Commonly Misunderstood Principles

INTRODUCTION:

I. The Place of Prayer in the Local Church (1 Timothy 2:1–8)

A. Its importance. (1 Timothy 2:1)

1 Timothy 2:1 (NLT)

1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

(Παρακαλῶ οὖν πρῶτον πάντων ποιεῖσθαι δεήσεις, προσευχάς, ἐντεύξεις, εὐχαριστίας, ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων,)

1- Prayer is of primary importance to the church.

a. The local church does not pray because it is the expected thing to do; it prays because prayer is vital to the life of the local church.

(1)

B. Its nature. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

1 Timothy 2:1–2 (NLT)

1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.

The church’s praying ought to include:

1- Adoration (1 Peter 1:3)

1 Peter 1:3 (NLT)

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,

2- Confession (1 John 1:9)

1 John 1:9 (NLT)

9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

3- Thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2)

Colossians 4:2 (NLT)

2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

4- Supplication

( Phil. 4:6 )

Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

C. Its aims. (1 Timothy 2:2-4)

1 Timothy 2:2–4 (NLT)

2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.

3 This is good and pleases God our Savior,

4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

1-That believers can live their convictions in peace and quiet, without persecution.

2- That lost people get saved.

D. Its conditions. (1 Timothy 2:5-8)

1 Timothy 2:5–8 (NLT)

5 For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.

6 He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.

7 And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I’m not exaggerating—just telling the truth.

8 In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.

Verse 8 lays down three conditions for the public praying in the local church:

(l) “without wrath”—loving one another;

(2) “holy hands,” that is, clean, obedient lives; and

(3) faith in the one who is our only mediator.

( Mark 11:20–26)

Mark 11:20–26 (NLT)

20 The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up.

21 Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!”

22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God.

23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.

24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.

25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

II. The Place of Women in the Local Church (1 TIMOTHY 2:9–15)

1 Timothy 2:9–15 (NLT)

9 And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes.

10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

11 Women should learn quietly and submissively.

12 I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.

13 For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve.

14 And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result.

15 But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.

Christianity, like no other religious faith, elevated the position of women and children. Instead of criticizing Paul for these instructions, women ought to thank God for the blessing the Christian faith has been to women around the world.

Paul is emphasizing again the principle of headship (see Eph. 5:22ff; 1 Cor. 11:1–16). The local church that refuses to recognize this principle may create confusion.

There is a three-fold headship in the local assembly:

(1) the headship of Christ over the body, Col. 1:18;

(2) the headship of the pastor over the flock, Acts 20:28; and

(3) the headship of the man over the woman, 1 Cor. 11:1–16 and 1 Tim. 2:12.

Paul gives us the characteristics of the ideal Christian woman in the church:

A. Modesty (1 Timothy 2: 9).

1 Timothy 2:9 (NLT)

9 And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes.

(ὡσαύτως καὶ γυναῖκας ἐν καταστολῇ κοσμίῳ μετὰ αἰδοῦς καὶ σωφροσύνης κοσμεῖν ἑαυτάς, μὴ ἐν πλέγμασιν καὶ χρυσίῳ ἢ μαργαρίταις ἢ ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ,)

Paul is not saying that the Christian woman must wear old clothes and be out of style! Rather, he is emphasizing that the inner person is more important than the outer appearance (1 Peter 3:1–6).

1 Peter 3:1–6 (NLT)

1 In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over

2 by observing your pure and reverent lives.

3 Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.

4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

5 This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands.

6 For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.

Modest apparel glorifies Christ; extreme fashions only point to the person and make the Christian look worldly. It is possible for the believer to be modern and still be modest.

B. Purity.

1 Timothy 2:10 (NLT)

10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

“women who claim to be devoted to God ” Godliness is one of Paul’s favorite words; see 1 Timothy 2:2, 10; 3:16; 4:7–8; 6:3, 5–6, 11; 2 Tim. 3:5; Titus 1:1. Of course, godliness is simply a shortened form of “god-likeness.”

C. Industry. (1 Timothy 2:10)

1 Timothy 2:10 (NLT)

10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

She practices good works . Later in this letter (1 Timothy 5:11–14)

1 Timothy 5:11–14 (NLT)

11 The younger widows should not be on the list, because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they will want to remarry.

12 Then they would be guilty of breaking their previous pledge.

13 And if they are on the list, they will learn to be lazy and will spend their time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people’s business and talking about things they shouldn’t.

14 So I advise these younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes. Then the enemy will not be able to say anything against them.

Paul warns about idle women who wander from house to house and give Satan opportunity to lead them into sin. The best way for a Christian woman to preach is with her life.

D. Humility.

In 1 Cor. 14:34–40, Paul amplifies this commandment. Just as Satan got a footing in Eden through Eve, so he can get a footing in the local church through some sincere, misguided woman. (Misguided men can also be a problem; see 1 Tim. 1:20.) When the local church meets in assembly, the women are instructed to exercise submission. If they have any questions, rather than interrupt the meeting, they should ask their husbands at home. This rule does not prevent a woman from teaching or from leading in ministries assigned by the local assembly.

1 Corinthians 14:34–40 (NLT)

34 Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says.

35 If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.

36 Or do you think God’s word originated with you Corinthians? Are you the only ones to whom it was given?

37 If you claim to be a prophet or think you are spiritual, you should recognize that what I am saying is a command from the Lord himself.

38 But if you do not recognize this, you yourself will not be recognized.

39 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and don’t forbid speaking in tongues.

40 But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.

Paul undergirds this ruling with a solid doctrinal foundation: Adam was created first and had precedence over Eve. (See 1 Cor. 11:8–9.)

Headship is written into the very course of nature; when we violate this principle, we invite confusion. The Corinthian church was confused and carnal partly because the women were taking precedence over the men, and neither the men nor the women were submitting to the Word of God.

1 Corinthians 11:8–9 (NLT)

8 For the first man didn’t come from woman, but the first woman came from man.

9 And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man.

Paul gives a second reason for this principle: Satan finds it easier to deceive women than men (v. 14, and see 2 Cor. 11:3). Eve was deceived by Satan and sinned. Had Adam been at her side protecting her, she might not have yielded to Satan’s lies. Adam sinned with his eyes wide open, choosing rather to be with his wife (now a sinner) than to walk with God.

“Childbearing” in v. 15 probably refers to the curse of Gen. 3:16; in other words, godly women would be delivered in dangerous childbirth. Some take it to mean the birth of Christ, since the original Gk. is “through the childbearing,” that is, a very special child. But the first meaning is probably the best; see also 5:14. Mothers-to-be who are in the will of God can claim this promise.

CONCLUSION: