4.7.46 10.12.2025 Beautiful Behaviors 1 Timothy 2.8-15 (2)

Start:

1 Timothy 2:8–15 ESV

8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 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, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Entice: This is, admittedly,  a hard text. Understanding difficult texts requires us to have a general familiarity with Scripture and to understand both the dynamics in the text and the cultural environment in which it was originally written.

This is not the common way to understand any thing in 2025. There are a couple of alternatives available to us.

Begin with ourselves and our culture. Read our concerns back into the text, discard what we don’t like, make our time and place the beginning and end of understanding. 

Another option. Some simply assume that the Bible does not understand, respect, or even address cultural issues at all it gives disembodied commands  and commands  people to obey. 

*I take the view that  we should seek to understand what the text says, in the context to which it was originally addressed, with all the complexity that we find; then extending that meaning and application to our time and place.

The Bible can be hard because it is messy…that messiness is a part of the process of revelation—what it means to have God’s inspired word in human history

Engage: This text is also hard because of how it is used. 

It is  used to demonize Paul as sexist. 

It is used to degrade women.

It is discarded as wholly culture-bound.

None of these options is satisfactory. Here are some things we know from our full understanding of the whole NT Scripture.

In the book of Acts and  in other  letters of Paul we read the stories many women. The were sent as Apostolic delegates. They are called deacon”esses”. They were known as prophetesses.  They host and supervise the congregations that meet in their homes. They  instruct men regarding a more accurate understanding of Scripture.

While it is tempting to just fling our doubts into the dustbin of culture, I think there is a better way. And that better way is not all that different from what Paul has been writing to Timothy and the Church at Ephesus throughout this Epistle. Far too many students of Scripture, which is what we must be if we are to understand, fail to ask (or even consider) the central question.

What was going on at Ephesus that caused Paul to write what He did?

What issue did Timothy face?

Expand: I see evidence of conflict caused by cultural infiltration. Paul wants Timothy and the congregation to behave properly in public worship.

You can’t do that if the whole enterprise collapses into a conflicted,

argumentative,

badgering,

preening,

contest for unearned influence. 

Excite: When the culture infiltrates the Church it results in corrupted prayer,

corrupted teaching,

corrupted appearance,

corrupted authority,

and

corrupted submission.

Both men and women should resist cultural creep lest it infect the public worship of the Church. 

Explore:

Neither men nor women should behave in such a way that the Church is imprisoned by its culture. 

Expand: Paul reminds us that we must avoid behaviors which too closely align with our culture. 

Body of Sermon: For example we should not allow ourselves to be…  

1 Defined by Culture. 

1.1 Cultural definition of masculinity.

Domineering. Dominant. The raising of hands in prayer denotes two things.

Surrender and Sanctification.

These two things are linked. 

He also reminds us that in His culture, and to an extent ours men are expected to be argumentative, angry, oppositional, defiant. 

These cultural stereotypes of men have no place in the Church.

Women are also subject to the forces of culture so he discusses 

1.2 Cultural definition of femininity.

Superficial, exploitable, preening, gullible, and vulnerable. 

These cultural stereotypes of women have no place in the Church. 

Beyond being defined by our culture we have to deal with being 

2 Distracted by Culture.

The specific behaviors Paul addresses of both men and women, which are grounded in the expectations of our culture become ongoing distractions in worship, teaching, and service.

We need to see them as the negative influences that they are and remove them.

2.1 Anger.

2.2 Quarreling.

2.3 Immodesty.

2.4 Deception.

2.5 Rebelliousness. 

2.6 Lack of self-control.

Finally, Paul tells us we should not be 

3 Disturbed by Culture.

Clearly the Ephesian Church was troubled by culture creep. Both male and female members were compromised in their behavior. Let’s shift our approach to the issue, consider the real questions raised, and our approach. 

3.1 Proper priorities.

What is important?

3.2 Proper responsibilities.

What should I do?

3.3 Proper integrity.

What will personal faith, love and holiness, and self-control look like?

Shut Down:

This passage requires both men and women to each see themselves (ourselves), first and primarily as Christian.

The agenda of Scripture is to equip the Church for its mission. Not to liberate or enslave women.

Not to rationalize male bad behavior or to feminize them. Those are the concerns of our culture. Those are the very issues Paul is addressing!

Our fist allegiance is not to

our home,

our sex,

our class,

our culture,

our nation,

or our tribe.

Our first allegiance to Jesus and His Church.

Behaviors that align us with culture or which prevent the church from doing its duty must be abandoned. Some of those behaviors creep into the Church despite secular origins.Other behaviors will be endorsed as “christian” by elements of our culture. The Church needs to evaluate those claims based on the full testimony of Scripture. 

Ladies and gentlemen we assemble as peacemakers sanctified for His service—we come to be sanctified, loving and self-controlled. Those are countercultural behaviors. The right behaviors. Beautiful behaviors.