“Nov 25, 2024 - Men and Women”

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Men and Women

Reading:  1 Timothy 2:8-15
    
    Paul has just asserted his authority to Timothy (1 Tim 2:7, also 1:1, 12), so his expressions of “I desire”(1 Tim 2:8) and “I do not permit”(1 Tim 2:12) are more than mere opinions.  Even though men and women are equal in Christ (Gal 3:28), God has different visions for their unique gifts and roles.  “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling”(1 Tim 2:8).  “Holy hands” is a phrase that emphasizes the purity of our lives as a basis for our prayers (see Job 16:17, Psalm 141:2, and James 4:8-9).  Men set a tone of holiness, self-discipline, and piety.  “Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works”(1 Tim 2:9-10).  Christian women are not to dress in a flashy or ostentatious way, but to emphasize their inner (rather than outward) beauty.  “Likewise” implies that both men and women have an obligation to seek holiness and self-control, though manifestations may look a little different.

    Paul also has instruction about teaching:  “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.  I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.  For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor”(1 Tim 2:11-14).  God intends men to be in a position of spiritual authority.  Paul sees this in God creating Adam first and in the biblical emphasis on the woman being deceived.  He is not arguing that all women are gullible or that women are unable to teach, but that God has a plan for men and women that involves men being teachers.

    Such teaching is controversial in our day, yet someone must lead.  These verses are a call to men and women to respect God’s expectations for them.  Yet while women are denied a teaching role over men, this is no excuse for male domination, condescension, or abuse.  None of us is above submitting to others (Eph 5:21); all of us are to be holy, self-controlled, and honorable.

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One Thing to Think About: Does our modern culture affect the way I read this passage?  Should it?

One Thing to Pray For:  A pure and self-controlled life, so that I may “lift holy hands” as I pray
 

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