostle seems for the time to allow the practice, while he condemns the manner of its performance; but afterwards he forbids the practice itself. In the earlier passage he rebukes merely the indecency of an existing custom, and then in the later he forbids the custom itself. Calvin says, “By condemning the one he does not commend the other.” You cannot regard as of equal authority a practice and a command, both explicit and repeated, which destroys the practice.
() “But these directions were given to Greek Churches, and cannot apply to the women of our day.” We answer that they apply to all Churches; for the apostle says, “As in all Churches of the saints, let your women keep silence in the Churches.” The reasons given for the prohibition prove that it has nothing to do with usages, or customs, or times, or races.
II. THE REASON OR GROUND OF THE APOSTLE‘S PROHIBITION. It is to be found in the original law of the relation of woman to man.
1. Man‘s headship in creation. “For Adam was first formed, then Eve.” Man’s priority of creation is the first reason, but it is to be taken together with the statement in 1Co 11:8, 1Co 11:9, “For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man; for also the man was not made for the sake of the woman, but the woman for the sake of the man.” Besides, as “the Head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is the man” (1Co 11:3). “The husband is the head of the wife” (Eph 5:23). The woman, therefore, stands under law to her husband, and therefore any attempt on her part to assume the part of head or guide is to overturn the primal order of creation.
2. Woman‘s priority in transgression. “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being altogether deceived fell into transgression.” They both sinned; but Adam was not deceived, for he fully understood the sin he was committing when he yielded to the persuasiveness of his wife.
(1) This reference implies the truly historical character of the narrative in Genesis. It is no myth or legend. The fall of man is an historic fact of the greatest importance, for it grounds the doctrine of original sin, without which human nature, says Pascal, is an inexplicable riddle.
(2) The deception was practiced upon Eve, not upon Adam, for she confessed that the serpent beguiled her.
(3) This facility of deception on her part seems to suggest to the apostle her inferiority to man in strength of intellect, and the consequent wrongness of allowing to woman an intellectual supremacy over man.
III. THE BLESSING UPON WOMAN STANDING WITHIN HER TRUE SPHERE. “But she shall be saved through the child-bearing, if they abide in faith and love and holiness with sobriety.”
1. It is here implied if, at woman is to find her right sphere in the relations of motherhood. The change of number implies that Eve is here to be regarded as the representative of her sex. Her sphere is in the home life; her destiny lies in the faithful discharge of its duties. Eve was to be the mother of all living; it was to be through the seed thus given her that the curse was to be lifted off the world, and the head of the serpent bruised. There is an evident allusion in “the child-bearing” to the Incarnation, but it points likewise to the collective seed associated with Christ.
2. It implies that women are not saved, as Roman Catholics contend, by mere childbearing, so that a woman dying in her travail is necessarily saved, for the apostle links with it certain spiritual qualifications as necessary to salvation.
(1) Faithimplicitly resting in the Divine promise and upon the Divine Redeemer, “as the seed of the woman;”
(2) love, as the inspiration of all her wifely and motherly duties;
(3) holiness, as implying purity of life, circumspectness of walk, and devotedness to God;
(4) with sobriety, as marking the self-effacing, self-restraining, self-governing spirit which she is to carry into all the conditions of her life as a Christian mother. T.C.
HOMILIES BY W.M. STATHAM
1Ti 2:2.”A quiet life.”
Nothing in the gospel was revolutionary. Its aim was not to upset thrones, but to purify all the centers of power; not to make assault at once on polygamy and slavery, but to undermine them by the Christian spirit and sacrifice. Prayer is here made for kings and all in authority. Rulership there must be. Anarchy is misery. Fields must be ploughed; grain must be stored; homes must be protected; or else weakness becomes the prey of strength. The purpose, then, of God, in ordination of law and government, is that we may enjoy a quiet life. To some a quiet life is the least desirable thing; but it is the life of nature, and it is the most blessed life. How quietly the flowers blow, the stars shine, the dew descends, the birds wing their flight, the light falls!
1. “A quiet life;” for if there be disorder, all life is at a standstill. Even great artists like Gerome, during the last French Revolution, had to bury their pictures, for the time, beneath the earth.
2. “Quiet;” for, think of‘ the forces around us. We need good government to preserve us from the violent, the lewd, and the criminal. The sea of human passion is always ready to break its barriers; the volcano would soon burst through the crust.
3. “Quiet;” for, this is the great enjoyment of life. Our happiest hours have been quiet onesat home; by the river or the sea; in the valleys and in the forests; and in the Church of God. “That we may lead,” which implies continuance.; life without trepidation; absence of the disorders which check industry, prudence, and. enterprise.W.M.S.
1Ti 2:2.”A peaceable life.”
Christ said, “Peace I leave with you,” and he intended this to be the element in which nations and families and individuals should live. Through faith in him, we have peace with God, peace with our brother, and peace in ourselves. The world delights in noise and tumult; fills its forums with fierce discussions and debates; hangs the pictures of Wouvermans, with their fierce battle-fields, on its walls. Some people are said to delight in strifeto be what is called “law-thirsty;” and in quiet villages, even, you meet with antagonisms that are fierce and frequent.
1. “Peaceable; “for the gospel is to overcome evil with good. To triumph, not by carnal weapons, but those that are mighty through God, and which have the secret majesty of their power in the cross.
2. “Peaceable;” for passion retest be governed by conscience and Christ. Unquestionably the microscope shows us insects at war in the globule of water; and the beasts of the forest meet in deadliest conflict. But man is to triumph over himself; reason is to be lord over passion, and Christ is to be Lord over all.
3. “Peaceable; “for a home without this is misery. Where jarring and disputation are, there the atmosphere is destructive of all holy, happy life.
4. “Peaceable; “for this is the end of law. Forms of government are not all in all. Greece and Rome alike fell under the same form of government under which they rose.
5. “Peaceable; “for the Prince of Peace is to reign. He came to fulfill the angels’ song, “Peace on earth, and good will to man;” and one day, by his cross, he will draw all hearts unto himselfW.M.S.
1Ti 2:2.Moral loveliness.
“In all godliness and honesty.” It may be said that “godliness” includes “honesty;” but we must not be the slaves of pedantry in words; it is good sometimes to emphasize.
I. GODLINESS IS ESSENTIAL TO THE ORDER OF THE STATE. Rousseau remarks, “A country cannot well subsist without liberty, nor liberty without virtue.” Peaceable lives must be godly lives. The safety of a nation is not “lions chained,” but “lions turned to lambs.” Modern sociology thinks it can do without godliness. It has invented some philosophy of morals of its own; some ideal of utility called “the greatest good of the greatest number.” Philosophers may understand it, but common people cannot. So much depends on what is meant by “the greatest good.” For if you exclude the soul, the greatest good is only a secular paradise, and that is death to all the heroism which can deny itself earthly pleasure for the sake of high spiritual ends. By “godliness “we understand God-likeness in men. Some talk of seraphic holiness; we prefer the old word “godliness.” Let a seraph be a seraph; we want to be men. It is not wise for children to sing, “I want to be an angel;” they should want to be good children. We want godliness; purity like God’s; pity like God’s; fidelity like God’s; holiness like God’s. “Be ye holy, for I am holy.”
II. HONESTY IS ESSENTIAL TO THE TRUE CHRISTIAN LIFE. No fine ideas of spirituality that set at naught common morality must find honor amongst us. While our hearts are in heaven, our feet are upon the earth.
1. We must be honest to our convictions; act out what we think; dare to be true to ourselves.
2. We must be honest in word; dealing in good coin; not pretending to be what we are not. Better honest silver than counterfeit gold.
3. We are to be honest in deed. Whether we build, or buy, or sell, whether we paint with the artist, or mingle in the marts of commerce, we are to see to it that the stamp of honesty is on all we do. For all this we are to pray; for there is a great sky over us all, and a great Father in heaven, and a great Savior in whose Name we may pray. So life will be peaceful and holy; based upon the granite rock, but bathed in the delicate haze of the firmament of heaven; solidity clothed with beauty; and he to whom we pray heareth us always.W.M.S.
1Ti 2:6.The self-giving of Christ.
“Who gave himself a Ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” We are indebted to the slavery of St. Paul’s time for the use of the word “ransom.” So literature, in its words, enshrines history. We cannot make a perfect theory of the Atonement. Many have tried. Some have taken the idea of slavery; some have taken the idea of debt. There has been the “commercial“ theory, and the “legal” theory; but no theory is complete that does not contain all the ideas. The idea of “ransom” has had its false theory; for in the seventh century some theologians said, “It was a price paid to the devil.” That we are the slaves of sin, and that Christ ransoms us, is the great doctrine of the gospel.
I. CHRIST GAVE HIMSELF. The humanity of that age gave others. What is the great study of the dying Roman age? Selfishness. The patricians, wrapped up in togas, saw, in the Colosseum, the gladiators fall to amuse them. The great generals brought home as slavesphysicians, musicians, and workmen, and used them as good investments. Rome bore away the native art of Greece to decorate its own homes. Not only the humanity of that age, but the humanity of every age without Christ tends to self-ism. The philosophy of the cross is the only social philosophy. It does not take. It leaves men to the personal use of their gifts and possessions; but it says, “Give yourselfyour purest ideals, your best impulses, your noblest powers, for the good of others.”
II. THE CAESARS OF THAT AGE HAD NO TRUE POWER. They held men by the throat, and not by the heart; and they were lifted to Caesarship by the Praetorian guards. They rose and fell by the sword; and the dagger or the Tiber saw the last of them. The words were a satire on the Savior, “saying that he also himself is Christ, a King”an unconscious prophecy, and yet how true! His kingdom came without observation; it was an empire within the heart; it was not in word, but in power; it was not with observation, but it silently grew like the mustard seed. Its foundation was in this, “He gave himself”his exquisite sensibilities, his sacred energies, his unwearied endurance, his contact with shame and scorn; and then, on the cross, he died, “the Just for the unjust, to bring us to God.”W.M.S.
1Ti 2:9.Modest adornment.
“That women adorn themselves in modest apparel.” The gospel never permits asceticism. As God is the God of beauty, and nature is clothed with garments (like the high priest of old) of glory and beauty, so here we have the true idea carried out in religion. Women are “to adorn themselves.” God’s most beautiful work in creation, the human frame, is to be fitly appareled; for, to this day, art knows no higher subject than the human face and form. But
I. MODESTY IS TO BE THE SPIRIT OF ALL ADORNMENT, because the nature of the being adorned is a sacred nature. Woman is the true guardian of virtue. Her manner, her temper, her spirit,all these constitute the best defense of virtue.
II. DRESS IS THE SYMBOL OF CHARACTER. If there is absence of shame-heartedness, there will be absence of shame-facedness. The womanhood of that age had sunk very low. By turns woman had been the toy or slave of man. The gospel uplifted her; for we are all equal in the sight of God. There was neither male nor female there; and she must help the great ideal, and by modest apparel show the innate modesty of her thought and feeling. For, say what we like, dress acts upon the mind and character. Dress like a clown, and you will feel like a clown. Modest apparel need not be shorn of taste and refinement and true beauty. It is no dishonor to a woman that she likes dress. It is not Christian to destroy that taste; but that which becometh women professing godliness is modest though beautiful apparel.W.M.S.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
1Ti 2:1 . After directing Timothy’s attention generally to the to which he had been appointed, Paul proceeds to mention in detail the things for which, in his office, he had to care. This connection of thought is marked by the particle of transition (Wiesinger), which therefore does not stand (as de Wette, following Schleiermacher, thinks) without any logical connection. [82]
] is not to be taken with , as Luther does: “to do before everything else,” but with (Heydenreich, Matthies, de Wette, Wiesinger, van Oosterzee).
. . . ] The apostle herewith begins to give “instructions regarding public prayer” (Wiesinger). The idea of prayer is here expressed by four words. and are connected in other passages as synonyms in Eph 6:18 , Phi 4:6 ; the difference between them is this, that can be used only of petitionary prayer, of every kind of prayer. Not less general in meaning is , from incidere in aliquem, adire aliquem, and in reference to God: pray ( Wis 8:21 ; Wis 16:28 ). The reference to another is not contained in the word itself, but in the preposition connected with it, as in Rom 11:2 : ; and Rom 8:34 ; Heb 7:25 : . Accordingly, the substantive , which occurs only here and in chap. 1Ti 4:5 , does not in itself possess the meaning of intercession for others, but denotes simply prayer as an address to God (Wiesinger); comp. Plutarch, Vita Numae , chap. 14: . The three words, accordingly, are thus distinguished: in the first, the element of insufficiency is prominent; in the second, that of devotion; and in the third, that of child-like confidence (prayer the heart’s converse with God). Calvin is right in his remark, that Paul joined these three words together here “ut precandi studium et assiduitatem magis commendet ac vehementius urgeat.” [83]
] “prayers of thanksgiving,” the apostle adds, because in Christian prayer the giving of thanks should never be wanting; comp. Phi 4:6 : .
] is not to be referred merely to , but also to the preceding words (Wiesinger). The prayer of the Christian community (for this and not private prayer is here spoken of) is in petition and thanksgiving to embrace all mankind.
[82] Hofmann’s reference of to 1Ti 1:15 and the conclusion of ver. 16 is far-fetched: “If Christ came into the world to save sinners, and if the long-suffering of God towards the man whom He made His apostle from being a reviler, was to be a prophecy regarding the conversion of those who were afterwards made to believe on Him, it becomes Christians not, in sectarian fashion, to limit its command to its sphere at that time, but to extend it to all men.”
[83] In regard to the more precise definition of the word, there is much that is arbitrary in expositors older and more recent. Thus is understood to be prayer for averting the punishment of sin; , prayer for the bestowal of benefits; , prayer for the punishment of the unrighteous (Theodoret: , ; so, too, Theophylact and Oecumenius). Photius ( ad Amphil. qu. 193) explains in the same way: ( , ); but the other two words differently: , , . Origen ( , 44) finds a climax in the succession of the words, and distinguishes from in this way, that the former are prayers joined with a , made for greater things and , while are the prayers of one who has . Still more arbitrary is Kling’s explanation, that are prayers in reference to the circumstances of all mankind; , prayers for some benefit; , prayers for the aversion of evil. Matthies is partly right, partly wrong when he says: is the prayer made with a feeling of the need of God, so that the inner side of the need and of uprightness (?) is particularly prominent; , prayer, in the act of devotional address to the Godhead, therefore with reference to the outward exercise (?); , intercession, made not so much for ourselves as on behalf of others (?). There is no ground whatever for the opinion of Heydenreich, that the first two expressions are used of prayer ( = petition; = thanksgiving) for the whole Christian community, while the other two ( = petition; = thanksgiving) are used of prayer for the whole of mankind. Lastly, we may note the peculiar view of Augustine ( Ep. 59), according to which the four expressions are to be understood of prayers used at the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, being the precationes before consecration; , the orationes at the benediction, consecration, and breaking of bread; , the interpellationes at the benediction of the congregation; and , the gratiarum actio at the close of the communion. Plitt so far agrees with this view of Augustine, that he thinks the apostle’s various expressions denote the various liturgical prayers, as they were defined even in ancient times at the celebration of the Eucharist (?).
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
V
Exhortation to supplication for all men, especially for those in authority
1Ti 2:1-7
1I exhort1 therefore, that, first of all,2 supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks [thanksgiving], be made for all men; 2For kings, and for all that are in authority; [,] that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all 3godliness and honesty.3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge 5of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; [,] 6Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified4 in 7due time. [,] Whereunto [In respect of which] I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle (I speak the truth in Christ,5 and lie not) [I speak the truth in Christ, I lie not]; a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1Ti 2:1. I exhort therefore, that, first of all. There is not a marked connection between this and the former chapter, but the Apostle passes simply from the general command (1Ti 1:18) to the special, and states at once what in his view is especially important. The whole of the second chapter contains precepts concerning the Christian Church. 1Ti 2:1-7 declares for whom and on what ground public prayer ought to be made; 1Ti 2:8-15 how men and women should conduct themselves in this respect; and, indeed, the last portion is not without some more precise suggestions as to the calling of women in general.I exhort therefore, . The Apostle now personally counsels Timothy what he must do to fight a good fight in his pastoral office, and what should be his first task in his relation to the church. must not be joined with (Luther), but with ; is here a connective, which joins the exhortation to 1Ti 1:18-19, and was necessary on account of the digression in 1Ti 1:20. [The English Version reads: I exhort therefore, that, first of all. This reading is sustained by many expositors, as Luther, Calvin, Bengel, and later, among the English, Conybeare. But Alford adopts the same reading as is here given: I exhort first of all; so also Heydenreich, Matthies, Wiesinger, De Wette, Huther, Ellicott.W.] The ground on which the Apostle chiefly urges these intercessions can be only probably determined. Perhaps, in time of persecution, they had been some. what neglected, or were less earnestly conducted by the believers at Ephesus, after they had left their first love (Rev 2:4); perhaps some persons had been excluded by party spirit, or by the want of unity. Whatever the reason, the Apostle exhorts that intercessions be made for all menfor mankind in its wholeness.Supplications, prayers, intercessions, the giving of thanks; four words which mark the earnestness and comprehensiveness of all Christian petitions. In respect to the first three, the words of Calvin are of value: Neque tamen super vcanea est verborum congeries, sed mihi videtur Paulus consulto tres voces in eundem finem simul conjungere, ut precandi studium et assiduitatem magis commendet et vehementius urgeat. As to the meaning of the , the Apostle elsewhere teaches that Christian devotion, as is implied in its nature, must at all times be accompanied with thanksgiving (1Th 5:17-18; Col 4:2). The view that the Apostle in each of these words would designate a special kind of prayer, is as arbitrary as the opinion that this is a mere empty tautology. But since one and the same subject is here denoted by different words, we may at least attempt to reach a more exact definition. That arbitrary exegesis into which many earlier and later commentators have fallen, will be entirely avoided if we study the grammatical force of the language. , from , egeo, signifies generally a prayer which springs from the feeling of want; , a petition, not without regard to whom it is offered, like the preceding word, but distinctly addressed to God; comp. Php 4:6; (from = adeo aliquem) means not intercession in and for itself (comp. 1Ti 4:5), but here, where . . follows, it signifies prayer offered not so much for our own needs, as on behalf of others; , finally, is thanksgiving joined with all before, both for preservation from evil, and for the good in which men rejoice. Those for whom all such prayers are made are not only Christians, but Jews and heathen likewise; and the whole exhortation, therefore, is opposed to an unchristian exclusiveness.
1Ti 2:2. For kings, and for all that are in authority. After this general injunction, some are named who need a special place in public prayers. There is no designation of Antonine and his associate rulers (Baur)which, certainly, would be internal evidence of the spuriousness of the Epistlebut a general designation of the class, including the Roman emperor then or afterward living, and all under him invested with high office (comp. Rom 13:1).That we may; not a statement of the character of the prayer, but of its purpose; and this, too, not in the subjective, but objective view. The Apostle does not mean that the church should be influenced, through such petitions, to lead a quiet and peaceable life under authority; but he supposes that God, who guides the hearts of kings as the water-brooks (Pro 21:1), will, in answer to the prayer of the church, move the hearts of kings, and of all in authority, to leave Christians at rest.A quiet and peaceable life. No immoderate striving after the crown of martyrdom, but a quiet life to the glory of God, is the highest ideal. According to Olshausen, denotes an inward, an outward rest; but others differ. It is most desirable that Christians should thus pass () their lives in all godliness and honesty. [The word rendered honesty should be gravity, according to Alford, Conybeare, and others. It should be remembered, however, that honesty, at the time of our English Version, came nearer than now to the idea of honorable or respectable, which lies at the root of .W.] These last two words mark the sphere of the Christian life. , a word which, with Paul, occurs only in the Pastoral Epistles, and denotes our disposition toward God; , an expression also peculiar to the Pastoral Epistles, refers to the outward relation of the Christian toward his fellow-men. Wiesinger justly remarks, from a manuscript note of Olshausen, that a strong light is thrown on this whole exhortation, when we recal the conduct of the Jews shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem. It had been already enjoined in the Old Testament that the Jews should pray for their Gentile rulers (comp. Jer 29:7; Ezr 6:10). The custom remained among them. Augustus ordered that a lamb should be offered for him daily in the temple; and, until the destruction of Jerusalem, this usage lasted; but the Zealots regarded it as a Divine worship, and demanded that the offering should cease. Joseph., De Bello Jud.ii. 17. [This injunction of St. Paul became the rule of the early church; and it is interesting to trace it in the prayers for kings found in almost all the primitive liturgies. Liturgia Basilii, Goar, Rit. Grc., pp. 171, 178; Liturgia Marci, Renaudot, Lit. Orient., tom. 1, p. 133; Miss. Sarisb. Missa pro Rege, Lit. Gallic., Mabillon, p. 246. Chrysostom informs us that it was the custom, in his day, to offer daily prayers for kings and all in authority. Hom. 6 in 1 Tim. The prayers for the royal family, in the English Version, although they do not appear to have been translated from any very ancient offices, are yet, in substance and expression, conformed to the primitive. See Palmer, Orig. Liturg. We have here the true reverence of law which Christianity teaches. But we are never to confound this, or like maximse.g., Rom 13:1with any theory of the divine right of kings, or with passive obedience to any tyranny, as has been done by some divines. The political duty of men in a Christian state cannot be the same with that of the primitive church under a Nero.W.]
1Ti 2:3. For this is good and acceptable;sc. . The Apostle now adds various motives (1Ti 2:3-7) toward obeying the exhortation given in 1Ti 2:1-2. The first is, that every such prayer is good in and for itself, ; it shows the true Christian spirit which marks the professor of the gospel; it yields us the enjoyment of that privilege named in 1Ti 2:2. It is again, as a second motive, . This is Gods will; it befits His desire and purpose; it is already expressed in the name , and this appears clearly from the following (1Ti 2:4-5). Our Saviour wills that all should be saved; and thus we pray for all, as the objects of His gracious will.
1Ti 2:4. Who will have all men to be saved. Paul teaches not only here, but in other places (comp. Rom 8:32; Rom 11:32; Tit 2:11), that the desire of God to bless all sinners is unlimited, yet it can be only in the ordained way of faith. And here, perhaps, he affirms it, in order to maintain this doctrine plainly against every Gnostic limitation of salvation, as well as to give a fit motive for prayer. For, had God willed the contrary of what is here revealed, it would be foolish and fruitless to pray for the welfare of others, when perhaps his or that person might be shut out from the plan of salvation. Yet more, the Apostle speaks here of the of God in general, not of the , which regards believers (Eph 1:11). It is therefore entirely needless, by any exegetical gloss, to limit the expression, all men, or to understand . in the sense of all classes of men (which would make 1Ti 2:1 an absurdity).Unto the knowledge of the truth; properly, not all truth, not even all religious truth in general, but Christian truth. This added clause explains through what means the of all men must be wrought.
1Ti 2:5. For there is one God the man Christ Jesus. The ground of the general redemptive plan of God is here so shown () as to give a third motive in justification of Christian intercessions; the unity of person whence the plan of universal salvation has gone forth, and through whom it is completed. The unity of God, which the Apostle clearly declares in other places (Rom 3:29-30; 1Co 8:4; Eph 4:6), is here placed distinctly in the foreground, to show how arbitrary is any limit of Christian intercession; the unity of the Mediator, to prove that the Jew has not the least advantage over the heathen, since both must be saved in one and the same way. , He who stands between God and man, in order to effect a new union (comp. Gal 3:20): inter Deum atque homines medius constitutus; Tertullianus. When Paul calls Him, finally, with special emphasis, the man Christ Jesus, it is not absolutely necessary to infer that he was opposing the heresy of Docetism (Huther), although such a purpose is quite possible and probable, when we think how early the real manhood of the Lord was doubted (1Jn 4:3), and what high dignity the first Gnostics ascribed to ons and to angels. The thought, too, is genuinely Pauline (see Rom 5:15; 1Co 15:31; Php 2:7-8; Heb 2:16-17), and it is most fitting in this place, since the Lord, had He not been real man, could not have been also ; while, again, the just before called out almost involuntarily this emphatic .
1Ti 2:6. Who gave himself. This expresses the mode in which the Mediator has fulfilled His office, and the universality of the redemptive plan. Has given, , comp. Gal 1:4; Tit 2:14. The voluntary character of the offering of the Lord is here, as often before, set forth by the Apostle; and although he does not speak in express words of this sacrifice in his death, yet it follows from the very purpose of the Mediator to give a ransom for all; since the price of redemption could be nothing less than Himself, His blood, and life. , somewhat stronger yet than the usual (Mat 20:28), since the idea of an exchange, which lies in the substantive itself, gains special force from the preposition (Matthies). In connection with , is not, in this place at least, simply to be understood in commodum (Huther), but here the idea of substitution must be firmly held. This one ransom weighs more than all the souls in whose place it is reckoned; and here, too, these souls are spoken of as . See further under Doctrinal and Ethical thoughts. [It appears by no means just, either on exegetical or doctrinal grounds, to draw the idea of substitution from this passage. The phrase simply includes the meaning of satisfaction, freedom purchased by a sufficient ransom. Undoubtedly the truth of a vicarious sacrifice in its living sense, Christ in us and we in Him, is the blessed truth of the word of God. But it has been the vice of theology always to lower this holy mystery of a Divine love and sacrifice to a commercial contract. The cur Deus homo of Anselm cannot explain that mystery so truly to the Christian reason or heart, as the few words of St. John the Divine: God is love. God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son. And it may be well for any who read this image of St. Paul, to weigh the following profound sentence of Coleridge. Forgiveness of sin, the abolition of guilt, through the redemptive power of Christs love, and of His perfect obedience, is expressed, on account of the resemblance of the consequence in both cases, by the payment of a debt for another, which debt the payer had not himself incurred. Now the impropriation of this metaphor (i. e., the taking it literally), by transferring the sameness from the consequents to the antecedents, or inferring the identity of the causes from a resemblance in the effects, this view or scheme of redemption, grounded on this confession, I believe to be altogether unscriptural; Aids to Reflection, Aphor. 19, on Spirit. Relig.W.]To be testified in due time; . Luther: That it should be preached in his own time; Vulgata: cujus testimonium temporibus suis confirmatum est. Chrysostom, and other Church fathers, incorrectly understand the suffering and death of the Lord as itself the . But the idea (Huther) that the reference is to the preaching of the gospel, which has now been sent at a fitting time, seems alike arbitrary, since in this case the beginning of 1Ti 2:7 sinks almost to fiat tautology. We think, rather, that should here be held in apposition to ; to wit, that the Apostle calls this sacrifice of the Lord in death for our ransom the great ; the witness of the truth stated in 1Ti 2:4, which is raised above all doubt through this blessed revelation of grace. Since this offering is made, there cannot be any further question whether God wills the salvation of all. The Apostle does not speak of a testimony which he is the first to affirm, but one to which God has given witness already in His Son; and in 1Ti 2:7 he first alludes to his own personal connection with it. Innuitur testimonium redemtionis universalis; Bengel.In due time, ; that is, in the time foreordained by God, and for this reason most fitting; in other words, in the . (Gal 4:4); comp. 1Ti 6:15; Act 17:26; Tit 1:2.
1Ti 2:7. Whereunto I am ordained. , ad quod (testimonium, sc. annunciandum); another remembrance of his apostolic calling and dignity, as 1Ti 1:12. Paul points to the universal character of his calling, as proof of the universality of Divine grace; and this again as the great motive to pray for all.A preacher; this general design of his calling is denoted by a name suited to all messengers of the gospel, and precedes the specific official title, .I speak the truth, &c. (comp. Rom 9:1). A solemn adjuration, which, in view of so weighty a matter, and the many personal misjudgments concerning Paul, is quite appropriate here, and may well awaken confidence, not distrust. Although this digression has no logical force, it agrees well with a friendly, confiding letter like this, where his heart speaks in the most artless manner.A teacher of the Gentiles. A more exact statement of the special sphere in which he is called to the work of his apostolic office. This mention of his peculiar gift lends new force to his exhortation to pray for all men.In faith and in verity. Not only in true faith (Heydenreich, Mack, De Wette), but both conceptions are to be closely distinguished. Faith (a noteworthy variation, ), means faith in Christ, which is the great personal motive in the life of the Apostle; truth, that objective Christian truth itself, which is known and received by faith. The preposition seems, as often, to denote the means whereby the Apostle sought to reach the appointed end. That the words are to be taken as a formal assertion, like . (1Ti 2:6), is not probable.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. The doctrine of Christian intercession, which the Apostle teaches with such heartfelt power, breathes the whole spirit of Christianity. The Lord Himself commended it, even for our enemies (Mat 5:44). Thus, too, James, who was so fully quickened by the spirit of his glorified Master (Jam 5:16); and it is evident how strongly, and how often, Paul enjoins the intercession of the brethren. That the early Christians likewise earnestly kept this apostolic precept, and, even amidst the worst persecutions, did not cease to pray for kings and for those in authority, is clear from the early liturgies, as well as the testimony of apologists and church fathers. Thus, e.g., Tertullian, Apol., cap. 1Tim 30: Manibus expansis oramus pro omnibus imperatoribus vitam illis prolixam, imperium securum, domum tutam, exercitus fortes, senatum fidelem, populum probum, orbem quietum, et qucumque hominis et Csaris vota sunt. And Polycarp, ad Philipp., cap. 12, says: Pro omnibus sanctis orate. Orate etiam pro regilus, et potestatibus et principibus, atque pro persequentibus et odientibus vos, et pro inimicis crucis, ut fructus vester manifestus sit in omnibus, ut sitis in illo perfecti. With this practice of Christian prayer, the Apostle exhorts believers to lead a quiet and holy life; and in this he shows his confidence, that such prayer for the community will obtain a blessing from God;an unreasonable hope, if he speaks only of an influence on our own minds, not a supernatural power in prayer. This injunction is thus an indirect proof that there is not only a subjective, but also an objective connection, granted and assured of God, between prayer and its effects.
2. According to the express teaching of the Apostle, Christianity is the great instrument of salvation for all men. If the word is rightly understood, the saying, extra ecclesiam nulla salus, has a sound sense. The right of Christian missionary work is grounded in this faith. The universality of Gods plan of redemption is the mightiest spur of that Christian humanity which embraces all men. It is impossible, therefore, to be truly human, if one is not truly Christian; and it is alike contradictory to profess ourselves truly Christian, without being human.
3. God wills that all men should be saved. It is a sorry dogmatism which would weaken the proof given in this passage for the universality of the plan of redemption, by exegetical arts; e.g., when any seek to explain will in the absurd sense of desire; or all men in the sense of all classesas Calvin and others have here done. Exegetical honesty forbids us to find in this place less than what is said, in other words, in 1Ti 4:10 and 2Pe 3:9. The inevitable necessity of an , from the fact that at some time, sooner or later, what God wills must be fulfilled, does not follow, however, from this position. The will of God here spoken of is not absolute, but conditional; i. e., God wills that all men be saved by means of faith; but as faith, on the one side, is a gift of grace, so, on the other, it is a duty, whose neglect deserves punishment, and unbelief is a guilt that must have its reckoning. Against such views of Universalism we urge also, in their full force, the many positive expressions which set forth the eternal blessedness of believers, as grounded in the free decisions of God, and His grace in Christ. True wisdom lies not in sacrificing one series of these conceptions to the other, but in holding both with equal strength, since the unity of the seeming contradictions must be always a problem for Christian philosophy. These apostolic expressions, finally, give the fullest right to the freest, most unlimited, and powerful announcement of the gospel, while it must be left to God to show us the perfection of His purposes, and to justify them before our eyes. [It is the error of every theological system like that here alluded to, that it does not take its starting point from the moral facts of the Christian consciousness, but from the abstract idea of the Divine will. The iron chain of its logic must therefore end in a fatalism, which excludes all moral conditions based on the free choice of man. Such a premise may end in the dogma of absolute decrees and limited atonement; or it may equally lead to Universalism. If the will of God be irrespective of human action, there can be no limit to His grace. Or, again, if it be a logic within the circle of purely speculative ideas, it will end in the Pantheism of Spinoza; in an impersonal substance, of which all human actions are only phenomena, without any moral quality of good or evil. All these are forms of the same ground error. A Christian theology begins with the facts of our personal being, of sin and responsibility, and thence reasons to the character of God. The sentence of Hooker, B. 1, c. 2, is profound: They err, who think that of the will of God to do this or that, there is no reason besides His will. And this of Cudworth, Serm. I., breathes the heart of the gospel: It is the sweetest flower in all the garland of His attributes, that He is mighty to save; and this is far more magnificent for Him than to be styled mighty to destroy. For that, except it be in a way of justice, speaks no power at all, but mere impotency; for the root of all power is goodness.W.]
4. If the death of the Saviour is revealed as a ransom for all, it is most important to distinguish between the power of His death, which is great enough to effect the redemption of all, and the fruit of His death, which is shared only by the believing and regenerate. As to the first point, the words of Augustin are weighty; Sermo 114, de tempore: Un morte universum mundum, sicut omnium conditor, ita omnium reparator, absolvit: indubitanter enim credimus, quod totum mundum redemit, qui plus dedit, quam totus mundus valeret. The other point is met by the words of the Saviour: The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep; and again: I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me; John 10, 17.
5. According to the express doctrine of our Apostle, the mediatorial office of the man Christ Jesus is not only the cardinal truth of Christianity, but the conditio sine qu non of the eternal salvation of man. The existence of the only God would be, indeed, no glad message for fallen man, did he not hear also of a Mediator between God and man. In contrast to this soteriological doctrine of the Apostle, the boldness of many at this day is strange indeed, who assert that they need no Mediator, but that man can go directly to the Father without the Son. Such men lack above all the living knowledge of the desert of sin, and the holiness of God. The God whom they approach is not the God revealed in the Scriptures, but rather the idol of their own darkened understanding.
[We may fitly append here a passage from Archbishop Trenchs Sermons, which sets forth the living view of the mediatorial sacrifice, as it is distinguished alike from any forensic theory of imputation, and any denial of it on moral grounds. Could God be well-pleased with the sufferings of the innocent and holy? What satisfaction could He find in these? Assuredly not: but be could have pleasurenay, according to the moral necessities of His own being, he must have the highest joy, satisfaction, and delightin the love, the patience, the obedience, which those sufferings gave Him the opportunity of displaying. Nor was it, as some among the schoolmen taught, that God arbitrarily ascribed and imputed to Christs obedience unto death a value which made it equal to the needs and sins of the whole world. We affirm rather with the deeper theologians of those and all times, who crave to deal with realities, not ascriptions and imputations, that His offering had in itself this intrinsic value. Christ satisfied herein, not the Divine anger, but the Divine craving after a perfect holiness, righteousness, and obedience in man.W.]
6. Against all Docetist tendencies which now and then appear in the church, the Apostles assertion of the real manhood of Christ has always the deepest significance. There is among the strong defenders of the divinity of the Son far more Crypto-Docetism, far more fear of allowing the full and undiminished truth of Christs humanity, than they themselves know. On the other side, it is much to be wished that all who rightly hold the . ., could as readily accept what the Apostle further says in the Pastoral Epistles, in respect to the divinity of the Lord; see 1Ti 3:16; Tit 2:13. The very Docetism so early visible in the apostolic age, is an indirect proof of the superhuman character of the Saviour. His appearance was so wonderful, that men could not at first believe Him to be real man.
7. Christianity knits the ties by which natural religion binds men to one God still more closely, through the one only Mediator; for He points to the one centre of all. Christ is the bond of the God-head and manhood; Heubner.
8. The apostolic command to pray for all men has been often interpreted as allowing prayers for the dead. The words of Luther are noteworthy on this subject, Kirchenpostille, Dom. I., Post Trin.: We have no command from God to pray for the dead, therefore no one can sin who does not pray for them. For, in what God has neither commanded nor forbidden, no man can sin. Yet, because God has not granted us to know the state of the soul, and we must be uncertain whether it has not met already its final doom, and therefore cannot tell if the soul be condemned, it is no sin that thou prayest for the dead; but in such wise, that thou leave it in doubt, and say thus: Dear God, if this soul be in that state that Thou yet mayest help it, I pray Thee to Le gracious unto it. For God has promised to hear us in what we ask. Therefore, if thou hast prayed once, or thrice, thou shouldest believe that thou art heard, and pray no more, lest thou tempt God.
9. If we have, according to the doctrine of the Apostle, only one Mediator between God and man, then the invocation of saints, and Mariolatry especially, as practiced in the Roman Church in recent times, is already condemned in its very principle.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
Public prayer no secondary thing, but the chief element in the assembly of believers.The duty of special intercession: (1) Its extent (1Ti 2:1-2); (2) its ground (1Ti 2:3-7).To pray for others: (1) Its intrinsic worth; (2) how seldom and poorly performed.The relation of Christian subjects toward their rulers.The influence of religious life and prayer on the welfare of the Church.God wills that all men be saved: (1) No mere show or pretence of will, but a right earnest will; (2) no inactive will, but mighty, and working for the good of all; (3) no absolute and despotic will, but a conditioned and holy will, against which the stiff-necked enmity of unbelief can hold out to its own eternal shame.The knowledge of the truth, the Divine means for the eternal redemption of the sinner.One Mediator for all: (1) What a privilege to know Him! (2) what a curse to reject Him! (3) what a duty, after man has found Him, to make Him known to others also!The high significance of the true manhood of the Lord. Without it, (1) There is no perfect revelation of God in Christ; (2) there is no true reconciliation of the Divine and the human, in and through Christ.Christ the ransom for all: (1) From what; (2) for what; (3) to what the Christian is thus redeemed.The manifestation of Christ the pivot of the worlds history.Gods time is always the best.As Paul, so every minister of the Gospel must be assured of his Divine calling.Faith and truth the great means to bring others to a knowledge of the gospel.Missions to the heathen a continuation of the work of Paul.
Starke: Osiander: Christians ought not only to pray for those who, like them, profess some sort of religion, but for all men, that God will guide their hearts to the gospel of Christ.Langes Opp.: There is in intercession for others the purest exercise of love for others.One of the best and most valuable kinds of tax which we owe and may pay to our rulers, is to pray for them, and to thank God heartily for the good we receive through them.Anton: Prayer is a real Noahs ark, in which we may shut ourselves amidst threatening floods.We cannot else pass through the tossing world (Luke) Luk 18:7-8).Bibl. Wrt.: If God is minded to bring all men to the knowledge of the truth, who do not wilfully shut their eyes to it; if Christ has given Himself in death for all, that they may be kept from eternal ruin, we ought also, as holy children, to follow this example of God and Christ, gladly encourage all to seek their eternal health and salvation, and omit nothing which may aid toward it (Rom 10:1).Langes Opp.: How can the Christian religion be other than true, since it leads to the knowledge of saving truths, while all other truths are only phantoms?If it be the earnest will of God to save all men, none can excuse himself who remains godless and unbelieving.Since the satisfaction of Christ is the masterwork and centre of the gospel, it must be chiefly urged by all teachers, and most fully embraced and believingly applied by all hearers (1Co 1:23; Gal 2:20).Osiander: The gospel of Christ belongs to the Gentiles also (Isa 49:6).Heubner: Common prayer is a means of uniting hearts, a true bond of the Church.Where the best Christians are, there are the best citizens.Polytheism severs nations; Christianity binds all in one.An angel could not be the Reconciler of the world.All perfect virtue is self-sacrifice, a denial of my personal self, just as every ungodly life is egoism.Christian integrity speaks truth.Lisco: The duty of common prayer.Intercession a work of love.The greatest thought, the noblest deed, and the holiest decision.
1Ti 2:1-6. Epistle for Rogation day, in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and elsewhere.Beck: Intercession, the consecration of a life of prayer.Intercession the crown of prayer.Knippenberg: On the right spirit of Christian intercession.Drseke: Christian intercession considered, (1) In its nature; (2) in its dignity; (3) in its effects.Dietzsch: The wish of a Christian people for the welfare of its rulers.W. Hofacker: Of the right priestly spirit, as the need of our time.
Footnotes:
[1]1Ti 2:1.[; , G.evidently, as Huther says, a conjecture for the sake of giving to the Apostles address to Timothy the form of a command.E. H.]
[2]1Ti 2:1.[ .; not, at the beginning or opening of public service (C. and H. after Chrysostom), but before all thingsas the author, who follows Huther, observes, the words are to be connected with .E. H.]
[3]1Ti 2:2.[. If the English word respectability had not lost its meaning, it would perhaps be the proper word to express the sense of the Apostle here. Dignity is too stately. Vulgate: castitate. Calvin: honestate. C. and H.: gravity. German Version: Ehrbarkeit. The word means on estate or condition of honor, &c., founded upon the possession of the corresponding moral quality, honesty.E. H.]
[4]1Ti 2:6.[ ; omitted by A., and rejected by Lachmann. It stands in the Sinaiticus without the article. In some MSS. was written before . The omission from A. is certainly singular. The sense is much better with than without the words. Tischendorf retains them. Huther says that Lachmann did; but this is a mistakeat least, they are not in the large edition of 1850.E. H.]
[5]1Ti 2:7.The words of the Recepta, , are wanting in A. D.1 F. G., and others, and for this reason have been left out by Griesbach, Scholz, Lachmann, Tischendorf, and others. Perhaps they were introduced from Rom 9:1. The Sinaiticus has retained them. [They are not in Murdocks Syriac Translation.E. H.]
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
The Apostle is prosecuting the Subject of his Advice to Timothy; in this Chapter. He exhorts, that Prayers be made, that Women be adorned with plain Apparel. He closeth with a sweet Promise.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
(1) 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.
We shall do well to observe, what the Holy Ghost hath here commanded by Paul, on the subject of prayer. It is for all men. By which we learn, what is here meant, by praying for all, in this indiscriminate manner. The passage indeed explains itself: that we may lead a quiet, and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty. It is simply for temporal things, similar to what God commanded the Prophet on the subject of prayer, when the Church was going into captivity. Seek the peace of the city, (saith the Lord,) whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. Jer 29:7 . And the close of this paragraph, becomes a further confirmation. For this is good, and acceptable, in the sight of God our Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of truth. What saving is this, which God our Savior is said, that he would have all men to have? Not salvation surely. For if so, how comes it to pass, that all are not saved; or that any is lost. The loss of a single soul, if this were the sense of the passage, would prove, that what God willed, came not to pass. And this would throw down all God’s divine attributes. But, if the words be interpreted by what went before, in allusion to temporal safety; then it follows, that our prayers for all men, while having an eye only to their temporal prosperity, are in perfect agreement, with all men having temporal safety in Christ: and which Christ, as the Maker, and Upholder of all things, is the sole cause of. See 1Ti 4:10 and Commentary.
Reader! I take occasion from this passage, to offer a short observation on prayer, which I conceive to be of no small importance, to regard, in our spiritual life. I mean, in always confining our petitions in prayer for spiritual blessings, to the Church; in conformity to the pattern of Christ. I pray not for the world, (said Jesus,) but for them which thou hast given me. Joh 17:9 . It is certainly most suitable, and becoming in the Church, and every individual of the Church, to follow Christ’s example in this, as well as upon every other occasion which is imitable. As we know not who are, or who are not, the members of Christ’s body, in numberless cases, we cannot often speak of persons as Jesus did; yet, we shall still follow the Lord’s steps in this particular in prayer, if we always qualify our petitions for spiritual blessings for any, with subjoining: If it be the Lord’s holy will and pleasure. A child if God, when seeking grace for his family, for his little ones, and bringing them to ordinances with this view, to present them before the Lord, for his blessing; will not err, as long as he asketh, all he asketh for them, with this gratifying clause: If it he thy holy will. It was thus the people brought their sick and diseased to the Lord Jesus, in the days of his flesh; beseeching him that they might only t ouch the hem of his garment. Mar 6:55-56 . And if we do the same now, in the day of Christ’s power; here we ought to rest. And, if the Lord gives a spirit of prayer for them; it is a blessed hope, that the Lord will answer it in mercy. Further we cannot presume, neither to be wise above what is written, or to dictate to the Lord of his doings.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Ti 2:1
St. Paul says somewhere, ‘I exhort that first of all prayers… be made for all men’. Few souls are capable of that wide and deep prayer which embraces the interests of all the earth and all the Church of God. We limit ourselves too much; we look at our own concerns too closely; souls remain as it were folded back upon themselves, saddened by the monotonous view of their own imperfections and discouraged by their weakness. We must know sometimes how to shut our eyes to ourselves, to lose ourselves from sight, to forsake the sad and wearisome care for our own interests, to look higher and farther, to see God’s work in the world and to pray for the coming of His kingdom.
Lettres de l’Abb Perreyve, p. 393.
References. II. 1. W. F. Shaw, Sermon Sketches for the Christian Year, p. 131. W. M. Sinclair, The New Law, p. 55. E. W. Attwood, Sermons for Clergy and Laity, p. 529. Expositor (6th Series), vol. xii. p. 57. II. 1, 2. P. M’Adam Muir. Christian World Pulpit, vol. lii. p. 10. J. Keble, Sermons for Septuagesima to Ash Wednesday, p. 402. G. C. Lorimer, Christian World Pulpit, vol. liv. p. 259. Bishop Frodsham, Church Family Newspaper, vol. xv. p. 632. II. 1-4. F. J. A. Hort, Village Sermons in Outline, p. 58. II. 1-5. Expositor (4th Series), vol. i. p. 140; ibid. vol. vi. p. 421.
1Ti 2:2
The duty of princes is not to save souls but to preserve peace.
Thomasius.
1Ti 2:2
‘In Church today,’ Dr. Arnold writes from Paris, in 1827, ‘there was a prayer for the king and the royal family of France, but they were prayed for simply in their personal capacity, and not as the rulers of a great nation, nor was there any prayer for the French people. St Paul’s exhortation is to pray, not for kings, and their families, but for kings and all who are in authority, “that we may lead a peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”. So for ever is this most pure command corrupted by servility and courtliness.’ See further J. A. Froude’s Bunyan (‘English Men of Letters’), pp. 88, 89.
References. II. 2. Expositor (5th Series), vol. vii. p. 459. II. 3, 4. R. F. Horton, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lvii. p. 312. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxvi. No. 1516. II. 4. W. H. Harwood, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xlv. p. 294. J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons (9th Series), p. 205. J. Keble, Sermons for Easter to Ascension Day, p. 171.
The Man Who Is Best Worth Talking About
1Ti 2:5
There is surely nothing in the world so well worth thinking of as this Man; and most of us believe that there will be nothing in the future world so well worth looking at as His face. He is the only human form on which the thoughts can dwell and the eyes can gaze for ever without growing weary.
I. This Man is our religion. If you want to find out what Christianity is in its simplest and largest meaning, you have only to find out what this Man said and did and was. A Christian is one who believes thoroughly in the Man Christ Jesus, who makes this Man Christ Jesus the Master of his thoughts, the guide of his actions, the judge of his daily life, who loves and obeys and adores this Man above everything else, and who tries in his own poor way to make his own life a little like that of his Master. There is no definition of a Christian which will bear examination except that.
II. I would remind you that it was the simple unadorned manhood of this Man that makes Him beautiful and worth looking at The Man Himself, and not His belongings. When we are speaking of the great ones of the earth, we say, Look at his throne, his elevated position, his noble birth, his splendid surroundings, palace, servants, wealth, or his gifts, talents, and genius. But when we are speaking of Jesus, we say, Look at the Man. He needs no setting off, no gilded framework. He had nothing but His own sweet goodness to win for Him the reverence of the world. And it teaches us all this lesson, that goodness and qualities of heart are the only really beautiful things in the world.
III. He brings the great unseen God down to us, and makes the unseen, far-off God near. For truly no man could have lived a life like that if He had been only man. In His face is a glass, through which we see Him who governs all things the great eternal Father. It is our only way of learning what God is like. For no mortal man has ever seen Him. Where is He and what is He like, we say? and there is no clear answer but this: ‘The Man Christ Jesus’. All that we know of God is there, and it is all we need to know.
IV. I would point you to this Man, because the thought of Him and the sight of Him give us hope and promise concerning ourselves. His manhood lifts our own nature up our own nature. It proves that we have something in us akin to the Divine; something that can become Godlike. By the help of God we can each become in a measure Christlike, and therefore Godlike. Now that is what makes it so stimulating to look at this Man.
J. G. Greenhough, The Cross and the Dice-Box, p. 177.
References. II. 5. W. M. Sinclair, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xliv. p. 17. Bishop Gore, ibid. vol. xlix. p. 257. T. F. Crosse, Sermons (2nd Series), p. 64. H. Allen, Penny Pulpit, No. 1558, p. 93. Expositor (5th Series), vol. iv. p. 257.
1Ti 2:5-6
‘For there is one God’ (a Mohammedan could go thus far: but the Christian confession is completed by the further testimony), ‘one mediator also between God and men, Himself man, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all.’ This might serve as a text for a sermon upon the exclusiveness of Jesus Christ. Dr. Theodor Kaftan has published an address, in the fourth series of the Biblischen Zeit- und Streitfragen (1908), which discusses it in this light. All truth, as he points out, is exclusive. If there is one correct method in an inquiry, it is mistaken kindness to talk as though the question of method were still debatable. The man who knows the true road to knowledge in any province, will not amiably let beginners try vain experiments along lines of their own, to the inevitable and sometimes irreparable loss of time and money. He will insist upon attention to the proper method. Dr. Kaftan applies this to the modern attitude towards comparative religion. ‘Nowadays, “religions” not religion is the clue: or, to put it otherwise, “religion” not “the religion”. The claim of Christianity to be the religion a claim based on this very fact that there is but one mediator between God and man this claim is felt by many to be an unjustifiable reflection upon all other religions, and a highly suspicious isolation of the Christian religion.’ As he proceeds to show, it is in reality neither. One can recognise with perfect sympathy and gratitude the moral and religious aspirations voiced outside Christianity. One can and one must; for Christianity is no partisan religion, nor does it lie outside all historical relations to the other movements of religion among men. But it is exclusive none the less, inasmuch as Jesus Christ for the first time made fellowship between God and man a reality; through the knowledge of God, which he revealed, this fellowship became possible, and through the reign of God, which he incorporated, it is perfected. The pre-eminent and distinctive place of Jesus Christ must be conserved. ‘To allow Him to fall into the background in the religious life of the soul; to let Him disappear, as it were, behind God; to seek in this direction the solution of our Christological difficulties is practically the same as if we were to recognise that the purity and soundness of our bodily condition lay in as anaemic a condition as possible.’ The one God implies one mediator.
James Moffatt.
References. II. 5, 6. W. M. Clow, The Cross in Christian Experience, p. 101. II. 6. Expositor (4th Series), vol. v. p. 434. II. 7. Ibid. (6th Series), vol. viii. p. 235. II. 8. Lyman Abbott, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lvi. p. 49. M. G. Glazebrook, Prospice, p. 164. G. C. Lorimer, Christian World Pulpit, vol. liv. p. 259. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Timothy, p. 353. II. 20. Expositor (6th Series), vol. i. p. 211. 111. 5. Ibid. vol. vii. p. 275.
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
III
PAUL’S CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE
1Ti 1:18-2:7
At the close of the last chapter we were considering Paul’s use of his Christian experience, and eight instances of its use were cited. In that connection a promise was made to begin this chapter with a bit of history illustrating the last two instances of its use, namely, 1Ti 1:12-13 and 2Ti 1:12 . The history is this:
The Southern Baptist Convention held its first Texas session at Jefferson. On Sunday two remarkable sermons were preached. Rev. W. W. Landrum, a licensed preacher, was pastor-elect of the First Church, Shreveport, Louisiana. The church called for his ordination to take place Sunday at 11:00 A.M. at Jefferson during the Convention session there, in order that Dr. Broadus and Dr. S. Landrum, the father of the candidate, might serve on the presbytery. The Convention, of course, did not ordain him, but some thought it would have a misleading effect to have the ordination away from the home church and at an important Convention hour. Dr. Broadus preached the ordination sermon from the common version of 1Ti 1:12-13 , the very passage we are now considering. It was a great and very impressive sermon.
From memory I give you his outline:
1. Christ puts men into the ministry: “Putting me into this ministry.”
2. Christ confers ability on his ministers: “Enabling me.”
3. This should be a matter of thankfulness to the minister: “I thank Christ Jesus my Lord.”
4. Especially when the preacher was formerly Christ’s enemy: “Putting me into this ministry who was before a blasphemer, persecutor, and injurious.”
Sunday night the Convention sermon was preached by Dr. Taylor, newly-elected pastor of the Colosseum Place Church, New Orleans, Louisiana. His text was another relating of Paul’s experience: 2Ti 1:12 : “For which cause I suffer all these things; yet I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed; and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day.”
I have italicized the words stressed in the sermon. Again from memory I give the outline:
1. Paul called to be a great sufferer: “I suffer all these things,” citing in illustration Act 9:16 ; 1Co 4:9 ; 2Co 4:10-11 ; 2Co 6:4-5 ; 2Co 11:23-29 . This point was exceedingly pathetic.
2. The cause of his willingness to suffer: “For this cause I suffer”; he found in the preceding verse: “Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
3. Called to suffering but not to shame: “Yet I am not ashamed.”
4. Reasons for not being ashamed:
(1) “I know him whom I have believed.” Here the preacher, evincing great classical research, contrasted the vague guesses of the wisest heathen in their philosophies, with the certitude of Christian knowledge.
(2) “Whom I have believed.” Here, with great power, the preacher showed that the object of faith was a person and not a proposition, contrasting the difference between a burdened sinner resting his weary head on a sympathetic heart, and resting it on the cold marble of an abstract proposition.
(3) “I know whom I have believed,” Here he made plain that faith is not blind credulity, but based on assured knowledge and therefore reasonable.
(4) “And I am persuaded that he is able to guard.” Here the assurance of faith.
(5) “To guard that which I have committed unto him.” Here faith, having believed a well-known person, commits a treasure to his keeping, being assured of his ability to guard it. The thought is clear and impressive that faith is not only believing, but a committal the making of deposit even one’s own assaulted body and soul the life of the man himself to be hid with Christ in God.
(6) “Against that day.” The great judgment day not only guarded in all of life’s trials, sorrows, and sufferings, and in death’s dread hour, but even in the last great assize, where before the great white throne final assignment is made to one’s eternal state, home, and companionship.
The two sermons were much discussed as to their relative greatness. The general verdict was that Dr. Broadus’ was the greater to the hearer, and Dr. Taylor’s was the greater to the reader, the one being much more impressive in delivery than the other.
I have given this bit of history not only to illustrate the force of the closing point in my last discussion on the uses made of Paul’s Christian experience, but because the sermons were masterpieces of homiletics.
In resuming the exposition of our great paragraph, attention is called to two distinct reasons assigned for Paul’s conversion.
The Two Poles of Salvation. The first reason assigned latter clause of verse 1Ti 1:13 : “Howbeit I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.” A blasphemer, a persecutor, an injurious man may obtain mercy if these things are done in spiritual ignorance and unbelief. This answers the question: “Who are salvable?” to wit: all sinners on earth who have not committed the unpardonable sin eternal sin pardonable because not wilfully against the light, knowledge, and conviction of the Holy Spirit. Let the reader consult the teacher’s exposition of Heb 10:26-31 , and compare Mat 12:32 ; Mar 3:28-30 ; 1Jn 5:16-18 . Paul was conscientious in all hw blasphemies and persecution. He verily thought he was doing God’s service. Conscience is that inward monitor, divinely implanted, which pronounces verdict on good and evil. It is a mistake to say that it is the creature of education. Education itself being only development and training of what is already potentially present, can have no creative power. Conscience, unenlightened, may become the servant of education and environment. Its light may be darkened; it may become callous and even seared as with a hot iron, but it never vacates its witness box or judicial seat in either Christian, Jew, or heathen (Rom 2:14-15 ; Rom 9:1 ; Act 26:9 ).
The second reason assigned is in 1Ti 1:16 : “Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me as chief might Jesus Christ show forth all his longsuffering, for an example of them that should thereafter believe on him unto eternal life.” This is the other pole of salvation. The chief of sinners, the outside man of the salvable, was saved to show the utmost extent of longsuffering mercy as an example of encouragement to despairing men less guilty than the chief, to believe on Christ unto eternal life.
Now, the use that we make of that last reason is this: We may take that case of Paul as the outside man, the chief of sinners, and holding it up as a model, as an example, go to any sinner this side of hell even if his feet be on the quivering, crumbling brink of the abyss and preach salvation to him, and if he despairs and says, “I am too great a sinner,” then we may say, “Behold, God saves the outside man, nearer to hell than you are.”
In order to get the full benefit of that thought we must conceive of all sinners that are salvable put in a row, single file, and graded according to the heinousness of their guilt here the least guilty, there the next most guilty, and the next and the next, and away yonder at the end of the line is that outside man, Paul, right next to hell. Now Christ comes and reaches out a long arm of grace over that extended line and snatches the outside man from the very jaws of hell, and holds him up and says, “Is not this brand plucked from the burning?”
I have used that example just the way God intended it to be used in preaching in jails and penitentiaries and city slums, and in coming in contact with the toughest and roughest and most criminal sinners in the world.
The next question is: Wherein is Paul the chief of sinners? Quite a number of men have disputed my contention that Paul was really the greatest sinner, leaving out of course the unpardonable sin. He was a blasphemer) but that did not make him the chief of sinners, for others have been more blasphemous. He was a persecutor, but that did not make him the chief of sinners, for other men have been greater persecutors : Nero, Louis XIV of France, and especially that spiritual monster, Philip II of Spain. Any one of these men persecuted beyond anything that Paul ever did. He was an injurious man, but other men have been more injurious than he. What, then, constituted him the chief of sinners, the outside man? My answer is: He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees in his self-righteousness the extremest Pharisee that ever lived and self-righteousness stands more opposed to the righteousness of Christ than does either persecution or blasphemy. To illustrate: The Pharisee who came into the Temple to pray, and with uplifted eyes, faces God and says, “God, I thank thee that I am not like other men especially this poor publican. I fast twice every week; I pay tithes of all I possess.” No praying in that. It is the feigned prayer of the selfrighteous man, denying that he is a sinner. He denies any need of regeneration and sanctification by the Holy Spirit. He denies any need of the cleansing by the blood of Jesus Christ: “I need no Saviour; I stand on my own record, and answer for myself at the bar of God.” The self-righteous man would come to the very portals of heaven over which is written: “No unclean thing shall enter here,” march right in and stand unabashed in the presence of the Cherubim who sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty,” and brazenly say to God’s face: “I am as holy as thou art. I am as white as snow. I was never in bondage. I have no need to be forgiven.” That made Paul the chief of sinners; nobody ever came up to him on self-righteousness. Now, if this chief of sinners, this outside man, be saved, that gives us the other pole of salvation.
Proceeding with the discussion, we note what 1Ti 1:17 says: “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” How is God more immortal, more eternal than the soul of man? If the soul of man is deathless, then how is he more immortal? There was a beginning to that soul, but there was no beginning to the being of God. How is God invisible? The Scriptures declare that no man bath seen God at any time, or can see him. The only way in which he has ever been seen has been in his image, Jesus Christ. Jesus has revealed him; so when we look at Jesus we see the Father, and in the teachings of Jesus we hear the Father. But there will come a time, when we are completely saved, when the affairs of the world are wound up, then we shall see God; “God himself shall tabernacle with men, and they shall see his face.” That was the glorious thought in Job’s declaration: “Oh, that my words were now written, that they were graven with iron and lead in a rock forever, for I know that my Redeemer liveth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold.” In quoting this passage, I stand upon the King James Version: “In my body” not “apart from my body.” We do not see God in our disembodied soul, but when our soul and body are redeemed, then God himself becomes visible. The context and all the scriptures in other connections oppose the Revised Version on this passage. See Rev 22:4 .
1Ti 1:18 gives a consequential charge to Timothy. It reads: “This charge I commit unto thee, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which led the way unto thee, that by them thou mayest war a good warfare.” What is the meaning of the prophecy that led the way to Timothy? In Act 13 in the church of Antioch there were certain prophets, and it was revealed unto these prophets that Saul and Barnabas should be set apart, or ordained, to the foreign mission work. Later Barnabas drops out, and Paul needs another and better Barnabas and some prophet, either Paul himself or Silas, receives & revelation that that boy, Timothy, who was led to Christ in Lystra or in Derbe, should be ordained to go with Paul to the foreign mission work.
The second part of the charge is, “holding faith and a good conscience.” Do not turn faith loose; don’t say, “I once believed in Jesus Christ, now I do not.” Hold on to a good conscience. Conscience is never good until it is purified with the application of the blood of Jesus Christ in regeneration. The lamp of the Lord shines with a clear light upon every action, right or wrong, as long as it remains good. But when we begin to trifle with the conscience when we do things we are conscientiously opposed to, our conscience will become callous. Therefore, let us hold to our faith, and hold to a good conscience.
In the next verse: “Which some having thrust from them made shipwreck concerning the faith, of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered unto Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme.” Now here we have a shipwreck not of faith but concerning the faith. These men turned loose the faith, blinding their consciences. Now the question comes up: On what specific point did these two men turn loose the faith? 2Ti 2:16 ff answers: “But shun profane babblings, for they will proceed further in ungodliness, and their word will eat as doeth a gangrene (or cancer), of whom is Hymenaeua and Philetus (here we get one of them with another added); men who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of some.” Men in Ephesus denied that there was any such thing as the resurrection of the body that it was scientifically impossible and taught that the resurrection was the conversion of the soul. They have followers today. Some who claim to be teachers of preachers virtually deny the resurrection of the body. A preacher of the annual sermon before the Southern Baptist Convention, taught that Christ assumed his resurrection body simply for identification, and that after he was identified it was eliminated, and it did not concern us to know what became of it.
Now, what does Paul say about the denial of the resurrection? He calls it profane babbling that will progress to greater ungodliness: “And their word will eat as doth a gangrene.” We know how a cancer eats while we are sleeping, commencing perhaps in the corner of the eye, and after a while it will eat the eye out, then the side of the face, then it will eat the nose off, and then the lips, and keep on eating. That was the shipwreck concerning the faith made by Hymenaeus, Alexander, and Philetus.
The next question is: What chance did Paul give these men to be saved? The text says that he turned them over to Satan that they should be taught not to blaspheme. In other words, the true Christian in the fold is hedged against Satan he cannot get to him he cannot put the weight of his little finger on him without asking permission; he asked permission to worry Job and Peter. Whenever a sheep on the inside gets too unruly and he is put on the outside and hears the wolves howl a while, he will bleat around to come back in. But if one turns an unruly hog out of the pen, he will strike for the woods and never come back. Peter, in the exercise of his apostolic power, could strike Ananias dead. Paul, in the same power, struck Elymas blind, but where the object of this power is to save, offenders were temporarily turned over to the buffeting of Satan as in the case of the offending Corinthian. This man had taken his father’s wife, but the discipline led him to repentance and he was glad to get back in.
1Ti 2 gives direction concerning public prayer worship. The first injunction is that prayers, supplications, and intercessions be made for all men not only for our Baptist brethren, but our Methodist brethren; not only for the Christians, but for those on the outside. Pray for all rulers, all people in authority presidents, governors, senators, city councils, and police ah, but some of them do need it! Now, he gives the reasons it is important to see what the reasons are: (1) Pray for these rulers that we may live a quiet and orderly life. If they are bad, we won’t have an easy time. If the administrators of law be themselves lawless in their speech, every bad man construes it into permission to do what he pleases. When the wicked are in power the righteous suffer. (2) It is good and acceptable in the sight of God that we should do it. God wants us to pray for all people. (3) And the third reason is the great reason: That God would have all men to be saved. Let us not squirm at that, but for a little while let us forget about election and predestination, and just look this scripture squarely in the face: God desires the salvation of all men. In this connection I commend that sermon in my first book of sermons on “God and the Sinner.” Note in order its several proof texts. God asks, Eze 18:23 : “Have I any pleasure at all in the death of the wicked that they should die and not live?” Eze 33:11 , God takes an oath: “As I live saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that he will turn from his evil way and live. Then why will you die? saith the Lord.” Then we come to the passage here: “God would have all men to be saved.” “And God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” In Luk 15 the accusation made against him was: “This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them”; and he answered: “I came to seek and to save that which was lost.” And the text here says that he gave his life a ransom for all. That all is as big here as elsewhere. He would have all men to be saved; pray for all men because he would have all men to be saved, and because Christ gave his life as a ransom for all. Then this scripture: “Jesus Christ tasted death for every man.” If there is still doubt, look at the Lord’s Commission: “Go ye, and make disciples of all nations”; ” Go ye, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Finally, consider the teaching of Peter: “We must account that the long suffering of God in delaying the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is that all men should have space to repent and come to the knowledge of truth.” That’s the construction he puts upon the apparent tardiness of the final advent of our Lord. However, when we study election and predestination, we should study and preach them just as they are taught. Let us not say, “I don’t know just how to harmonize them with these other teachings.”
God did not appoint us harmonizers of his word.
As Dr. Broadus used to say, let the word of God mean just what it wants to mean, every time. Preach both of them. These lines are apparently parallel, but they may come together. If on a map parallels of longitude come together at the poles, why not trust God to bring together in himself and in eternity his apparent parallels of doctrine? Up yonder beyond the clouds they will come together. That is my own method of preaching.
Now, we come to a very important part of this prayer, verse 1Ti 2:5 : “For there is one God, one mediator between God and man, himself man, Christ Jesus.” Oh, if we could but learn thoroughly the relation of this passage to the doctrine of prayer: The Old Testament gives us the type of it: The victim is sacrificed; the high priest takes the blood and starts into the holy of holies to sprinkle it upon the mercy seat. Then he takes a coal of fire from the altar of that sacrifice and kindles the frankincense, which represents the prayers of the people. The high priest alone takes the prayers of the people there into the holy of holies: “Father, behold the atoning blood. On account of that blood, hear these petitions of the people and answer them.”
The thought is that in offering up prayers to God, there is only one mediator. Let us not kneel down and say, “Oh, virgin Mary, intercede for me with Jesus, that he may hear my prayers.” Or, ”Oh, Peter, John, Paul, James, ye saints, help me in getting my prayers up to heaven.” There is just one mediator between God and man, and one of the most blasphemous doctrines of the papacy is prayer to saints. Saints may pray for sinners, but saints are not allowed to mediate prayers nor themselves be prayed unto. We are not mediators with Jesus. There is just one case in the Bible where a prayer was made to a saint, and that prayer was not answered. The rich man lifted up his eyes and seeing Abraham afar off, said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me.”
QUESTIONS
1. What bit of history illustrates the uses of Paul’s Christian experience and furnishes two models in homiletics?
2. What are two reasons are assigned in the text for Paul’s conversion and show how they constitute the poles of salvation?
3. What use in preaching may be made the second reason?
4. Wherein was Paul the chief of sinners?
5. How alone is God now visible?
6. When and to whom will he be directly visible?
7. Explain the prophecy that led the way unto Timothy?
8. Wherein did Hymenaeus and Alexander make shipwreck concerning the faith & what the difference between “shipwreck of faith” &”concerning faith”?
9. Show in two respects how this heresy worked evil.
10. What was the power given to apostles and what cases of its use: (1) To destruction. (2) In order to save. (3) And what illustration of the test of “turning over to Satan.” (4) What notable examples of “turning over to Satan” where it worked for good to its subject?
11. What is the topic of 1Ti 2 ?
12. For whom should we pray and what the general reasons given?
13. Cite other passages in line with 1Ti 2:4 .
14. Can you satisfactorily harmonize these passages with the doctrines of election and predestination?
15. What will you do with doctrines you can’t harmonize?
16. What is the bearing of “One Mediator” on the doctrine of prayer?
17. What is the Old Testament typical illustration?
18. What are errors of the papacy at this point?
19. What one case in the Bible of praying to a saint?
20. What is the result and what is the inference?
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
Ver. 1. Supplications ] Or, deprecations indited by that Spirit of supplication, or of deprecation, as some render it,Zec 11:10Zec 11:10 .
Prayers ] Strictly taken for petitions or requests of good at God’s hands, which go commonly accompanied with vows of better obedience, as Gen 28:21-22 Psa 51:14 . Hence they have their name, .
Intercessions ] Interparlings with God, either for ourselves (while we stand upon interrogatories with him, 1Pe 3:21 , as Paul doth, Rom 8:33-35 , and expostulate as David often, but especially when Satan, sin, and conscience accuse us), or for others, while we complain to God against such as wrong them, and withal set ourselves seriously to implore his aid for their relief and rescue, , .
For all men ] i.e. For all sorts of men, as the word “all” is used Luk 11:42 .
1 15 .] General regulations respecting public intercessory prayers for all men ( 1Ti 2:1-4 ): from which he digresses into a proof of the universality of the gospel ( 1Ti 2:4-7 ) then returns to the part to be taken by the male sex in public prayer ( 1Ti 2:8 ): which leads him to treat of the proper place and subjection of women ( 1Ti 2:9-15 ). I exhort then (‘ is without any logical connexion,’ says De W. Certainly, with what immediately precedes; but the account to be given of it is, that it takes up the general subject of the Epistle, q. d., ‘what I have then to say to thee by way of command and regulation, is this:’ see 2Ti 2:1 . “The particle has its proper collective force (‘ad ea, qu antea posita sunt, lectorem revocat.’ Klotz.): ‘continuation and retrospect,’ Donaldson, Gr. 604.” Ellic.), first of all (to be joined with , not, as Chr. ( ; , ), Thl., Calv., Est., Bengel, Conyb., E. V., and Luther, with , in which case, besides other objections, the verb would certainly have followed all the substantives, and probably would have taken with it. It is, in order and importance, his first exhortation) to make (cf. ref. Phil. It has been usual to take passive : and most Commentators pass over the word without remark. In such a case, the appeal must be to our sense of the propriety of the middle or passive meaning, according to the arrangement of the words, and spirit of the sentence. And thus I think we shall decide for the middle. In the prominent position of , if it were passive, and consequently objective in meaning, ‘that prayer, &c. be made,’ it can hardly be passed over without an emphasis, which here it manifestly cannot have. If on the other hand it is middle, it is subjective, belonging to the person or persons who are implied in : and thus serves only as a word of passage to the more important substantives which follow. And in this way the Greek fathers themselves took it: e.g. Chrys. , , . . . ) supplications, prayers, intercessions (the two former words, and , are perhaps best distinguished as in Eph 6:18 , by taking for prayer in general, for supplication or petition , the special content of any particular prayer. See Ellicott’s note cited there, and cf. ref. Phil.
, judging from the cognate verbs , and (reff. Rom.), should be marked with a reference to ‘request concerning others ,’ i.e. intercessory prayer. (Ellic. denies this primary reference, supporting his view by ch. 1Ti 4:5 , where, he says, such a meaning would be inappropriate. But is not the meaning in that very place most appropriate? It is not there intercession for a person : but it is by , prayer on its behalf and over it, that is hallowed. The meaning in Polybius, copiously illustrated by Raphel, an interview or appointed meeting, compellatio aliqua de re , would in the N. T., where the word and its cognates are always used in reference to prayer, for persons or things, necessarily shade off into that of pleading or intercession.) Very various and minute distinctions between the three have been imagined: e.g. Theodoret: , , : Origen, , 14 (not 44, as in Wetst. and Huther), vol. i. p. 220, , , , . . . The most extraordinary of all is Aug.’s view, that the four words refer to the liturgical form of administration of the Holy Communion being “ precationes quas facimus in celebratione sacramentorum antequam illud quod est in Domini mensa incipiat benedici: orationes ( ), cum benedicitur et sanctificatur: interpellations vel postulationes ( ), fiunt cum populus benedicitur: quibus peractis, et participate tanto sacramento, , gratiarum actio , cuncta concludit.” Ep. cxlix. (lix.) 16, vol. ii. p. 636 f.), thanksgivings, for all men (this gives the intercessory character to all that have preceded. On the wideness of Christian benevolence here inculcated, see the argument below, and Tit 3:2 ); for (i.e. ‘especially for’ this one particular class being mentioned and no other) kings (see Tit 3:1 ; Rom 13:1 ff.; 1Pe 2:13 . It was especially important that the Christians should include earthly powers in their formal public prayers, both on account of the object to be gained by such prayer (see next clause), and as an effectual answer to those adversaries who accused them of rebellious tendencies. Jos. (B. J. ii. 10. 4) gives the Jews’ answer to Petronius, , and afterwards (ib. 17. 2), he ascribes the origin of the war to their refusing, at the instigation of Eleazar, to continue the sacrifices offered on behalf of their Gentile rulers. See Wetst., who gives other examples: and compare the ancient liturgies e.g. the bidding prayers, Bingham, book xv. 1. 2: the consecration prayer, ib. 3.1, and on the general practice, ib. 3. 14. ‘ Kings ’ must be taken generally, as it is indeed generalized in the following words: not understood to mean ‘ Csar and his assessors in the supreme power ,’ as Baur, who deduces thence an argument that the Epistle was written under the Antonines, when such an association was usual) and all that are in eminence (not absolutely in authority , though the context, no less than common sense, shews that it would be so. Cf. Polyb. v. 41. 3, . He, as well as Josephus (e.g. Antt. vi. 4. 3), uses absolutely for authorities: see Schweigh. Lex. Polyb. Thdrt. gives a curious reason for the addition of these words: , . The succeeding clause furnishes reason enough: the security of Christians would often be more dependent on inferior officers than even on kings themselves), that (aim of the prayer not, as Heydenreich and Matthies, subjective, that by such prayer Christian men’s minds may be tranquillized and disposed to obey, but objective, that we may obtain the blessing mentioned, by God’s influencing the hearts of our rulers: or as Chrys., that we may be in security by their being preserved in safety) we may pass (more than ‘ lead ’ ( ): it includes the whole of the period spoken of: thus Aristoph. Vesp. 1006 (see also Eccles. 240), , Soph. d. Col. 1615, : see numerous other examples in Wetst.) a quiet (the adjective is a late word, formed on the classical adverb , the proper adjective of which is , used by Plato, Rep. p. 307 a, Legg. 734 a &c. Cf. Palm and Rost’s Lex. sub voce) and tranquil life ( , , , Thdrt. On the distinction between , tranquil from trouble without , and , from trouble within , see Ellicott’s note) in all (‘possible,’ ‘requisite’) piety (I prefer this rendering to ‘ godliness ,’ as more literal, and because I would reserve that word as the proper one for : see 1Ti 2:10 below. is one of the terms peculiar in this meaning to the pastoral Epistles, the second Epistle of Peter (reff.), and Peter’s speech in Act 3:12 . See Prolegg., and note on Act 3:12 ) and gravity (so Conyb.: and it seems best to express the meaning. For as Chrys., , , . , : and thus the gravity and decorum of the Christian life would be broken up).
1Ti 2:1-7 . In the first place, let me remind you that the Church’s public prayers must be made expressly for all men, from the Emperor downwards. This care for all becomes those who know that they are children of a Father who wishes the best for all His children. He is one and the same to all, and the salvation He has provided in the Atonement is available for all. My own work among the Gentiles is one instance of God’s fetching home again His banished ones.
1Ti 2:1 . : This is resumptive of, and a further development of the of 1Ti 1:18 . See reff. St. Paul here at last begins the subject matter of the letter. The object of is not expressed; it is the Church, through Timothy.
is to be connected with : The most important point in my exhortation concerns the universal scope of public prayer . The A.V. connects . . with , as though the framing of a liturgy were in question.
is mid. The mid. of is not of frequent occurrence in N.T.; it is found chiefly in Luke and Paul. For the actual expression , see reff., and Winer-Moulton, Grammar , p. 320, note, and Deissmann, Bible Studies , trans, p. 250.
There is of course a distinction in meaning between , , , supplications (in special crises) prayers, petitions ; that is to say, they cannot be used interchangeably on every occasion; but here the nuances of meaning are not present to St. Paul’s mind: his object in the enumeration is simply to cover every possible variety of public prayer. This is proved conclusively by the addition , which of course could not be, in any natural sense, for all men. But every kind of prayer must be accompanied by thanksgiving, Phi 4:6 , Col 4:2 . On , see Moulton and Milligan, Expositor , vii., vii. 284, and Deissmann, Bible Studies , trans. p. 121. The retention of thanksgivings in the reference to this verse in the opening of the Anglican prayer For the whole state of Christ’s Church is scarcely justified by referring it to God’s triumphs of grace in the lives of the faithful departed. Less unnatural is the explanation of Chrysostom, that “we must give thanks to God for the good that befalls others”.
and (in this order) are combined, Eph 6:18 , Phi 4:6 ; and in chap. 1Ti 5:5 in the same order as here.
: The blessed effects of intercessory prayer on those who pray and on those for whom prayer is made is urged with special reference to the circumstances of the early Church by Polycarp, Phil . 12; Tert. Apol . 30; ad Scapulam , 2; Justin Martyr, Apol . i. 17; Dial . 35. “No one can feel hatred towards those for whom he prays. Nothing is so apt to draw men under teaching, as to love and be loved” (Chrys.).
1 Timothy Chapter 2
From those who had been within, now so solemnly delivered over to Satan, the apostle turns to our relationships with those outside, especially such as are in authority.
“I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men, for kings and all that are in high rank, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all piety and gravity. *For this (is) good and acceptable before our Saviour God, Who desireth, that all men should be saved and come unto full knowledge of truth” (vers. 1-4). It is not here the counsels of God in all their immense extent and heavenly glory, but rather what is consistent with the nature of God revealed in Christ and published everywhere by the gospel. Such is the character of our Epistle, and is the ground on which the apostle insists upon a spirit of peace on the one hand and of godly order on the other. In accordance with this he exhorts that the saints should be marked by a desire of blessing for all mankind: the very reverse of that proud austerity which the heathen bitterly resented in the later Jews. It was the more important to press this gracious attitude, inasmuch as it is of the very essence of the church to stand in holy separateness from the world, as a chaste virgin espoused to Christ. With light or harsh minds this separation easily degenerates into a sour self-complacency; which repels from, instead of attracting to, Him Whose rights over all it is the prime duty of the church to assert, Whose glory and Whose grace ought to fill every mouth and heart with praise. From a misuse of his privileges a Jew was ever in danger of scorning the Gentile, and not least those in high place, with a bitter contempt for such of their brethren as served the Gentile in the exaction of tribute, the sign of their own humiliation. In their national ruin they had more than all the pride of their prosperity, and judged their heathen masters with a sternness ill-suited to those who had lost their position, for a time at least, through their constant yielding to the worst sins of the Gentiles.
* The authority for omitting “for” is small but ancient – A17 67corr. Sah. Memph. Cyr. All others accept it.
The Christian is in no less danger. For on the one hand he is entrusted with a testimony of truth far beyond what the Jew had; and, on the other, his separation does not consist so much in external forms. Hence he is in continual danger of making good a separation to God, not in the power of the Holy Ghost in truth and love among those who cleave to the Lord, but in peculiar abstinences and prohibitions, in an effort to differ from others, and so in a claim of superiority for themselves. This evidently exposes the unwary to self-deception, as it tends to build up that which is as far as possible from the mind of Christ – a bitter though unconscious sectarianism.
Here we see how the Spirit of God guards the saints, so that their separation, however holy, may savour of God’s grace and not of man’s pride. Supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, are to be made for all men. It is not only that they ought always to pray and not to faint; nor again that they should only pray for all saints and especially for those identified with the testimony of Christ. But here we find an exhortation to every variety of prayer on the broad basis of God’s relationship with all mankind. The saints have to answer to this if they would not be false to the truth. They, too, have a corresponding relation,
The very gospel by which they were saved should remind them of it; for if the church in its union with Christ, or rather if Christ and the church, be the special witness of divine counsels, the gospel is no less the standing witness of God’s grace to the world. The saints therefore, knowing both, are responsible to bear a true testimony to the one no less than the other. And in practice it will be found that exaggeration in one tends not only to lose the other, but to corrupt that which becomes the exclusive object. For Christ is the truth; neither the gospel nor the church has a right to our love undividedly, but both in subjection to Christ. And we are called to bear witness to “the” truth as we are sanctified (not by this or by that truth, but) by “the truth.”
Such is the danger today as it was of old. Saints like other men are apt to be one-sided. It looks spiritual to choose the highest line and stand on the loftiest point, and fancy oneself to be safe in that heavenly elevation. On the other hand, it seems loving to steer clear of the church question so constantly abused to gratify ambition, if not spite and jealousy (and thus scattering saints instead of uniting them holily around the Lord’s name), and to devote all one’s energies, in the present broken state of Christendom, to the good news which wins souls to God from destruction. But this is to surrender the nearest circle of Christ’s affections and honour. The only course that is right, holy, and faithful, is to hold to all that is precious in His eyes – to love the church with all its consequences on the one hand, and on the other to go out to all mankind in the grace that would reflect the light of a Saviour God. As in Ephesians and Colossians the former truth is most prominent, so the latter is here. Let us seek to walk in both.
The Authorized Version wrongly connects “first of all” with the making supplications, etc., as both the Syriac, Chrysostom, Theophylact, Erasmus, Luther, Calvin, Estius, Bengel, et al. So had Tyndale, Cranmer, and the Geneva; not Wiclif nor the Rhemish (cleaving as usual to the Vulgate) nor Beza. For the apostle means that he thus exhorts, as being first of all in his mind for his present purpose. The exhortation had a great importance in his eyes who would have God’s character of grace truly presented in the public as well as private intercourse of the saints with Himself. The God Who gave His own Son to die for sinners in divine judgment of sin could not be taxed with slighting sins, whether of corruption or of violence; but oh, the love of Him Who gave His Son to die for sinners that they might be saved through faith in Him!
Therefore does His servant first of all exhort to make supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings for all men, but specifying “for kings and all that are in high rank.” So the godly in Israel had prayed for the city which chastised them for their sins, and sought its peace; whereas the false were habitually rebellious, save for occasional gain or other selfish ends. But now that God had fully shown Himself out in Christ, what became His saints in presence of all men, and especially of sovereigns and rulers? The continual going forth of earnest love on behalf of all men, for which they should ever be free who are delivered from dread of evil and a bad conscience, who are peaceful and happy in their own near relationship with God as His children, who can therefore feel truly and deeply for all that are far off in unremoved death and darkness, and are as ignorant of their own real misery as of the blessed God Himself. The exalted place of those in authority would only make such the more especial objects of loving desire that sovereign goodness might control them and their officials in order that the saints might lead a quiet and tranquil life in all piety.
The reader will notice the abundance and variety in expression of the saints’ prayers. “Supplication” implies earnestness in pressing the suit of need; “prayer” is more general and puts forward wants and wishes; “intercession” means the exercise of free and confiding intercourse, whether for ourselves or for others; and “thanksgiving” tells out the heart’s sense of favour bestowed or counted on. Of all interpretations perhaps the most singular is in Augustine’s Epistle to Paulinus (149, Migne), where the four words are assigned to the several parts of the communion service! Witsius, on the Lord’s prayer, is nearer the mark than any other I have noticed. From first to last the terms bespeak the overflowing charity of the saints who know in God a love superior to evil, and withal never indifferent to it nor making light of it (which is Satan’s substitute) – a Father Who makes His sun rise on evil and good, and sends rain on just and unjust. It is of all moment that the children keep up the family character, and that love should be in constant exercise to His praise. What can men think, feel, or do, about such as love their enemies and pray for those that use them despitefully? Paroxysms of persecution pass quickly, and the saints are let live peacefully in all godliness and gravity; for nothing makes up for failure in piety before God and in a practically grave deportment before men.
“For this [is] good and acceptable before our Saviour God, Who desireth that all men should be saved and come unto full knowledge (or, acknowledgment) of the truth” (vers. 3, 4). The spirit of the gospel the apostle would have to permeate the conduct as well as the heart of the saint. Activity in goodness becomes those who know our Saviour God, Whose own heart goes out in compassion toward all men, not alone surely in present mercies without number, but also that they might be saved. This however cannot be unless they come to the knowledge of the truth. Hence the gospel is sent out to all the creation. Here human weakness, if it be not worse, betrays itself. Those who believe in the large grace of God too often leave no room for His positive and living links of love with the elect, once children of wrath even as others. Those who are sure of the special nearness of God’s family as often overlook what is patent here and elsewhere all over scripture – that love which Christ made known personally and proved triumphantly in His cross whereby it is free to flow out in testimony to all the world.
“Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him” (Joh 13:31 ). Now that His character as Judge of sin is vindicated in the expiatory death of His own Son, His love can freely go out to men on the express ground that they are ungodly, enemies, and powerless (Rom 5:6-10 ). He is both able and willing to save the vilest, but not without acknowledgment of truth. Therefore He commands all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel; also the saints, while walking as members of the one body of Christ, are called to walk in love toward all, and to testify the love that can save any by the faith of Christ. If men are lost, it is through their own will opposing the truth; it is not God’s will, Who, desiring their salvation, gave His Son, and has now sent His own Spirit from heaven that the glad tidings might be thus declared to them in the power of God our Saviour.
This gives occasion to the broad and weighty statement of divine truth which follows.
“For [there is] one God, one mediator also of God and men, Christ Jesus a man, Who gave Himself a ransom for all, the testimony in its own times, to which I was appointed a preacher and apostle (I speak truth, I lie not), a teacher of Gentiles in faith and truth” (vers. 5-7).
The unity of God is the foundation-truth of the Old Testament; as it was the central testimony for which the Jewish people were responsible in a world everywhere else given over to idolatry. We must add that Jehovah, the God of Israel, was that one Jehovah, His proper name in relationship with His people on earth. “Ye are My witnesses, saith Jehovah, and My servant Whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He; before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me. I, even I, am Jehovah; and beside Me there is no Saviour” (Isa 43:10 , Isa 43:11 ).
But during the Jewish economy, God, though known to be one, was not known as He is. “He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel” (Psa 103:7 ). He dwelt in the thick darkness, even where He surrounded Himself with a people for a possession, and. a veil shrouded what display there was of the divine presence; so that the high priest approached but once a year, with clouds of incense and not without blood lest he die. It was only Jesus Who made Him truly known, as we see (where it might least have been expected) by that act of incomparable grace in which He was fulfilling all righteousness when baptized of John in the Jordan (Mat 3:13-17 ). There, as the Holy Spirit descended on Him, the Father from heaven proclaimed Him to be His beloved Son. The Trinity stood revealed. It is in the persons of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, that God, the one God, is really known. Without Jesus this was impossible; when He takes the first step, the Trinity in unity shines out, – love and light wherein is no darkness at all. How infinite is our debt to the Word made flesh, Who deigned to tabernacle with us, Only-begotten Son Who declared God and revealed the Father!
Thus, as we need, we have an adequate image of the invisible God; and this Jesus is “mediator of God and men,” though mediation of course goes farther than representation. For there are two parts in it – His manhood and His ransom, both of special moment if God is to be known, and if man, sinful man, is to be suitably blessed in the knowledge of God.
The Mediator is a man that God may be known of men. The Absolute is divided from the relative (and we, indeed creatures universally, are necessarily relative) by a gulf impassable to us. But if man cannot himself rise to God – and those of mankind who are by grace righteous would most of all repudiate and abhor so presumptuous a thought – God can and does in infinite love come down to man, to man in his guilt and misery with an endless judgment before him.
This, however, does not meet all that is wanted, though it blessedly manifests the love of God in the gift of His own Son that we through faith might have life, eternal life, in Him. Yet even this free gift, immense as it is, does not suffice, for we were lost sinners; and so we needed to be brought to God, freed from our sins, and cleansed for His presence in light. He therefore sent His Son as propitiation for our sins (1Jn 4:10 ). Herein indeed is love, not that we loved Him (though we ought to have so done), but that He loved us, and proved it in this way, divine and infinite, in the Person of His Only-begotten Son sent to suffer unspeakably for our sins on the cross that we might through the faith of Him be without spot or stain before God (where otherwise we could not be), and that we might know it even now on earth by the Holy Ghost given to us. So here it is said that He “gave Himself a ransom for all.”
Hence, as God is one, it is important to remark the unity of the Mediator. Here the Catholic system, and not Rome only, though Rome most, has sinned against the truth. For the oneness of the Mediator is as sure, vital, and characteristic a testimony of Christianity as the oneness of God was of the law. It is not only that Christ Jesus is Mediator, but there is this “one” only. The introduction of angels is a base invention that savours of Judaism. And who required it at their hands to set the departed saints, or the Virgin Mary, in the least share of that glory which is Christ’s alone? The Head of the body, Who also is Head over all things, can admit of no such fellowship. He only of divine persons is Mediator; and though He is so as man, to claim partnership for any other of mankind (living or dead makes no real difference as to this) is not short of treason against Him. Not only is it untrue that any other in heaven or earth shares in mediation, but the assertion of it for the highest of creatures is a lie of Satan, as subversive of Christianity as polytheism was the direct and insulting denial of the one two God.
And most solemn and affecting it is to see that, as the Jew (called to bear witness of the one God) broke down in the foulest adoption of heathen idolatry, so Christendom has betrayed its trust at least as signally in the especial point of fidelity to its transcendent treasure and peculiar glory. For the Greek church is in this respect only less faulty than the Romish; and what are Nestorians, Copts, Abyssinians, et al. ? The Protestant bodies are doubtless less gross in their standards of doctrine; but the present state of Anglicanism shows how even its services admit of an enormous infusion of objects before their votaries which detract from the glory of the Lord Jesus.
There is however another and an opposite way in which professing Christians may be false to the mediation of Christ, not by adding others which practically divide His work and share His honour, but by supplanting and in effect denying mediation altogether. It is not open Arians or Unitarians alone who are thus guilty, but rationalists of all sorts, whether in the national bodies or in the dissenting systems. The incarnation, if owned in terms, is really robbed of all its glory and blessedness; for if Christ Jesus were but “a man”, why or how could He be mediator of God and men? Superiority in degree is no adequate basis. It is His divine nature which makes His becoming man so precious; as it is the union of both in His person which gives character to His love, and efficacy to His sacrifice, and value to His ransom. Here the faithlessness, not of the party of tradition, but of the school of human reason and philosophy, antipodes as they are in Christendom, is as painfully conspicuous. God is only an idea and therefore unknown; as He Who alone can make Him known, or fit man to serve and enjoy and magnify Him, the one Mediator? Jesus, is ignored in His divine glory, His manhood being cried up perhaps, but only, if so, to set aside His deity, and to assume a fresh honour to the human race.
Thoroughly in keeping with the large character of the Epistle, it is here said that He “gave Himself a ransom for all.” It is not special counsels, which cannot fail of accomplishment, as in Eph 5 where Christ, it is said, loved the church, or assembly, and gave Himself up for it; and so the apostle there goes on to say, as he does not here, that He might sanctify it, purifying it by the washing of water by the word, that He might present the church to Himself glorious, having no spot or wrinkle, or any of such things, but that it might be holy and blameless. Here the same apostle treats of the answer in the Mediator’s work to God’s nature and His willingness to save, in face of man’s will who, as His enemy, expects no good from God, and believes not the fullest proof of grace in Christ’s death, nor would be persuaded when He Who died in love rose in righteousness from the dead to seal the truth with that unquestionable stamp of divine power. It is “a ransom for all,” whoever may bow and reap the blessing; which those do who, renouncing their own proud will for God’s mercy in Christ, repent and believe the gospel.
“Its own times” came for “the testimony” when man’s wickedness was all out in its hatred, not merely of God’s law, but of God’s Son. As long as it was but failure in duty or violation of commands under the law, divine patience lengthened out the day of probation, whatever the enormous provocation from time to time, as we see in the inspired history of the Jew. But the cross was hatred of divine love and perfect goodness. of God in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not reckoning to them their offences; but Him even thus, yea perhaps because it was thus, they would not have at any price, hating Him without a cause, hating Him most of all for a love beyond all when “made sin” for us.
Thus was man, not Gentile only but Jew if possible yet more, proved to be lost; and on this ground the gospel goes forth to all, “the testimony in its own times.” It is salvation for the lost as all are, for him that believes; God’s righteousness (for man universally had been shown to have none), – God’s righteousness unto all (such is the universal aspect of divine grace) and upon all that believe (such is the particular effect where there is faith in Jesus). Therein God is just and justifies the believer.
Here it is “the testimony,” and accordingly its direction or scope “unto all,” rather than the blessed result where it is received in faith. And therefore to “the testimony”, it is consistently added “to which I was appointed preacher (or herald) and apostle,” giving the first place to that which was not highest but most akin for proclaiming it, though not leaving out but bringing in for its support the apostleship. For indeed the apostle was not ashamed of the gospel, but emphasizes clearly his own full and high relation to it (“I speak truth, I lie not”), and closes all up with the title of (not a prophet to Israel as in probationary times of law, but) “a teacher of Gentiles in faith and truth.” For now sovereign grace was not only the spring but the display in Christ Jesus the Lord. Where sin abounded, grace over-exceeded that, even as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 5:21 ).
The call to prayer for all had brought in as its basis the character of God as Saviour, shown in the gift and mediation of Christ, the testimony of which goes forth at this time to all mankind. And who could so well bear witness as the apostle Paul, and this in the Gentile field so emphatically his own, alike for preaching and teaching?
This naturally leads to the detailed injunctions that follow in gracious interest about men with God, wherein Paul is guided by competent wisdom, power, and authority from Him Who appointed him to the testimony.
“I will (wish) then that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting; in like manner also that *women in seemly deportment adorn themselves with modesty and sobriety, not with braids and gold or pearls or costly apparel, but, what becometh women professing godliness, by good works” (vers. 8-10).
* The Received Text has the article here which all the best MSS. discard; and rightly, for “the” women as a class have no such title predicated of them, but they (persons of that sex) are called on individually to please the Lord by heeding His servant’s word.
It is not merely a gracious acquiescence but his active wish or will. It is positive apostolic direction. “I will then that the men pray in every place,” not all the constituents of the assembly, but the men in contrast with women. This is of great moment. Title to pray belongs to “the men” as a whole, not to women; for public prayer is in question. There is no thought of a particular class among the men; yet is the apostle regulating the house of God. Prayer, then, is not restricted to the elders, even when elders were in full form. It belongs to “the men.” Nor has it only to do with gifts, though of course gifted men might form a large part of such as prayed. And this is so true, that the apostle adds “in every place.” It may be that there is no allusion to a different practice among the Jews or the heathen. Certainly there is no trace of polemic purpose. Nevertheless Christian practice is most evident in the words – the fullest liberty for prayer on the part of “the men,” and this not in private only but in public.
The direction entirely coincides with the spirit of the instructions in 1Co 14:34 . Only there the assembly is prominent, which had been previously shown in 1Co 12 to be formed by the presence and action of the Holy Spirit. Here the ruling of the apostle is more general, as marked by the words “every place.” It would be a false inference, instead of holding both, to set the one (as people often do) against the other. There is complete liberty for “the men,” but absolute subjection to the Lord* Who acts by the Spirit and leads thus to the glory of God. Man is incompetent to guide the assembly. The Lord ought to be looked to, and in fact is “in the midst” of those gathered to His name, as Mat 18:20 shows: another scripture of the highest importance for the saints, as the resource of His grace for even “two or three” at any time.
* Neander (Church Hist. i. 253) lays down emphatically that “the monarchical form of government was in no way suited to the Christian community of spirit”. But what is it if the Spirit form the saints in continual dependence on Christ? Is this not essentially theocratic? It is quite consistent with godly order, and with a system of gifts, as well as with unity.
Not that the Jews were so restricted in the synagogue as many suppose. Scripture furnishes proof that in the early days of the gospel considerable latitude was left to take part in reading or speaking, and it is to be supposed in prayer also. But Christianity, while it teaches liberty, brings in immediate responsibility to God as it was founded on the Divine presence in a way altogether unknown to Judaism, not to speak of the heathen.
It is most instructive therefore to observe that, where scriptural order is laid down most precisely, the apostle himself rules liberty for “the men” to pray “in every place.” Who abrogated it? It is impossible to deny that this apostolic direction has no place in Christendom. It would seem disorder on the most important occasions. Only one official has the title ordinarily in every place. He may associate with himself one or more of a certain rank ecclesiastically. Hence it is not open to “the men” to pray “in every place”; and accordingly no man of right feeling would think of invading the imposed regulations of such societies.
Nothing therefore can more distinctly demonstrate that a revolution, somehow or another, has intervened; for modern order is irreconcilable with apostolic. And this is quite independent of “gifts”; for prayer is never in scripture treated as a question of gift. Undeniably our Epistle treats of godly order, when it was in all its purity and fulness, when apostles were on earth still and elders were or might be in every church, and “gift” abounded in every form; yet prayer “in every place” was open to “the men.” Now, on the contrary, the exercise of such a title would utterly clash with the order of every denomination in Christendom. The question therefore is one of the greatest importance, not practically alone, though never was prayer more needed, but as a matter of principle; for surely all Christians are called to walk according to the fullest revelation of the truth. We ought every one of us to be where an apostolic direction, plain beyond controversy, can take full effect.
What can be thought of the statement [by Alford] that “it is far-fetched and irrelevant to the context, to find in these words the Christian’s freedom from prescription of place for prayer”? It is far better to own the truth, like Chrysostom and Theodoret, etc., of old, or like Erasmus, Calvin, etc., in Reformation times, even if it condemn our ways. “Far-fetched” it is not, but the unforced and sure meaning of the sentence in itself, whatever be people’s practice. “Irrelevant to the context” it is not, for what can be more proper, after exhorting prayers to be made of whatever character to lay down liberty of praying on the part of “the men” “in every place”? The scriptural doctrine of the church, and its history in apostolic times confirm not its relevancy only, but also its immense moment and prove that such a practice must have been followed until the habits which sprang up later at a post-apostolic date made it seem disorderly. Prayers on public occasions were thenceforward confined to the ordained officials. But from the beginning it was not so: as we read here, it was the apostle’s will that “the men” should pray “in every place.”
But right moral condition is carefully maintained, “raising up holy hands, without wrath and doubting,” or perhaps “reasoning.” The holiness expressed is that of pious integrity, not of a person set apart, not . It did not become men at the time conscious of evil not duly judged to take so solemn a part, if any, in the assembly. Again, if the evil were known to others, such a part taken must be an offence to their consciences. But the highest motive of all is that which should never be wanting – a sense of the presence of the Lord, and of the state which befits each of the saints so sovereignly blessed in His grace.
Hence “wrath” too is expressly forbidden. Unseemly if it intruded into any action of a Christian kind, it was peculiarly unbefitting for one who was the mouth-piece of all in prayer. So also “doubting” was most unseasonable there, being more or less a contradiction of the dependent confidence which is expressed to God in prayer. If souls lay under any of these disabilities, it became them to seek restoration of communion with God: else public praying might become a positive snare through a hardening of conscience in such circumstances.
Thus subjection to scripture in the church, where duly carried out in private and public, ever tends to true happiness and holiness; which mere form is apt to destroy, especially when the form is based on tradition opposed to scripture.
“In like manner also that women adorn themselves with modesty and sobriety.” The Lord in no way ignores women as the Rabbis were apt to do; nor were they pushed into an unseemly or even shameless prominence as in heathenism. Public action was not their place. The word is that they should adorn themselves “in seemly deportment,” which includes not dress only but bearing. And hence it is added, “with modesty and sobriety,” that shamefastness which shrinks from the least semblance of impropriety, that self-restraint where all is inwardly ruled. The apostle does not hesitate to deal plainly and unsparingly with the common objects of female vanity in all ages: “not with braids (that is, of hair), and gold, or pearls, or costly array.”
This ought to settle many a question for an exercised conscience. Take the last only. How often do we not hear a plea for the most expensive attire on the ground of its economy in the end! But those who are waiting for Christ to come need not look so far forward. Negations, however, do not satisfy the mind of the Spirit; “but what becometh women professing godliness, by good works.” Such is the adorning that the Lord approves; and women have therein a large and constant sphere, “by means of good works,” not here (honourable, right, fair) as in Mat 5:16 ; Gal 6:9 ; 1Th 5:21 ; but as in Gal 6:10 ; 1Th 5:15 , of which we have an instance in Dorcas (Act 9:36 ). Where intelligence takes the place of this activity in good, sorrow soon ensues for others, and later on shame for themselves. Real spiritual power would have hindered both; whereas vanity likes and encourages this practical error, only to find in the end its intelligence all wrong. If blind lead blind, both will fall into a pit.
The apostle now turns to further details which correct female tendencies of quite another kind, but not a whit less important to heed if as Christians they seek to glorify the Lord. Perhaps they are even more called for in these times, as men growingly lose sight of the divine order in their craving after the imaginary rights of humanity. How many now-a-days are in danger from a misdirected zeal or benevolent activity, without due reverence to the written word! To such finery in dress might be no attraction, nor the frivolous changes of worldly fashions. Their very desire to abound in good works, by which the apostle wished them to be adorned, might expose them to a snare; and the more, as no fair and intelligent mind can doubt that women (to say nothing of natural capacity or culture) may have gifts spiritual as really as men. It was of moment therefore to regulate the matter with divine authority, as he now does.
“Let a woman in quietness learn in all subjection. But to teach* I permit not a woman, nor to exercise authority over a man, but to be in quietness. For Adam was first formed, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman quite deceived is involved in transgression; but she shall be saved in child-bearing, if they continue in faith and love and holiness with sobriety” (vers. 11-15).
* The emphatic place is restored in accordance with A D F G P many cursives, Vulg. Goth. Arm. etc., and so I imitate in English.
The best MSS. sustain . for . in Text. Rec.
The apostle had already laid down most salutary principles in 1Co 11:1-16 , whence he had deduced that the man is woman’s head, and that the head uncovered became him, as the covered head became her. He is called of God to public action, she to be veiled; for man is not from woman but woman from man, though neither is without the other in the Lord, while all things are of God.
Again, in 1Co 14:34 is laid down the imperative regulation that the women are to keep silence in the assemblies, “for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law.” They were forbidden even to ask their own husbands there. If they would learn anything, let them ask at home; “for it is shameful for a woman to speak in the assembly.” What can be more distinct and peremptory than this? The ingenuity of will, however, has found a supposed loophole. The word “speak,” say they, means only to talk familiarly or to chatter. This is wholly untrue. It is the regular word for giving utterance, as may be seen in 1Pe 4:10 , 1Pe 4:11 . Here, “as each hath received a gift,” they are called to minister it as good stewards of the manifold grace of God; and the distinction is drawn between gifts of utterance and those of other spiritual service. “If any one speaketh,” he is to do so “as God’s mouthpiece; “if any one ministereth,” he is to do so as from strength which God supplieth, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” Now here it is the same word for “speaking” as is forbidden to the women in the former scripture. It is speaking in public, not prattling. The prohibition therefore is complete. Woman’s place is a retired one; she is to learn in quiet with entire submissiveness.
But there is more here. “I permit not a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over a man, but to be in quietness.” This clearly is not limited to the assembly; as the apostle traces the ground of it in the constitution and natural character of woman. “For Adam was first formed, then Eve.” Her subsequent formation out of the man is never to be forgotten by such as fear God and believe His word. All other thoughts are presumptuous theory in forgetfulness of the truth which goes up to the beginning. An individual woman may be comparatively able and well-instructed; but under no circumstances is leave given for a woman to teach or to have dominion over a man; she is to be in quietness. Thus absolutely does the apostle guard against any reaction from the abject place of women in ancient times, specially among the heathen; or any imitation of the peculiar prominence given to her sometimes in oracular matters, as among the Greeks and especially the Germans of old.
Had then women no seemly or suited, no good and useful, place in Christianity? None can deny that they have, who see how honoured were some of them in caring for the Lord Himself in His ministry (Luk 8:1-3 ), who know how He vindicated Mary that anointed Him when the apostles found fault under evil influence. Certainly He put no slight on Mary of Magdala, if His resurrection interrupted the plan of those who brought their spices and ointments after His death. Not otherwise do we find the action of the Holy Ghost when the Lord went to heaven. Mary the mother of John Mark gives her house for the gathering together of many to pray; and the four daughters of Philip were not forbidden to prophesy at home, though even there authority could not be rightly exercised over a man. Lydia is a beautiful example of Christian simple-heartedness and zeal; her house too has honour put on it for the truth’s sake. Nor was Priscilla out of place when she with her husband helped the learned Alexandrian, mighty in the scriptures, to know the way of God more thoroughly. Rom 16 pays no passing honour to many a sister, from Phoebe who served the church at Cenchreae, commended to the saints in Rome as a succourer of many and of Paul himself. Prisca or Priscilla again is coupled with her husband as his fellow-workers in Christ, who not only for his life laid down their own necks, but wherever they went opened their house for the assembly. But need we dwell on all the cases and the beautifully discriminating notice taken of them?
We may say of Evodia and Syntyche that there is not the smallest reason for conceiving them preachers, because they shared the apostle’s labours in the gospel (Phi 4:2 ). That they joined their efforts with Paul in that work is no warrant for the inference that they preached. In those days a woman’s preaching must have seemed far more egregious than her venturing to say a word in the assemblies of the saints. Even in private where they might exercise that which was given them in the Lord, they must never forget the form and the reality of subjection. In public all teaching was forbidden. Such is the testimony of scripture, and nowhere with greater precision or breadth than here.
The apostle adds another reason, “Adam was not deceived; but the woman quite deceived is involved in transgression.” The man may have been in a certain sense worse. He followed the woman in wrong against God, where he ought to have led her in obedience; and he did it knowingly. She was beguiled outright; he was not. Her weakness therefore, and its dangerous effect on man, are urged as an additional plea, why she should be in quietness, neither teaching nor ruling; let her own sphere be at home (1Ti 5:24 ).
The next words have suffered not a little through speculation. Some have yielded to Wells, Hammond, Kidder, Doddridge, Macknight, et al., and endeavoured to invest them with a direct reference to the Incarnation. But there is no sufficient reason for any such thought. The Authorized Version gives substantially the true sense, which is also maintained by the Revisers, although they affect a more literal closeness, which, tempting as it may be, seems really questionable here and unnecessary. For there is no doubt that in the apostle’s usage as well as elsewhere, the preposition with the genitive (as with the accusative also) may mean “in a given state,” no less than the more common sense of the instrument used or the medium passed through.
Dean Alford’s remarks are as unhappy yet a characteristic specimen of his exegesis habitually as could be desired: “saved through (brought safely through, but in the higher, which is with St. Paul the only, sense of see below) her child-bearing (in order to understand the fulness of the meaning of , we must bear in mind the history itself, to which is the constant allusion. . .What then is here promised her? Not only exemption from that curse in its worst and heaviest effects; not merely that she shall safely bear children, but the apostle uses the word a. purposely for its higher meaning, and the construction of the sentence is precisely as reference, 1Co 3:15 .”
Now we may well agree with him that Chrysostom’s interpreting of Christian training of children, as others of the children themselves, is beside the mark and indeed unfounded; but so is his own confusion of the government of God with the “higher meaning” of eternal salvation, which is not here in question. This very Epistle (1Ti 4:10 ) furnishes decisive proof that the preservative goodness of God in providence is fully maintained in Christianity, though His grace in the gospel goes deeper, higher, and for ever. Dean Alford enfeebles the “higher meaning” by misapplying such an assurance of providential care as the text before us supplies. There is no doubt of saving grace in Christ for the believer; but to turn this word aside from its obvious relation deprives us of the very object in view, viz., the comfort of knowing that while God does not set aside the solemn mark of divine judgment from the first in the pangs of child-bearing, it becomes in mercy an occasion of His providential intervention. Redemption clears away the clouds, so that the light may shine on all the path of the saint; and woman meanwhile shares the suited blessing in the hour of nature’s sorrow. The forced elevation of scripture not only fails in power of truth, but darkens or takes away its precious consolation for the pilgrim now on earth.
The promised succour however is conditioned by abiding “in faith and love and holiness with sobriety.” One feels how important such a proviso is at a moment when human and even worldly feelings often encroach even on children of God. Where is family pride here? where the gratification of the wish for an heir of filthy lucre, or the hope of wide-spreading influence in that world which crucified the Lord of glory? Nor need one doubt the wisdom of the peculiarity in grammar which gives individuality to the deliverance vouchsafed in mercy, while it urges (not on the “children” as some have thought, nor yet on the husband and wife as others, but) on Christian women generally the qualifying call to abide in all that fits and strengthens the sex for the due and happy and godly discharge of their momentous duties. It is continuance in faith and love and holiness “with sobriety,” which is pressed on saintly women; who doubtless could already say with Christians generally that God had saved them according to His own purpose and grace which was given them in Christ Jesus before time began.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT 1Ti 2:1-7
1First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimonygiven at the proper time. 7For 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.
1Ti 2:1 “First of all” This Greek idiom means “of first importance.” The context asserts that this is meant to control and limit the affect of the false teachers.
“entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings” This is a series of four words for prayer (Php 4:6 has three of them; Eph 6:18 has two of them). This is Paul’s way of emphasizing that all forms of prayer should be offered for all men, especially those in authority. In Eph 6:18 this same emphasis on praying for all is limited to believers but here it is universalized.
The term “petitions” (enteuxis) occurs only here and in 1Ti 4:5.
“on behalf of all men” The term “all” appears five times in 1Ti 2:1-7, which show the extent both of our prayers and God’s love. Some see the emphasis on all men as a reaction to the exclusiveness of the false teachers.
SPECIAL TOPIC: INTERCESSORY PRAYER
1Ti 2:2 “for kings and all who are in authority” The Bible does not teach the divine right of kings, but it does teach the divine will for organized government (cf. Rom 13:1-2). The theological issue is not whether we agree with our government or whether our government is fair. Believers must pray for governmental officials because they are in God’s will in a fallen world. Believers know from Rom 13:1-2 that all authority is given by God, therefore, as followers of Christ we respect it. This statement is all the more powerful when you realize Paul is asking believers to pray for governmental leaders like Nero!
“in authority” This word is huperoch. See Special Topic: Paul’s Use of Huper Compounds at 1Ti 1:14.
SPECIAL TOPIC: HUMAN GOVERNMENT
“so that they may lead a tranquil and quiet life” This seems to mean “peaceful” in the sense of “free of outward trials” and “quiet” in the sense of “free from inner turmoils.” Believers must exercise their faith by calm living, which is so difficult in times of distress and confusion. These false teachers had disrupted the peace and joy of the house churches at Ephesus. Paul gave this same type of advice to the church at Thessalonica, which had been disrupted by an over-zealous, eschatological faction (cf. 1Th 4:11; 2Th 3:12). In the face of church turmoil, pray and live gentle, godly lives!
“in all godliness and dignity” Christians were persecuted and misunderstood by pagan society. One way to counteract this problem was the lifestyle of the believers.
The term “godliness” is used ten times in the Pastoral Letters (cf. 1Ti 2:2; 1Ti 3:16; 1Ti 4:7-8; 1Ti 6:3; 1Ti 6:5-6; 1Ti 6:11; 2Ti 3:5; Tit 1:1). It has the connotation of reverence toward God expressed by an appropriate moral lifestyle. See Special Topic at 1Ti 4:7.
The term “dignity” is also used several times in the Pastoral Letters (cf. 1Ti 2:2; 1Ti 3:4; 1Ti 3:8; 1Ti 3:11; Tit 2:2; Tit 2:7). It is defined in Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, and Danker’s Lexicon as “reverence, dignity, seriousness, respectfulness, holiness, probity” (p. 47).
Christians should draw attention to themselves positively (i.e. “worthy of respect”), but not negatively (cf. 1Ti 2:3; 1Pe 4:12-16).
1Ti 2:3 “this is good and acceptable” Godliness is God’s will for all humanity. This is a way of referring to the restoration of the marred “image of God” in humanity from Gen 1:26-27. God has always wanted a people who reflect His character. The question has always been “how?” The OT showed that fallen humanity could not produce obedience or righteousness by their own efforts. Therefore, the NT is based on God’s actions and faithfulness, not mankind’s (cf. Jer 31:31-34; Eze 36:22-38). God restores and motivates followers through His Book, His Son, and His Spirit. We are not right with God based on our performance, but once we know Him in salvation, the goal of our lives is holiness (cf. Mat 5:20; Mat 5:48; Rom 8:29; Gal 4:19; Eph 1:4; Eph 2:10). See SPECIAL TOPIC: NEW TESTAMENT HOLINESS/SANCTIFICATION at 2Ti 2:2.
“God our Savior” See full note at 2Ti 1:10.
1Ti 2:4 “who desires all men to be saved” Believers are to pray for all people because God wants all people saved. This was a shocking statement to the exclusivistic false teachers, whether Gnostic or Jewish, or more probably in the Pastoral Letters, a combination. This is the great truth about God’s love for all mankind (cf. 1Ti 4:10; Eze 18:23; Eze 18:32; Joh 3:16; Joh 4:42; Tit 2:11; 2Pe 3:9; 1Jn 2:1; 1Jn 4:14). This verse shows the imbalance of dogmatic, super-lapsarian, double-edged predestination which emphasizes God’s sovereignty to the exclusion of any needed human response. The stated truths of “five point” Calvinism, especially “irresistible grace” and “limited atonement,” violate the covenant aspect of biblical faith. It is improper to reduce God to a puppet of human free will, as it is also improper to reduce mankind to a puppet of divine will. God in His sovereignty has chosen to deal with fallen mankind by means of covenant. He always initiates and structures the covenant (cf. Joh 6:44; Joh 6:65), but He has mandated that humans must respond and continue to respond in repentance and faith (cf. Mar 1:15; Act 3:16; Act 3:19; Act 20:21).
Often the theological discussion of God’s sovereignty (predestination) and human free will deteriorates into a proof-texting contest. The Bible clearly reveals the sovereignty of YHWH. However, it also reveals that His highest creation, mankind made in His image, had been given the awesome personal quality of moral decision making. Humans must co-operate with God in every area of life.
The term “many” has been used to assert that God has chosen some (the elect) but not all; that Jesus died for some, not all. A careful reading of the following texts shows that these are used in a parallel sense!
Isaiah 53Romans 5
1. “all” (Isa 2:6) 2. “many” (Isa 2:11-12)1. “all” (Rom 2:18) 2. “many” (Rom 2:19)
“to be saved” This is an aorist passive infinitive (see Special Topic at 2Ti 1:9). This implies fallen humans cannot save themselves, (passive voice) but God is ready, willing, and able to do so through Christ.
“and to come to the knowledge” This phrase is used several times in the Pastoral Letters (cf. 2Ti 2:25; 2Ti 3:7; Tit 1:1). It means to understand and respond to the gospel message (cf. Eph 4:13).
This is the intensified Greek form epi + gnsis, which implies “full and experiential knowledge.” This inclusivism was a real jolt to the false teachers’ emphasis on elitism and special knowledge. The exact relationship between the Jewish and Greek elements in the false teachers is uncertain. They obviously have a Jewish element which magnified “myths,” “genealogies,” and “the law” (see note at 1Ti 1:6-7). There has been much speculation related to the Greek element. There was surely an element of immorality which was more characteristic of Greek false teachers than Judaism. How much of the later Gnostic system of angelic levels is involved in the heresies of the Pastoral Letters is simply uncertain. In Word Pictures in the New Testament, vol. 4, p. 567, A. T. Robertson identifies the false teachers as “Gnostics.”
With the archeological discovery at Nag Hammadi in Egypt we now know much more about the Gnostic speculations and theology. There is an English translation of these texts entitled The Nag Hammadi Library edited by James M. Robinson and Richard Smith. There is also an interesting interpretation of these texts in Hans Jonas’ book The Gnostic Religion.
“of the truth” The term “truth” is used in several ways in the New Testament:
1. for the person of Jesus (cf. Joh 8:31-32; Joh 14:6)
2. to describe the Spirit (cf. Joh 16:13)
3. to describe the “Word” (cf. Joh 17:17)
God’s truth is ultimately seen in Jesus Christ, the Living Word, which is adequately recorded in the Bible, the written Word; both are brought to light to us through the agency of the Holy Spirit. The truth referred to here is parallel to “the sound teaching” of 1Ti 1:9 and “the glorious gospel of the blessed God” of 1Ti 1:10. It refers to the good news of Jesus Christ (cf. 1Ti 4:3; 2Ti 2:25; 2Ti 3:7; Tit 1:1).
SPECIAL TOPIC: “TRUTH” IN PAUL’S WRITINGS
1Ti 2:5 “there is one God” This emphasis on monotheism (cf. Rom 3:30; 1Co 8:6; Eph 4:6) can be found in 1Ti 1:17, which reflects Deu 6:4-6. However, Jesus the Son and God the Father seem to be separate here. It is important to remember the NT assertion that Jesus is divine (cf. Joh 1:1; Col 1:14-16; Heb 1:2-3) but also a separate personality from the Father. The doctrine of the Trinity (see Special Topic at Tit 3:6) recognizes the unity of one divine essence and yet, the eternal distinctiveness of the three Persons. One way to show this biblical paradox is to compare passages from John’s Gospel.
1. Jesus is one with the Father (Joh 1:1; Joh 5:18; Joh 10:30; Joh 10:34-38; Joh 14:9-10; Joh 20:28).
2. Jesus is separate from the Father (Joh 1:2; Joh 1:14; Joh 1:18; Joh 5:19-23; Joh 8:28; Joh 10:25; Joh 10:29; Joh 14:10-13; Joh 14:16; Joh 17:1-2).
3. Jesus is even subservient to the Father (Joh 5:20; Joh 5:30; Joh 8:28; Joh 12:49; Joh 14:28; Joh 15:10; Joh 15:19-24; Joh 17:8).
The concept of the deity of the Son and the personality of the Spirit is explicit in the NT, but not fully worked out in orthodox theology until the third and fourth centuries. The term “trinity” is not biblical, but the concept surely is (cf. Mat 3:16-17; Mat 28:19; Joh 14:26; Act 2:32-33; Act 2:38-39; Rom 1:4-5; Rom 5:1-5; Rom 8:1-4; Rom 8:8-10; 1Co 12:4-6; 2Co 1:21-22; 2Co 13:14; 2Co 4:4-6; 1Th 1:2-5; 2Th 2:13; Tit 3:4-6; 1Pe 1:2; Jud 1:20-21).
The grammar of 1Ti 2:5-6 gives the theological reasons related to God’s inclusive salvation.
1. There is only one God. From Gen 1:26-27 we know that all humans are made in His image.
2. There is only one way to God through the Messiah (cf. Joh 14:6), which was predicted in Gen 3:15.
3. There is only one means of salvation, the finished sacrificial offering of the sinless Lamb of God, Jesus (cf. Joh 1:29; 2Co 5:21).
The one God has provided a way for all to be in fellowship with Him (cf. Gen 3:15). Whosoever will may come, but they must come His way, through His provision, by faith in His Son as their only hope for acceptance.
SPECIAL TOPIC: MONOTHEISM
“and one mediator also between God and men” This is an example of the NT’s affirmation that faith in Jesus’ person and work is the only way to be right with the Father (cf. Joh 10:1-18; Joh 14:6). This is often referred to as the “scandal of the exclusivism of the gospel.” This truth seems so out of place in our day of tolerance (with no absolutes), but if the Bible is the self-revelation of God, then believers must affirm this exclusivism. We are not saying one denomination is the only way, but we are saying that faith in Jesus is the only way to God.
The use of the term “mediator” has priestly connotations (cf. Heb 8:6; Heb 9:15; Heb 12:24). A priest stood between a needy people and a holy God. Jesus is our High Priest (cf. Hebrews 7-9). Jesus is our
1. Savior
2. Substitute
3. Mediator
4. Intercessor
“the man Christ Jesus” The emphasis of this verse is that Jesus is fully human and is still the only mediator between God and mankind (cf. Joh 14:6). The Gnostic false teachers would have denied Jesus’ humanity (cf. Joh 1:14; 1Jn 1:1-3).
It is possible that the background is not the Gnostics, but Paul’s Adam-Christ typology (cf. Rom 5:12-21; 1Co 15:21-22; 1Co 15:45-49; Php 2:6). Jesus was seen as the second Adam, the origin of a new race, not Jew, not Greek, not male, not female, not slave, not free, but Christian (cf. 1Co 12:13; Gal 3:28; Eph 2:11 to Eph 3:13; Col 3:11).
It is also possible that 1Ti 2:5-6 are a theological definition of the term “the truth,” found in 1Ti 2:4.
1Ti 2:6 “who gave Himself” The Father sent Him but Jesus willingly came and laid down His life (cf. Mat 20:28; Mar 10:45; Joh 10:17-18).
“a ransom for all” This reflects the great truth of Isaiah 53 (esp. 1Ti 2:6). The term “ransom” came from the slave market and was used for purchasing a friend or relative out of slavery or military captivity. The grammar of this phrase is extremely important: (1) there is an unusual compound form of the word “ransom,” with the preposition anti (instead of ), (2) the preposition “for” is the Greek preposition huper, which means “on behalf of” (cf. Tit 2:14). The theological emphasis is the vicarious, substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ on our behalf (cf. 2Co 5:21).
SPECIAL TOPIC: RANSOM/REDEEM
“for all” Thank God for the word “all” used five times in 1Ti 2:1-7! It is extremely important that we realize that Jesus’ death covered the sins of the entire world (cf. Joh 1:29; Joh 3:16-17; 1Ti 4:10; Tit 2:11; Heb 2:9; 2Pe 3:9; 1Jn 2:2; 1Jn 4:14). The only thing keeping anyone and everyone from being saved is not their sin, but their unbelief in the finished work of Jesus Christ (cf. Joh 1:12; Act 17:30; 1Ti 4:10; 1Jn 5:10-13). This truth must balance predestination (see Special Topic at Tit 2:11).
NASB”the testimony given at the proper time”
NKJV”to be testified in due time”
NRSV”this was attested at the right time”
TEV”the proof at the right time”
NJB”this was the witness given at the appointed time”
This phrase is parallel to 1Ti 6:15 and Tit 1:3. God is in control of historical events. Christ came at His appointed time to redeem all humanity (cf. Rom 5:18-19).
The other possibility is that it may be related to Rom 5:6; Gal 4:4; Eph 1:10, whereby certain historical conditions of the first century Greco-Roman world provided the ideal time:
1. Pax Romana, or peace of Rome, allowed people to move from country to country freely.
2. One common language (Koin Greek) allowed all persons of the Mediterranean world to understand each other.
3. The obvious bankruptcy of the Greek and Roman religions caused people to search for meaning in life. They wanted a more personal aspect to their spirituality (This is also seen in the rise of the mystery religions).
1Ti 2:7 “For this I was appointed” This is an emphasis on Paul’s election and calling by God (the Damascus road encounter), much like 1Ti 1:1. God wants the Gentiles to understand His inclusive gospel.
“a preacher and apostle. . .as a teacher” Sometimes these are listed as separate gifts of the Spirit, as in 1Co 12:28 or Eph 4:11. In these lists the term “prophet” may refer to preacher (especially use of “prophesy” in 1 Corinthians, cf. 1Co 11:4-5; 1Co 13:9; 1Co 14:1; 1Co 14:3-5; 1Co 14:24; 1Co 14:31; 1Co 14:39). In a sense each of these leadership gifts proclaim the same gospel but with different emphases. Paul uses these exact three terms again in 2Ti 1:11 to describe his ministry.
“(I am telling the truth, I am not lying)” Many commentators have said that this would be inappropriate in a personal letter written by Paul to his beloved co-worker, Timothy. But we must remember that these letters were meant to be read publicly in the church (cf. 1Ti 6:21 b; 2Ti 4:22 b; Tit 3:15 b). This letter was Paul’s letter of recommendation and transfer of authority to his young apostolic representative sent to the house churches of Ephesus, which were struggling with false teachers.
“as a teacher of the Gentiles” Paul sensed that God had called him specifically to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles (cf. Act 9:15; Act 22:21; Act 26:17; Rom 1:5; Rom 11:13; Rom 15:16; Gal 1:16; Gal 2:7; Eph 3:1-2; Eph 3:8; 2Ti 4:17). This is another confirmation of the universality of God’s love and Christ’s redemption.
“in faith and truth” This may refer to (1) the attitude of the proclaimer or (2) the content of the message. In 1Ti 1:14 “faith” is linked to “love.” Both of these terms describe Jesus and are meant to be emulated by His followers.
exhort. App-134.
supplications. App-134.
prayers. App-134.
intercessions. App-134.
giving of thanks. Greek. eucharistia. See Act 24:3.
for. App-104.
men. App-123.
1-15.] General regulations respecting public intercessory prayers for all men (1Ti 2:1-4): from which he digresses into a proof of the universality of the gospel (1Ti 2:4-7)-then returns to the part to be taken by the male sex in public prayer (1Ti 2:8): which leads him to treat of the proper place and subjection of women (1Ti 2:9-15). I exhort then ( is without any logical connexion, says De W. Certainly,-with what immediately precedes; but the account to be given of it is, that it takes up the general subject of the Epistle, q. d., what I have then to say to thee by way of command and regulation, is this: see 2Ti 2:1. The particle has its proper collective force (ad ea, qu antea posita sunt, lectorem revocat. Klotz.): continuation and retrospect, Donaldson, Gr. 604. Ellic.), first of all (to be joined with , not, as Chr. ( ; , ), Thl., Calv., Est., Bengel, Conyb., E. V., and Luther, with , in which case, besides other objections, the verb would certainly have followed all the substantives, and probably would have taken with it. It is, in order and importance, his first exhortation) to make (cf. ref. Phil. It has been usual to take passive: and most Commentators pass over the word without remark. In such a case, the appeal must be to our sense of the propriety of the middle or passive meaning, according to the arrangement of the words, and spirit of the sentence. And thus I think we shall decide for the middle. In the prominent position of , if it were passive, and consequently objective in meaning, that prayer, &c. be made, it can hardly be passed over without an emphasis, which here it manifestly cannot have. If on the other hand it is middle, it is subjective, belonging to the person or persons who are implied in : and thus serves only as a word of passage to the more important substantives which follow. And in this way the Greek fathers themselves took it: e.g. Chrys.- , , … ) supplications, prayers, intercessions (the two former words, and , are perhaps best distinguished as in Eph 6:18, by taking for prayer in general, for supplication or petition, the special content of any particular prayer. See Ellicotts note cited there, and cf. ref. Phil.
, judging from the cognate verbs , and (reff. Rom.), should be marked with a reference to request concerning others, i.e. intercessory prayer. (Ellic. denies this primary reference, supporting his view by ch. 1Ti 4:5, where, he says, such a meaning would be inappropriate. But is not the meaning in that very place most appropriate? It is not there intercession for a person: but it is by , prayer on its behalf and over it, that is hallowed. The meaning in Polybius, copiously illustrated by Raphel, an interview or appointed meeting, compellatio aliqua de re, would in the N. T., where the word and its cognates are always used in reference to prayer, for persons or things, necessarily shade off into that of pleading or intercession.) Very various and minute distinctions between the three have been imagined:-e.g. Theodoret:- , , :-Origen, , 14 (not 44, as in Wetst. and Huther), vol. i. p. 220,- , , , … The most extraordinary of all is Aug.s view, that the four words refer to the liturgical form of administration of the Holy Communion- being precationes quas facimus in celebratione sacramentorum antequam illud quod est in Domini mensa incipiat benedici:-orationes (), cum benedicitur et sanctificatur: interpellations vel postulationes (), fiunt cum populus benedicitur: quibus peractis, et participate tanto sacramento, , gratiarum actio, cuncta concludit. Ep. cxlix. (lix.) 16, vol. ii. p. 636 f.), thanksgivings, for all men (this gives the intercessory character to all that have preceded. On the wideness of Christian benevolence here inculcated, see the argument below, and Tit 3:2); for (i.e. especially for-this one particular class being mentioned and no other) kings (see Tit 3:1; Rom 13:1 ff.; 1Pe 2:13. It was especially important that the Christians should include earthly powers in their formal public prayers, both on account of the object to be gained by such prayer (see next clause), and as an effectual answer to those adversaries who accused them of rebellious tendencies. Jos. (B. J. ii. 10. 4) gives the Jews answer to Petronius, , and afterwards (ib. 17. 2), he ascribes the origin of the war to their refusing, at the instigation of Eleazar, to continue the sacrifices offered on behalf of their Gentile rulers. See Wetst., who gives other examples: and compare the ancient liturgies-e.g. the bidding prayers, Bingham, book xv. 1. 2: the consecration prayer, ib. 3.1, and on the general practice, ib. 3. 14. Kings must be taken generally, as it is indeed generalized in the following words: not understood to mean Csar and his assessors in the supreme power, as Baur, who deduces thence an argument that the Epistle was written under the Antonines, when such an association was usual) and all that are in eminence (not absolutely in authority, though the context, no less than common sense, shews that it would be so. Cf. Polyb. v. 41. 3,- . He, as well as Josephus (e.g. Antt. vi. 4. 3), uses absolutely for authorities: see Schweigh. Lex. Polyb. Thdrt. gives a curious reason for the addition of these words: , . The succeeding clause furnishes reason enough: the security of Christians would often be more dependent on inferior officers than even on kings themselves), that (aim of the prayer-not, as Heydenreich and Matthies,-subjective, that by such prayer Christian mens minds may be tranquillized and disposed to obey,-but objective, that we may obtain the blessing mentioned, by Gods influencing the hearts of our rulers: or as Chrys., that we may be in security by their being preserved in safety) we may pass (more than lead (): it includes the whole of the period spoken of:-thus Aristoph. Vesp. 1006 (see also Eccles. 240), ,-Soph. d. Col. 1615, : see numerous other examples in Wetst.) a quiet (the adjective is a late word, formed on the classical adverb , the proper adjective of which is , used by Plato, Rep. p. 307 a, Legg. 734 a &c. Cf. Palm and Rosts Lex. sub voce) and tranquil life ( , , , Thdrt. On the distinction between , tranquil from trouble without, and , from trouble within, see Ellicotts note) in all (possible, requisite) piety (I prefer this rendering to godliness, as more literal, and because I would reserve that word as the proper one for : see 1Ti 2:10 below. is one of the terms peculiar in this meaning to the pastoral Epistles, the second Epistle of Peter (reff.), and Peters speech in Act 3:12. See Prolegg., and note on Act 3:12) and gravity (so Conyb.: and it seems best to express the meaning. For as Chrys.,- , , . , : and thus the gravity and decorum of the Christian life would be broken up).
Chapter 2
Now I exhort [Paul said] therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and the giving of thanks, be made for all men ( 1Ti 2:1 );
So we are exhorted to pray for each other, to intercede. “Supplications, intercessions, the giving of thanks.” And then,
For kings, and for those that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty ( 1Ti 2:2 ).
I believe that it is important that we pray for our leaders in government. I believe that we should be holding our president up in prayer. What an awesome responsibility that man has. I personally cannot understand why anybody would want to be president of the United States. I mean, that has to be one thankless job. He needs prayer. We need to pray for those who sit in the House of Representatives. We need to pray for the congressmen, the senators national, statewide.
Now the purpose of the prayers is that we might lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. The real purpose of government is not to tax people. The real purpose of government is to preserve the good. That’s the purpose of government, the preservation of good. And all laws should be designed for the preservation of good because there are these evil influences and powers and government is actually ordained for the purpose of preserving the good. Keeping out the evil. And when a government no longer is fulfilling that function, the evil that they allow will ultimately destroy that government.
Study your history books and you will see it is true over and over and over again. Most governments began with the high ideal of the preservation of good, but in time, the corrupt forces moved in. The laws were liberalized to where good was no longer being preserved but evil was being allowed, being tolerated and then being protected by the laws. And the next thing was that the evil then overthrew the government.
We are at that stage here in the United States, where the evil is now being protected. It is being mandated by law; protection of the evil being mandated by our laws. And the next state is the fall of that government. So we need to pray. Pray for the kings, those that are ruling over us.
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth ( 1Ti 2:3-4 ).
What an opposite picture many people have of God who look at Him as One who wants to damn everybody. In fact, they go around asking Him to. And so people get in their minds and associate in their minds God judging and condemning everyone. How opposite that is to the truth of God’s nature, who would have everyone to be saved.
Listen to God crying unto the people through Ezekiel the prophet as he said, “Turn now, turn now, for why will ye die, saith the Lord. Behold, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked” ( Eze 33:11 ).
Peter said God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” ( 2Pe 3:9 ).
Here Paul tells us that God desires that all men be saved; the God of salvation who desires that all men should be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. And what is the truth?
There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus ( 1Ti 2:5 );
When Job was having all of his afflictions: He lost his possessions. He lost his children. He lost his health, lying in the misery covered with boils, lying in the ashes; his wife looking at him in this miserable state said, Honey, why don’t you just curse God and die? Get it over with. I can’t stand to see you suffer like this anymore.
His friends came to comfort him, but rather than being a comfort, they became accusers, condemners. One of his friends, Eliphaz, said, Why don’t you just get right with God and everything will be okay? He said, Thanks a lot, Pal. What do you mean; get right with God? Who am I that I could stand before God and justify my case? He said, I go out, I look up at the stars and I realize how vast and great God is. And here am I, just a really nothing here on this planet. God is so great and I am so small. I try to find Him, I look here, I look there; I look around. I know He’s around here but I don’t see Him. And how can I stand before God to declare my innocence or to justify my case? With God so vast and I so nothing, there is no daysman between us who can lay his hand on us both.
Job saw the problem of man trying to communicate with God or trying to touch God. It’s the trying to bridge over the great gulf between infinity and the finite. The only way Job can see it happening is that there be a daysman between who can touch us both. And in answer to the cry of Job, Paul said, “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men. The man Christ Jesus.” Through Jesus Christ, the cry of Job is answered. He is the daysman who can touch God, and can touch man. For “He was in the beginning with God and all things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. And he became flesh and he dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory as of the only begotten Son of God,” “One God, one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.”
Now what does that mean? That means that if you want to come to God, don’t come to me. I’m not a mediator between God and you. If you want to come to God, you must go to Jesus Christ. He alone is the mediator between God and man. You can’t go to another man. You can’t go to the saints. You can’t go to Mary. There is only one mediator, the man Christ Jesus. And He is the only One that can bring you in touch with God. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: and no man comes to the Father but by me” ( Joh 14:6 ). A very radical, exclusive claim, “One God, one mediator, the man Christ Jesus.” But thank God, there is a mediator.
Oh how thankful I am I can come to God. Jesus stands there and puts His hand upon God but He also reaches down and puts His hand upon me, and He brings me in touch with God. I touch God through Him. For he was in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God and yet he came in the likeness of man that he might touch me. And so God touched man through Jesus and in turn, man can touch God through Jesus; “One God, one mediator”.
Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time ( 1Ti 2:6 ).
You see, we were all sinners. And as a sinner, I was totally unable to redeem myself. Nothing I could do to save myself. Nothing I could do to make myself righteous. There is nothing that I could do that could atone for my past guilt.
Now you might say that there are high sinners and there are low sinners. There are good sinners and there are bad sinners, but you’re all sinners. And really, it doesn’t matter if you’re a good sinner or a bad sinner. None of us can redeem ourselves. But Jesus gave himself as the ransom; He died for us and in our place.
Whereunto [Paul said] I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (and I am telling you the truth in Christ, I wouldn’t lie to you;) I am a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and in truth ( 1Ti 2:7 ).
It is to proclaim this testimony of Jesus Christ that I’ve been called as an apostle, as a preacher. And I’m speaking the truth. I’m a teacher of these things.
I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting ( 1Ti 2:8 ).
Now this is one posture in prayer, lifting up your hands in prayer. And there are times when I pray I lift up my hands unto God. I do that more when I am praising the Lord than I do when I am making requests. Some people find it difficult to lift their hands unto the Lord and if you do, there’s no problem. God understands that you’ve got a hang up and He’ll listen to you just as much. There are a lot of discussion about the position of the body in prayer. Which position is most effective?
You know when I was a little kid in Sunday school, they used to always say, Now everyone bow your heads, fold your hands and close your eyes. We’re going to pray. So I really thought that you couldn’t pray unless your eyes were closed. And a lot of times I’d peak to see who was praying. And I’d say, He didn’t pray, his eyes were open. Of course, they’d always nail me and they say how did you know? But I assume that because their eyes were open, they weren’t praying. But I found that I can pray with my eyes open, but I found that it’s better if I close them because if my eyes are open, then I’m oftentimes distracted by what I see and my mind is taken off of my prayer. I realize now that the teachers told us to fold our hands so we wouldn’t be poking the one next to us when their eyes were closed. And so I can see the wisdom in telling the children to bow your heads, close your eyes, fold your hands. And I can understand the wisdom in that. But yet you don’t have to have that position to pray.
Some people say well, you got to be kneeling. Paul said, “Before whom I bow my knee” ( Eph 3:14 ). And kneeling is a good posture for prayer. It sort of says something. It was a position that was more popular probably during the time when the King James Bible was translated. When they would come before the king and they would kneel before the king; it was just the posture that a person would take which did signify a posture of surrender and honor to the king. And so I’m coming before the King of the universe, and so I can see where kneeling is a good posture that might express this honor and all that I wish to give to Him. But I also found that if I kneel by the side of my bed and put my hand, my face in my hands there at the bed and I start to pray, I find that quite often I can fall asleep in that comfortable position. Good position to pray in, but it’s also a fairly good position to sleep in if you’re tired enough.
And so I have found that it helps me many times if I walk while I pray. I find that it’s good if I will pray aloud because if I just pray in my heart or in my mind, I find that my mind has a tendency to wander over on other subjects. And pretty soon, I’m back in Kauai catching that wave that I missed. I got the extra kick this time and I really got a good slide. And so in just praying in my mind, my mind has a tendency to wander from the prayer. So I find that by praying aloud, by articulating my needs, my requests, that it does keep my mind from roaming off in other subjects. And so I love to just take a walk and talk with the Lord. It’s very enjoyable to me to just take a walk and just talk to the Lord and just pour out my heart and my soul to Him as we’re just sort of walking together.
I have discovered that it isn’t the position of my body that’s important to prayer but the position of my heart. That’s what God is looking at. He’s not paying any attention whether or not my hands are lifted or I’m kneeling or my head is bowed and hands folded and eyes closed. What’s the attitude of my heart, the position of my heart? That’s what’s important in prayer. So men, here’s for you, “Pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”
Women, [well] adorn yourselves in modest apparel ( 1Ti 2:9 ),
There are fashions and styles that are designed to be sexually provocative. As a Christian woman, I do not believe that you should be wearing such styles. Jesus said “if a man looks upon a woman and desires her in his mind, he has committed adultery” ( Mat 5:28 ). And thus to wear a style of clothing that would so display your body as to create a lust or desire, you’re causing some man to sin. You don’t want to do that. Modest apparel.
Now I don’t believe that you, you know, should go to the other extreme to wear your apparel, you know, that immediately marks you as some kind of a weirdo. You know I think that there is just a lot of modest, beautiful style and I don’t think that this in any way should inhibit your shopping. You can plan, spend plenty of money on clothes that are not of the provocative nature. And stay out of Frederick’s. “Women adorn themselves in modest apparel,”
with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array ( 1Ti 2:9 );
Now this certainly has to be read in the context of the day in which Paul was writing and of the styles in those days, and styles change from time to time. I think that the best guide is just moderation. I think that as a Christian I should not seek to be ostentatious in my dress. And I think that this goes for the men as well as the women. Now I think that there are some pretty wild hairstyles, I’ve seen them on TV that you know are extreme. I don’t think that we ought to be spending a lot of money to remain fashionable with the latest hairstyles and –or some of them are not the latest hairstyles. They go back a ways but they’re very fancy indeed and costly.
I don’t believe in a lot of fancy jewelry myself. I think that there is a better way to spend our money. Met a man today who had a very beautiful Rolls Royce. No doubt he was desperate for transportation. No, he was trying to say something; gold chain with a big gold pendant with diamonds in it, gold, wide gold wristwatch with his name in diamonds on it. Of course he had his name on the license plate of his Rolls Royce. He’s trying to say something. I sort of felt sorry for him to be lacking in self-confidence, to have to say it with jewelry or something else. You know, I’m successful, I’ve got it made. I’m in the One Million Club. It’s sort of sad indeed. So moderation.
(that which becomes women who are professing godliness) ( 1Ti 2:10 )
That’s how you ought to dress so that it doesn’t take away from that beauty that glows upon a woman who is walking with Jesus Christ. You know there are times in a woman’s life when she glows with beauty. I think that there is just something really about pregnancy. I think that women rarely are as beautiful as they are when they are pregnant in sort of the last stages. There seems to be just sort of a glow. There’s just something beautiful about it. And when a woman is walking with the Lord, there’s just that glow of beauty about their lives. There’s just that special little touch of God upon them, which I’ll tell you, L’Oreal or none of the rest can duplicate. I don’t care how much you spend. That beauty of the countenance of a woman who is walking with the Lord is something that is to be desired. It’s glorious to behold.
Now Paul brings up a very controversial issue here. [He said], Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. For I do not allow a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence ( 1Ti 2:11-12 ).
There are certain things that I wish Paul had not written. Paul is, notice, prohibiting the woman to teach or to usurp authority over the man, and that would be in spiritual things and in spiritual issues. Yet in writing to Titus, Paul said let the older women teach the younger women. There is a place of teaching for women, the teaching of the younger women: how to love their husbands, how to keep their homes and to talk in godliness and righteousness. And my wife has taken that as her calling here at Calvary to teach the younger women. Having raised now the family and being freed from the obligation of having the children at home, she’s now free to share with the younger women those secrets that she has learned in walking with God and seeking to raise a godly family.
Paul mentions to Timothy how he have been taught in the Scriptures by his mother and his grandmother. And so the teaching of the children was largely the responsibility of the mothers. The only thing that is prohibited here is the teaching of men and usurping authority over them in spiritual things. That’s the only thing that was being prohibited here by Paul. He is not prohibiting a woman sharing with men. Paul in writing to the Corinthians mentions the women praying or prophesying in a public assembly and he doesn’t come down on them for that. He doesn’t say that that’s prohibited. And “he that prophesies speaks to the church for edification, for comfort, for exhortation” ( 1Co 14:3 ), and I see these as areas where women can minister effectively.
In fact, I think that they really are most of them tremendous exhorters, especially if they’ve been married. We had one little woman in Huntington Beach who had a marvelous gift of exhortation. A little grandmotherly woman, but she could stand up and say, Now you know, life isn’t always easy. We face a lot of trials but the Lord is on the throne. And so often we forget that God is on the throne and we must remember that. And she could just start exhorting, and man, you’d feel like going out and conquering the world. You know, I’m not afraid of anything. God is on my side. God is ruling. And she had a beautiful gift of exhortation. Just the area of teaching or usurping authority over the man is the only thing that Paul comes against here. And so let’s be careful not to broaden out from what Paul has said.
Now Paul isn’t talking about a local cultural situation because he goes back to the beginning and he said,
Adam was first formed, and then Eve ( 1Ti 2:13 ).
The man was made first than the woman.
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was the one that was deceived. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in the faith and love and holiness with sobriety ( 1Ti 2:14-15 ).
Now Paul points out the fact that Satan came and deceived Eve. The suggestion is that women are more susceptible to being deceived in spiritual things than are men. That’s the suggestion that is made. It is interesting that many of the cults have been headed up by women. It is interesting if you’ll look in the paper at the advertisements for the religious science churches and the advertisements for the theosophy and so forth, that so often women are the ones that are teaching in these off-branch kind of cults.
In the parables of the church, the kingdom parables in Matthew’s gospel, a woman hid three, or put the leaven in the three loaves. In the church that we’ll be covering in the book of Revelation, the church of Thyatira, it was the woman Jezebel who the church had allowed to teach and to bring them into this idolatry. So a woman’s place is not that of a teacher or the usurper of authority over men in these spiritual matters.
Now Paul said,
Notwithstanding she shall be saved ( 1Ti 2:15 ),
The word there is preserved in childbearing. One of the greatest fears of a woman in those days when she became pregnant is that of death during the birth of the child, for there was a very high rate of death of the mother in childbirth. And thus there was always a mixed feeling when a woman realized that she was pregnant. There was that feeling of joy and exultation; we’re going to have a baby, but there was that underlying fear, I wonder if I will survive the birth of the child, because so many died in childbirth because of their limited medical knowledge and facilities.
So Paul is encouraging them that the Lord will be with them during childbirth. They will be preserved. You don’t have to fear that you’re going to die in childbirth. The Lord will preserve you and keep you through this experience. If you just “continue in the faith and in love, and in holiness with sobriety,” you don’t need to fear death during the delivery of your child.
And now may the Lord enrich your hearts in His love and in His truth, that you may walk in fellowship with Him in a way that is pleasing unto Him. That the Lord will minister to you in a very special way in your hour of need. That He will come and take you by the hand and comfort you in your time of sorrow. That you just might experience in these days a greater realization of God’s love and of God’s touch upon your life as He ministers to you through His abundant mercy and grace in Christ Jesus.
May God be with you, watch over you, and keep you in His love. In Jesus’ name. “
1Ti 2:1. , I exhort) In this chapter he describes public worship: I. In regard to prayers; II. In regard to doctrine, 1Ti 2:11-12.-, therefore) This exhortation flows from that sense of grace [spoken of, last chap., 1Ti 2:14]. Paul intimates not only what he himself wishes, but what Timothy ought to inculcate.- , first of all to make) The highest duty. [The apostle here furnishes sufficient employment to prevent any , curious investigation into irrelevant questions, ch. 1Ti 1:4.-V. g.]-, , , ) The plural number indicates force: (from ) is the imploring of grace in any special necessity: , prayer, is exercised, when on any occasion we offer our wishes and desires to God: is earnest intercession for other men or creatures, ch. 1Ti 4:5, even if they cannot pray for themselves: , giving of thanks, is becoming to be made also for all men, because, for example, God wishes all men to be saved, and Christ is the Mediator of all.-, for) This is connected with supplications-thanksgivings. All, at separate times, have special necessities.-, for all) 1Ti 2:4; 1Ti 2:6.
1Ti 2:1
I exhort therefore, first of all,-[Timothy was to begin at once to carry out the instruction given by Paul-the charge which bade him teach all men to put their whole trust in the Savior of sinners.]
that supplications,-This word signifies requests for particular benefits, and is a special form of the more general word rendered prayers. (Luk 1:13; Php 1:4; 2Ti 1:3.)
prayers,-Prayer is for direct and specific blessings as we need them. [Prayer is communion with God. It implies that God is a person able and willing to hear us, who has created the universe and still preserves and governs all his creatures and all their actions. He can produce results by controlling the laws of nature or cooperating with them as readily as a man can; nay, more readily, for he is God. He can influence the hearts and minds of men more readily than even a man can induce his fellow men to action. He has had a plan from the beginning, and he accomplishes this plan both by the manner in which he established the universe and the laws which he set in operation, and also by his constant presence in the universe, upholding it and controlling it. And God requires prayer of all men. To pray to God implies a right relation to him. Acceptable prayer can be offered unto God by the righteous only. The prayer of the wicked is abomination unto him. (Pro 15:29; Pro 28:9.) Only those who have forsaken sin are authorized to draw nigh unto God in prayer.]
intercessions,-This word suggests a closer and more intimate communion with God on the part of the one praying. It speaks of drawing near to God, of entering into free, familiar speech with him. Prayer is its most individual, urgent form as in the case of Abraham for Sodom. (Gen 18:24-32.) One of the most distinct examples of intercessory prayer is that of the Lords intercession for Peter. (Luk 22:31-34.)
thanksgivings,-Thanksgiving should never be absent from any of our devotions; we should never fail in any of our prayers to thank God for mercies received.
be made for all men;-These prayers were to be offered for all men that God would bestow on them that which is for their good-bring them to honor and glorify God.
The apostle then turned to the public devotions of the Church. As the Church is the medium for proclamation of the doctrine of truth, so also is it the instrument of intercession as between men and God. The apostle used words that cover the whole ground, “supplications,” “prayers,” “intercessions,” “thanksgivings.” Christians in those days were being charged with rebellion against earthly government. The prayers of the Church disproved the charge. Such prayer is according to the will of God, and harmonizes with the perfect provision He has made for salvation.
Turning to the matter of the demeanor and position of women, we must remember that Paul was dealing with affairs in Ephesus. Behind the picture of the Christian woman as here portrayed is that of many of the women of the Greek communities, and it was to save the women of the Church from any conformity to debased ideals that these passages were written. The adornment of women in the Church must not be external decoration, but the general demeanor. The word “apparel in this connection has reference to much more than mere raiment. It is the garbing of the whole life in its external manifestation. This garbing should result from internal sobriety, which means the perfect equipoise and control of life. The true place of woman is indicated by a reference to the original order in the case of Adam and Eve. Out of that history comes the occasion of woman’s travail, and the apostle declared that in that supreme sorrow she will be saved, if her character is what has been already described.
2:1-3:16 , 3:15. Regulations for the Church, as regards (a) public worship, the proper objects of prayer (2:1-7), and the position to be occupied by men and women (2:8-15); (b) qualifications for the officers: the bishop (3:1-7), deacons (3:8-10, 12, 13), deaconesses (11).
2:1-7. Paraphrase. I come to special regulations to guide you in your true work, and I want to urge first of all that Christians should realize the universality of the message of the gospel. For this, prayers and thanksgivings are to be made in public worship for all mankind, and primarily for rulers and all in any position of authority, that so we may be able to live a quiet life undisturbed by war and persecution, in a religious and serious spirit. Such prayer is true prayer and well-pleasing to God who has already saved us, but wishes all men to be saved too, and to reach a full knowledge of truth.
For there is one and one only God, one and one only who stands between God and men, He who shares human nature, Christ Jesus, and He gave Himself in life and death for all mankind, so bearing witness to Gods great Love in Gods own time; and it was to carry on that message that I myself was chosen as a herald, as a commissioned Apostle-yes, whatever my opponent may say, that is true: He did commission me-whose one task is to train Gentiles in the spirit of faith and in truth.
The keyword of this section, as of the Epistle to the Romans, is universality, ( . . . . . . . . . ). The emphasis on it may be due to Gnostic tendencies to exclusiveness, laying undue stress on knowledge, and distinguishing between and (cf. 6:20, Jud 1:19), but vv. 5-7 suggest that it is rather due to Jewish exclusiveness. St. Paul would naturally be anxious that the Christian Church should not fail, as the Jews had done, in recognizing the universality of its mission.
1. marks the return from a digression to the main subject, but perhaps suggesting a logical connexion. Since, then, our one object is to produce love (1:5), and to carry the message of salvation to all sinners (1:15), there must be prayer for all men. Chrysostom has some excellent remarks upon the power of intercession to break down the barriers of prejudice.
] Because worship gives the note which action has to take up.
, , , ., cf. Php 4:6 . . For attempts to distinguish the three words, cf. Origen, , 14; Augustine, Ep. 50 (who refers them to distinct parts of the Liturgy), Bengel, and Bernard. Probably , emphasizes the sense of need, the approach to God, (= , Php 4:6) the actual petition, but the distinction was not meant to be emphasized: the triad is a favourite feature in St. Pauls style. The connexion with 8-15 and the effect of this passage on the Liturgies makes it clear that the primary reference is to public worship, , Chrys.
] Here and 4:5 only in N.T., also in 2 Mac 4:8, and cf. 3 Mac 6:40 -from , to chance upon, then to have an audience with a king, to have the good fortune to be admitted to an audience, so to present a petition; cf. Wisd 8:21 . , a formal petition, especially to a king; so frequently in Josephus, Diodorus, and the Papyri (Deissmann, B.S., pp. 121, 146). The thought of the King of the ages, 1:17, may still be in the writers mind.
] not in the technical usage = Eucharists, thanksgivings in offerings; cf. Lightfoot on Clem. Rom. 1:41, and the careful examination of the use of the word by Dr. Swete (J. Th. St. iii. p. 161) and Dr. Hort (ib., p. 594); but thanksgiving in words, thought of as part of common worship, cf. 1Co 14:16. It will include gratitude for the past kindnesses of those for whom we pray ( , Theodoret), for Gods past mercies to them (Chrys. quoting Mat 5:45); but more widely-for what they are, Gods creatures, the object of His love, whom He wishes to be saved. Chrysostom says finely, , , , .
.] There is no one for whom the Christian Church has not to pray; no one for whose creation it has not to thank God! Even for Gods enemies its duty is et quod facti sunt diligere et quod faciunt increpare: mores pravorum premere, vit prodesse (Gregory, Reg. Past. iii. c. 22).
2. ] not for the emperor (as in 1 P 2:17 ), but for emperors, the rule being meant to be universal and lasting; cf. Tert. Apol. 30, pro omnibus imperatoribus; or perhaps for kings, including local kings under the Empire; cf. Mar 13:9 . The duty is emphasized perhaps because of the Jewish tendency to rise against the Empire (Judos assidue tumultuantes, Suet. Cl. 25), which might pass over into the Christian Church under a misapprehension of Christian liberty (cf. 6:1, 2, 1 P 2:16), and under the stress of persecution and growing suspicion (Tac. Ann. xv.44); but apart from this it would be natural to St. Paul with his pride in the Empire and its citizenship, Rom_13.
Compare Jeremiahs advice to the Jews in Babylon, , , 29:7 and Bar 1:11, 12 , Ezr 6:10, Ezr 6:1 Mac 7:33. The later Jews prayed for the peace of the kingdom, since but for fear thereof we had swallowed up each his neighbour alive, Pirke Aboth, iii. 2, and prayed for the emperor in their synagogues (Philo, ad Flaccum, p. 524), and offered sacrifices twice a day in Jerusalem for the emperor and people of Rome; but this was stopped with the outbreak of the last Roman war, Jos. B.J. ii.10 and 17; cf. Abrahams, Studies in Pharisaism, 8.
For a similar command, probably based on this, cf. Polyc. Ep. 12 (ubi v. Lightfoot); and for the substance of the prayer, Clem. Rom. 1.61, , , , , , , . . . , , , : Tert. Apol. c. 30, Vitam illis prolixam, imperium securum, domum tutam, exercitus fortes, senatum fidelem, populum probum, orbem quietum; ib. c. 39, Oramus pro imperatoribus, pro ministeriis eorum ac potestatibus, pro statu sculi, pro rerum quiete, pro mora finis. For the effect of this passage on the Liturgies, cf. the Clementine Liturgy, , , , . . . (Brightman, Lit. E. and W. i. p. 21), the Liturgy of St. James (ib. p. 55), the Coptic Liturgy (ib. p. 168), the Prayer for the whole state of Christs Church in the English Prayer Book.
. (in sublimitate, Vulg.; in sublimi loco, Ambrosiaster): here and 1Co 2:1 only in N.T., but cf. Rom 13:1 : 1 P 2:13 : 2 Mal 3:11.
…] gives the result of the prayer. Pray for good government, for that will secure you a quiet life. Perhaps also (so Holtzmann) dependent on , giving the result of the fact that they pray. Pray for the government, that the heathen may recognize your loyalty and you be left in peace. Cf. Tertullian, Apol. 39, and Seneca (Ep. Mor. 73), who defends philosophers from the charge of disloyalty to rulers, e contrario nulli adversus eos gratiores sunt: nec immerito: nullis enim plus prstant quam quibus frui tranquillo otio licet.
. (here only in N.T.), 1 P 3:4 only, but cf. , 1Th 4:11; , 2Th 3:12, a retired and quiet life (cf. M.M s.v.), undisturbed by war or persecution from outside; free from such tumults as that at Ephesus had been Act 19:23.
] an interesting Hellenic counterpart to the Hebraic of Luk 1:75.
] (pietate, Vulg.) godliness; the true reverence towards God which comes from knowledge; characteristic of Past. Epp. here and 3:16, 4:7, 8, 6:3, 5, 6, 11, 2Ti 3:5, Tit 1:1, but also in Acts and 2 P, and common in LXX and classical literature; cf. Bernard and Trench, Syn. s.v. It may include a true respect and reverence for human superiors (cf. 5:4), and perhaps does so here.
. (castitate, Vulg.; sobrietate, Thdt.; honestate, Calvin), dignity, gravity, seriousness, the demeanour of the towards men (cf. Tert. Prscr. 43, ubi metus in Deum, ibi gravitas honesta): a grace and dignity not lent him from earth, but which he owes to that higher citizenship which is also his: being one who inspires not respect only, but reverence and worship, Trench, N.T. Syn. s.v.; cf. , Tit 2:3 note; Clem. Alex. Strom. vii. 35, .
3. ] Such prayer for all mankind, or such a life (so Pelagius, von Soden): either will help on Gods purpose and help to save men. Cf. Euseb. H.E. iv. 7, who speaks of the Church as .
] Cf. additional note, p. 22. Here it may be joined closely with , good in Gods sight, or perhaps its reference is manward. This will win men and please God. Cf. 2Co 8:21; Clem. Rom 1:7, .
4. ] With slight antithesis to : he who has saved us, 3 including the chief of sinners (1:15), wills to save all, cf. 4:10, Wisd 16:7 . There is no limitation, such as Tertullian, eorum quos adoptavit (de Or. 4); Augustine, omnes prdestinati, quia omne genus hominum in eis est (de corr. et gr. 44). His will to save is as wide as His will to create and to protect, omnes vult salvari quia et omnes tuetur (Thd.-Mops. ad loc., with Swetes note); cf. Eze 18:23, Wisd 1:13-16, Rom 5:18, and Epict. iii. 24, 2, , . But Bengels non coguntur and Ambros. si et ipsi velint add the necessary limitation to the working of Gods will; cf. Herm. Sim. viii. 1; Hooker, Eccl. Pol v. 49.
] Favourite word with St.Paul(10 times; see Armitage Robinson on Eph., detached note); elsewhere Heb. (1), 2 P (4)
. ] Past. Epp. only 2Ti 2:25, 2Ti 3:7, Tit 1:1, but ., Heb 10:26. It has become a technical term for the intellectual acceptance of Christianity; cf. of the proselyte to Judaism, Philo, de Spec. Leg. 4:178 (Dibelius), of philosophy, Epict. 11. xx. 21 (M.M. s.v.).
5-7. 5-6 expand , 7 expands . . .
5. .] Correlative to One, and therefore with a will for all mankind, for Gentile as well as Jew; cf. Rom 3:29, Rom 3:30 ; ; , , Eph 3:4-6 and Isa 45:20-23. There may also be an implied antithesis one and not many (cf. 1Co 8:4-6).
] one mediator able to represent both God and man entirely (cf. Iren. iv. 20, hominibus ostendens Deum, Deo autem exhibens hominem), again with an implied antithesis, one and not more: not Moses any longer (Gal 3:19; Philo, de Vita Mosis, ii. 166, . . . ), not any Jewish High Priest (Heb 8:6, Heb 8:9, 15, Heb 8:12:24), nor any angel (Col 2:18, Heb 2:16; Test. XII. Patr., Dan, c. 6, : Philo, Bible. Antiq. xxxii. 14), nor any being in the mysteries intermediate between God and the creation, like Mithras (Cumont, Les mysteres de Mithra3, pp. 129, 139), nor any Gnostic on intermediate between God and the world. Philo had regarded the Word of God as occupying such an intermediate position; cf. Quis rerum div. hr. 42, where He is described as and . Christ Jesus has embodied this function in a human life.
] The Divine side is assumed: the human only mentioned, as he is thinking of the gift given in the human life, a true man, no angel, no mere phantom appearance, but one living a human historic life, a second Adam, The Son of man. There is much to be said for Lachmanns punctuation, putting the comma after . For there is one only God, one only man too, representative of God and man, viz. Christ Jesus.
6. ] prob. a reminiscence of the Lords own saying, Mar 10:45 : cf. Tit 2:14 note.
Here only in N.T.: in Psa 48:9 it is an alternative rendering for (Field, Hexapla), a vicarious ransom: for the form, cf. , Rom 1:27, 2Co 6:13; for the thought, Tit 2:14 note, and cf. Eleazars prayer that the sacrifice of his own life may save his nation, , 4 Mac 6:29. These verses 5, 6 may be quoted from some formula (Dibelius), cf. 1Co 8:6, but they spring naturally out of the context.
] acc. in apposition to the preceding statement, cf. Rom 12:1, 2Th 1:5: the great truth revealed in Gods own time. But by whom? It may include the whole chain of witnesses. (a) The law and the prophets pointing to it, cf. Rom 3:21 , and 1 P 1:11. (b) The witness of the Lord Himself in His Life (cf. 6:13 and Joh 18:37 and 1 P 1:11. Sanctae vit dedit exemplum, Pelagius), His passion ( , Chrys.), and resurrection (tempore quo resurrexit, Thd.). (c) The witness which the writer and all future teachers have to give, cf. 1Co 1:6, 2Th 1:10. (This is the fact to which we are to bear our testimony, as opportunities present themselves, Twentieth Century N.T. The outlook is to the future of the Church, Bernard. This suits the context, ordering prayers for all men that so the message of salvation may reach to all: and this will need time. But Tit 1:3 makes any reference to the future doubtful.
, cf. Tit 1:3 note.
7. ] 2Ti 1:11, and supra, 1:13 note.
] The word was associated not only with the games (1Co 9:27) but also with the Eleusinian mysteries; cf. , Philostratus, Vit. Soph. ii. 33, and other instances, ap. M.M. s.v.
. ] Rom 9:1, 2Co 11:31, Gal 1:20. The language of one whose authority and whose truthfulness have been attacked in the past, and who is still face to face with opposition.
. (cf. 1:2) .] The sphere and the subjects in which he teaches; corresponding to the two purposes of God in 4, faith in salvation and knowledge of Him. It may include his own loyalty (1:12) and truthfulness (cf. ) (so Wohlenberg); but only by implication.
8-15. Paraphrase. The second point which I wish to stress is the spirit and order of public prayer. Men when they pray to God must lay aside all personal ill-will and irritation; women must dress quietly, for they are engaged in a sacred task, and their true adorning is that of good works, not of costly jewels and dress. The women should listen to the teaching quietly and submissively: I do not allow a woman to be herself a teacher, nor to dictate to men; and that for two reasons. The order of creation suggests mans taking the lead, first Adam, then Eve. The history of the Fall suggests womens weakness: it was not Adam but Eve who was deceived and so fell. Yet Gods will to save all men extends to her:
A child from womans seed to spring
Shall saving to all women bring.
That is a true saying; but to be saved they must continue faithful, loving, holy, and self-controlled.
The whole section refers primarily only to public prayer (though it appeals at times to principles that have a wider application); this is clear (a) from its position between 1-8 and 3:1-13. (b) From the analogy of 1Co 11:2-16, 1Co 14:34-36 which were apparently in the writers mind. (c) From its influence on subsequent Church orders; cf. Canon. Hippol. 81-88, mulier libera ne veniat veste variegata in ecclesiam … neve omnino loquantur in ecclesia quia est domus Dei. Test. Dom. Nostri, ii. 4; Const. Apost. iii. 6; cf. Clem. Alex. Pd. iii. 11, .
(d) Perhaps from the analogy of heathen priestesses; cf. 10 note.
The purpose of the section is twofold. (a) Primarily, to secure a right spirit and character in those who pray, both men and women; cf. 8, 9, 10, 15. (b) To check a freedom which women were claiming to teach at the meeting. Nothing is mentioned about women prophesying, which was always exceptional, and the writer is laying down general rules. It is less clear whether any rule is laid down as to leading the prayers. This is not stated, and the language is consistent (1) with the theory that there was no leader, but that all prayed in silence until the Spirit moved some one, man or woman, to pray aloud (cf. Ramsay, Exp., Sept. 1909): (2) with the theory that the acted as leader, the rest joining in with the Amen (1Co 14:16). This is more consistent with 1, 2 supra, and 3:1-7.
8. . (cf. 5:14, Tit 3:8, Php 1:12) parallel to 1, but perhaps suggesting a slight connexion with the last paragraph. The thought of Gods universal salvation is still in his mind, , 4; , 15, and the ideal of the true Christian life; Cf. 2 with 9-11.
] Wherever you meet for public worship; or more probably the writer means the rule to be universal for all churches under his influence, being an echo of (4), (6); cf. 1Co 1:2, 1Co 7:17, 1Co 14:33 . There is possibly a reminiscence of Mal 1:11 . . . , which was a favourite quotation in 2nd-century writers, as pointing to the universal offering of the Eucharist; cf. Justin, Dial. 41 and 117; Iren. iv. 17; so Didache, c. 14, where it is given as a reason why no one who has a quarrel with another should join in the Eucharistic sacrifice.
] Standing to pray, as was customary with pagans and Jews alike, and common with the early Christians; cf. Dict. Chr. Antiq., s.v. Oranti. For Greek and Roman illustrations, cf. Wetstein, Wohlenberg, and Deissmann, L.A.E., p. 421.
] Combines the idea of moral purity (quae sanctis operibus ministraverint, Origen on Rom_6; cf. Job 16:17 , : Psa 24:4, Isa 1:15, Isa 1:16, Jam 4:8; Clem. Rom 1:29, ) with that of consecration, hands like those of consecrated priests, performing the tasks of holy priesthood (1 P 2:9). It is partly explained by . They must have the consecration of Christian Love, if they are to pray aright. Cf. Tert. Apol. 30, manibus expansis quia innocuis; De Orat. 14, manus expandimus, de dominica passione modulati, in imitation of the Cross. It is difficult to imagine after Our Lords teaching that Christians had taken over the Jewish practice of ceremonial ablutions. So Ramsay, ubi s., but cf. Hippol. Canon, 241, Christianus lavet manus omni tempore quo orat.
(cf. Mat 5:23-25, Mat 5:6:14, Mat 5:15), , probably disputing (disceptatione, Vulg.); cf. Php 2:14 : Mar 7:21 , evil thoughts against ones neighbour, the chief of the things which really pollute. Did. 14, , . Tertull. De Or. 11. 12, Thd. and Thdt. interpret it as doubt, hesitation (cf. Mar 11:23, Jam 1:6, Herm. Mand. ix. 1); with right feeling to man and God, with love and faith (cf. 15 and 1:14); but the idea of doubt is alien to the context, which emphasizes mans relation to his fellow-men.
8-15. This section deals only with the dress and conduct of women at the meetings; but compare the general relation of husband to wife in 1 P 3:1-8, which appears to be influenced by the passage; cf. also Cyprian, De Hab. Virg., where an a fortiori argument is drawn from this passage to the ordinary dress of virgins, and Tertull. De cultu Fem., where it is used as an argument for the ordinary dress of all Christian women, who may have to face martyrdom at any moment. Compare also the contrast between Virtue, , , , , and Vice, . . . , in the story of Prodicus, Xen. Mem. ii. 1.
9. ] Perhaps carries on to women all that has been said about men (Chrys., Ramsay), but not necessarily (cf. 3:8, 11, Tit 2:3, Tit 2:6), and it does not affect the construction, which is .
Possibly demeanour, deportment (Ambros., Dibelius, M.M. s.v.); but as this is expressed in . . . , more probably dress, which is implied by the contrast . . . cf. Isa 61:3; Clem. Alex. Pd. iii. 11, quoted above.
] That shamefastness which shrinks from overpassing the limits of womanly reserve and modesty; ., that habitual inner self-government with its constant rein on all the passions and desires which would hinder temptation from arising, or at all events arising in such strength as should overbear the checks and barriers which opposed to it. Trench, Syn. s.v.; cf. Tert. de C. Fem. ii. 8, ubi Deus, ibi pudicitia, ibi gravitas, adjutrix et socia ejus. For its meaning as applied to different ages and sexes, cf. additional note, p. 148.
] Cf. 1 P 3:4, which seems suggested by this place.
10. . (cf. 6:21, Wisd 2:12): . (promittentes castitatem, O.L.; pietatem, Vulg. Ambros.; professing godliness, R.V., A.V.; but better, promittentibus Deum colere, Thd., that professe the worshippynge of God, Tyndale), refers to their action in coming to the Churchs worship. There is perhaps a comparison with heathen priestesses; cf. , 8; , Tit 2:8, and an inscription describing the dress of the in the mysteries, . . . . Dittenberg, Syll. ii.2 653 (quoted by Dibelius); cf. Tert. de C. F. ii. 12, sacerdotes pudiciti.
] Etiam sine sermone, Bengel: prob. with , Cf. Tit 2:10, Clem. Rom. 1:33, . . . , not with : cf. Tert. de C. F. ii. 13, for a rhetorical expansion of this passage, and Hipp. Canons 82-87, Neque enim to quae pretiosorum lapidum et margaritarum ornamentis superbis tam pulchra es ut illa qu sola natura et bonitate splendet.
11-15. Still dealing directly with conduct at the meetings; but the word suggests a reference to the whole relation of wife to husband, cf. Eph 5:23. The language is coloured throughout by Gen_2 and 3: = , Gen 2:7; = 3:18; = , 3:16.
11. ] Submission to constituted authority, i.e. the officials and regulations of the Church, Ramsay, though suggests also their husbands.
12. The earliest known use of the word, common in late Greek (from -, a self-actor, an independent actor, so in vulgar Greek= (cf. Rutherford, The New Phrynichus, 96; Ngeli, p. 49; Moulton and Milligan, s.v.), to lord it over, to dictate to, the antithesis of Gen 3:16.
13. : so 2Co 11:8 , though the LXX has .
14. Cf. 2Co 11:3; and for the Jewish tradition that Eve was tempted by the serpent to infidelity, cf. Thackeray, The Relation of St. Paul to Contemporary Jewish Thought, pp. 50-57; for the Jewish attitude to women, Taylor, Sayings of the Jewish Fathers, i. 5 note; and for the connexion of Eve with transgression and death, Ecclus 25:24 .
-passed into and has remained in the position of transgressor.
] taking up , 4 , 1:15; shall be spiritually saved.
(that of Gen 3:16, or more technically the great) . Two interpretations seem possible. (a) By bearing children, by that child-bearing which was once a thing of sorrow but now has become a source of salvation; not by spiritual activities at the meetings, but by motherhood and the quiet duties of home (cf. 5:14); including perhaps (so Chrys.) the rearing of children (cf. 5:10 , and Hippol. Canon 82, Neve det infantes quos peperit nutricibus sed ipsa sola eos nutriat neve administrationem famili negligat), and all maternal instincts, which become the saving of a woman from self and draw out her soul both to others and to God; cf. Ramsay, Expositor, 1909, pp. 339-47. If so, there may be an implied protest against those who depreciated marriage, 4:3.
(b) By the great child-bearing, by that which has produced the Saviour, the child-bearing of Mary, which has undone the work of Eve. This use of the article is very common in the Past. Epp.; cf. , , (p. xvi): for the thought, cf. Ign. ad Eph. 19, , , Iren. Hr. v. 19, si ea inobedierat Deo, sed hc suasa est obedire Deo, uti Virginis Eva virgo Maria fieret advocata, et quemadmodum adstrictum est morti genus humanum per virginem, salvetur per virginem: cf. ibid. 3:22; Prdic. Apostolica, c. 33; Justin, Dial. c. 100; Tert. de Carne, xli. c. 17: cf. the stress on , sup.5, and Gal 4:4 .
(b) is probably right. It was given by some anonymous commentator (Cramer, Catena, vii. 22), and has been revived by Ellicott, von Soden, and Wohlenberg. Indirectly it reflects a glory upon all child-bearing, which has become the channel of the Salvation of the world.
The nominative to is perhaps (cf. Irenus, u.s.), or ; Eve as the representative of women.
15. ] Who? not the children (Chrys., Jerome), which is too far from the context, but from 9, 10; or possibly husband and wife, suggested by 12-14; cf. 1 P 3:7 .
.] The essential Christian virtues, cf. 2Th 2:13; but possibly suggests marital fidelity; cf. , Brightman, Lit. E. and W., p. 26. . . the right relation between husband and wife, cf. 1Th 4:7, and a rhetorical amplification of the section in Clem. Hom. xii. 16-18, 21, .
] Cf. Tit 3:8 note; and for the variant , Introd., p. xxxvi. The words perhaps refer to the preceding statement (so Chrys., Holtzmann, W. H., Hillard), as the other faithful sayings deal with salvation. If so, it is still uncertain how much of that sentence is included in the quotation; probably only . I would suggest that the previous words, . . . , are a quotation from some Jewish Apocrypha, scornful of women (this would make the perfect tense more natural), which is answered by quoting a well-known Christian saying about the effect of the Incarnation on women.
But most editors connect the words with the following paragraph.
J. Th. St. The Journal of Theological Studies, London, 1910-
M.M. The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, by J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, 1914-
Bible. Antiq. The Biblical Antiquities (of Philo), ed. M. R. James, S.P.C.K., 1917.
Const. Apost. Constitutiones Apostolorum, ed. P. A. de Lagarde, 1862.
Deissmann, Light from the Ancient East, by A. Deissmann, Eng. transln., 1910.
R.V. Revised Version of the English Bible.
A.V. Authorized Version of the English Bible.
Ngeli Das Wortschatz des Apostels Paulus, von T. Ngeli, 1905.
Clem. Hom. Clementis Romani Homili, ed. Dressel, 1853.
Prayer and Modest Adorning
1Ti 2:1-15
The Apostle especially urged intercessory prayer, because it meant so much to himself. Three different words are used of prayer, because there are so many ways of approaching God. It is our duty to pray for those in authority, and to seek after a calm and quiet life in all godliness and gravity. It was most important that Christians should not be suspected of revolutionary designs or civic turbulence. If they had to suffer, it must be only on account of their religious faith. The solidarity of our race is the reason for our wide-embracing supplications. The whole race is one in the creation of God and the ransom of Christ; we are therefore one with all men, and should express in prayer the common sins and sorrows of mankind.
The men were bidden to lead in public prayer, and to see that the hands they uplifted were clean, while the women joined quietly after the Eastern fashion. There was nothing revolutionary in Pauls teaching. He was content, in minor matters, to conform to the usages of his age, though promulgating doctrines which would ultimately revolutionize the position of womanhood. A holy married life, with the bearing and training of children, is, as a rule, the appointed path for woman, and this will lead to their salvation through faith in the Holy One who was born in Bethlehem.
Chapter 5 Unlimited Redemption
1Ti 2:1-7
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 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, (vv. 1-7)
In these verses we have an earnest exhortation and a very marvelous declaration, and the two are most intimately linked together. The exhortation has to do with our responsibility in respect to prayer. We read in the first verse, I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. One of the first great responsibilities resting upon the people of God is supplication and prayer.
Four things are brought before us here. The word prayer suggests any kind of approach to God as we draw near to Him to present those things that are on our hearts. The word supplication goes somewhat deeper, and has to do with matters about which we are greatly exercised and which cause intense concern. The word intercession suggests prayer on behalf of others. Our blessed Lord ever liveth to make intercession for [us] (Heb 7:25). And now while we are here on earth it is our privilege to intercede on behalf of fellow saints, on behalf of Israel, on behalf of the nations generally, on behalf of unsaved people that they might be brought to know the Lord, and on behalf of rulers that they might be guided aright.
With prayers, supplications, and intercessions we always should link thanksgiving. In Php 4:6 the apostle says, Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. When we come to God in prayer to supplicate for needed blessings or to intercede on behalf of others, we should not be ungrateful as we think of His dealings with us in the past. You will remember that in 2Ti 3:2 unthankfulness is connected with unholiness. Thankfulness and gratitude to God, and holiness of heart and life are linked intimately together.
Notice the scope of intercession in the last part of the first verse and in verse 2. We are to pray for all men. We can do that only in a general way. We do not know what the will of God is as to the lives of all men, but we learn from the following declaration that it is Gods desire that all men should be saved. So we can pray in fellowship with God that the Holy Spirit may bring men under conviction of sin, to confess their lost condition, and to see their need of Christ. We are not to confine our prayer to just a few of our own little circle, but our hearts are to go out to all men. We are to pray in a special sense for those who have been given responsibility as rulers, in all nations. God Himself it is who has divided us into nations, and it is God who puts one man up and another down. It is He who gives authority to different men, and they are responsible-those who are placed in positions of leadership-to act in accordance with the Lords will. They do not always do it. In fact, very infrequently perhaps are they concerned about doing the will of God. But, as Christians, we may help them in this by prayer.
We are to pray for kings, and for all that are in authority. When we come together in a public service, we usually pray for those who are in authority. But are we as much concerned about remembering them before God when we kneel alone in His presence? I am quite sure of this: if we prayed more for those at the head of the country and in other positions of responsibility, we would feel less ready to criticize them. We would be more disposed to recognize the heavy burdens resting upon them and to understand how easy it is to make mistakes in times of crises. Our rulers need divine wisdom that they might govern well in subjection to Him who is earths rightful King. As we pray earnestly for them, we are furthering our own best interests. Because as the affairs of nations are ordered according to the will of God, His people find living conditions more comfortable and more enjoyable. So we are told to pray for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
Christians are to be examples to others of subjection to the government. When difficulties arise and differences come up that divide people and set one group against another, we should be characterized by quiet, restful confidence in God as we refer these things to Him in prayer. God told Israel, when they were scattered among the nations of the earth, to pray for the peace of the different lands in which they dwelt. This is a responsibility that rests upon us as believers today.
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. The apostle uses this beautiful term-God our Saviour-a number of times in this epistle. How precious it is to think of God in that connection! In our unsaved state we knew Him as God the Judge, but now since we have come to know Him as revealed in Christ, He has become God our Savior.
We get a very definite reason why we should pray for all men: God our Savior wills, that is, He desires to have, all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. I hope we believe that. I find that some of my brethren do not seem to believe it. They speak as though there are some men whom God has brought into existence for whom there is no possibility of salvation because they are not among the elect. I find no such teaching as this in Scripture. We read in that wonderful passage-the miniature Bible, as Luther calls it-For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (Joh 3:16). Thank God, we can go to men everywhere and tell them,
There is plentiful redemption
In the blood that has been shed.
No matter how far they have drifted from God, no matter what their sins may be, they do not have to peer into the book of the divine decrees in order to find out whether or not they are of the chosen or the elect. If they come in all their sin and guilt, confessing their iniquities and trusting in Christ, then they may have the assurance from His Word that they are saved. It has been well said that the Whosoever wills are the elect, and whosoever wonts are the non-elect. All who will may come. Jesus said to those who refused His testimony, Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life (Joh 5:40). It is the desire of God that all men should be saved. He says, Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? (Eze 33:11). This expresses His attitude toward all men everywhere. But their salvation depends upon their coming to the knowledge of the truth-that is, believing the gospel.
Yes, God desires that all men should be saved, and He has made provision whereby all may be saved if they will: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. This is the gospel. It is our responsibility to carry it to the world. There is one God. All other objects that men worship as gods are only idols. They are powerless to save. There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. He it was who came down from heaven and took humanity into union with His Deity in order to make God known to men, and to give Himself a ransom for all. Now He has gone back to God on behalf of men. He ever lives to intercede for us. Scripture does not know of any other mediator. The blessed Virgin Mary is never referred to in the Bible in this capacity. Nor do we read of saints or angels as mediators. Our Lord Jesus alone stands between us and God, even as His work on the cross is the only ground of our salvation.
He who desires to know God, to be assured of sins forgiven is directed to Jesus by the Holy Spirit, speaking through this Word. There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Act 4:12). And, thank God, no other is needed. That name is all-sufficient. He came to earth to give His life a ransom for us. He tells us Himself that, The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many (Mat 20:28). Some might think the word many there indicates that His redemption is not available for all, but the Holy Spirit negates that thought by what we read here in verse 6: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. While it is true that only those who believe on Him will be actually redeemed, yet He gave Himself an available ransom for all. If ever you are lost eternally, it will not be because God was not ready to save you. If you are shut away from the Home of the Blessed for the ages to come, it will not be because there was not a welcome for you if you had come by way of Calvarys cross. There is no other way, no other salvation than through the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that work avails for you if you will come and put your trust in Him who accomplished it.
This is the message that Paul carried through the world, 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. Who ordained Paul? Some would say that Ananias ordained him, but who ordained Ananias? From the record he does not seem to have had any special human ordination. But who ordained Paul? The Lord tells us, I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee (Act 26:16). So Pauls ordination came when the blessed Lord Jesus appeared to him on the Damascus turnpike, and Paul could have said in the words of the beautiful seventeenth-century poem, which has been rendered into English by Frances Bevan:
Christ the Son of God hath sent me
Through the midnight lands:
Mine the mighty ordination
Of the pierced hands.
The Lord ordained Paul as preacher and apostle to go to the Gentiles with the gospel of a full redemption whereby all men might be saved. This was the special mission committed to him. And while he never forgot his Jewish brethren as he went from place to place-he usually sought them out first-his great work was to make the gospel known to the Gentile world. And what a world it was! It was a world literally rotten in its vileness and corruption. A world given to the worst kind of paganism and idolatry. A world in which men were enslaved by the Devil and powerless to deliver themselves. It was into such a world as this that the apostle Paul proclaimed the One who gave himself a ransom for all. And when men believed the message they were saved. They were transformed, and they who had been led by Satan captives of his will became captives in the chains of love, delighting to serve the One who had died to redeem them.
1Ti 2:5
“The man Christ Jesus.” The very absence of all qualifying epithets makes the designation unique and solemn. There is a majesty about it which inspires awe. There is a grace in it which wins love and trust. It is not the holy man, the righteous man, the gracious man. It is simply “the man Christ Jesus.”
I. He is the man all through; out and out the man. In soul, body, spirit; in look, voice, carriage, walk; in mind, heart, feeling, affection; He is out and out, through and through, the man.
II. He is simply man throughout; in every exigency, in every trial, simply man-the man Christ Jesus. In all His earthly and human experiences you never find Him other than man, you never find Him less than man, and you never find Him more than man. That He is more than man you believe and are sure, for you see His Divine works of charity and power; you see how He saves others. But from the manner in which He fulfils His own obligations, meets His own temptations, and bears His own sufferings, you would never gather this.
III. He is the man exclusively, preeminently, par excellence, to the absolute exclusion of all others; He is the man, complete and perfect. Not a man made up of the most select remains of manhood, among men as they have lived since the Fall. He is the man as God originally made man, perfect, absolutely and indivisibly one and perfect-the man Christ Jesus.
IV. He is the man to mediate between God and man.
V. He is the man to give Himself a ransom for all.
VI. He is the man to be testified in due time. Whatever the time, whatever the season, it is a due time, a fitting season, for His being testified to thee by the Spirit as being present with thee. As thou walkest the streets, or journeyest along the road, He talks with thee by the way, and opens to thee the Scriptures concerning Himself; the man Christ Jesus, who taught this of old in Galilee and Jewry, speaking as never man spoke.
R. S. Candlish, Sermons, p. 24.
References: 1Ti 2:5.-F. Wagstaff, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xv., p. 407. 1Ti 2:5, 1Ti 2:6.-Church of England Pulpit, vol. ii., p. 243; Preacher’s Monthly, vol. viii., p. 197.
1Ti 2:8
The Prayer of Faith.
I. God is infinite, and the laws of nature, like nature itself, are finite. These methods of working, therefore-which correspond to the physical element in us-do not exhaust His agency. There is a boundless residue of disengaged faculty beyond. As yet, you have but reached the precinct of His being. Behind and amid all the punctualities of law, abides in infinite remainder, the living and unpledged spirit of God; the traces which he prints on nature are but as the waving water-line with which the breakers meet the beach; but horizon after horizon beyond, the same tide sweeps alone, and there is the play of ten thousand waves with neither reef nor shore to bring them to account; so is it with the deep mind of God, out beyond the limit of contact with nature, its energy is not bound to take any given shape, thrown up and determined by its previous force, but is free to rise and play and lapse into itself again. Here, he has made no rule but the everlasting rule of holiness, and gives no pledge but the pledge of inexhaustible love.
II. In man there are two elements, the physical and the spiritual; in God there are two agencies, also physical and spiritual. It follows of itself that what is physical in us is subjected to what comes physically from Him; while that which is spiritual in us is open to communication from what lives spiritually in Him. We must accommodate ourselves to the stern mechanism of God’s natural laws, and then He will succour us, not by altering them, but by inspiring us-by lifting us to bear their burden-by throwing open to us the almightiness of His companionship, and the shelter of His love. Wherever elements of character enter the result, so that it will differ according to the moral agent’s attitude of mind, it is plainly not beyond the reach of a purely spiritual influence to modify a temporal event. The prayer of Cromwell’s soldiers kneeling on the field could not lessen the numbers, or blunt the weapons of the Cavaliers, but might give such fire of zeal and coolness of thought, as to turn each man into an organ of almighty justice, and carry the victory which he implored. Wherever the living contact between the human spirit and the Divine, can set in operation our very considerable control over the combinations and processes of the natural world, there is still left a scope, practically indefinite, for prayer that the bitter cup of outward suffering may pass away; only never without that trustful relapse, “Not My will, but Thine, be done.”
J. Martineau, Hours of Thought, vol. ii., p. 220.
References: 1Ti 2:8.-A. Blomfield, Sermons in Town and Country, p. 286. 1Ti 2:9-15.-Expositor, 1st series, vol. ii., p. 317. 1Ti 2:13, 1Ti 2:14.-T. Gasquoine, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xiii., p. 182. 1Ti 2:15.-Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. ii., p. 13. 1Ti 3:1-7.-Expositor, 1st series, vol. ii., p. 396. 1Ti 3:8-15.-Ibid., p. 465.
II. CONCERNING PRAYER
CHAPTER 2
1. Prayer for all men and for those in authority (1Ti 2:1-7)
2. The place for the man and the woman (1Ti 2:8-15)
1Ti 2:1-7
Instructions are now given by the apostle. The first concerns prayer. I exhort, therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty (literally, gravity). For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. The God who is our Father is also the Saviour-God, who acts in the gospel of His grace with love and compassion towards all men. As such He manifests a gracious willingness to have all men come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. We must, therefore, knowing Him and the exceeding abundant grace towards us, act in love towards those who are without. God acts in grace and the household of faith must do likewise.
As the gospel of grace goeth forth to all men, and God wants all men to be saved, so are we to pray for all men. Especially are kings and all who are in authority to be mentioned in the prayers of intercession. This is the true grace-spirit; the Jewish law-spirit knew nothing of love towards all men. Gentiles and Gentile kings were looked upon as outside, and not considered to be the objects of divine love. The dispensation of the grace of God having come, salvation by grace is offered to the whole world. And how this exhortation has been neglected! How little true prayer for the salvation of all men is made! (1Ti 2:4 disposes completely of the unscriptural idea that God has predestined a part of the human race to be lost.) We must also remember that cruel Nero was on the throne of the Roman Empire when this exhortation was written.
The house of God is to be a house of prayer for all nations, and to exercise the priestly function of intercession. Well has it been said, Nothing but the strong sense of the infinite blessing of the place that grace has given us could lead to, or keep up, such prayer. But often we are apt to settle down in the enjoyment of grace, without reflecting on our responsibility towards those who are unreached by that grace, which is also at their disposal. Through preoccupation within, how often we forget those without! How needful today when thrones totter, when democracies arise, when all forms of government break down and the shadow of the coming lawless one lengthens, to be obedient to this divinely given instruction, so that even in these days of confusion Gods people may lead a quiet and peaceable life!
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all, the testimony to be rendered in due time. Judaism was the revelation and testimony of the one God. Christianity reveals also the true God, but brings forth the equally great truth that there is but one mediator, as there is but one God. And this one mediator is the Man Christ Jesus, who came into the world and who gave Himself a ransom for all.
Precious truth! We are in weakness, we are guilty, we could not bring ourselves near to God. We needed a mediator, who, while maintaining the glory of God, should put us into such a position that He could present us to God in righteousness according to that glory. Christ gave Himself as a ransom. But He must be a man in order to suffer for men, and to represent men. And this He was. But this is not all. We are weak–here, where we are to receive the revelation of God; and weak, with regard to the use of our resources in God and our communion with Him–even when our guilt is blotted out. And, in our weakness to receive the revelation of God, Christ has revealed God, and all that He is in His own person, in all the circumstances written wherein man could have need either in body or in soul. He came down into the lowest depths in order that there should be none, even of the most wretched, who could not feel that God in His goodness was near him and was entirely accessible to him–come down to Him–His love finding its occasion in misery; and that there was no need to which He was not present, which He could not meet.
He came down, took part in all the sorrows of humanity, and entered into all the circumstances in which the human heart could be, and was wounded, oppressed, and discouraged, bowing down under the evil. No tenderness, no power, no sympathy, no humanity, like His; no human heart that can so understand, so feel with us, whatever the burden may be that oppresses the heart of man. It is the Man, the Christ Jesus, who is our mediator; none so near, none who has come down so low, and entered with divine power into the need, and all the need, of man. The conscience is purified by His work, the heart relieved by that which He was, and which He is for ever.
There is but One: to think of another would be to snatch from Him His glory, and from us our perfect consolation. His coming from on high, His divine nature, His death, His life as man in heaven, all point Him out as the one and only mediator (Synopsis of the Bible).
A ransom for all, the testimony to be rendered in due time. This statement has been perverted by some, who handle the Word of God deceitfully, to mean that the whole human race will ultimately be saved including all the wicked dead. And more than that, some of these teachers have made the astonishing statement that the testimony of their unscriptural invention was to be reserved for a certain time, and that due time came when they preached their larger hope and universal salvation. He has given Himself a ransom for all, which means that provision is made by His propitiatory sacrifice for the salvation of the whole race, but faith is necessary for the appropriation of this salvation.
All who do not accept Christ by personal faith are not covered by His substitutionary sacrifice. If they die in their sins the great ransom cannot deliver them (Job 36:18). The due time, or, its own time, when that testimony of all this was to be rendered came when the work was finished on the cross. Ever since the one mediator between God and man gave Himself a ransom for all, the message of Gods love and grace has been preached. And Paul to whom the gospel of the glory of the blessed God was specially committed could therefore say, Whereunto I was appointed a preacher (literally herald; also used in 2Ti 1:11; and of Noah in 2Pe 2:5) and an apostle (I speak the truth, I lie not) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
1Ti 2:8-15
I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. This refers to praying in public. Audible prayer in the congregation is to be made by men, and not by women. This is apostolic teaching. (There are sects in existence today which claim to have returned to apostolic doctrines and practices, yet they ignore the apostolic commandment as to the place of women in the church. In fact in many of these sects women are the leaders.) The hands which are lifted up in public prayer must be holy hands (Jam 4:8). True piety and a separated walk are to characterize the man who lifts up his hands in public prayer. And it must be without wrath, angry feeling against a brother, and without disputing or reasoning. To harbor an ill feeling against another while praying or to introduce a dispute, a reasoning argument (as done quite often) makes prayer noneffective.
And now in regard to women he gives the charge that they adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array. She is to give her testimony in this way and show that she is not following the world, but is above these things. Immodest dress, bordering on indecency, to gratify the lust of the flesh and of the eyes, is a noticeable thing among the women of the world.
The Christian woman must bear a testimony in an outward manner that she is separated from these things. Then he gives the charge about the teaching authority of women. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. This is and belongs to the wholesome, sound doctrine. Woman has her sphere of service, of laboring in the gospel and also teaching the truth, among her own sex and children. But the place of authority does not belong to her; she is not to usurp authority, nor to exercise it. This is the divine order, that the authority to teach is vested in the man. (See 1Co 11:1-34; 1Co 14:1-40). For Adam was first formed, then Eve. This is creations order, which must be maintained on the ground of redemption.
And the fall teaches another lesson. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. The able expositor Bengel wrote on this: More easily deceived, she more easily deceives. When she leaves the place given her according to this apostolic charge, she is easily deceived, and then in turn easily deceives others. The second epistle speaks of silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts. Women rejecting sound doctrine, usurping authority, have become instruments of the enemy, by inventing Satanic doctrines and perverting the truth of God.
(Seventh Day Adventism had Mrs. White as prophetess; Theosophy-Mrs. Blavatsky and Annie Besant; Spiritism–the Fox sisters and the thousands of wicked and often immoral women-mediums; Christian Science–Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy and the thousands of women healers; the Irvingite movement–demon-possessed prophetess, who spoke in strange tongues; New Thoughtism has its women leaders, etc. How this bears out the divine truth stated here.)
1Ti 2:15 refers to Gen 3:16. She shall be preserved in child-bearing, delivered in the hour of trial and labor, if they continue in faith and love. and holiness with sobriety.
Hymenaeus and Alexander
It is significant as bearing upon the seriousness of all false teaching, and particularly as related to resurrection, that Paul calls it blasphemy to teach that “the resurrection is past already” 2Ti 2:17; 2Ti 2:18.
exhort: or, desire, 2Co 8:6, Eph 3:13, Heb 6:11
first: 1Co 15:3
supplications: 1Ti 5:5, Gen 18:23-32, 1Ki 8:41-43, Psa 67:1-4, Psa 72:19, Mat 6:9, Mat 6:10, Jam 5:16
and: Rom 1:8, Rom 6:17, Eph 5:20, Phi 1:3, 2Th 1:3
all men: 1Ti 2:4, Act 17:30, 1Th 3:12, 2Ti 2:24, Tit 2:11, Tit 3:2
Reciprocal: Gen 18:22 – stood Jos 1:17 – only the Lord 2Sa 24:23 – The Lord Ezr 6:10 – pray Jer 29:7 – pray Act 15:32 – exhorted Eph 6:18 – supplication Col 3:15 – and be 1Pe 2:13 – General
CHRISTS LAW OF INTERCESSION
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority.
1Ti 2:1-2
We cannot, certainly, be Christians without believing in the power and efficacy of the intercession of one on behalf of another. God is a Spirit. Just as in the religious world and in the language of Holy Scripture we say God is Love, God is Light, God is Goodness, Righteousness, and Strength, so in the world of science we say God is Power, Force, Law, and Order. If on the one hand it is heresy and pantheism to say that everything is God, on the other hand it is the most profound Catholic truth to say, God is in everything, and He upholds all things by the word of His power.
I. Is prayer superfluous?But if that be so, it will be said by those who wish to expel Him from His own universe, that God knows best what is for the good of ourselves and of our friends, and that to intercede with Him on their behalf is superfluous. Ah! that is not the mind of God. In endowing us with the gift of freewill, He has determined that we should be moral agents in the matter of His gifts and blessings as in everything else. The ordinary results of His Providence He bestows on all who are born into the regular conditions of humanitylife, breath, air, sunshine, rain, food, and the like. But where special exercises of His energies are needed and desired, in the things either of the mind or body, these He reserves for those that ask Him.
II. Prayer for others.If we are genuine servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall pray even more for others than we do for ourselves. As Christ in glory intercedes for us, so ought we to intercede for men. In proportion to our faith, love, and zeal, will our intercessions be heard.
III. No stint on the temper of prayer.We should place no stint whatever on the temper of prayer and on the habit of bringing the wishes of our hearts, whether for ourselves or others, before God. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. So great is the power that it becomes one of the strongest motives in the cultivation of holiness. The nearer we are to God the more we shall prevail in our prayers for those whom we love.
Archdeacon William Sinclair.
Illustration
The saintly Bishop Jackson, whenever he was at home in the afternoon, used to retire to his room at four oclock, and there for an hour, with the list of the clergy of the diocese spread out before him, he concentrated his thoughts on the character of each in turn, and poured out his heart for them to Almighty God, according to their circumstances, needs, and characters. There were few of his clergy, down even to curates lately ordained, of whom he had not formed some definite notion; and he was thus able, as their father in God, to bring all his sons, young and old, before the throne of grace.
IN THE LIGHT of these solemnizing considerations Paul commences his charge to Timothy in verse 1Ti 2:1 of chapter 2. His first exhortation is significant. In the end of 1Ti 3:1-16 he tells us that the church-to which Timothy belonged, and to which we belong-is the house of God for God is dwelling today in the midst of His redeemed people. Now it was always Gods intention that His house should be called an house of prayer for all people (Isa 56:7). The temple in Jerusalem should have been this, as our Lords words in Mar 11:17 show, and how much more so the house in which God dwells today? Only at the present time Gods house has taken such a form that all nations do not come to it in order to pray, but rather the believers who form the house being also the household, an holy priesthood (1Pe 2:5), they take the place of prayer and intercession with all men in view.
The great mass of mankind is wholly out of touch with God. In Pauls day the majority were worshippers of dumb idols and it is not otherwise today. How important then that we Christians should be busy in this service which is exclusively ours. In it we have immense scope for the only limit set is all men and then again for kings and for all that are in authority. We are to pray for all such and to give thanks as well. God is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil so we may well render thanks on their behalf.
Our prayers for those in authority have a good deal of reference to ourselves: it is that we may be permitted to live godly lives in quietness and tranquillity. Those who compose Gods house should carry upon them the stamp of godliness, and although times of persecution may be overruled of God for the promotion of courage and endurance amongst His people, yet it is in times of quietness and rest that most they are edified and established, as Act 9:31 bears record.
But in praying for all men generally our requests are to be purely evangelic. The God whom we approach is a Saviour God who desires that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Have we come to the knowledge of the truth ourselves? Then we have found it to be salvation and we are put into touch with a Saviour God and His character is stamped upon us. He desires the salvation of men and so do we. In our case the natural outlet for our evangelic desires is prayer.
The expression of Gods loving desire for men is far different, being found in the ransom gift of Christ. God indeed is one-this fact was made manifest in the Old Testament, in contrast to the many gods of the heathen-the Mediator between God and men is equally one, the Man Christ Jesus. The priestcraft of Rome has built up in the minds of its votaries an elaborate system of many mediators, but here is one sentence of Scripture which demolishes its system at one blow.
Long before Christ appeared the hearts of men yearned for a mediator. The book of Job is evidence of this, for that patriarch felt the immense gulf that lay between God and himself. He is not a man as I am was his complaint, neither is there any Daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both (Job 9:32, Job 9:33). The One who takes up the part of Daysman or Mediator must Himself be God to fully represent God, and must be Man to rightly represent man. The Man Christ Jesus is He. Being
Man we have no need of further men to come in as subsidiary mediators between Him and ourselves.
And then, oh wonder of wonders! the Mediator became the Ransom. Being Man He could rightly offer Himself as the ransom price for men, and being God there was infinite value in the ransom price that He offered Hence none are excluded on Gods part. His desires for the salvation of men embrace all: the ransom work of Christ had all in view. This is one of those Scriptures that states the scope and bearing of the death of Christ rather than its actual realized effects. All are not saved, as we know sadly enough, but the blame of that lies upon their side and not upon Gods. The tidings of Christs ransom work are the subject of gospel testimony in the appointed season. Now is that appointed season and the Apostle himself was the great herald thereof in the Gentile world.
All this has been brought before us by the Apostle to enforce upon us how necessary it is that prayer for all men, and not only for ourselves and our own small interests, should mark the church of God if it is to rightly set forth the God whose house it is. But who are to actually voice the churchs prayers? The answer is, the men. The word used in this eighth verse is not the one which means mankind, the human race in general, but that which means man distinctively, the male, as contrasted with the female.
Verse 1Ti 2:8 then brings before us that which is to characterize Christian men, and verses 1Ti 2:9-15 that which is to characterize Christian women. The men are to be marked by holiness and the absence of anger and doubting, or reasoning as it more literally is. But then the reasoner usually becomes a doubter so that there is not much difference between the two words. Any breakdown in holiness, any allowance of anger or reasoning is an effectual barrier to effectual prayer, and indicates that there is but little sense of the presence of God.
The women too are to be sensible of the presence of God. Those addressed are spoken of as Women professing godliness or more literally Women professing the fear of God. The woman living in the fear of God will not run after the extremes of fashion but rather adorn herself in the modest and quiet way of which verse 1Ti 2:9 speaks. Moreover she will practice good works and also be content to take the place which God has assigned to her. That place is governed by two considerations, according to this passage. First, there was Gods original act in creation giving priority and headship to the man. This is mentioned in verse 13. Then there is that which happened at the fall when Eve took the leadership and was deceived, and of this verse 1Ti 2:14 speaks.
There is not the slightest ambiguity about this passage. There is really no doubt as to what it teaches. Nor is there any uncertainty about the reasons given for womans place of subjection and quietness in Gods house. Those reasons have nothing to do with any peculiar prejudices of the Apostle as a Jew or as a bachelor, as some would have us believe. They are founded in Gods original order in creation, and in that order confirmed and perhaps accentuated as the result of the fall. Gen 3:16 is explicit in naming two results which were to follow for the woman consequent upon her sin. The second of those two results is alluded to in the verses we have been considering, while the first result is alluded to in verse 1Ti 2:15 of our chapter, and in connection with that a gracious proviso is attached, no mention of which is found in Gen 3:1-24.
The modern feminist movement must of necessity come into violent collision with the instructions here laid down, and end by rejecting this small portion of the Word of God. This rejection may seem to the unthinking a comparatively harmless thing. But is it so? There is the allied modernist movement which comes into equally violent collision with the truth of the virgin birth of Christ, with His atoning death, with His resurrection. There is just as much reason-or just as little-for conceding the point in the one case as in the other. True, we may not have the slightest wish to concede the point to the modernist, and we may have a good deal of feeling as to matters raised by the feminist but to be swayed by such feelings is to stand on dangerous and uncertain ground. Are we then to virtually say that we believe what commends itself to our way of thinking and what does not we reject? Away with such a thought!
May all our readers stand honestly and happily and altogether upon the authority and integrity of the Word of God.
1Ti 2:1. Therefore indicates a reference to some former considerations. They especially are to be found in chapter 1:3 and 18, where the apostle reminds the evangelist of what was expected of him after being given his charge. Resuming his directions for the carrying out of the great work in the “warfare” amid the various conditions of the wrld, he instructs the evangelist that he will begin the details (first of all) with the subject of prayers in their various forms. Some commentators think this instruction has reference to the public services of the congregation. Doubtless it includes that, but verse 8 commands that men pray every where, which makes the exhortation general. Any address made to God may be called a prayer generally speaking, but there are various forms or classes of the addresses, and they are specified in this verse which I shall define briefly. Prayers are requests of any degree of intensity that may be chosen. Supplications are the more earnest requests made under intense necessity. Intercessions are prayers on behalf of others who are in need of the mercy of God. Giving of thanks are expres-sions of gratitude for favors that have already been received from the Lord. For all men is a general statement as to “the subject of our prayers.”
1Ti 2:1. I exhort therefore. Carrying on the thought that he has begun a charge and has to continue with it, perhaps also connecting faith in the love of Christ to all men, with the expression of that faith in worship.
Supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks. Each word has a distinct shade of meaning, and without any undue assumption, the list may be looked on as showing that the primitive worship of the Church included the same elements as those which we find in the earliest liturgies(1) entreaties rising out of want, danger, or distress; (2) requests for spiritual blessings; (3) intercessions on behalf of we desolate and oppressed, with an implied prayer against the wickedness of the oppressor, as in Rom 8:26-27; Rom 8:34; Rom 11:2; (4) thanksgiving, implying a prayer for the continuance of the blessing for which we give thanks. It may be noted, however, that the word rendered intercessions includes earnest personal pleading, meeting God, as it were, in prayer, whether for ourselves or others.
Division 2. (1Ti 2:1-15.)
Prayer.
We now have, insisted on in the strongest way, the necessity of prayer. As already said, the house of God is necessarily, by the fact that this God is the God of all, “a house of prayer for all nations.” Prayer is the recognition of the creature place as such, -of the need of God; while at the same time it testifies, if it be true prayer, of the faith that counts upon Him. It is striking that it comes into so much prominence in this epistle. It is important that the very grace of Christianity, the positiveness of salvation and of the working of all things together for good to them that love God, should not be permitted practically to set aside the need of prayer. God is all-mighty, all-wise, all-good; spite of all opposition, He will accomplish His will, and His will is that which should be accomplished. God is the only one who in that sense is entitled to have a will. But here there is the need, as is evident, of looking at things all around. Prayer is, no doubt, in one sense a necessity on our side, rather than on God’s. We did not pray Christ down from heaven, but God sent Him for the lost. All through He is the First in this way, the One who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. While that is true, it must not for a moment be used in contradiction to the truth that “the fervent, effectual prayer of the righteous man availeth much,” and that God would have us “always to pray and not to faint.” We must take this almightiness, this wisdom and love of God, to energize us, therefore, to prayer, and not to hinder us. It should act as plain encouragement, and in no other way. We are not in heaven, but only on our way to it, and prayer is just that which in the answers which we find to it keeps us in constant remembrance of the living God whom we need, and whose grace towards us becomes in this way so much more consciously such. For how much are we indebted to the needs which we thus have, and which it is plain God permits us to be reminded of in so many and often very painful ways! Love acts also in prayer, gives voice to its desires, as we see here; and thus we are permitted to have our place with God Himself, and our communion with Him who is the Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.
1. In the first place, in fact, we have the insistence here upon prayer, not for ourselves, but for others. The natural order, perhaps, with us would be first of all for ourselves, and then for others. The apostle reverses this: “I exhort, therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men; for kings, and all that are in pre-eminence,” all those who stand out, evidently, from the mass as influential, in one way or another, for good or for evil, with regard to those amongst whom they move. It is true that there is a reference here to ourselves also, the result of the blessing of these, in our being able ourselves to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all piety and gravity; but we are not to think of that as if it were the whole of it; for we are immediately reminded that “this is good and acceptable before God our Saviour; who would have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Here, also, the quietness and peace in general is not, of course, and never could be, the great thought, but the work of the gospel amongst them; the life eternal is, of course, that which is the all-important consideration, and the trials and sorrows of this life are ever being used of God to awaken men to the reality of the life to come; but that the gospel should go forth in peace is the mercy sought. God “would have all men to be saved, and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Let us notice how these things are put together. There is no thought of people being saved without the knowledge of the truth. There is no thought, according to the fashion of the day, that a man simply crying in his need to God will be answered, and we need not trouble ourselves too much, therefore, about the gospel. God is surely ready to hear the cry, but His way of salvation is by the truth, and there is no other that Scripture recognizes; but the testimony now has the widest possible range. There is not only one God, as the Jew rightly contended, but one Mediator between God and men;” not between God and the Jew, and not with any distinction amongst men in this respect. “The Man Christ Jesus,” “the Son of Man,” as He continually called Himself, is the expression of God’s heart, not to a certain class amongst men merely, but to all. He has given “Himself a ransom for all.” He has made a provision, from the good of which none are excepted except those who voluntarily set themselves apart from blessing. The times are come in which God having fully demonstrated man’s condition, He can speak out what is according to His own nature. Individually people have, no doubt, still to be tested, as through the ages men have been tested, and to be made to find their way to the place of those “without strength” and “ungodly,” where Christ has met men; but God has nevertheless demonstrated man’s condition as a whole, and He is not now hindered or limited in the testimony which He is giving. It is a testimony world-wide. To this the apostle was appointed “a herald” and “teacher of the nations in faith and truth.” This testimony then is to characterize the Church as a whole, -not that all are, as we may say, officially evangelists, but, nevertheless, evangelization is the privilege and duty of all who themselves have received the gospel.
2. He turns to prayer in general as that which is to characterize men everywhere. In the public place it is still the men who are to pray, lifting up pious hands. The apostle maintains throughout, in the most consistent manner, the doctrine that the woman’s place is not the public one. Nature teaches the same thing, however little we may listen to its voice. This, of course, no more cuts off the women from evangelizing, nor even from instructing in the truth which they have learned, than it cuts them off from prayer. The apostle is thinking of the house of God as the “house of prayer for all nations,” and it is public prayer of which he is speaking. This is where the men as such find their place. Here there is no question, of course, of office; there is no one who is exempted really from the duty of praying in every place. The hands that they lift up must be indeed pious hands. No one who cannot lift up such has title to pray in public. Do not men, in fact, shrink often from public prayer really in consequence of the responsibility which it is felt to entail? The people who do not pray are not obliged to have their hands so scrupulously clean! If we “lift them up,” they will be noticed; but what a safeguard there is in this, and how needful that everywhere Christians should be found in the place which God. has accorded them, with “pious hands” lifted up, “without wrath or disputation!”
In like manner, also, he points out the moral character which the women necessarily, equally with the men, are to exemplify. They are to be adorned with fitting apparel. The seeking of adornment is natural to them, but let this then, says the apostle, be it, -in fact, the sweetest and most real adornment that can any where be found, -not the adornment of the outside, not costly or even so much external adornment, as the adornment of the spirit which is to be seen in them, and of the works which will speak for them; while at the same time the apparel is, no doubt, to be fitting, not slovenly, not such as would cause remark upon the other side, but suited to the quiet modesty which belongs to them. As to the place of the woman as a teacher, the apostle carries us back to the beginning of all. It is, indeed, the constant way with him to uphold, along with the peculiar place which God has given us as Christians, where it is no question of sex at all, the creation-place, which is not really interfered with by this. It is not for eternity, nor meant to be put as if of equal value with the place in Christ. Nevertheless, there are lessons to be learned here which are wholesome to receive, and which cannot without danger be set aside. We shall find, in fact, as we go on, that one great feature of the apostasy, so soon to set in, will be the disregard of that which God instituted when He created man. The woman then is not to teach -that is, in such a way clearly as to exercise authority over the man. That is not a question of the fall, although the apostle brings in the fall in order to illustrate his point. It inheres, however, in the very character of woman, who is the heart of humanity, as Adam is the head. But in the fall itself Adam was not deceived. It is not that that excuses Adam in the least. It would rather be the opposite of this, but it certainly illustrates the fact that with man intelligence is prominent. The woman ought to have been kept, no doubt, by a heart which realized what God was to them, and the love which He had manifested towards them in the Paradise prepared. She was not ill-guarded against the tempter, but she was guarded in a different way. Alas, the temptation broke through both these guards, and head and heart were alike involved in the ruin that came in. Still, the woman’s way of being in the transgression was as one deceived, and the man was not deceived. It is not a difference with regard to the measure of the sin itself, but it is a difference which shows the man and the woman in the characteristic features of each. The apostle closes here with the comforting assurance that where the fall had brought the woman into suffering and sorrow, which was the needed reminder of that which no child of man is ever intended to forget, God nevertheless would assuredly come in to deliver those who continued “in faith and love and holiness, with sobriety.” The thought of a reference here to Christ as the child born seems to have no justification in the language nor in the context.
CONCERNING PUBLIC PRAYER
Chapter 2 is taken up with regulations concerning public prayer. First, he directs that intercessory prayer he made for all men (1Ti 2:1-7). What class of men is especially singled out (1Ti 2:2)? What selfish motive on the part of the church should induce such intercessory prayer? And yet what higher motive is suggested (1Ti 2:4)? What does this verse suggest as to the object of such intercession so far as those in authority are concerned? On what ground may such intercession be made (1Ti 2:5-6)? It seems evident that intercession was not being made in this church at Ephesus. Perhaps persecution at the hands of the authorities had caused it to be less earnestly conducted, or perhaps a party spirit had something to do with it; at all events the church needed to be stirred up to it, and Timothy to get them doing it. This was part of the good warfare he was to war.
Second, he refers to the way men should pray (1Ti 2:8). Everywhere may refer to every place the worshippers were in the habit of assembling in Ephesus. There may have been several bodies of believers there meeting in different places. The fact that men without distinction of ministerial functions were to pray is significant. Not only were the deacons, or elders, or presbyters, or bishops, to pray, but the men were to pray. There is no priesthood in the church except the common priesthood of believers. But how were they to pray? Lifting up the hands was a Jewish custom in prayer and seems to have been adopted in the church.
But what kind of hands were the men to hold up? Holy hands are those not stained with sin (Psa 25:4; Psa 26:6; Jam 4:8). If we regard iniquity in our hearts God will not hear us. Without wrath and doubting might read without wrath and disputing or contention. No religious disputes, no outbreaks in daily life could be permitted where prayer was to be engaged in.
All expositors are agreed that I will of 1Ti 1:8 should be carried over to 1Ti 2:9. The latter then would read, In like manner, I will that the women adorn themselves, etc. What, in this case, would be the force of the expression in like manner? Is it meant that he would have the men pray in every place, and the women in like manner be silent? Or would he have the men lifting up holy hands, and the women in like manner adorning themselves? So unlikely is either of these that many expositors supply the word pray in 1Ti 2:9 to complete the sense. The two verses would then harmonize like this: I will therefore that men pray everywhere lifting up holy hands, and in like manner, I will that women pray in modest apparel, etc., to the end of 1Ti 2:10. Compare with 1Co 11:5.
At 1Ti 2:11 there is a translation, and the apostle passes on to something new. What is that new thing about women he now takes up? Not her relation to public prayer, but her relation to her husband, especially in the matter of public teaching in the church. The command to silence here suggests 1Co 14:34-35, where the context shows that there were various forms of disorder and confusion in the church assemblies, especially the making remarks and asking questions about the words of others, from which women, who seem to have been the chief offenders, were enjoined.
But what about teaching? I suffer not a woman to teach. To teach and to govern are the special functions of the presbyter or elder. The teacher and pastor, named in the divine gifts to the church (Eph 4:11), are considered by some to be the same; and the pastor is generally regarded as identical with the bishop. Now there is no instance in the New Testament of a womans being set over a church as bishop, or teacher or ruler. What then if we say it is to this, to which Paul here refers?
The reason why woman is placed in subjection to man as stated by Paul in 1Ti 2:13-14 is sufficiently plain, but there is a mystery about 1Ti 2:15. Certainly it does not mean that the mere act of child-bearing saves a woman, which would contradict the primary truth of the Gospel that we are saved by faith and not works. As a matter of fact, moreover, the word for child-bearing here includes more than the act of giving birth, and means the proper nurture and training of children. The apostles meaning is, that women are to be kept in the path of safety, not by taking to themselves the office of the man (taking part in the assemblies of the church), but by the performance of the peculiar functions which God has assigned to their sex.
Chapter 3 is a charge to Timothy concerning the selection and the duties of church officials. First, he treats of bishops or overseers (1Ti 3:1-7). It is to be remembered that the word bishop here is the same as presbyter or elder elsewhere, and does not mean a higher and distinct order of the ministry. See Tit 1:5, compared with 1Ti 3:7 of the same chapter. Secondly, he treats of deacons (1Ti 3:8-13). Then he brings these directions to a close by a solemn statement of their object and glorious import (1Ti 3:14-16).
QUESTIONS
1. What probably explains the occasion for these instructions about prayer for rulers?
2. What illustrates the common priesthood of believers?
3. How might the difficulties in 1Ti 2:9-15 be explained?
4. What about 1Ti 2:15 especially?
5. Does the proposed definition satisfy you?
6. What is the particular theme of chapter 3?
7. How many orders of the ministry are here taught?
Observe here, 1. The duty which Timothy is exhorted to take care of, and that is, of the duty of public prayer. I exhort thee, that supplications, prayers, and intercessions, with thanksgivings, be publicly made: prayer being a special and principal part of public worship, the minister of God must be assiduous and constant in it; deprecating evils threatened, supplicating for mercies wanted, interceding on the behalf of others, and giving thanks for blessings received.
Observe, 2. For whom we are to pray in general, for all men. Because we cannot pray acceptably for ourselves, if we pray only for ourselves; this is the noblest exercise of charity, and which God has put in the power of the poorest man upon earth to exercise: Let supplications and prayers be made for all men.
Observe, 3. For whom we are more especially and in the first place to pray: for kings, and all in authority, who then were pagans and persecutors.
Mark, He says not for lawful and rightful kings’s but for such as have the pre-eminence and power in their hands, for all power is of God, And the powers that be, are ordained of God, Rom 13:2
But why first for kings?
Because they are such great instruments of good to mankind, because they most want our prayers, as they encounter with more difficulties, are exposed to more dangers, and are liable to greater temptations, than other men.
Observe, 4. The arguments which the apostle offers to engage us to this duty, That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty; that is, that we may be secured in the quiet and peaceable possession of our civil rights and interests, and that we may be protected in the free exercise of our religion, and in the practice of godliness; for though no prince can take our religion from us, if we resolve to keep it, yet they may disturb us in the quiet and peaceable enjoyment of it; and therefore it is our interest as well as our duty to pray for kings, and all that are in authority.
Praying for all Men
To be able to hold firm to the faith and teach it in the face of the opposition mentioned in the first chapter, Paul went on to urge Timothy to do certain things. A supplication is an entreaty to God to provide for a particular need. Prayers include petitions, expressions of thanks and adoration, according to Coffman. Spain says intercessions are an opportunity for the Christian to have an intimate talk with the King. Thanksgiving is an expression of gratitude. These various forms of prayer were to be offered up for all men. This may be difficult to receive, but it suggests we even need to approach God with a thankful attitude about our enemies and those who may persecute us ( 1Ti 2:1 ).
Few governments have ever treated Christians more cruelly than that of Rome, yet Paul said to pray for kings. God gave governments power so that anarchy would not prevail ( Rom 13:1-7 ). Christians are also to pray for those in lower offices of government. If government functions well, we can live in peace and exercise godly and honest living. Both the prayers and the resulting peaceable life are in accord with the Lord’s will. If we are living true lives of godliness, we will be taking the gospel to all the world ( Mar 16:15-16 ; Mat 28:18-20 ). When we seize the extra opportunities afforded us during times of peace, more men get a chance to obey the gospel and fulfill God’s ultimate desire for all to be saved ( 1Ti 2:2-4 ).
Lipscomb notes the people of Paul’s day who believed in many gods also believed there were different gods for each nation. Thus, they could not pray to their god for the people of another nation. In Christ, we come to realize there is but one God over all men. So, we pray for all men to one God. A mediator is one who stands between two parties who are at odds with one another. In this case, man’s sin made him an enemy of God. Jesus came to the earth as a man so he could serve as mediator between God and man. We cannot go to God by any other since only Jesus has paid the price for sin and made it possible for man to approach the Father ( 1Jn 2:1-2 ).
Jesus willingly gave himself as an offering for the sins of man ( Mat 20:28 ; Joh 10:17-18 ). The word “ransom” suggests Jesus gave himself in the place of man. Remember, sin brings death as natural payment ( Rom 6:23 ). Jesus came at precisely the time God had planned for him to come ( Gal 4:4 ; Eph 1:4 ; Eph 1:10 ). Everything was in readiness for his coming. Because God is the God of all men and he will have all men to be saved, we should pray for all men (2:1, 4-5). The church’s love for souls originates out of that same background. Too, God’s desire to see all saved caused him to send Paul forth to proclaim the good news and give instructions that would cause the Gentiles to fully understand the truth ( 1Ti 2:5-7 ).
1Ti 2:1. I exhort therefore Seeing God is so gracious, and thou art intrusted with the office of the ministry, I give thee this in charge among other things. He proceeds to give directions, 1st, With regard to public prayers; and, 2d, With regard to doctrine. That supplications To prevent evil; prayers To procure good; intercessions On behalf of others; and giving of thanks For mercies received; be made for all men Chiefly in public. Supplications, , says Whitby, are deprecations for the pardon of sin, and averting divine judgments; , prayers, for the obtaining of all spiritual and temporal blessings; , intercessions, addresses presented to God for the salvation of others. And by this rule were the devotions of the church continually directed. For, saith the author of the book De Vocatione Gentium, there is no part of the world in which the Christian people do not put up such prayers as these, praying not only for the saints, but for infidels, idolaters, the enemies of the cross, and the persecutors of Christs members; for Jews, heretics, and schismatics. Of prayer in general we may observe, it is any kind of offering up of our desires to God. But the true, effectual, fervent prayer, which St. James speaks of as availing much, implies the vehemency of holy zeal, the ardour of divine love, arising from a calm, undisturbed soul, moved upon by the Spirit of God. By this exhortation, says Macknight, we are taught, while men live, not to despair of their conversion, however wicked they may be, but to use the means necessary thereto, and to beg of God to accompany these means with his blessing.
1 Timothy Chapter 2
The apostle proceeds to give instructions founded on the great principles which he had established-on grace. The Jewish spirit might look on Gentile kings as enemies, and on Gentiles in general as unworthy of divine favour. The persecution of which Christians were the object gave the flesh occasion to nourish these dispositions and to enter into the spirit of the law. Grace rises above all these thoughts-all these feelings of the heart. It teaches us to think of all men with love. We belong to a Saviour-God, who acts in the gospel towards all men with love. Especially were they to pray for kings and those who had places in the world, that God would dispose their hearts to allow us to live in peace and quietness in all honesty. This was well-pleasing to a Saviour-God, who was willing that all men should be saved and be brought to know the truth. The subject here is not the counsels of God, but His dealings with men under the gospel. He acts in grace. It is the acceptable time-the day of salvation. He opens the door through the blood of Christ, and proclaims peace and a sure reception to all who come. The work is done; His character fully glorified with regard to sin. lf they refuse to come, that is the will of man. That God will fulfill His counsels after all makes no change in His dealings, nor in the responsibility of men. We have love to proclaim to all-in the spirit of love in our ways towards them. The distinction between Jew and Gentile totally disappears here. There is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, a Man, Christ Jesus. These are the two great truths which form the basis of all true religion. Judaism had already been the revelation and testimony in the world of the first: there was one only God. This remains eternally true, but did not suffice to bring men into relationship with God. With regard to men He abode within the veil in the darkness which shrouded His majesty. Christianity, while fully revealing the one God, presents the second truth: there is one mediator between God and men. There is one, and there is but one. It is as true that there is but one Mediator as that there is but one God. This is the great and distinctive truth of Christianity.
Two things here characterise the Mediator. He is a man; He gave Himself a ransom for all. The time for this testimony was ordered of God.
Precious truth! We are in weakness, we are guilty, we could not bring ourselves near to God. We needed a Mediator, who, while maintaining the glory of God, should put us into such a position that He could present us to God in righteousness according to that glory. Christ gave Himself as a ransom. But He must be a man in order to suffer for men, and to represent men. And this He was. But this is not all. We are weak-here, where we are to receive the revelation of God; and weak, with regard to the use of our resources in God and our communion with Him -even when our guilt is blotted out. And, in our weakness to receive the revelation of God, Christ has revealed God, and all that He is in His own Person, in all the circumstances wherein man could have need either in body or in soul. He came down into the lowest depths in order that there should be none, even of the most wretched, who could not feel that God in His goodness was near him and was entirely accessible to him-come down to Him-His love finding its occasion in misery; and that there was no need to which He was not present, which He could not meet.
It is thus that He made himself known on earth; and, now that He is on high, He is still the same. Ho does not forget His human experiences: they are perpetuated by His divine power in the sympathizing feelings of His humanity, according to the energy of that divine love which was their source and their motive power. He is still a man in glory, and in divine perfection. His divinity imparts the strength of its love to His humanity, but does not set aside the latter. Nothing could resemble such a Mediator as this; nothing could equal the tenderness, the knowledge of the human heart, the sympathy, the experience of need. In the measure which divinity could give to what He did, and in the strength of its love, He came down, took part in all the sorrows of humanity, and entered into all the circumstances in which the human heart could be, and was wounded, oppressed, and discouraged, bowing down under the evil. No tenderness, no power of sympathy, no humanity like His; no human heart that can so understand, so feel with us, whatever the burden may be that oppresses the heart of man. It is the Man, the Christ Jesus, who is our Mediator; none so near, none who has come down so low, and entered with divine power into the need, and all the need, of man. The conscience is purified by His work, the heart relieved by that which He was, and which He is for ever.
There is but One: to think of another would be to snatch from Him His glory and from us our perfect consolation. His coming from on high, His divine nature, His death, His life as man in heaven, all point Him out as the one and only Mediator.
But there is another aspect of this truth, and of the fact that He is a Man. It is, that He is not merely a mediator as a Priest upon His throne, between Israel and the Lord; not simply the Messiah, in order to place Israel in relationship with their God, but a Man between God and men. It is according to the eternal nature of God Himself and to the need of men in His presence. It was of these truths, eternal and of universal bearing, that Paul was the herald and the apostle.
Possessing a character that belongs to all ages and that goes beyond them, all these facts had their time to be revealed.
All means dependent on mans use of them had been tried with men-and in vain, as to recalling him to God; and now the necessary foundations of their relationship with God had to be set forth, laid by God Himself, and the Gentiles were to hear the testimony of grace. And such was the apostles testimony, a teacher of the Gentiles in the faith and in the truth.
Paul has plainly now laid the foundations, and he proceeds therefore to details. Men were to pray everywhere, lifting up pure hands, without wrath, and without vain human reasonings. Women were to walk in modesty, adorned with good works, and to learn in silence. A woman was forbidden to teach or to exercise authority over men; she was to abide in quietness and silence. The reason given for this is remarkable, and shews how, in our relations with God, everything depends on the original starting-point. In innocence Adam had the first place; in sin, Eve It was she who, being deceived, brought in transgression. Adam was not deceived, guilty as he was of disobeying God. United to his wife, he followed her, not deceived by the enemy but weak through his affection. Without the weakness, it was this which the second Adam did in grace; He followed His deceived and guilty bride, but in order to redeem and deliver her by taking her faults upon Himself. Eve suffered on earth the penalty of her fault in a way which is a mark of the judgment of God; but walking in modesty, with faith and love and holiness, she shall be delivered in the hour of her trial; and that which bears the stamp of judgment shall be an occasion of the mercy and succour of God.
ARGUMENT 4
PRAYER
1. First of all, I exhort you that prayers, supplications, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men. We do not pray enough. We do not hold on long enough to get in touch with God and prevail. James v says: Elijah prayed with prayer; i.e., with the prayer which God gave him. He lived so close to God as to receive his prayers from him. In that case God always answers them. The English translators, evidently not knowing the spiritual meaning, do not render it literally but prayed earnestly instead of prayed with prayer; i.e., the prayer which God gave him The Greek also says the inward-working prayer availeth much: by the prayer wrought in you by the Holy Ghost. Here Paul enjoins upon us four distinct species of prayers; i.e., prayers in the ordinary sensesupplications; i.e., the importunate holding on to God, like wrestling Jacob, all night;
intercessions, like Moses when descending from the mount of God, and finding Israel fallen and gone back to Egyptian idolatry. God proposing to cut them all off, and verify the Abrahamic covenant with Moses, he throws himself into the breach, and pleads, Lord, blot me out of thy book, but save this people. Thus all Israel is saved by the intercessory prayers of Moses. God help us, like Jesus, to intercede for our lost loved ones! Thanksgiving is another species of prayer here commanded. We do not thank God enough. Get a brokenhearted, despairing penitent seeking at the altar to break out in thanks to God for convicting him, and soon he will be up shouting aloud.
3. In answer to our prayers God puts his hand on the kings of the earth, and turns them as he turns the rivers of water. How wonderfully he turned about Ahasuerus in the case of Mordecai and Esther!
4. Who wishes all men to be saved, and come to a perfect knowledge of the truth. God is so anxious to save all men, he gives his Son to make it
lawful to save them. He also comes in the loving person of the Holy Ghost, warns and entreats every one to come and let him save them. What more could he do than he has done, and is doing? Yet the wicked blame him for their damnation. You go to hell because the devil takes you there, which he is certain to do if you die in his kingdom. God wills that all be saved, and come to a perfect knowledge of the truthi.e., get sanctified; i.e., reach experimental certainty.
5. There is only one God revealed in three persons. I am a preacher, a book editor, and a teacher. Hence, a human trinity in your humble servant.
7. A teacher of the Gentiles in faith and in truth; i.e., faithfully and truly.
1Ti 2:1-3. I exhort therefore, that supplications and prayers be made for all men for kings, and all that are in authority. Civil government is in its own nature paternal: it is designed to protect our persons, to secure our earnings, and give us the power to lock our doors at night: it also provides for the orphans, the aged, and the blind. In a word, its object is to secure peace at home, wealth and commerce abroad, and to give confidence and hope to posterity. Justly then, next to salvation for the chief of sinners, does Paul enjoin the full worship of the church for kings, and the whole gradation of rulers.
1Ti 2:4. Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. This, says Theophylact, is the reason why we should pray for all. But the English reader stops here to gather up the sense. If God will have it to be so, who can hinder Omnipotence? He perceives something wrong; he pauses, he doubts. The Greek relieves him: . The Latin of St. Jerome reads, qui omnes homines vult salvos fieri. Word for word, the Greek and Latin are, God who willeth all men to be saved. The version of Montanus is the same, and so is the German. Calvins reading is, Lequel veut que toutes gens soyent sauvez. Who wills that all nations should be saved. Beza and Tremellius equally recede from the plain meaning of Paul. Qui quosvis homines vult servari. Alas, alas, that men should adhere to creeds which put St. Paul to the blush. Dr. William Gell, who published learned Discourses on an amendment of our present translation, reads as above. Dr. Hammond, Dr. Whitby, and Wesley read the same. The sense of Paul is exactly given in the Common prayer. Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live.
1Ti 2:8. I will that men pray everywhere. True devotion gives elevation to me soul. A great high throne is the place of our sanctuary from the beginning. To this throne of grace all flesh shall come, in public worship, in secret devotion, in silent sighs and breathings of the soul. With the bending of our knees, with the lifting up of our eyes to heaven, we must pray with our whole heart, and with holy hands. If we regard iniquity in our heart, the Lord will not hear our prayers. Job could say that his prayer was pure, there being no iniquity in his hands. But prayer is here, as occasion may offer, put for every other part of devotion, and in the ardour of our supplications we should always ask without doubting, without reasoning, or any misgivings of mind, for there is no nay in the promises. They are all yea and amen in Christ Jesus.
1Ti 2:11. Let the women learn in silence. This, it would seem, respects whispering, from a rule of the synagogue, cited by Maimonides, a learned rabbi on that subject.
1Ti 2:15. She shall be saved in childbearing, if she continue in the faith. Though she was first in the transgression, yet the promise that her Son the Messiah should bruise the serpents head, was equally given to her, as to her husband. It was a promise of full redemption to man, under the threatening of destruction to the works of the devil. It was a promise given to posterity in the second Adam, the Lord from heaven. God had indeed said, as Dr. Anselm Bayly reads, I will multiply the sorrows of thy conception; but now he promises divine aid in the pain of travail, and in the hour of parturition.
REFLECTIONS.
St. Paul having daily kept the flock in safety under his crozier, was solicitous that they should stand well in the estimation of the secular shepherds, who protected them with the sword of magistracy. He would not have them accused of any dereliction of civil duties. Having shown the happy effects of the gospel on religious society, he was equally concerned that its influence should shine in the relations it bore to peace and order in public life. With him it was a first injunction, to pray for all men, for God has so loved the world as to give his only-begotten Son for its salvation; and he is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish. Conformably to this, Tertullian says, We pray for the long life of our emperors, for the security of the empire, the safety of the imperial house, for a loyal senate, for a good people, and a quiet world. Apol.
Our prayers must not only be addressed to heaven to deprecate calamities, and to obtain temporal blessings, but sincerely for the salvation of the whole body politic. God willeth all men to repent and be saved. The gloss of Menochius here is, that God wisheth the salvation of all men, inasmuch as on his part he has seriously and of his own mind done all that is sufficient for the salvation of all, in giving them a sufficient Mediator. The next phrase, to come to the knowledge of the truth, in St. Pauls idea, implies a genuine state of grace. Example: The servant of the Lord must be gentle in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if peradventure God will give them repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth. Likewise, St. Paul declares himself to be an apostle according to the faith of Gods elect, and the acknowledgment of the truth. Tit 1:1. Then let us pray fervently for all, for who can tell but the worst of men may soon become the best.
We have next the manner of our daily prayers. It is to lift up holy hands, for the prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. It is to pray without wrath or malice, because asking pardon for our own sins, the mutual pardon of another is implied; and malice would disqualify for pardoning love. It is in short to pray in faith, nothing doubting. And how can a God of love, of redeeming longsuffering and covenant love, deny grace to a suppliant people?
Let the women, as Erasmus says, pray after the example of the men; but let it be in a dress assortable with sobriety and decency, and not decorated like pagan women attendant on marriages and feasts, with embroidery of gold and gems: these ill become the house of God. Also when admitted into the mixed circles of society, as well as in private life, let them give a reverent heed to what their husbands say, and learn in quietness, as it is in the Greek, and in subjection. To do otherwise would be to invert the order of God: for Adam was first formed, then Eve; and the woman was first deceived. Nevertheless, though the woman be in subjection, she has claims that her husband should love her as Christ loved the church; and she shall be saved in her domestic duties of bearing and educating of children. Here is her sphere to live and walk by faith; and without continuing in this holy faith no creature can be saved.
1Ti 2:1 to 1Ti 3:16. The Charge Respecting Church Regulations.
(a)1Ti 2:1-15. Public Worship.
1Ti 2:1-7. Public Prayer.Paul requires, as of first importance, the offering of public prayer in a catholic spirit. Since the Christians rejection of state-religion might appear treasonable, he especially names kings and high officials (cf. Rom 13:1 ff.). Such prayer for all men is well-pleasing to God. For His will is all mens salvation and enlightenment, as is shown by (a) Gods own Unity (if there is only one God, all men are equally His care); (b) the oneness of the Mediator (He, as Man, represented all mankind); and (c) the universal purpose of Christs sacrificea truth to be attested in its proper season, Paul himself being constituted a witness.
1Ti 2:1. intercessions: rather, petitions.
1Ti 2:2. gravity: honesty (AV) bears its old sense of propriety.
1Ti 2:4 f. To interpret these verses as anti-Gnostic entirely destroys the sequence of thought.
1Ti 2:6. a ransom: The Gr. word contains the preposition (found also in Mat 20:28) denoting instead of.
1Ti 2:7. Cf. 2Ti 1:11. I speak, etc.: insists on Pauls apostolic authority, which the false teachers probably denied.
We have seen in chapter 1 that the grace of God must predominate as the one principle of true blessing, and the one corrective when falsehood threatens. Chapter 2 now calls for an attitude consistent with this grace, in the face of all the inconsistency that prevails around us. Here is true Christian character in connection with the house of God: prayer is of utmost importance.
This word “exhort” is the same as “charge” or “command” previously seen, a responsibility placed solemnly upon Timothy’s shoulders, and certainly intended for all saints. And “first of all” surely impresses upon us the fact that earnest prayer on behalf of others is of vital consequence, not only for the sake of their blessing (which is deeply important), but for the maintaining of true Christian character in the house of God, the Assembly.
“Supplication” involves earnest entreaty, certainly no mere “saying of prayers,” but the desire earnestly expressed. “Prayer” is making request in a dependent spirit. “Intercessions” refers to having an audience with God on behalf of others. But “giving of thanks” is most salutary here. We may little think of this in regard to “all men,” but it is the Word of God. All are His own creatures, and whatever their character or conduct, we are told to give thanks for them, as well as to pray for them. Let us never forget it. This will serve to help us to maintain a proper attitude toward them.
Kings and all who are in authority are specially singled out as to this. It is God who has put them in this place, whatever the form of government may be, or whatever abuses of true government may appear. Elsewhere we are told to obey those who are in authority, but never told to use our influence in reference to who should rule, or how he should do it. Of course, obedience to God is supreme above all obedience to government; and there may be occasions when one must deliberately disobey the government in order to obey God. But in the main, a spirit of obedience to God will be seen in an attitude obedient to government. Add to this prayer and giving of thanks, and the tendency will always be toward our leading a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty. No doubt abnormal conditions may exist where government is viciously determined to destroy Christianity; but here a more normal condition of things is contemplated.
Being “good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” certainly implies that such prayer is a verbal offering to God who is pleased with it. And though He is the eternal God, His very character is that of “Savior” – certainly manifested as such in the person of Christ – and prayer of this kind is consistent with His own gracious desire that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. To be saved certainly comes first, yet it does not end here: the knowledge of the truth is a matter also of great importance; so that our prayers for others are not to be confined to requests for salvation, but for their learning the precious truth of God.
It may be a question with us as to why others are in Scripture called “gods,” as in Joh 10:35 : “He called them gods unto whom the Word of God came.” But the answer is given us in 1Co 8:4-6 : “There is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as there be gods many and lords many), but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one lord, Jesus Christ, and we by hirn.” If idols are called this, it is mere vanity: the believer does not acknowledge it at all. Or if God calls the elders of Israel “gods,” it is simply as being representatives of the true God: in any full, proper sense, there is only one God, as Israel well knew. But if this is true, then He is not the God of Israel only, but also of Gentiles.
The one Mediator, the Man Christ Jesus, was as necessary for Jews as for Gentiles: neither could actually be brought to the true God except by and through Him. And His becoming Man was an absolute essential, in order that any man might really know the eternal God. He is the “Daysman,” of whom Job speaks, one who might lay His hand both upon God and upon man (Job 9:33). For of necessity there is between God and man a naturally impassable barrier. How can mere finite, earthbound man comprehend an infinite, eternal, omniscient God? In fact men commonly use this argument to dismiss any consideration of their responsibility Godward. Of course, this is vain, for the fact is that God is a God who reveals Himself. Admittedly, in the Old Testament this was only a partial revelation, though progressive. But this is completely changed in the person of the Man Christ Jesus. His incarnation involves more than mediatorship, for He is Himself the revelation of the eternal God in human form; but His mediatorship is of vital consequence for all men, for only through Him may anyone actually be brought into contact with the Living God.
Moreover, He is available for all; in fact has given Himself a ransom for all. This word holds the thought of loosing or setting free by means of substitution. If one was to be a mediator, this too was requisite, for man’s sin had estranged him from God, a question that must be settled as part of a mediatorial bringing of men to God. Not that all are actually ransomed, but the ransom is fully sufficient for all. To be applicable, it must be received by faith in the Man Christ Jesus, the Son of God.
“To be testified in due times” refers to the testimony now declared after man’s time of testing and probation had shown every other alternative powerless: for long years God had patiently borne with and waited for man to be given every opportunity to prove himself apart from the necessity of a Mediator. Now the precise time has come for the revelation and testimony of the One Mediator.
Verse 7. Paul’s first designation of himself here, “a preacher” or “herald” involves his being sent to publish the truth of Christianity. This was God’s appointment, as is that of apostle and teacher. Apostle, however, adds the character of God-given authority to his message, an authority that rightly requires subjection in the hearer. None can claim this today: apostles are no longer appointed of God: their authority rather remains for us in the Scriptures they have written, though they themselves have long since departed this scene. But here Paul inserts the arresting parenthesis: “I speak the truth in Christ: I lie not.” If one would question Paul’s apostolic authority, it is solemnly imperative that this issue must be fairly faced: it can be no matter of indifference: it is either fully true, or wickedly false. He will allow no neutrality in regard to the matter. Let us therefore acknowledge it with wholehearted acceptance, as God manifestly intends. “A teacher of the nations in faith and truth” is added here, for this is more than publishing and calling for subjection to the message. The orderly teaching of the fullness and significance of that message was another spiritual gift communicated to Paul. It was necessary that Paul speak firmly and decidedly of these functions for which he was appointed of God; though, on the other hand, he makes no mention whatever of the particular gift or gifts possessed by Timothy. In this matter it is wise and right for us to be as Timothy, expecting no definite characterization of our gift, but doing what we can in a spirit of true godly subjection and faith. The results will manifest the gift; but there is no need for us to know or to declare what gift we have, for we shall never be in the position of the apostle Paul, to whose message God drew such attention as to require obedience. This message was particularly to “the nations,” not Israel alone. In fact elsewhere we are told he himself was wrought upon mightily by God toward the Gentiles, in contrast to Peter’s distinctive ministry to the Jews (Gal 2:8). His last expression in 1Ti 2:7, “In faith and truth,” certainly presses the deep importance of this ministry as a special communication from God.
It will be seen in these verses (8 to 15) that in reference to prayer there is a decided difference insisted upon between men and women. Men were to pray everywhere, which would of course include the public place, which is not that of the woman. A brother in the Lord should be prepared at all times to rise to the occasion of lifting his voice in audible prayer. We see this preeminently in the Lord Jesus (Joh 6:11; Joh 11:41-42; Joh 12:27-28), but in the apostle Paul also (Act 27:35, etc.), and certainly with the lifting up of holy hands. If one’s hands are soiled by questionable works, he is generally loathe to pray publicly (and should be), for this will draw more attention to his hands. Let the man not ignore his responsibility to pray; but let him back this up with becoming honorable conduct.
It may seem strange that it is necessary to add here, “without wrath and doubting (or reasoning).” Yet how solemn a warning that public prayer must not be taken advantage of to express one’s displeasure in another. This has too often been done. Even Elijah prayed against Israel (Rom 11:2-3); and on one occasion we read, “Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, Respect thou not their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them” (Num 16:15). This is not true prayer, for prayer must express both submission to, and dependence upon, the grace of God. Wrath must here give place to true concern for the blessing of others. Let us not abuse the sacred privilege of publicly addressing God in such a way that God is not really honored. But doubting or reasoning is another grave hindrance to true prayer, for it is the opposite of simple confidence in the Lord. Doubtful rationalizing is certainly offensive to a God of pure love and grace, who delights to answer prayer in the best possible way for His beloved saints. It is insulting, particularly in public, to address Him without some simple, honest confidence of faith, that He will answer according to His perfect will.
Though the man is responsible to take the public place in regard to speaking on behalf of God, the emphasis as regards the woman is rather upon her deportment as before the eyes of others. The man is to have the spirit of subjection in the manner of his praying: in like manner the woman is to have the spirit of subjection in her silent, lowly conduct of godliness. Decent deportment is to be coupled with decent dress: nothing should be ostentatious in one way or the other. The unseemly drawing of attention by means of costly attire, jewelry and gold, is far from reflecting the character of her Lord and Master. Equally offensive of course would be a slovenly, careless deportment, for this has its roots in the same pride and self-will as does the other. The details of dress, etc., would surely be easily and rightly adjusted where faith and godliness are in true exercise, as opposed to the common selfwill and self-expression of our day. But positive “good works” stand over against the negatives that are to be avoided.
1Co 14:1-40 is clear that the woman is not to speak at all in the assembly. In our present chapter it is shown that teaching is not for her, whether in the assembly or elsewhere, if any public character of things is involved. At least, if men are present, it is not the woman’s place to teach. The instructing of women or of children in less public circumstances could hardly come under the same restriction, but the woman must be careful that her teaching in any case does not put her in a place of any kind of prominence. It is in fact her glory to be in quietness. The reason for this given here is to be closely observed! Adam was first formed, then Eve. It is-simply order in God’s creation, with no question of moral superiority or inferiority involved at all, nor any question of ability. It is God’s order, and any infraction thereof is disorder.
This is emphasized too by the fact that Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being deceived, was in the transgression. The woman did have a safeguard if only she had remembered the woman’s place. When Satan tempted her, she could simply have referred the matter to Adam; for here was a case of the tempter ignoring her head, and coming to the weaker vessel. Adam was not deceived, but sinned with his eyes wide open, no doubt out of affection for his wife. Certainly he is no less responsible: it is guilt in both cases; but this still illustrates the fact that man, being characterized particularly by intelligent and deliberating judgment, is fitted for the public place; and woman, more rightly marked by her feelings and intuition, is fitted for the more quiet place of subjection.
Childbearing is consistent with this lowly place, but a blessed honor nevertheless which is not given to the man. If any woman is inclined to question these things, she may well be greatly benefited by considering the many godly mothers of Scripture, whose subject lowly character shines with a beauty that can be seen in no other way. Yet, let us notice too that her being “saved in childbearing” is conditional not only upon her own continuing in faith and love and holiness with discretion, but upon this being true of both husband and wife: “If they continue.” This surely impresses upon us the vital value of true spiritual unity in the marriage relationship: a woman who marries an ungodly husband could not claim such a promise as this.
3 The Order of God’s House
(1 Timothy 2 and 1 Timothy 3)
In this division of the Epistle, the apostle sets forth the character of God’s house (1Ti 2:1-4); the testimony to the grace of God that is to flow from the house (1Ti 2:5-7); the conduct proper to men and women who form the house (1Ti 2:8-15); the qualifications necessary to those who exercise office in the house (1Ti 3:1-13); and, finally, the mystery of piety (1Ti 3:14-16).
(a) The house of God, a house of prayer for all nations (1Ti 1:1-4) (Isa 56:7; Mar 11:17)
(V. 1). The house of God is characterised as the place of prayer. The petitions that ascend to God from His house are to be marked by supplications, or earnest pleadings, for special needs arising in particular circumstances; by prayers, which express general desires appropriate for all times; by intercessions, implying that believers are in that nearness to God that can plead on behalf of others; and, lastly, by thanksgiving, which speaks of a heart conscious of the goodness of God that delights to answer the prayers of His people.
In the Epistle to the Ephesians, which presents the truth of the church in its heavenly calling, we are exhorted to pray with supplication for all saints (Eph 6:18). Here, where the church is viewed as the vessel for the testimony of the grace of God, we are to pray with supplication for all men.
(V. 2). Especially we are called upon to pray for kings and all that are in authority – those who are in a position to influence the world for good or evil. It is not simply for the king or our king for whom we are to pray, but for kings. This presumes that we realise our link with the Lord’s people all the world over as forming part of the house of God, and the true position of the church as standing in holy separation from the world, taking no part in its politics or government. In the world, but not of it, the church has the high privilege of praying, interceding and giving thanks on behalf of those who do not pray for themselves.
The apostle gives two reasons for the prayers for all men. Firstly, prayer for kings and all in authority is called for in view of the Lord’s people throughout the world. We are to seek that the sovereign goodness of God may so control the rulers of this world that His people may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all piety and gravity. It is evidently God’s mind that His people should, in passing through this hostile world, lead a quiet life, not asserting themselves as if they were citizens of this world, in tranquillity that refrains from taking part in the world’s disputes, in piety that recognises God in every circumstance of life, and in practical gravity before men. Of old the prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to God’s captive people in Babylon, exhorting them to seek the peace of the city in which they were held in bondage, by praying unto the Lord for it: for, says the prophet, in the peace thereof shall ye have peace (Jer 29:7). In the same spirit we are to seek the peace of the world, in order that God’s people may have peace.
(Vv. 3, 4). Then a second reason is given for the prayers of God’s people on behalf of all men. To pray for all men is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved. We are to pray, not only in view of the good of all saints, but also in view of the blessing of all men.
The world may at times persecute God’s people and seek to vent upon them all the hatred of their hearts towards God. Unless we walk in self-judgment, such treatment would arouse the flesh in resentment and retaliation. Here we learn that it is good and acceptable in the sight of God to act and feel towards all men, as God Himself does, in love and grace. Thus we are to pray for all men, not simply for those who govern well, but also for those who use God’s people despitefully (Luk 6:28). We are to pray, not for retributive judgment to overtake the persecutors of God’s people, but that in sovereign grace they may be saved.
(b) The house of God, a witness to the grace of God (verses 5-7)
The house of God is not only to be the place from which prayer ascends to God, but also the place from which a testimony flows out to man. In due time God will deal in judgment with the wicked, and even now at times may deal governmentally with those who set themselves to oppose the grace of God and the ministers of His grace, as in the smiting of Herod, and the blinding of Elymas (Act 12:23; Act 13:6-11). Moreover, God may, on solemn occasions, deal in governmental judgment with those who form the house of God for the maintenance of the holiness of His house, as set forth in the terrible judgment that overtook Ananias and Sapphira; and later the governmental dealing by which some in the Corinthian assembly were taken away in judgment (Act 5:1-10); 1Co 11:30-32). Such cases, however, are the result of the direct dealing of God. The house of God, as such, is to be a testimony to God as a Saviour God, who desires all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth.
The will of God, in this passage, has no reference to the counsels of God which will most certainly be fulfilled. It expresses the disposition of God towards all. God presents Himself as a Saviour God who is willing that all may be saved. But, if men are to be saved, it can only be through faith that acknowledges the truth. Of this truth the house of God is the pillar and base (1Ti 3:15). As long as the assembly is on earth, it is the witness to, and support of, the truth. When the church is caught away, men will at once fall into apostasy and be given up to a strong delusion.
(V. 5). Two great truths are brought before us as the ground on which God deals with men in sovereign grace. Firstly, there is one God; secondly, there is one Mediator.
That there is only one God had been fully declared before Christ came. The unity of God is the great foundation truth of the Old Testament. It was the great testimony to Israel, as we read, Hear O Israel: the LORD our God is One LORD (Deu 6:4). It was the great testimony that was to flow out to the nations from Israel, as we read, Let all the nations be gathered together let them hear, and say, It is truth. Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside Me there is no Saviour (Isa 43:9-11).
Christianity, while fully maintaining the great truth that there is one God, further presents the equally important truth that there is one Mediator between God and men. This latter truth is the distinctive truth of Christianity.
Three great truths are presented as characterising the Mediator. First He is one. If God is one, it is equally important to remember the unity of the Mediator. There is one Mediator and no other. The papacy, and other corrupt religious systems of Christendom, have denied this great truth, and detracted from the glory of the one Mediator, by setting up Mary, the mother of the Lord, and other canonised men and women as mediators.
Secondly, the One Mediator is a Man in order that God may be known to men. Man cannot rise to God; but God, in His love, can come down to man. One has said, He came down into the lowest depths in order that there should be none, even of the most wretched, who could not feel that God in His goodness was near him – come down to him – His love finding its occasion in misery; and that there was no need to which He was not present, which He could not meet (J.N.D.).
(Vv. 6, 7). Thirdly, this Mediator gave Himself a ransom for all. If God is to be proclaimed as a Saviour God, who will have all men to be saved, His holiness must be vindicated and His glory maintained. This has been perfectly accomplished by the propitiatory work of Christ. God’s majesty, righteousness, love, truth, and all that He is, have been glorified in the work wrought by Christ. He is a propitiation for the whole world. All has been done that is needed. His blood is available for the vilest whoever he may be. Hence the gospel to the world says, Whosoever will, let him come. In this aspect we may say Christ died for all, gave Himself a ransom for all, an available sacrifice for sin, for whosoever would come. These are the great truths to be testified in due time – the grace of God proclaiming forgiveness and salvation to all on the ground of the work of Christ, who has given Himself a ransom for all. When Christ had ascended to glory, and the Holy Ghost had come down to earth to dwell in the midst of believers, thus forming them into the house of God, the due time had come. From that house the testimony was to flow forth, the apostle being the one used of God to preach grace, and thus open the door of faith to the Gentiles (Act 14:27). He can thus speak of himself as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles in the faith and in the truth.
(c) The conduct proper to men and women who form the house (verses 8-15)
We have seen in the early part of the chapter that the house of God is the place of prayer for all men (verse 1), the witness of God’s disposition in grace toward all men (verse 4), and the witness who gave Himself a ransom for all (verse 6).
If such is the great purpose of the house of God, it follows that nothing is to be allowed in the house of God that would mar this testimony either on the part of men or women who form the house. Thus the apostle proceeds to give detailed instructions as to the deportment of each class. This testimony to the grace of God does not contemplate a number of believers, interested in a particular testimony, binding themselves together for service. It is not a band of evangelists giving themselves to gospel work or missionary service. It presents all the saint sharing a common interest in the testimony that flows from the house of God.
(V. 8). Firstly, the apostle speaks of men in contrast with women. The men in the house of God are to be marked by prayer. The apostle is speaking of public prayer, and on such occasions the title to pray is restricted to men. Moreover, the instruction contains no thought of an official class leading in prayer. Praying in public is not confined to elders, or to gifted men, for prayer is never treated in Scripture as a question of gift. It is men that are to pray and the only restriction is that a right moral condition is to be maintained. Those who lead in public prayer are to be marked by holiness, and their prayers are to be without wrath or reasoning. The man that is conscious of unjudged evil in his life is in no condition to pray. Moreover, the prayer is to be without wrath. This is an exhortation that utterly condemns the use of prayer to make veiled attacks upon others. Behind such prayers there is always wrath or malice. Moreover, the prayer is to be in the simplicity of faith and not with vain human reasoning.
(V. 9). The women are to be marked by decent deportment and dress (N.T.). This better translation clearly indicates that not only in dress but in their general bearing women should be marked by modesty that shrinks from all impropriety, and discretion that leads to care in their words and ways. They are to beware of using the hair that God has given as the woman’s glory for an expression of the natural vanity of the human heart. Women are not to seek to call attention to themselves by arraying themselves in gold, or pearls, or costly clothing. Again, women do well to remember that they may obey this Scripture in the letter and yet miss the spirit of it by affecting some peculiar garb, thus calling attention to themselves.
The woman professing the fear of God will be marked, not by the affection of superior spirituality, but by good works. Their place in Christianity is seemly and beautiful: it is found in those good works, many of which can alone be carried out by a woman.
We see, in the Gospels, how women ministered unto Christ of their substance (Luk 8:3). Mary wrought a good work upon the Lord when she anointed His head with the precious ointment (Mat 26:7-10). Dorcas did a good work in making garments for the poor (Act 9:39). Mary, the mother of John Mark, opened her house for many to gather together in prayer (Act 12:12). Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened, did a good work when she opened her house to the servants of the Lord (Act 16:14; Act 16:15). Priscilla did a good work when, with her husband, she helped Apollos to know the way of God more perfectly (Act 18:26). Phoebe, of Cenchrea, was a succourer of many (Rom 16:2). Other Scriptures tell us that godly women can wash the saints’ feet, relieve the afflicted, bring up children and guide the home. Here we read that in public the woman is to learn in silence. She is not to usurp authority over the man.
The apostle gives two reasons for the subjection of woman to man. Firstly, Adam has the pre-eminent place, inasmuch as he was first formed, then Eve. A second reason is that Adam was not deceived; the woman was. In a certain sense Adam was worse than the woman, for he sinned knowingly. Nevertheless, the truth pressed by the apostle is that woman showed her weakness in that she was beguiled. Adam, indeed, should have maintained his authority and have led the woman in obedience. She, in weakness, was beguiled, usurped the place of authority, and led the man in disobedience. The Christian woman recognises this and is careful to keep in the place of subjection and quietness.
(V. 15). Eve suffered for her transgression, but the Christian woman will find the mercy of God abounding over governmental judgment, if the married man and woman continue in faith and love and holiness with discretion. As before we saw the continuance in sound teaching is so largely dependent upon a right moral condition (1Ti 1:5; 1Ti 1:6); so now we see temporal mercy is connected with a right spiritual state.
CHAPTER 10
When we were in Bible college way too long ago, we met an older couple in the church we had decided to attend. He also worked in the same business where I worked so we were able to see a lot of each other.
One of the things I remember most about Lou was the way he prayed. He lived this passage in his prayer life. Each time in Wednesday evening prayer meeting he would pray for the saints, he would pray for the lost, he would pray for the state officials, he would pray for national leaders and he would pray for world leaders. This was an integrated part of his prayer life.
Lou was also one of the most kind, meek men I have run across in this life. He and his wife would assist most anyone in any way that they could. They were some of the more spiritual people that I have had the privilege to meet.
One of his joys was to attend the Christian businessmen’s luncheons monthly. He often invited others to go with him – often lost folks. He used this as one of his witnessing tools in reaching the lost.
As we enter into chapter two, we notice that Paul covers prayer before he begins to cover the proper life styles of believers and church leaders. He also covers prayer just after he mentions shipwrecked saints and warring the good warfare. Prayer is the answer to a multitude of problems it would seem.
Prayer is also the required ingredient in a properly functioning church, as well as the church’s leadership!
Paul now shifts gears – he moves from the exhortation concerning false teachers to what I might call false worship. It is not that the Ephesians were worshiping false gods, but that they were worshiping God incorrectly. Evidently Paul had noticed some problems when he was there that he wanted Timothy to get to work on.
Now that he has the false teachers out of the church – let’s get to the work of the Lord!
1Co 14:40 sets the stage for proper worship. “Let all things be done decently and in order.” It will become evident in coming verses that this was not being accomplished at Ephesus.
I. SAINTS PRAYING
1Ti 2:1-2 a “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2:2a For kings, and [for] all that are in authority;”
This passage seems to connect to 1Ti 1:18. Paul has encouraged Timothy to wage a good warfare, and then in 1Ti 2:1 he is telling him just how he can do that successfully. PRAY!
“Exhort” has the idea of begging or entreating and urging someone to do something. Paul realizes that prayer is a key to Timothy’s success and he wants to remind Timothy of one of the building blocks toward the victory.
Supplication is something done within the general heading of prayer.
Supplication is a petition or request – something requested as a result of a need. Supplication has the idea of giving rational reason for a request. When a request is made for something or someone, explain to God why you think the request should be answered.
You want to be very careful in your thinking on this one. When in Wyoming we had run up a little debt picking up some computer equipment etc. and as I was praying I almost asked the Lord to allow us to get out of debt. As I considered it, I ask myself if I could give Him a logical explanation as to why He should.
The debt was incurred for our ministry and the time that it would save, but it was a conscious choice on our part to take on the debt. It had nothing to do with God taking on the debt. We had a peace about making the purchases before the Lord, yet I felt that to seek the relief of debt would be out of line. I laid it before the Lord that I realized that we had taken on these responsibilities and that we would enjoy not having them if He would desire to eliminate them for us. He could do it in a moment, or He may let us pay them off as we were able, to encourage us to not do it again.
The term supplication may be slightly different than prayer in that the supplication might involve you as part of the answer, while prayer, is a general term, however some feel is limited to those things which only God can answer.
I had a pastor friend tell me of a situation years ago when one of his church members came in with a terrible car problem. The man’s car had need of major repairs which would have been a poor investment, and the man had no money for a different car or repairs. The pastor told the man to sit down and that they would pray about it. My friend told me that he had barely approached the Lord when the Spirit prodded him about the two cars he owned, but never used. He stopped praying and looked the man in the eye and said you have a car – you can have one of mine. This would be supplication. God through the Holy Spirit answered the prayer by involving the one praying.
Hiebert says of intercessions “occurring only here and in 4:5 in the New Testament, suggests thought of confidence in prayer. It does not have the limitation of being for others, as implied in our English term. It was used for a petition of any kind to a superior. It speaks of personal and confiding intercourse with God on the part of one qualified to approach Him. A life lived in fellowship with God gives confidence in prayer.” First Timothy; D. Edmond Hiebert; Moody Press; Chicago; 1957, p50
Wiersbe elaborates on this thought. “This same word is translated “prayer” in 1Ti 4:5, where it refers to blessing the food we eat.” “The basic meaning is “to draw near to a person and converse confidently with him.” It suggests that we enjoy fellowship with God so that we have confidence in Him as we pray.” THE BIBLE EXPOSITION COMMENTARY; Warren Wiersbe; Victor Books; Wheaton; 1989; p 215.
The verb form of this term is translated intercession in two very interesting passages.
Rom 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” The Holy Spirit intercedes for us with confidence!
Heb 7:25 “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Intercession by Christ on our part with confidence! We have two members of the Trinity praying with confidence to the Father concerning our needs.
We see in the terms “giving thanks” the idea of thanking God for past and future answers. This compliments or completes our prayers. When you say, “Pass the potatoes,” you usually say thank you when you get them. If you ask God for something and you get it then thanksgiving should be automatic.
Trench mentions concerning thanksgiving something that is of interest which I had not considered in this text before.
“As such it may and will subsist in heaven (Rev 4:9; Rev 7:12); will indeed be larger, deeper, fuller there than here; for only there will the redeemed know how much they owe to their Lord; and this, while all other forms of prayer in the very nature of things will have ceased in the entire fruition of the things prayed for.” THE INTERPRETATION OF ST. PAUL’S EPISTLES TO THE COLOSSIANS, TO THE THESSALONIANS, TO TIMOTHY, TO TITUS AND TO PHILEMON; R. C. H. Lenski; Augsburg Publishing House; Minneapolis; 1937; p 539. THERE WILL ONLY BE THANKS GIVING IN HEAVEN – NOTHING TO ASK FOR OR NEED!
What is meant by pray for ALL men? Why should we? We should pray for all men, not just the missionaries and the pastor, but the other men in the church, other men in the community, and other men in the world, indeed, all of mankind.
Lenski puts it this way: “No matter how far away men may be, the prayers of the church are able to reach them. Who can number all men? Yet these prayers omit none. “All men” transcends even national confines. “All men” means that, although millions do not pray or pray aright, the congregations of true believers who do know how to pray speak for them and leave none unprayed for. Paul does not seem to be afraid that a congregation may pray for too many or ask too much. If such praying were useless, the apostle would not write what he does write.” THE INTERPRETATION OF ST. PAUL’S EPISTLES TO THE COLOSSIANS, TO THE THESSALONIANS, TO TIMOTHY, TO TITUS AND TO PHILEMON; R. C. H. Lenski; Augsburg Publishing House; Minneapolis; 1937; p 539.
What did we hear recently of world population? Six billion people on the earth and Paul informs us that God wants us to pray for all of them! What a job, but on the other hand what an honor! This might give the admonition to pray without ceasing new meaning.
The Pharisees prayed to please men, we should pray to please God.
It crossed my mind, why would praying for all men please God. The only answer I can think of is that when we pray for all men, we pray for all God’s creations! Relate this to the thought that He wants all men to be saved and you know that He will be pleased as we pray for His will – all men’s salvation.
While I was an interim pastor in Oregon one of the deacons of the church asked if we should pray for lost people. I took some time to study this for him and this passage is one of the texts I ran into.
I would like to deviate from the text for a short study in this area for indeed, praying for all men relates to praying for the lost.
1. In that God desires all to come to Him, it would be logical that we should pray toward that end for the lost in general. Specifically those that we know. 2Pe 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
2. Mat 5:44 mentions, “pray for them which despitefully use you. . . . ” Another passage of similar language is Luk 6:28. This is the context of enemies, those that curse you and people that despitefully use you. You are to pray for the latter.
Pray for what? Might I suggest you pray for a change of heart, for growth, for salvation, and for personal relations?
3. Mat 19:13 hints at the fact that some thought Christ might pray for children. There is no indication that they all were believing children. “Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put [his] hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.”
Again what might we pray for? Some suggestions – guidance through childhood, the child’s salvation, for the child’s spiritual education.
4. Pray for those that would hear the apostles words and come to know God is mentioned in Joh 17:20, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;” This gives clear proof that we should pray for lost men’s salvation or the situation that might bring them to it.
Pray for the salvation of the lost – that the Holy Spirit might draw the lost to the Lord.
5. Christ approached the Father in Joh 17:9 mentioning, “I pray for them: I pray not for the world. . . . ” This could indicate that there may be a limit in how we pray for the lost, or world, however the People’s New Testament commentary suggests that Christ is just saying, I am not praying for the world now – I am praying for these now.
6. Christ prayed for the lost soldiers that cast lots for His clothes. Luk 23:34, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” This might relate to people that rebuff you when you witness.
7. 1Ti 2:1-4 clearly commands us to pray for kings and all that are in authority. This will surely sometime include lost people. Pray that we can live quietly and peaceably would indicate we ought to pray for good relationships with these people.
Verse four certainly brings the lost persons salvation into the picture as well.
If you relate 1Ti 2:1-4 to Romans 13 and our command to be submissive to the government, you might see a pattern relating to the quiet and peaceable life as well.
What else might we pray about?
a. governing ability
b. mercy on people
c. Godly outlook
d. wisdom in knowing people, laws, etc.
e. softness toward Christian beliefs. (The Romans martyred believers. There are believers in Africa in 1999 being killed for their faith.)
Not to get political but how do we pray for a leader like Bill Clinton? He said he was a believer, but he lived in sin.
David Brinkley on the Sunday morning show 4-29-96 asked his colleagues if they thought that Bill would lie to the special investigators taped testimony. One or two of the commentators mentioned, well we know that he lies so….
For leaders such as this, pray for salvation or correct living which ever is needed, honesty, a proper moral life and if need be confession.
I must admit on a personal level, I was not praying for Bill Clinton – I was too busy discussing his disgusting ways – this I say to my own shame, and as I look back on it, many other Christians were in the same boat – we were caught up in the condemnation, rather than the intercession.
MacArthur has a section in chapter six of his book on the Old Testament men that prayed for lost Israel that was very interesting if you would like further study on this. (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary 1 Timothy)
And that all-inclusive phrase “all that are in authority.” That means teachers, pastors, parents, husbands, bosses, police officers etc.
II. SAINTS LIVING
2:1 I {1} exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men;
(1) Having dispatched those things which pertain to doctrine, he speaks now in the second place of the other part of the ministry of the word, that is, of public prayers. And first of all, answering the question for whom we ought to pray, he teaches that we must pray for all men, and especially for every type of magistrate. And this thing was at that time somewhat doubted of, seeing that kings, indeed, and most of the magistrates, were at that time enemies of the Church.
A. The priority of prayer for peoples’ salvation 2:1-7
The apostle’s first positive instruction to Timothy regarding his leadership of the Ephesian church was that believers should offer prayer for all people. He gave this directive to emphasize its importance, defend its value, and clarify its practice.
"The ministry of prayer is the most important service that the Church of Christ can engage in.
"It [prayer] is the most dynamic work which God has entrusted to His saints, but it is also the most neglected ministry open to the believer." [Note: D. Edmond Hiebert, Working With God: Scriptural Studies in Intercession, pp. 44, 19.]
"The most essential part of public worship is prayer." [Note: Earle, p. 357.]
Every aspect of this prayer touches the church’s evangelistic mission. Prayer is not the subject of this section but the context for that subject, which is the salvation of all people. [Note: Mounce, pp. 76-78.]
"The one clear concern that runs through the whole paragraph has to do with the gospel as for everyone (’all people,’ 1Ti 2:1; 1Ti 2:4-7). . . . The best explanation for this emphasis lies with the false teachers, who either through the esoteric, highly speculative nature of their teaching (1Ti 1:4-6) or through its ’Jewishness’ (1Ti 1:7) or ascetic character (1Ti 4:3) are promoting an elitist or exclusivist mentality among their followers. The whole paragraph attacks that narrowness." [Note: Fee, p. 62.]
III. INSTRUCTIONS CONCERNING THE LIFE OF THE LOCAL CHURCH 2:1-4:5
Paul moved on from instructions aimed primarily at Timothy’s person to those the young minister needed to heed in his pastoral work.
"In saying ’first of all’ Paul underlined the importance of this Godward aspect of the ministry of the church. Paul did not mean that such praying must be the first thing Christians do whenever they assemble, as the word order in the King James Version might imply, but rather that it is an activity he regarded as of primary importance in the total ministry of the church. His use of the present tense throughout these verses indicates that he was setting before them what he hoped would be the practice of those to whom he directed his prayer-exhortation. It is the essential and primary phase of their varied ministries." [Note: D. Edmond Hiebert, "The Significance of Christian Intercession," Bibliotheca Sacra 149:593 (January-March 1992):16.]
". . . providing a peaceful and orderly society was the state’s domain, so prayer for it was calculated to ensure that the best possible conditions for spreading the gospel were obtained." [Note: Towner, The Goal . . ., p. 203.]
"Hence the church’s prayers for the world and recognition of the authority of the state are fundamental to the church’s evangelistic mission." [Note: Bailey, p. 356.]
"All evangelism must begin with prayer." [Note: Lewis Sperry Chafer, True Evangelism or Winning Souls by Prayer, p. 88.]
Though Paul used several synonyms for prayer in urging its practice, the words he chose are not significantly different. This is a Semitic literary device that groups synonyms to enhance the basic concept, namely, that Christians should pray all types of prayers for all people. [Note: Mounce, p. 79. Cf. Guthrie, p. 69.] "Entreaties" (Gr. deeseis) emphasizes the earnestness with which we should make requests because we feel a need for what we ask (cf. Luk 18:1-8). "Prayer" (proseuchas) is a general word covering all types of prayer communication with God. The emphasis is on a spirit of reverence toward God (cf. Mat 6:9-10). "Petitions" (enteuxeis) are confident requests for others and self (cf. Luk 11:5-13). "Thanksgivings" (eucharistias) is the most different word and served as a reminder that we should express gratitude as well as need in public praying. By using these synonyms Paul was emphasizing the importance of praying all kinds of prayers for all people as well as distinguishing its varieties. [Note: See Thomas L. Constable, Talking to God: What the Bible Teaches about Prayer, pp. 21-45.]
Prayer is so important because it invites God into the situation we pray about and it secures His working on behalf of those in need. Paul did not deal with the reason God has incorporated prayer into His sovereign control of the universe here. He assumed his readers understood this since God has revealed this elsewhere in Scripture. His point here was that Christians must not fail to take advantage of this supernatural resource at their disposal by neglecting prayer.
"The failure of the church to pray in accordance with this exhortation is one of its great sins today." [Note: Earle, p. 51.]
In response to the requests of His people God will do things that He will not do if they do not ask (Jas 4:2).
"If such praying were useless, the apostle would not write what he does write." [Note: Lenski, p. 539.]
This verse (1Ti 2:1) should answer the question of whether we should pray for the unsaved. "All men" certainly includes them. Paul undoubtedly meant all kinds of people rather than every single individual. The king at the time Paul wrote this epistle was Nero, an unbeliever for whom Paul specifically told his readers to pray. Furthermore the focus of their request was to be not only their own tranquillity but the king’s salvation (1Ti 2:4).
Primarily we should pray for governmental leaders and those in positions of lesser authority under them so that we may lead tranquil (Gr. eremos, outwardly peaceful) and quiet (hesychios, inwardly peaceful) lives. We should not do so primarily for our personal ease and enjoyment but so we can carry out our purpose in the world as Christians (cf. 1Ti 6:1). Our purpose is to bring the message of reconciliation to all people and to glorify God in all our relationships. Obviously the type of government under which people live influences their lives and affects their spiritual welfare (cf. Ezr 6:9-10; Jer 29:7).
"Godliness" (Gr. eusebeia, 1Ti 2:2) refers to an attitude of reverence for God based on knowledge of Him. Paul used this word 10 times in the Pastorals, and this is its first occurrence. "Dignity" (semnoteti) refers to the outward manifestation of that attitude in righteous behavior.
"Times of political and social upheaval are excellent times in which to die for Christ, but hard times in which to live for Him." [Note: Litfin, p. 734.]
Chapter 8
ELEMENTS OF CHRISTIAN WORSHIP; INTERCESSORY PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING-THE SOLIDARITY OF CHRISTENDOM AND OF THE HUMAN RACE. – 1Ti 2:1
THE first chapter of the Epistle is more or less introductory. It repeats what St. Paul had already said to his beloved disciple by word of mouth, on the subject of Christian doctrine, and the necessity of keeping it pure. It makes a digression respecting the Apostles own conversion. It reminds Timothy of the hopeful prophecies uttered over him at his ordination; and it points out the terrible consequences of driving conscience from the helm and placing oneself in antagonism to the Almighty. In this second chapter St. Paul goes on to mention in order the subjects which led to the writing of the letter; and the very first exhortation which he has to give is that respecting Christian worship and the duty of intercessory prayer and thanksgiving.
There are two things very worthy of remark in the treatment of the subject of worship in the Pastoral Epistles. First, these letters bring before us a more developed form of worship than we find indicated in the earlier writings of St. Paul. It is still very primitive, but it has grown. And this is exactly what we ought to expect, especially when we remember how rapidly the Christian Church developed its powers during the first century and a half. Secondly, the indications of this more developed form of worship occur only in the letters to Timothy, which deal with the condition of things in the Church of Ephesus, a Church which had already been founded for a considerable time, and was in a comparatively advanced stage of organization. Hence we are not surprised to find in these two Epistles fragments of what appear to be primitive liturgical forms. In the first Epistle we have two grand doxologies, which may be the outcome of the Apostles devotion at the moment, but are quite as likely to be quotations of formulas well known to Timothy. {1Ti 1:17; 1Ti 6:15-16} Between these two we have what looks like a portion of a hymn in praise of Jesus Christ, suitable for singing antiphonally (1Ti 3:16; comp. Pliny, “Epp.” 10:96): and also what may be a baptismal exhortation. {1Ti 6:12} In the Second Epistle we have traces of another liturgical formula. {2Ti 2:11-13}
St. Paul of course does not mean, as the A.V. might lead us to suppose, that in all Christian worship intercession ought to come first; still less that intercession is the first duty of a Christian. But he does place it first among those subjects about which he has to give directions in this Epistle. He makes sure that it shall not be forgotten by himself in writing to his delegate at Ephesus; and he wishes to make sure that it shall not be forgotten by Timothy in his ministration. To offer prayers and thanksgivings on behalf of all men is a duty of such high importance that the Apostle places it first among the topics of his pastoral charge.
Was it a duty which Timothy and the congregation committed to his care had been neglecting, or were in serious danger of neglecting? It may well have been so. In the difficulties of the overseers own personal position, and in the varied dangers to which his little flock were so unceasingly exposed, the claims of others upon their united prayer and praise may sometimes have been forgotten. When the Apostle had left Timothy to take his place for a time in Ephesus he had hoped to return very soon, and consequently had given him only brief and somewhat hasty directions as to his course of action during his absence. He had been prevented from returning; and there was a probability that Timothy would have to be his representative for an indefinite period. Meanwhile the difficulties of Timothys position had not diminished. Many of his flock were much older men than himself, and some of them had been elders in the Church of Ephesus long before the Apostles beloved disciple was placed in charge of them. Some of the leaders in the congregation had become tainted with the Gnostic errors with which the intellectual atmosphere of Ephesus was charged, and were endeavoring to make compromise and confusion between heathen lawlessness and Christian liberty. Besides which, there was the bitter hostility of the Jews, who regarded both Paul and Timothy as renegades from the faith of their ancestors, and who never lost an opportunity of thwarting and reviling them. Above all there was the ever-present danger of heathenism, which confronted the Christians every time they left the shelter of their own houses. In the city which counted it as its chief glory that it was the “Temple-keeper of the great Artemis,” {Act 19:35} every street through which the Christians walked, and every heathen house which they entered, was full of pagan abominations; to say nothing of the magnificent temples, beautiful groves, and seductive idolatrous rites, which were among the main features that attracted such motley crowds to Ephesus. Amid difficulties and perils such as these, it would not be wonderful if Timothy and those committed to his care had been somewhat oblivious of the fact that “behind the mountains also there are people”; that beyond the narrow limits of their contracted horizon there were interests as weighty as their own-Christians who were as dear to God as themselves, whose needs were as great as their own, and to whom the Lord had been equally gracious; and moreover countless hosts of heathen, who also were Gods children, needing His help and receiving His blessings; for all of whom, as well as for themselves, the Church in Ephesus was bound to offer prayer and thanksgiving.
But there is no need to assume that Timothy, and those committed to his care, had been specially neglectful of this duty. To keep clearly in view our responsibilities towards the whole human race, or even towards the whole Church, is so difficult a thing for all of us, that the prominent place which St. Paul gives to the obligation to offer prayers and thanksgivings for all men is quite intelligible, without the supposition that the disciple whom he addresses was more in need of such a charge than other ministers in the Churches under St. Pauls care.
The Apostle uses three different words for prayer, the second of which is a general term and covers all kinds of prayer to God and the first a still more general term, including petitions addressed to man. Either of the first two would embrace the third, which indicates a bold and earnest approach to the Almighty to implore some great benefit. None of the three words necessarily means intercession in the sense of prayer on behalf of others. This idea comes from the context. St. Paul says plainly that it is prayers and thanksgivings “for all men” that he desires to have made: and in all probability he did not carefully distinguish in his mind the shades of meaning which are proper to the three terms which he uses. Whatever various kinds of supplication there may be which are offered by man at the throne of grace, he urges that the whole human race are to have the benefit of them. Obviously, as Chrysostom long ago pointed out, we cannot limit the Apostles “all men” to all believers. Directly he enters into detail he mentions “kings and all that are in high place”; and in St. Pauls day not a single king, and we may almost say not a single person in high place, was a believer. The scope of a Christians desires and gratitude, when he appears before the Lord, must have no narrower limit than that which embraces the whole human race. This important principle, the Apostle charges his representative, must be exhibited in the public worship of the Church in Ephesus.
The solidarity of the whole body of Christians, however distant from one another in space and time, however different from one another in nationality, in discipline, and even in creed, is a magnificent fact, of which we all of us need from time to time to be reminded, and which, even when we are reminded of it, we find it somewhat difficult to grasp. Members of sects that we never heard of, dwelling in remote regions of which we do not even know the names, are nevertheless united to us by the eternal ties of a common baptism and a common belief in God and in Jesus Christ. The eastern sectarian in the wilds of Asia, and the western sectarian in the backwoods of North America, are members of Christ and our brethren; and as such have spiritual interests identical with our own, for which it is not only our duty, but our advantage to pray. “Whether one member suffereth, all the members suffer with it; or one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” The ties which bind Christians to one another are at once so subtle and so real, that it is impossible for one Christian to remain unaffected by the progress or retrogression of any other. Therefore, not only does the law of Christian charity require us to aid all our fellow-Christians by praying for them, but the law of self-interest leads us to do so also; for their advance will assuredly help us forward, and their relapse will assuredly keep us back. All this is plain matter of fact, revealed to us by Christ and His apostles, and confirmed by our own experience, so far as our feeble powers of observation are able to supply a test. Nevertheless, it is a fact of such enormous proportions (even without taking into account our close relationship with those who have passed away from this world), that even with our best efforts we fail to realize it in its immensity.
What shall we say, then, about the difficulty of realizing the solidarity of the whole human race? For they also are Gods offspring, and as such are of one family with ourselves. If it is hard to remember that the welfare of the humblest member of a remote and obscure community in Christendom intimately concerns ourselves, how shall we keep in view the fact that we have both interests and obligations in reference to the wildest and most degraded heathens in the heart of Africa or in the islands of the Pacific? Here is a fact on a far more stupendous scale; for in the population of the globe, those who are not even in name Christians, outnumber us by at least three to one. And yet let us never forget that our interest in these countless multitudes, whom we have never seen and never shall see in this life, is not a mere graceful sentiment or empty flourish of rhetoric, but a sober and solid fact. The hackneyed phrase, “a man and a brother,” represents a vital truth. Every human being is one of our brethren, and, whether we like the responsibility or not, we are still our “brothers keeper.” In our keeping, to a very real extent, lie the supreme issues of his spiritual life, and we have to look to it that we discharge our trust faithfully. We read with horror, and it may be with compassion, of the monstrous outrages committed by savage chiefs upon their subjects, their wives, or their enemies. We forget that the guilt of these things may lie partly at our door, because we have not done our part in helping forward civilizing influences which would have prevented such horrors, above all because we have not prayed as we ought for those who commit them. There are few of us who have not some opportunities of giving assistance in various ways to missionary enterprise and humanizing efforts. But all of us can at least pray for Gods blessing upon such things, and for His mercy upon those who are in need of it. Of those who, having nothing else to give, give their struggles after holiness and their prayers for their fellow-men, the blessed commendation stands written, “They have done what they could.”
“For kings and all that are in high place.” It is quite a mistake to suppose that “kings” here means the Roman Emperors. This has been asserted, and from this misinterpretation has been deduced the erroneous conclusion that the letter must have been written at a time when it was customary for the Emperor to associate another prince with him in the empire, with a view to securing the succession. As Hadrian was the first to do this, and that near to the close of his reign, this letter (it is urged) cannot be earlier than A.D. 138. But this interpretation is impossible, for “kings” in the Greek has no article. Had the writer meant the two reigning Emperors, whether Hadrian and Antoninus, or M. Aurelius and Verus, he would inevitably have written “for the kings and for all in high place.” The expression “for kings,” obviously means “for monarchs of all descriptions.” including the Roman Emperor, but including many other potentates also. Such persons, as having the heaviest responsibilities and the greatest power of doing good and evil, have an especial claim upon the prayers of Christians. It gives us a striking illustration of the transforming powers of Christianity when we think of St. Paul giving urgent directions that among the persons to be remembered first in the intercessions of the Church are Nero and the men whom he put “in high place,” such as Otho and Vitellius, who afterwards became Emperor: and this, too, after Neros peculiarly cruel and wanton persecution of the Christians A.D. 64. How firmly this beautiful practice became established among Christians is shown from their writings in the second and third centuries. Tertullian, who lived through the reigns of such monsters as Cornmodus and Elagabalus, who remembered the persecution under M. Aurelius, and witnessed that under Septimius Severus, can nevertheless write thus of the Emperor of Rome: “A Christian is the enemy of no one, least of all of the Emperor, whom he knows to have been appointed by his God, and whom he therefore of necessity loves, and reverences, and honors, and desires his well-being, with that of the whole Roman Empire, so long as the world shall stand; for it shall last as long. To the Emperor, therefore, we render such homage as is lawful for us. and good for him, as the human being who comes next to God, and is what he is by Gods decree, and to God alone is inferior.”
And so we sacrifice also for the well-being of the Emperor; but to our God and his; but in the way that God has ordained, with a prayer that is pure. “For God, the Creator of the universe, has no need of odors or of blood.” In another passage Tertullian anticipates the objection that: Christians pray for the Emperor, m order to curry favor with the Roman government and thus escape persecution. He says that the heathen have only to look into the Scriptures, which to Christians are the voice of God, and see that to pray for their enemies and to pray for those in authority is a fundamental rule with Christians. And he quotes the passage before us. But he appears to misunderstand the concluding words of the Apostles injunction, – “that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity.” Tertullian understands this as a reason for praying for kings and rulers; because they are the preservers of the public peace, and any disturbance in the empire will necessarily affect the Christians as well as other subjects, – which is giving a rather narrow and selfish motive for this great duty. “That we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity,” is the object and consequence, not of our praying for kings and rulers in particular, but of our offering prayers and thanksgivings on behalf of all men.
When this most pressing obligation is duly discharged, then, and only then, can we hope with tranquil consciences to be able to live Christian lives in retirement from the rivalries and jealousies and squabbles of the world. Only in the attitude of mind which makes us pray and give thanks for our fellowmen is the tranquility of a godly life possible. The enemies of Christian peace and quietness are anxiety and strife. Are we anxious about the well-being of those near and dear to us, or of those whose interests are bound up with our own? Let us pray for them. Have we grave misgivings respecting the coarse which events are taking in Church, or in State, or in any of the smaller societies to which we belong? Let us offer supplications and intercessions on behalf of all concerned in them. Prayer offered in faith to the throne of grace will calm our anxiety, because it will assure us that all is in Gods hand, and that in His own good time He will bring good out of the evil. Are we at strife with our neighbors, and is this a constant source of disturbance? Let us pray for them. Fervent and frequent prayers for those who are hostile to us will certainly secure this much, -that we ourselves become more wary about giving provocation; and this will go a long way towards bringing the attainment of our desire for the entire cessation of the strife.
Is there any one to whom we have taken a strong aversion, whose very presence is a trial to us, whose every gesture and every tone irritates us, and the sight of whose handwriting makes us shiver, because of its disturbing associations? Let us pray for him. Sooner or later dislike must give way to prayer. It is impossible to go on taking a real interest in the welfare of another, and at the same time to go on detesting him. And if our prayers for his welfare are genuine, a real interest in it there must be. Is there any one of whom we are jealous? Of whose popularity, so dangerous to our own, we are envious? Whose success-quite undeserved success, as it seems to us-disgusts and frightens us? Whose mishaps and failures, nay even whose faults and misdeeds, give us pleasure and satisfaction? Let us thank God for the favor which He bestows upon this man. Let us praise our heavenly Father for having in His wisdom and His justice given to another of His children what He denies to us; and let us pray Him to keep this other from abusing His gifts.
Yes, let us never forget that not only prayers, but thanksgivings, are to be offered for all men. He who is so good to the whole Church, of which we are members, and to the great human family to which we belong, certainly has a claim upon the gratitude of every human being, and especially of every Christian. His bounty is not given by measure or by merit. He maketh His sun to shine upon the evil and the good, and sendeth His rain upon the just and the unjust: and shall we pick and choose as to what we will thank Him for, and what not? The sister who loves her erring or her half-witted brother is grateful to her father for the care which he bestows upon his graceless and his useless son. And shall we not give thanks to our heavenly Father for the benefits which He bestows on the countless multitudes whose interests are so closely interwoven with our own? Benefits bestowed upon any human being are an answer to our prayers, and as such we are bound to give thanks for them. How much more grateful shall we be, when we are able to look on them as benefits bestowed upon those whom we love!
This is the cause of so much of our failure in prayer. We do not couple our prayers with thanksgiving; or at any rate our thanksgivings are far less hearty than our prayers. We give thanks for benefits received by ourselves: we forget to give thanks “for all men.” Above all, we forget that the truest gratitude is shown, not in words or feelings, but in conduct. We should send good deeds after good words to heaven. Not that our ingratitude provokes God to withhold His gifts; but that it does render us less capable of receiving them. For the sake of others no less than for ourselves let us remember the Apostles charge that “thanksgivings be made for all men.” We cannot give plenty and prosperity to the nations of the earth. We cannot bestow on them peace and tranquility. We cannot bring them out of darkness to Gods glorious light. We cannot raise them from impurity to holiness. We can only do a little, a very little towards these great ends. But one thing we can do. We can at least thank Him who has already bestowed some, and is preparing to bestow others, of these blessings. We can praise Him for the end towards which he will have all things work. – “He willeth that all men should be saved” (ver. 4), “that God may be all in all.”
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Fuente: International Critical Commentary New Testament
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Fuente: F. B. Hole’s Old and New Testaments Commentary
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary
Fuente: James Gray’s Concise Bible Commentary
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: John Darby’s Synopsis of the New Testament
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible
Fuente: Smith’s Writings on 24 Books of the Bible
Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary