1 Tim. 3:1-7 - Rules for Overseers

1 This saying is trustworthy: "If someone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a good work."
2 The overseer then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher,
3 not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money.
4 He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without losing his dignity.
5 But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God?
6 He must not be a recent convert or he may become arrogant and fall into the punishment that the devil will exact.
7 And he must be well thought of by those outside the faith, so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil's trap.

Overseers

Vs. 1: This saying is trustworthy: "If someone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a good work."

"This saying is trustworthy" - Paul uses this phrase three times in this letter (see verses 1:15 and 4:9). It seems that he was the only apostle that reminded the readers what he was saying was true and could be trusted. I suspect part of this is he was not an original disciple/apostle and had to defend himself against accusations.

This whole paragraph (or maybe one sentence, since it is written by Paul) deals with the local church organization. Paul is not dealing with gifts of the Spirit herein. Any organization will run smoother if the responsibilities for operation are defined. Paul describes two positions in the local church - overseer (also known as elder, or bishop) and deacon.

"aspires" - Reaching out to take hold of this job. This person wants to do the job.

"office of overseer" - When the church first started out, the only people in charge were the apostles. As the church began grow when new believers were added, it became clear the work load was too much for the apostles (see Acts 6:1-6). The message of hope was an immediate draw for people, especially widows, orphans, and the poor. The church began meeting their needs. So much time was being consumed taking care of the believers, the apostles did not have time to pray, study, preach and teach. Seven men were appointed to serve the needs of the church, so the apostles could do their job - teach, preach, and evangelize.

The church spread rapidly out from Jerusalem into neighboring cities, and countries. Paul became the apostle who was called to spread the gospel to the Gentiles. It became quickly obvious there were not going to be enough apostles to preach, teach, and evangelize all of the churches scattered throughout the region. The Holy Spirit gave the spiritual gifts for this very reason - to continue the spread of the gospel to the whole world. Paul includes the gifts of administration in 1 Cor 12:8-10, 28 as part of the list of spiritual gifts for the benefit of the believers.

The church of Jesus Christ is not just to meet spiritual needs. In America at this time, there is an effort (not by churches, mostly) to relegate our religion to just worship in the church on Sunday morning. According to detractors, our faith may be exercised there, and only there. Christians are not to live their faith 'in the world', but be cloistered inside the walls. However, it is clear from reading the book of Acts, and letters from Paul, Peter, and James, the church was to meet the needs, both physical and spiritual of the church community as well as go out into the non-churched world to spread the gospel of peace. The preachers and teachers (also gifts of the Spirit) were not to be taken away from their tasks of showing us the way God wants us to live out our faith.

A collection of people without leaders will devolve into a mess without accomplishing the tasks. People need direction and leadership. This is not a knock on people, We operate better when we know what is expected of us, and when we know when it needs to be done, and in some cases how it is to be done.

The consulting engineering firm where I worked designed the utility infrastructure for factories. We worked with architects to size the building correctly for its purpose. The mechanical engineers developed the water, and air supply, heating and ventilation systems. The electrical engineers developed the distribution for the power into the building and out to the various loads to run the plant. The engineers designed the piping or conduit and wire systems for these functions. The contractors took our designs and built the plant. It was exciting to walk into a plant as it came together and see the systems, whether power, or lighting, or controls, exist in three dimension that the engineer had visualized and put on paper. It is very possible for an owner to go to a contractor and have him build a facility without plans. But one of the benefits of a comprehensive design is the avoidance of interferences between disciplines - interferences are expensive to correct.

It is similar in operating a church body - someone needs to plan and oversee the operation to avoid duplication, or failing to meet a need (again, see Acts 6:1-6).

"desires a good work" - It is a good thing for someone to want the job of elder or overseer. A church may ask a man to do the job. But, he need not accept if he doesn't feel qualified. It is not wrong for a man to want to do the job. This verse seems to say a man may want the job, and seek it out. No false humility is needed or required - acting too humble to offer yourself. The job of elder is never considered to be a 'ruler'. This is a job of service not for the power hungry. The requirements for the job listed later will allow the church to select only those who are suitable.

Vs. 2: The overseer then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher,

16 Desireable Character Traits

The list starts in next six verses (2-7) for the qualities and temperament needed to be an elder.

(1) “above reproach“ - This is a man people trust. He's not a criminal, he doesn't cheat others, doesn't cut corners. This reminds me of what was expected of Caesar's wife - she must have no appearance of impropriety. Psa. 32:2 "... how blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose heart is no deceit."

(2) “husband of one wife” - Simple declarative: married; one man to one woman. I do not know if this would prevent a man who was divorced and is now re-married from being an elder. (A church I attended had this issue. The board of elders could not come to a unanimous decision - some felt the verse was literal "one wife"; he was re-married, therefore, two wives. Kinda makes you go, "Hmmmmmmm." )

“One wife” - I believe God had always intended that as the standard. God expected men and women to be faithful to each other, completely. God is not a polygamist. "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exo. 20:3, Deut. 5:7, Judg. 10:13). The prophets characterized the Jews turning to false gods as adultery - read the prophet Hosea. Jesus was also straightforward about the issue. If a man divorces his wife and marries another, he is committing adultery. (See Matt. 19:9, 10) - Husbands and wives are to be exclusive with each other (talking about sexual relationships) (See 1 Cor. 7:2,3) - There should be no divorce (See 1 Cor. 7:10,11) - Husbands and wives are bound to each other as long as one of them is alive. (See 1 Cor. 7:39). Since the elders and deacons were to be called from the church body of believers, then it is reasonable to guess that one man-one wife would need to be relatively common occurrence. Is it a command?

(3) “temperate“ - A sober man, not emotionally, but figuratively. This person does not over-indulge in alcohol (commentaries say moderate use of wine, but I suspect beer and distilled spirits fall into the same category.) Temperate can also mean to be in control of yourself, and capable of devoting your will and actions to accomplish a desired end, serving God and Jesus to further the kingdom. Although that is a valid goal, that word is not the one used here.

(4) “self-controlled” - A man of sound mind, capable of curbing one's desires and impulses.

(5) “respectable“ - A man who is modest in behavior. People will respect someone who is not wild and wooly, moderate and even-tempered in his behavior.

(6) “hospitable“ - A man who likes having guests in his home.

(7) “able teacher“ - A man who is capable of teaching others about the truths of the love of God.

Vs. 3: - not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money.

(8) "not a drunkard" - This is more emphatic than "temperate", a stronger sense, than 'moderate use of wine". Alcoholics need not apply for overseer, not stoners, nor drug addicts, either. Paul is not expecting an elder to be a teetotaler.

(9) "not violent, but gentle" - The elder is not to be pugnacious, a brawler, a fighter, someone who strikes out at people. Such a ‘violent’ person is a ruder, cruder version of the "self-controlled", or "temperate" man mentioned above. Likewise, this man is not eligible to be an overseer.
An interesting thought to ponder, can a man be an alcoholic or an abuser and no one know about it?

(10) "not contentious (peaceable) " - A man that is not to be argumentative. I think this word is part of the previous type, that is, the opposite of pugnacious, being someone who not only gentle but also not tending to argue and stir things up.

(11) "free from the love of money" - Not greedy. I like the way King James Version (KJV) "not greedy of filthy lucre". A word describes this 'avaricious' - 'an immoderate desire for wealth or gain.'
God wants a man who is even keeled, not veering wildly. James describes it as "like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind." We would call him a fine, upstanding citizen, without sarcasm intended. This is someone who may be trusted by both believers and non-believers alike.

Vs. 4: He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without losing his dignity.


(12)"manage his own household" - Again, the aprobrium, 'fine, upstanding, citizen' fits here. Not only is his public persona real and respected, but his home - wife and family - is also fine and upstanding. The reputation of this man is known throughout the community.

(13) "keep his children under control" - Even his teenagers? (Joke.) A person hopes the training given his children will show they caught what you taught. Again, the public will see how your children act. Our children do not always believe that their behavior is a reflection upon the family and their parents. (By the way: our behavior as Christians is a reflection of our life in Christ, and upon Him. Are we under His control? Are we as obstreperous as rebellious teenagers? The world knows, they are watching.) Note that all this is to be done "without losing his dignity." Discipline without embarrassing yourself, or your kids.

Vs. 5: But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God?
"
how will he care for the church of God?" - This is directly tied to the previous verse. Obviously the overseer is not a desk job, not a paper pusher. The office of overseer is one of service to the flock.

Vs. 6: - He must not be a recent convert or he may become arrogant and fall into the punishment that the devil will exact.

(14) "not be a recent convert" - This is an interesting comment, since when it was written most converts were 'recent'. I will amend that, some churches may have been around for about 20-30 years. But there wasn't the generational legacy you might have in your church. No family Bible with great-grandma's name, or grandma's name written in the fly leaf. Paul is saying that the overseer must be someone who has a personal history of belief and life in Christ. In other words, someone who has been discipled, and is a disciple. The elder must have the maturity to deal with the issues of the body. A new convert will probably not know the people making up the local church, their families, their illnesses, their problems, the interaction with each other.

(15) "arrogant" - A reason for not choosing a new convert to be an elder - pride! We can easily see how this problem would surface. If a man accepts Christ as Lord and Savior, and then quickly is named an elder of the church. He could begin to 'puff up', thinking too highly of himself. Does the new believer understand the power of prayer? Maybe, but perhaps not as well as a seasoned believer. Does he understand living in the power and control of the Holy Spirit? How could he? This is learned habit. Not having these attributes, and being a leader in the church, how cool is that? It is not hard to drift into arrogance in these conditions.

"fall into the punishment" - Interesting! Satan will exact a punishment, and obviously God will let it happen. What would that punishment be? (Note: other translations indicate "the same judgment as the devil." for this phrase.) How's that for a jaw-dropper? Satan lusted to be equal to God. (Isa. 14:12-15, Ezek. 28:14-19) He and his followers rebelled and were ejected from heaven. (Rev. 12:7-9, Luke 10:18). His ultimate location (can't really say 'end', because it is eternal punishment) is the lake of burning sulphur. (Rev. 20:10). His (Satan's) arrogance caused a might schism and war in heaven.
That being said, I find it difficult to believe that a Christian to drifts into arrogance because he was appointed an elder prematurely would be sent to hell. It is much more likely this part of the sentence is saying an elder who thinks more highly of himself than he ought to think (opposite of Rom. 12:3) too easily falls into the same sin as the Devil - pride leading to the sin of self-determination, that is, I don't need God.

Vs. 7: And he must be well thought of by those outside the faith, so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil's trap.

(16) “be well thought of" - This is similar to 'beyond reproach" as seen above in verse 2. Psalm 15 has eleven (11) precepts of true religion (living out one's faith):

1 A Psalm of David. O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart.
3 He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.

"may not fall into disgrace" - The disgrace is to "fall into the devil's trap". It seems the Greek word is for 'snare' like for catching a bird; or "the allurements to sin by which the devil holds one bound". This reminds me of 'The Screwtape Letters' in which Satan's hench-demons (hench-angels doesn't work, or sound right) are encouraged to take a good thing and twist it to keep the believer from living an abundant life. The trap of arrogance is almost always embarrassment. The person is operating as if everything is under his control. The comeuppance will undermine the person in their position, or destroy the witness and effectiveness.

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1 Tim. 2:9-15 - 'Rules' for Women

9 Likewise the women are to dress in suitable apparel, with modesty and self-control. Their adornment must not be with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive clothing,
10 but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God.
11 A woman must learn quietly with all submissiveness.
12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. She must remain quiet.
13 For Adam was formed first and then Eve.
14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, because she was fully deceived, fell into transgression.
15 But she will be delivered through childbearing, if she continues in faith and love and holiness with self-control.

Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!

Whatever I say about the seven verses is probably going to upset someone. This letter was written in a different time and culture, so the relationship of men and women is different than our day and age. The social mores change with each generation and each culture.
On the other hand, we know that "all scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching..." 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. Some scripture is for exhorting believers, some are commands or history. We can agree that some the commands of the Old Covenant no longer apply to believers (e.g., sacrifices, holy days, etc.). Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law. He did that. There are fewer commands in the New Covenant than in the Old.

Do the following verses fall into the 'culture specific' instruction or commands, such as women are second class citizens and should be kept quiet and invisible? Or are these commands to be universally applied, like 'believe and be saved', or 'go in to all the world...'?
It is potentially dangerous deciding which biblical verses are applicable and which are not. It is a path to be tread lightly. When is a command not a command but an applicable guideline? (See the note 1 below.) This ‘smorgasbord religion’ eventually hollows out the foundation of the church; the result is “form without substance”. A decision to be totally literal may also seem plausible, but can lead to bone-headed actions. TV shows or movies similar to “A Year of Living Biblically” point out how silly this is. (BTW: I think that is the reason for the movie - to make the church look silly.) There are commands for the church that do not determine salvation, but instruct us how to live out our salvation. (See: Eph. 2:10; Phi.2:12; Jam. 1:27.)
This passage is very similar to 1 Peter 3:1-6, dealing with basically the same subject with respect to Christian women.

Suitable Attire

So let’s begin:

9 Likewise the women are to dress in suitable apparel, with modesty and self-control. Their adornment must not be with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive clothing,
10 but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God.

"Likewise" - Some translations use 'also' here. (Either seems to work.) In verse 2:8 previously discussed, Paul instructed all men to pray everywhere, for everyone, and without anger or dispute. Do I think this instruction applies only to men, and not all believers? No, I do not. All of us need to pray for our leaders, for peace. Paul, in the next few verses, addresses women...

He states that a Christian woman should not depend on clothes and jewelry and fancy hair to be 'noticed', but her behavior should be the prominent feature that people notice. Suitable, modest clothes, not expensive clothes, no gold chains, no fancy hairdos, no pearls. Now, to our modern sensibilities this seems harsh. Paul is pretty clear, women are not to draw attention to themselves by their outward appearance.

What does this mean? Are there any similar such admonitions to men? Yes, but a bit more obliquely. James 2:2-4 says that we are not to give preferential treatment to richly dressed people over the poorly dressed. God does not measure a man by his outward appearance. See 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.‘" The people of Israel were looking for a big strapping super-hero type to be king. (They had one such in Saul, and that did not go well.) Jesus also warned against public displays - see Mathew 6:5 - ostentatious displays of piety are hypocritical.

I went to a commentary, "A Leader Led" (see note 2) to help me on these verses. Per this commentary, the command is to avoid vulgar display, whether dressing for church, or as a witness in the world around you. If you say you are a Christian, then let the display come from the heart, not the hairdo. To quote, "These severe words of the apostle are not to be taken as a plea for frumpishness, but as a warning against immodesty and extravagance. Ladies - look nice... be natural." The guidelines are (a) modest apparel, (b) modest behavior, and (c) self-control.

The charm of believers is not how they look, but how they behave (a truism for both men and women). This same message was said by Jesus (Matt. 15:19; Mark 7:21; Luke 6:45) "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil.” That is the essence of the phrase "who profess a reverence for God." If you have it, you will live it. See James 2:17, 26. James is emphasizing living out your faith, demonstrating your beliefs in the way you treat people, take care of people, meet their needs. It comes from within, and is on display for the world to see. Again, from A Leader Led, "Not what you say, but how you act; not what you profess, but whether you possess; not only that you believe, but that you behave - there lies woman's, or man's true charm."

Women and Church

The following verses, 11-15, are probably more controversial than the previous two... dealing with the subject of women and church. I continue with some fear and trepidation.

Sometimes people say, "I can be Christian without going to church." One of our pastors has said Christianity is not designed for hermits, but for fellowship. We are children of the Lord of the universe, and are to worship together, to fellowship, to sing. Through teaching and preaching we are to encourage and buildup one another. See Heb. 10:23-25, and Rom. 12:5. This issue, the teaching and preaching in church is what is being addressed here. In today's America, with intense emphasis on equality, especially women's rights, these verses are bound to raise hackles. Paul is not addressing a woman's private ministry for the Lord here, but in the public place.

V. 11 A woman must learn quietly with all submissiveness.

"learn quietly" - All believers are to learn, be disciples. The Holy Spirit is given to each of us so we may be taught, and learn. Jesus said in Matt. 11:28, 29 to come to Him, all who are weary and burdened. The Holy Spirit (Advocate, or Helper) is promised to teach us. (John 14:16, 26) He also said to learn from Him. Men and women are to learn from the teachers and preachers, neither men nor women should lag behind the other.

"with all submissiveness" - To simplify somewhat, Paul is telling women to listen and not challenge the teacher/preacher when in public settings. This seems harsh. Part of the harshness is the result of the modern sense of the idea of 'submissive'. It does not mean 'inferior' - we tend to infer that being submissive means giving in to a superior. In the Bible, submissive is positional (however, we are inferior to God, and being submissive to Him is a wise choice). Jesus Christ was submissive to the Father in ceding to His will, but was in no way inferior to God the Father, or the Holy Spirit. See: 1 Cor. 11:3, 15:28. Jesus also said He could only do what the Father told Him to do. John 5:30.

Women are not inferior to men in any way. Both men and women were created in God's image. See: Gen. 1:27. There is no difference in the relationship with God, there is no distinction among the children of God - Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11.

This does not mean women are to sit quietly and do nothing, learn nothing.

Look at all the women in the early church. They were an integral part of Jesus' entourage - the disciples (a.k.a., apostles) and the women. These include Mary and Martha, Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of Mark - Acts 12:12; Philip's daughters - Acts 21:9; Lydia, in whose house the church met - Acts Acts 16:14-15; Tabitha, who died and Peter brought her back to life so she could continue her work (she was that valuable to the church in Joppa!) - Acts 9:35-42; or Phoebe, mentioned in Rom. 16:1-2. Women in the early church were indispensable to its growth. Women were prophets (prophetesses?) in the early church - Acts 21:29; 1 Cor. 11:13. Apollo was taught by a woman, Priscilla, who (with her husband) brought him into her home to teach him - Acts 18:28. In Paul's letters to the early church believers, women are prominently mentioned as part o the vital growth, see 2 Tim. 1:5 (Timothy's mother and grandmother).

V. 12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. She must remain quiet.

"do not allow..." - It is said straightforward, women are not to teach men in the church. This does not mean women are not to teach at all. Older women are to teach younger women. See: Titus 2:3,4. Women are to teach the children - their own children as well as others.

"teach, or exercise authority" - We do not always perceive teaching as an authority position, especially in the American church where we tend toward egalitarianism. Yet in our secular schools, we recognize the teacher is the one who knows what needs to be taught. We expect that the best teachers are the ones trained in the subject. (Do you really want a P.E. teacher in the calculus classroom? Assuming the P.E. teacher in this example was not a mathematics major in college.) We expect the teacher to instruct us on what is right, to call us out and show us what we are doing wrong. That requires some authority. The spiritual gift of teaching is not a degree you pick up, either in school or on-line. The Holy Spirit dispenses the gifts to each of us for the common good - 1 Cor. 12:7.

And therein lies a dilemma for us. Does the Holy Spirit give the gift of teaching only to men? NO. And if women are gifted as are men, what is the problem? It appears that it not a matter of “ability, or gifting, but of roles and responsibilities. The issue is the matter of function, not inferiority or superiority of either sex. The roles of men and women are different. God has given each a role to fill in the church and we do best when we are in that role, or function.” (See note 3)

Example: Adam and Eve

V. 13 For Adam was formed first and then Eve.
V. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, because she was fully deceived, fell into transgression.

The reason why. Some commentaries indicate Paul (or, God through Paul) hass removed this issue of cultural bias as presented by . In most ancient cultures, women were not equal to men, in almost every way. In pagan religions the role of the woman was either non-existent, or worse, as a temple prostitute. Even today there are religions in which the women have no rights, other than to do what their husbands or fathers tell them (See: Islam). Even in ancient Judaism women were not fully involved in the faith. Yet there are plenty of instances where they played a vital role in the Old Testament, - see: Sarah, Rahab, Ruth, Esther, Deborah, etc.).

It is in the New Testament that, maybe for maybe the first time, women have equal standing before the Lord. That includes equal standing on earth - women could make their own decision to believe and be saved; women were not shunned or denied access to Jesus. See in Samaria (John 4:5-29). Jesus spoke to the woman at the well first. She was a Samaritan, with a somewhat dubious reputation. She believed in Him, and went to fetch the men of the city, saying she had found the one for whom they were waiting.

"Adam was formed first, and then Eve." - This is the basic reason that God has placed men in the position of authority over women. Simply: Adam was created first. Eve second. See: Gen.1:27; 2:18-25. This a hierarchy established by God. (Does this mean that animals have a position ahead of humans because they were created first in the Genesis story? I think not. Animals were not created in God's image. Animals were not given a soul.) In most commentaries, this is why the question is not one of cultural bias. Christians can fall into a "The Bible said it. That settles it," attitude. That can be dangerous, as it calcifies the thought process, rejects reasoning and searching out the truth.
Just as Jesus subjected Himself to the will of God - Phil. 2:5-11 - God has laid out a hierarchy of man-woman, husband-wife. The church is the bride of Christ. We are subject to Him (plus, He is God and all things are subject to Him). We do not exercise any authority over Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. (I am NOT saying that men have the same authority over women as Jesus and the church. I think that would be blasphemy.) In fact, there are areas in which men should tread lightly, such as in management of the home. It seems that God has indicated that the woman is in charge in the home, the household and children. See Proverbs. Do not go too far with that concept. We are not to be autocratic in our endeavors. We are not in control, only the Lord is in control of all things.

"Adam was not deceived... she was fully deceived." - The second line of reasoning is here. (Remember, 'All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness' - 2 Tim. 3:16 - it is in the Bible for our edification.) Sin came into the world, and is passed on to each human born, because Adam walked into it, eyes only, knowing fully he was commanded not to do it. See: Rom. 5:12, 15. We are inheritors of Adam's sin. Eve also sinned, but she was fully deceived. Does that mean she gets a kings-x? No. She shares in the curse placed on humankind as the result of sin. She fell into sin first, before Adam, but she was gullible and deceived. Adam made the decision. Knowing it was wrong, he did it anyway. I will not try to impute a reason or motive for the guideline God has laid out. Throughout the Bible, God has placed men as priests, and in the church - apostles, preachers, teachers, elders or deacons for the public teaching of doctrine, and shepherding the body of believers.

V. 15 But she will be delivered through childbearing, if she continues in faith and love and holiness with self-control.

"delivered through child-bearing..." - And here we go - stepping into another mine field. This does not mean that a woman is saved by having babies ('barefoot and pregnant', or so to speak). If that were so, why would a woman need to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? She would not. The more babies she delivers, the better she is saved. This is the worst kind of 'works'.
Or, does this mean that women are saved because the Savior was born, a woman delivered the Savior into the world? That concept does not work (for me anyway). Besides, only one woman did that. How does that save all the others who did not give birth to Jesus Christ? What about all the women who lived before Mary? Would her ‘work’ reflect backward to Eve? Don’t think so.
I think 'A Leader Led' puts it quite nicely. Rather than 'saved' in the evangelical sense, she is saved from 'spiritual uselessness' (which some say verses 11-14 would condemn her). A mother can care for the children's spiritual welfare as no one else can. She takes care of their physical needs, and by teaching the gospel, by disciplining them she can raise up children who walk in the way. See: 3 John 4. And if she teaches other young mothers, or teaches in Sunday school she can have an effect for the Kingdom of God 'that is beyond measure.' This concept is similar to the 'work out your salvation' in Phil. 2:12, which is not a verse saying you can work your way to heaven. Your salvation is demonstrated by how you live, how you serve, how you work. This theme of works show your salvation is repeated throughout the epistles. See James and 1 John.

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Note 1: Rules versus guidelines: Our sermon this Sunday was titled “More Like Guidelines’, based on Luke 5:17-6:11. Luke gives us the account of Jesus being confronted by the religious leaders. Their system had become rigid, and they could not ‘see’ Jesus as the Messiah. Even miracles could not convince them, because He had ‘violated’ one of their religious rules. They had forgotten the Law could flex in order to meet human need.
The command - barring women form teaching and preaching in the church - seems like one of those rigid rules. This is one of those commands which does NOT have any effect upon salvation. Salvation is based on belief and faith in Jesus Christ - His birth, life, death and resurrection. I know there situations in a local church where a woman may be the best, or only teacher. Should she be barred from teaching based on this command. I don’t know the answer. We should turn to the Lord in prayer and supplication for Him to lead us in the proper direction. This command concerns the church community, not salvation. I don’t think it should be taken lightly. However, as John states, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1) This is the test for whomever would be a teacher - male or female. I am not comfortable saying we can ignore Paul’s command with respect to women preaching in the church. I am also not entirely comfortable being rigid about the matter. The local church leaders must pray and ask the Lord for leadership.

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Note 2: Guy H. King. A Leader Led. Christian Literature Crusade. 1962.
Note 3: N. Geisler. Systematic Theology, Vol. 4. Bethany House Publishers. 2005.
END OF CHAPTER

1 Tim. 2:5-8 - We Have A Mediator

5 For there is one God and one intermediary between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human,
6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God's purpose at his appointed time.
7 For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle - I am telling the truth; I am not lying - and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
8 So I want the men to pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without anger or dispute.

Christ the Mediator

Vs. 5 For there is one God and one intermediary between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human,

"One God... One Intermediary... Jesus" - This is one of those amazing facts: We do not need to face God based on our own accomplishments. A Secret Service agent willingly takes a bullet to protect our president. Jesus Himself is between us and the penalty for our sins. We cannot face God and His justice on our own merits. God is not cruel and vindictive, but His holiness is so perfect, so bright, so intense.
We read in the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego - the furnace fire was so hot the guards who threw them in the furnace were killed by the intense heat. (See Daniel 3) God's glory is like that, but even more!
In Exodus 33:18-23 - Moses asks to see God's glory. The response: no one can see God's glory and live! Remember, Moses had a long running relationship with the Lord, spent time with Him, talked with Him, pleaded and argued with Him. Yet, God protected Moses from his ignorance. Moses thought he knew and understood God, and wanted to see Him in all His glory.
This theme is repeated in the New Testament - "No man has seen God at any time..." 1 John 4:12. But then, yet, when we see God, when we see Jesus, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is. We will see God, face to face (Rev. 21:3,4, 1 John 3:1-3), because of what Jesus has done for us by His life, His death, and His resurrection.

Vs. 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God's purpose at his appointed time.

"gave himself" - Jesus was not coerced. He was not a prisoner, condemned to death, and killed against his will. See also: John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38, 39; Phil. 2:5-11.

"as a ransom" - The human race has been 'kidnapped' by sin. We are held captive by sin. We cannot escape it, since it is in our DNA. Just like the color of your eyes, or hair, or skin, you have no choice in the matter. The sin nature is inherited from Adam and Eve. They sinned against God (this is where the term 'original sin' originates), and the stain and penalty is passed on to all the rest. There is no genetic modification that can be done by doctors or scientists that will erase the penalty of death. The ‘death’ being discussed here is not physical death, as horrible as that may be. This is the 'second death' - the penalty is eternal separation from God. Your soul and spirit, the eternal part of you, will be totally conscious and aware of the separation.
This state of being is not annihilation, or simple cessation and nothingness. It is being painfully aware of the gloriousness of God the Father, and that you are not there. How can we say this? See Rev. 20:11-15 - Those whose name is not registered in the 'Book of Life' (Book of Life = people who have believed and trusted in Jesus as Savior) are individually acknowledged and notified of their fate. Vizualize standing there before God: You see His glory, He is on the throne, all else is 'blown away', and then the sentence is pronounced. Immediately you are gone from there. How horrible is this? You see God for who He is, for how perfect and holy, how loving - and you must live with this for eternity! This is nothing like 'parting is such sweet sorrow'. This is eternal realization that you could have been with God in His presence, in His glory and your choice to go another way resulted in separation from that.

"revealing God's purpose" - This is what the universe has been waiting for - how God was going to redeem the universe from the stain of sin. How will He redeem the fall? It is 'simple'. The penalty for sin is death. The price for that penalty was paid in full by God Himself.

Paul Called to be an Apostle

Vs. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle - I am telling the truth; I am not lying - and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

"For this" - The reason Paul was doing what he was doing: to preach and teach Gentiles about faith in Jesus Christ. This statement points both forward and back. Forward: Paul is a preacher, a teacher, and an apostle. Back: He was called is to spread the message of Jesus Christ, the Savior - the only mediator that stands between us and God Almighty. What does a mediator do? Reconciles differences between disputants. (Think negotiations between labor unions and companies, or between two people going through a divorce.) The mediator comes up with a solution to the problem between the two groups. You may ask, "Why do we need a mediator? Why would a good God condemn someone to hell?"
The answer is - He does not. We condemn ourselves. God the Father has provided a means to salvation. We don't have to work for it, earn it, beg for it, sacrifice virgins in volcanoes. There is an unbridgeable gulf yawning between us and God. You can't build a bridge over it. One of the most amazing bridges I have seen is the one near Hoover Dam. It crosses the Colorado river just downstream from the dam (it will provide a much easier drive than the one across the top of the dam) and spans from one cliff to the cliff on the other side. Both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Verrazano Narrows are spectacular. But none of these will get you close to God's forgiveness. We have walked on the moon, over two-hundred-thousand miles from earth. But no rocket booster will bridge the gap between us and God. Only Jesus and His sacrifice does it. See John 3:36 “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God's wrath remains on him.” Our sin is the reason for God's judgement (aka: wrath).

"appointed" - Many can preach and teach. Not everyone can be an apostle of Jesus Christ. Also, teaching and preaching can be volunteer positions, apostleship is not, exactly. Look at Paul's personal journey to his calling (Acts, chaps 7-9). We can see Paul was NOT seeking such a position. God called him to this job - taking the gospel to the Gentiles - and Paul responded positively.
Ponder the choice of Paul as the missionary to the Gentiles. Could there be a worse choice than a devout, proud Jewish scholar to go to people shunned by the Jews? He had nothing in common with these 'strangers', and according to some of the Jewish teaching, should not even come in contact or touch a Gentile. They were 'unclean', spiritual lepers, or so to speak. On the other hand - who better than Paul? If anyone had an inside lane to God, it would be Paul - a devout, proud Jewish scholar. He personally discovered how far away he was from peace with God. If Paul could not bridge that gap, he knew that no one, absolutely no one, would escape the wrath unless the price could be paid. The prophet Micah puts it mildly: ”we will bear His indignation because of our sin against Him.” But He will plead our case and bear the judgement. Micah 7:9 We don't have to find a defense attorney, we don't have to try to prove our innocence. Jesus steps in. He provides the defense. He bears the justice required. We get to see the light and the righteousness of the Lord without fear and trembling.

"I am not lying" - Paul uses this phrase as an answer to challenges to his bona fides. He also uses 'trustworthy' to bolster his message. Paul was teaching and preaching to people who had no concept of a God who save them because He loved them. In the Greek and Roman culture the gods were capricious and sometimes cruel. They must be mollified or they would rain down pain and terror. Appeasement was the norm. Paul was defending himself and his appointment. He was also telling these new believers the message of their salvation is true, the one teaching and preaching is true.

Vs. 8 So I want the men to pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without anger or dispute.

"pray" - Everywhere! Everyone! This takes us back to verse 1, where Paul urges prayer for all peoples, even for kings.

"without anger or dispute." - Does our anger or arguing with others (it makes little sense to argue with God!) hinder our communication with God? Does He not “hear” our prayers if we are angry or disputatious with other believers. This indicates Yes, our prayers are hindered by our anger. Whoa! My anger, my unforgiving attitude (my sin) towards others means I am not filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. If not filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, how can I be praying within God's will for my life? God is waiting for me to confess my sin, repent and be controlled by the Holy Spirit. (See 1 John 1:9)

***

1 Tim. 2:1-4 - Pray!

1 First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people,
2 even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
3 Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior,
4 since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Pray for a Peaceful Life

Vs. 1: - “First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people,”

"First of all, then..." - Now Paul gets down to business, having earlier reminded Timothy why he is in Ephesus. Timothy is to be the preacher, teacher, exhorter for Christian living. The problem: Some people in the church have their information all wrong. Paul begins to lay out the teaching that needs to be done.

"requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks" - Pray for all people. Paul is urging the believers to pray for all people, and gives a list of prayers:

1. requests - essentially asking for stuff
2. prayers - lifting these people up to God, or for God to move on their behalf
3. intercessions - asking for God's mercy or help on their behalf
4. thanks - always be ready to thank God for what He has done, or for Who He is.

What is the difference there is between prayers and intercessions? In both cases, you are asking God for something. I feel that “requests” are for things, “prayers” and “intercessions” are for others. When a person asks you to pray for them, you are offering up a “prayer”. There are instances when a person cannot ask God for themselves, or maybe even don't know they need to ask God. I think we “intercede” for others in those situations.

"behalf of all people" - Leave no one out. This does not mean launching up prayer balloons, "Dear God, please bless everybody." We are to pray for those we know, or know of - people you work with, people in your church, people with whom you golf, or play pinochle.

Vs. 2: - “even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.“

"even for kings..." - Put this in your thinking cap "Pray for all people - even for kings..." Not only are we to pray for people we know; pray also for the leaders of your country ("all who are in authority"). Suppose for a moment the governor of your state is not a believer, or is dishonest or immoral (that would never happen, right?!). Are we to pray for him or her? What about a mayor that is anti-Christian - pray for him as well? What if the President of the United States is making decisions that may bring harm to the church, or other believers - pray for him?
Yes. We are to pray for them. When I say, "Pray for him" I mean pray for his peace, his safety, that he might have wisdom. Never, ever pray for bad things to happen to your leaders - especially if they are bad leaders. Instead, pray that the leader may respond to God’s leading. A country, a state, a county, or a city all become unstable when a leader falls.
Remember when John F. Kennedy was assassinated? Our country was in shock and mourning for months, even years. Remember the kerfuffle when Ronald Reagan was shot in an assassination attempt and Alexander Haig was 'In charge'? More recently think back to 9/11 - our country staggered for a months with the grief and anger. The President led us through and out of that.
Instability in a country's leadership can lead to anarchy. Anarchy is never good! Loss of authority, police and government, means that gangs and criminals take over. There is no peace.

"lead a peaceful and quiet life" - this is why you pray for all who are in authority - so you can lead a quiet life. It is so much easier living your life when you don't have to fear that gangs will invade and destroy your family. Life is good when you don’t worry about the government bashing in your door. A peaceful and quiet life includes taking your kids or grandkids to soccer games, going to movies, to church. What a great opportunity to share your faith when you are living in peace. We forget that here in the United States. We take living in peace for granted. We haven't had war in our land since 1865. The wars we've fought have been 'over there'. We've been attacked - Pearl Harbor, also 9/11 - but haven't had the ravages of war on our homeland. I think we are complacent, floating along happily.

"in all godliness and dignity." - This is the goal for the peaceful life - that you may exhibit godliness and dignity as you go. How do you understand 'godliness' and 'dignity'? What do these mean to you? What are the qualities of godliness? Of dignity?
To start off, you should be the polar opposite of the qualities Paul lists in chapter 1 verses 9-10. Looking at the list of lying, killing, immorality, and irreverence, etc., it doesn't look too hard to pull off!

'dignity' - This does not mean ‘straight-laced, sober and sad’. It does not mean acting superior, or stiff-necked. It also indicates we are not to be flippant, or sarcastic, in braggadocio, or de-mean people, but to live in quiet confidence.

Vs. 3: - “Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior,”

"good and welcomed" - Do you ask yourself why are these prayers labeled good and welcomed by God? I mean, aren't all prayers welcomed? (Okay, I know you can think of prayers that might not be good. That is not the point.) The answer is in the next verse. I think we may be unwilling to pray for someone with whom we are not happy - politicians, mayors, governors, presidents. God wants you place the needs and concerns of others above your own. The pop culture saying, "You must take care of yourself first..." is not the Christian way. When we can begin to pray in earnest for our leaders and people in authority it shows we are willing to obey and put the needs of others first.

So All May Be Saved

Vs. 4: - “since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

"since He wants all people to be saved..." - Here's the pay off for our prayers. We are to pray for our leaders, so there will be peace in the land, so we may share our faith in Christ, giving opportunity for people to hear and believe. See Rom. 10:14 - they can't believe if they haven't heard. They can't hear the gospel if we don't preach it. We can't preach it in turmoil and anarchy. (Again - I know that people are saved in turmoil and anarchy. I don't think this is saying that people will only come to Christ if the land is at peace.)
More people can be reached with the gospel if we are free and living in peace in our communities. It is much more difficult to get the gospel out there if we are in jails, or compounds, or refugee camps, or fleeing for our lives. The martyr's witness is definitely a powerful one. The witness of a believer to his neighbors, by action and word is also powerful. And we can reach more people. Hence, pray for peace and stable government so you can be out there sharing the Good News.
The other side of this coin is that when people are 'fat and happy' they may be 'inoculated' to the gospel, seeing no need for salvation. These really need to hear the gospel message, because they live in the delusion that all is well. We rationalize 'they just think they are happy; they really are not that happy." People are content with their lives, and don’t see a need for a fulfilled life. We can help them see Christ will give them peace for a fulfilled and abundant life. The Four Spiritual Laws said it well - "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." We tend to grade ourselves on a curve, and think we are much better than we really are. Leading people to see there is a vast, unbridgeable gulf between us and the perfect and holy God will bring them from indifference to repentance.

"knowledge of the truth" - There are so many “truths” out there - so many false truths. A quote from one of my favorite comic strips, "Get Fuzzy", is by Bucky the Cat, "Facts are for those who can't make up their own truth." Recently a celebrity spoke of “telling your truth.” Several pundits noted there is no such thing as “your truth”, there are only facts and opinions. If you tell the facts you are speaking the truth. If you do not like the facts and try to explain them away, you are not telling the truth, but offering you opinion.
The beauty of Christianity is that we need neither make up facts or our truths. These are the facts: Jesus Christ came to earth, lived a sinless life, was crucified (died for our sins), was resurrected, appeared to us, and ascended to glory in heaven. Paul spells this out in 1 Cor. 15:3-4 - "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." The phrase 'according to the scriptures’ is not referring to scripture record, or history, but to scriptural prophecy.
We are told that the Savior was coming. We are told He would suffer for our offenses. We are told He will return for us. He Himself told us He came to save us, and there is no one else who can or was willing to do it. See John 14:6 - "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'" This the truth: He came. He died. He is risen. (He is risen indeed.) He is in heaven preparing a place for us. No other person can make that claim. See Acts 4:12 - "For salvation is found in no one else. There is no name under heaven, given to men, by which they must be saved."

***

1 Tim. 1:18-20 - Timothy reminded of his calling

18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by them you may strongly engage in battle,
19 having faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and have suffered the shipwreck of their faith.
20 Hymenaeus and Alexander are among them, and I have delivered them to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

***

vs. 18 “Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by them you may strongly engage in battle,“

“Timothy, my son” - See verse 2, this chapter. This is a personal letter of exhortation and instruction to a close friend rather than to churches in towns or regions.

"prophecies previously made" - These are not recorded in the Scripture, nor by whom. Paul knows Timothy was called to be a leader of the church. A “Calling” is much more than being appointed to serve. God places a “need to be there” in the heart. Mature fellow believers can confirm the person “called” is ready and willing. Secular examples are authors who are compelled to write by an inner drive, or musicians who are compelled to play and perform music. God places this same type of desire and drive in the spirit of those called to serve.

"strongly engage in battle," - Some translations read “fight the good fight.” We are in a spiritual war. (See Eph. 6:12, and other verses.) Satan hates God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Because of that enmity, he hates Christians. Not all non-believers feel animosity toward believers. Some do. Jesus said, "If the world hates you, it is because it hated me first.” (John 15:18) Why does the world hate Jesus? He said, “... because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil." (John 7:7) The Apostle John also wrote “See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called God's children - and indeed we are! For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know him.“ (1 John 3:1) Jesus will be with us and protect so ”that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us." (See: Luke 1:71; Psa. 106:10)

vs. 19 “having faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and have suffered the shipwreck of their faith.“

"having faith and good conscience" - See also 1 Tim. 1:5. Some translations read “keeping faith...” Paul is encouraging Timothy about two things - stay true to the gospel, and do not do things for which you will have to rationalize. Paul is reminding Timothy that the “ends do not justify the means.” Remain faithful in this spiritual battle.
This would seem obvious - do not do morally questionable things to defend the gospel. For example: Do not tell lies in order to defeat enemies of the gospel. Do not spread malicious gossip in order to denigrate the character of people who oppose the message of Christ. We do not need to defend Jesus Christ’s reputation. Our reputation is to be spotless as we spread the Gospel. Let our consciences be clear! “Clear” or “good” means no conflict with the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is convicting us, it is sin, and no amount of negotiation will make it not sin. We must operate in the power and control of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.

“Which some have rejected” - What an interesting turn of phrase! Think about this. There are people in the church whose motivation will use any means available to blunt the message of salvation and abundant life. They do not want to keep to the gospel - Jesus came to seek and save the lost. They don’t mind leading people away from Jesus into a religion of “works”. I have heard a comment, “Christianity is not a belief in a system, but a belief in a person.”
I have been watching “The Crown” (on Netflix) which is about Queen Elizabeth II. The queen and her cadre of advisors continually worry about the behavior of the royal family and the damage scandals would do to the reputation of the queen and the government. They KNOW that damage to the reputation of the royal family can damage the ability to rule, and therefore to the nation. In the same way, our behavior supports or harms the reputation of the church, and therefore of the Lord.

"suffered the shipwreck of their faith" - You may crash your ship of life into rocks and be lost if you stray from the gospel. (Jesus crucified. Jesus resurrected! Jesus saves!) See: 1 Cor. 15:3-4. Good navigation requires the correct information. Whether you're in a car driving through Los Angeles or Seattle, or on an ocean ship you need to know where you are and where you need to be. A wrong turn can cause you to enter the wrong harbor. A wrong turn can put you in a neighborhood you have no business visiting.
I read a book about the development of accurate portable clocks for ships. Sailors had been able to determine their latitude for centuries by sighting on stars thanks to the development of the astrolabe. Knowing where you were longitudinally was much more difficult. It required precise knowledge of the time of day. Being a few minutes off meant you would miss the harbor entrance, or river entrance. An Englishman made a clock that would work on a ship. Pendulum clocks - the most accurate clocks at that time - don't perform well on pitching, rolling ships!). The British Admiralty required a demonstration. During the ‘field’ test run, the timepiece saved the fleet from crashing into a false harbor. This amazing instrument, adopted for use, was one of the reasons the British Navy became dominant on the seas. (See Note 1)
One time I was in Los Angeles for a seminar, and driving from the airport to the hotel, I misunderstood the instruction from the GPS unit, and took the wrong off-ramp. The GPS was able to guide me back to the correct freeway and to the motel.
In another incident, a co-worker and I were in Philadelphia without a GPS. We got lost on the way to Valley Forge. We ended up in an area (I think it was called Strawberry Hill). It was Sunday morning and there was almost no one on the streets except a few people going to church. We stopped at a gas station to buy a map. When we turned in the rental car at the airport, the agent asked if we had a nice stay and where had we gone. We described our adventure. She was appalled and asked, "What were white boys like you doing in that area?" We had no idea we were in a ghetto until she explained it to us.
If you do not have the correct information you can end up where you don't want to be. This is true in your spiritual life as well as travels.

vs. 20 “Hymenaeus and Alexander are among them, and I have delivered them to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.”

- "Hymanaeus and Alexander" - Almost nothing is known about these guys - other than they strayed from the gospel preached by the Apostles. They are also noted in 2 Tim. 2:17, 18. Almost nothing is known about their heresy. The best guess by some scholars is that these were among the first of the Gnostics. From Second Timothy they may have been telling people there was no hope for their resurrection from the dead, because it had already happened and they missed it! This is serious - no resurrection, no eternal life! This background information is pretty sketchy. The problem was serious, and Paul knew enough to censure them.

"delivered them to Satan..." This can't be good. There's no good way to look at this. It is not at all clear what this means. Several commentaries indicated this means 'excommunication' - expelling them from the church (See also: 1 Cor. 5:5). Putting them out of the church into the world - the domain of Satan - may be the meaning. I am not sure how kicking them out 'teaches' them not to blaspheme. How do they learn the truth when they are not where they can hear or learn the truth? Some indicated the delivering might also mean physical illnesses imposed upon them. (Again, this is supposition, with no information to buttress that.)
I can understand not wanting them in the church, teaching false doctrine. Asking them to leave until they get it right also makes sense. "I'm kicking you out of the church until you come to your senses" sounds a lot less scary than "I'm giving you to Satan." The purpose of this action is not just punishment for their actions, but to get them to repent - to “save their souls” (Again, 1 Cor. 5:5) By the way, this has been a troublesome turn of phrase since it was written and discussed by Christian scholars. I checked Ungers Bible Dictionary and Matthew Henry's Commentary, and a couple other commentaries - and it still isn't clear to me.

***
Note 1: Sobel, Dava. Longitude. Walker Books. 2005.
***
END OF CHAPTER

1 Tim. 1:12-17 - God's mercy shown to Paul

12 I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry —
13 one who was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief.
14 And the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” — and I am the worst of them.
16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate His extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

vs. 12 - "I give thanks..." - In these next few verses, 12-17, Paul gives his personal testimony. Paul doesn't usually spend much time on himself in his letters. 1 Cor. 5:19 and Gal. 1:13-2:10 are about the only places he mentions his past. Of course, Luke did a pretty decent job of telling of Paul's conversion and his work as a missionary. See: Acts 9:1-22.

"appointing me to the ministry" - Paul had done nothing (NOTHING!) that would make anyone think he would be a good apostle. Yet, Jesus plucked him off the road to Damascus. As God said about selecting a king for Israel: 1 Sam. 16:7 "Don't be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." God rejected David's good looking brothers, and chose David while he was still a shepherd. God showed His mercy to Paul. God recognized that Paul, when his heart was given to Jesus would be a faithful worker. God gave him the strength he needed to do the work of an apostle. Paul was thankful that God's mercy was greater than his (Paul’s) sin.

vs. 13 - "blasphemer... persecutor... arrogant..." - Paul's self-analysis. He is honest about himself before he became a follower of Jesus. He did not see himself as a blasphemer, before Christ. In fact, he saw himself as upholding God's word, defending God from blasphemers. Paul thought of Jesus as the 'enemy' of God. He believed the disciples of Jesus were turning their backs on Judaism, rebelling against the Jewish authorities, Jewish Law, and religion. 'They' were the blasphemers! We want to think we are so different from the Jews. They were protective of their religion, defending against all enemies, 'foreign and domestic'. Paul stepped up to do his part in defending his Jewish faith.
He did not hold back, arresting people and executing them for blasphemy. That's where the 'persecutor' comes from.
Paul knew what was right - that is arrogant! I think Paul was seeing himself in the statement, "If someone thinks he knows something, he does not yet know to the degree that he needs to know." 1 Cor. 8:2. Jesus knew that the zeal in Paul, if properly directed, would be good for the church. When he understood rightly, he would work as hard for the church as he did to destroy it.

"... out of ignorance and unbelief" - On the road to Damascus, the blinding light surrounded Paul. He knew it was God talking to him, but he was confused. Acts 9:1-7 The question, "Why are you persecuting me?", was met with confusion. "Who?" Paul asked, since he KNEW he had been apprehended by God. (Who else shows up in a blinding cloud of light?) Paul was hunting down blasphemers. How could he possibly be persecuting God himself? Wasn't he defending God against all comers?
What a shock to his system to have the answer, "Jesus." Notice Paul did not argue with God on this point. He did not try to rationalize his position. One could easily see a "Yeah, but..." coming from Paul. On the other hand, believing intensely in God, and being surrounded by light and having a voice challenge him from that light, he knew and understood he had been wrong, completely and totally wrong. He did not understand because he was ignorant of the facts and truth.

"mercy" - Had Paul known and understood who Jesus was, the Son of God, the Messiah, and still fought against Him, the outcome may have been different. Because Paul did not know, did not understand, he was given another chance. The mercy rather than judgment meant that Paul would become one of the most important missionaries of the first century of the church. His knowledge of the Law and Prophets would make it possible for him to clearly explain why Jesus is the Christ the savior of the world.

vs. 14 - "grace... overflowed" - Instead of the punishment he deserved for attacking God, he received faith and love. Paul could see that he had no standing, no accomplishments that would absolve him of the crimes he committed in God's name. Even ignorance was no mitigating factor - he was guilty and deserved punishment. Instead, love, grace and mercy saved him. It is the same for us, our sin is greater than our ability to pay, but not greater than Jesus's atoning sacrifice. Titus 3:5 he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior.

vs. 15 - "save sinners" - God's plan, since the Fall, has been to save people from their sin. Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." See also: Psa. 119:176, Jer. 50:6. God understands that most people do not know the way, and are ignorant of the trouble they face. They are lost and do not know the way. He also knows there are many who have heard the truth and choose not to follow. Isa. 48:18 "If only you had obeyed my commandments, prosperity would have flowed to you like a river, deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea." Zech. 7:11 "But they refused to pay attention, turning away stubbornly and stopping their ears so they could not hear." Mercy abounds for them also. Ignorance can be as deadly as rebellion. God calls out to all, to come and receive mercy, grace, and love. See Rom. 10:13 "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them?" How can anyone be saved if they are ignorant of the mercy of Jesus Christ?

"I am the worst of them." - I find this statement astounding. Paul, the missionary, the apostle, the writer of much of the New Testament apologetics - the worst sinner?! Was Paul being aggressively humble? Was he exaggerating for effect? Or did he really believe that his sins of persecuting Jesus were so much worse than the average bloke? I think he did. Paul was such an ardent believer, first in God, and after Damascus, also in Jesus. He was aghast! How he could have been so ignorant as to not have seen that Jesus is the Christ?
Paul was astounded by the grace. He had fought against Jesus, and yet the love and forgiveness overcame his sin and saved him. "Amazing grace. How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!."

vs. 16 - "for this reason" - Why? Why would God do this? The answer is simple: If God can save me, He can save anyone! That is your personal testimony - for any Christian. We all like to think we are not as bad as we really are (a line from the movie "The Talented Mr. Ripley"). We fool ourselves. If Jesus saves me, all can be saved. My life, my sin, my stubbornness all stand between me and a relationship with God. Christ's death on the cross happened almost 2000 years before I was born. Yet when I was formed in Mom's womb, I was a sinner. Christ’s sacrifice paid the price, all of it. There is nothing I could have done that would change that sacrifice, make it unnecessary.
If you have not acknowledged Jesus, and accept Him as Lord and Savior - stop now, repent, confess, and believe. You will receive love, faith, peace and freedom from sin's control over your life. He offers eternal life - a relationship with the One who knows you best and loves you most. Why delay?

vs. 17 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” - This is a doxology, a hymn of praise. See also: Rev. 4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, since you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created!"

1 Tim. 1:8-11 - Law identifies Sins

8 But we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately.
9 We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers,
10 for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching
11 based on the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.

vs. 8 - "the law is good" - Paul has been chiding them for turning back to the Law. Don’t get him wrong. He is not saying the Law is wrong or bad. But emphasis and importance of the Law changed when Christ came. He is trying to help them see there is something (make that someone) better than the Law.

This verse is the first half of an Conditional statement. The law by itself is neither good or bad. The ‘goodness’ of the Law is based on whether or not it fulfills its reason why God gave it to us. The Law’s purpose is to get people to deal with their sins. The Law, as defined in the Bible, is only different from the laws the govern our nation, states, and locales, in that it was given by God. Governments write laws to address a harm that has to someone because of the actions of another. If you do not rob banks, the laws against bank robbing do not apply to you. They are on the books, but will not be used against you. You won't be thrown in prison for drug dealing, if you do not sell illegal drugs. You won't get a traffic ticket if you don't run red lights, or stop signs, or exceed the speed limit. The law is there, but it does not apply. Crimes are the symptoms of criminal behavior.

Our sinful behavior show the symptoms of our sin nature. Just as a runny nose, sneezing, coughing are symptoms of a cold or the flu. Our sins betray that we are controlled by our sin nature. The Law establishes ‘rules’ for relationship with God, relationships with other people. The instructions regarding sacrifices, and offerings, and other rituals were to help us see that it was not our doing that brought us peace with God. It was almost always through an item (lamb, grain, goat, bull, ram, etc.) which God provided. You and I cannot make a sheep. We can raise an animal that God provides. That is the message - it is all God plus our obedience and faith.

"provided one uses it legitimately." The second half of the conditional statement. The next few verses show the behavior the Law addresses.

vs. 9-10 - "not meant for a righteous person..." As noted above the law is good when someone is convicted and turns back, but it does not apply to a righteous person (i.e., someone who is not breaking the Lew). Paul lists fourteen or fifteen behaviors as examples to which the Law applies. There are eight listed in verse 9 and five or six in verse 10.

The list:

1. Lawless and Rebellious - (9)
2. Ungodly and Sinful - (9)
3. Unholy and Irreverent - (9)
4. Killers of mothers and fathers - (9)
5. Murderers - (9)
6. Sexually immoral and Homosexuals - (10)
7. Kidnappers - (10)
8. Liars and Perjurers - (10)
9. Whatever else is contrary - (10)

Lawless and Rebellious - Those who break the moral Law of the 10 commandments. Also, those who break the civil law of the country in which they live. Paul is not referring to the Law of the OT which includes sacrifices, offerings, and holy days. Christ, our Savior fulfilled all the law and prophets. Matt. 5:17. - There are those who defy authority just because it is there. I worked with a fellow who was a contrarian - whatever was said, he disagreed with it. It was frustrating to try to work with this guy. There are people who want to defy the government, the church, their moms and dads. There is a little of that in each one of us. When someone says, "Do this; or, do it this way" we bristle just a little. "Who is this guy to tell me what to do?" This is the spirit of Satan that is in our old unsaved nature. It is the remnant of the Fall. Setting your hearts and minds on Christ Jesus mitigates that tendency to rebel against Jesus.

Ungodly and Sinful - Those who keep God out of their lives. He is not part of any thing they do through the day. This is not about whether or not they go the church. They rely totally upon themselves. They are the "masters of their fate", they are the "captains of their souls" - from the old poem "Invictus" by W. E. Henley. - I don't think this means ‘people who commit sin’. We all do that - 'We sin because we are sinners - we are not sinners because we sin.' Again this is part and parcel of our fallen nature. Sinful people are those who refuse to acknowledge they offend God, and refuse to accept His solution - His Son Jesus Christ. In the book of Job, Elihu sarcastically notes that no one admits they deserve the judgement and punishment, but want God to deal with them on their terms not His. (Job 34:21-33). The Psalmist ponders whether it is worth holding on tho God’s way, when the evil-doers seem to prosper. Then he “enters the sanctuary of God, and perceives their end.” (Psa. 73:11-17) Only when our conscience is led by the Holy Spirit will we readily confess our sins, repent and turn away. The prophet Micah noted that it was God who pleads his case, and executes the justice for him when he has sinned against the Lord. (Mic. 7:9-10)

Unholy and Irreverent - These two have to do with refusing to be 'set apart' and not taking God seriously. To be holy is to be different spiritually from the world. God said, "You are to be Holy, for I am Holy." (Lev. 20:7) Think of the times that Jesus commanded His disciples to be different - in love, and compassion, behavior - because if we are just like the non-believers, how would they know we are His? We are his holy temple, so we cannot live unholy lives.
The term 'irreverent' implies being flippant about God. From a dictionary: “Critical of what is generally accepted or respected; satirical; without due respect or veneration; disrespectful.” It is slightly different than living unholy lives. This is not to say we must go around 'straight-laced, sober, and sad' if we are believers.

I think the rest of the list - from here to the end of the list — is more about behavior than attitude. Paul starts with a biggy: murdering your mother and father.

Killers of mothers and fathers - This seems like a big jump - from flippancy to killing. In some ways, the list from unholy to irreverent is about attitude - defiance that drives the behavior. The early part of the list identifies no particular activity. Jesus told us that it is what is in our hearts that causes us to sin. (Matt. 15:19) Acts of sin are the manifestation, or proof, that our condition is lost and hopeless. I am not sure Paul is actually talking about grabbing an axe, or a shotgun and 'doing in' our parents. He may be using a figure of speech, as did Jesus. Matt. 5:20-22. Dishonoring your father and mother is a sin that is clearly spelled out in the Ten Commandments Deut. 5:16.

Murderers - Sin separates us from God. It does not matter if it is murder, or hate, or anger, or jealousy. Sin is a condition of rebellion against God - and its reward is death, consignment to Hell for eternity. Only the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, saves us from that penalty. In human terms, there is no sin greater than murder. Murder cuts someone off from life itself. It is also part of the original 'Law' given to Moses on Mt. Sinai - See Deut. 5:17.

vs. 10 - The list continues:
Sexually immoral - See Ten Commandments - Deut. 5:18. - Most sins (at least those that involve interaction with other people) is 'outside your body' - something you do to or with them. Sex is different - yes, I know that you are doing it 'with' another person - but God has determined, decided that the sexual union of man and woman is more. It is not just an act no different than animals, but a giving of yourself intimately to another, and it becomes more - perhaps spiritual is a better way to put it. Pornography, adultery, prostitution, fornication, rape - all of these activities, sexual sin activities, are a perversion of the original God-given purpose. Sexual intercourse is not just for procreation, but is part of the spiritual bond between man-and-woman. God has given us sex to enjoy, as well as procreate. We are not animals, who mate only when it is possible to make babies. Like any human activity, sex can be perverted, removed from the marriage relationship.

Paul makes it clear in First Corinthians, that since we are now part of the Body of Christ, we are the vessels in which the Holy Spirit dwells and therefore where the Holy God of the universe also dwells, sexual sins are not just you 'having a little fun'. Sinning against your own body (sexual sins) involves God! See: 1 Cor. 6:13b-19 - "The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body... Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that anyone who is united with a prostitute is one body with her? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh.’ But the one united with the Lord is one spirit with him. Flee sexual immorality! Every sin a person commits is outside of the body, but the immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?",
Does that not scare you - defiling the home of the Most High God? You may be able to convince yourself that it isn't that big of deal. If that isn't enough, you are also part of the church body (Rom. 12:5 ...”so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another”.) so your sexual sins affect the other members of the church. It is not just you screwing around.

Homosexuals - Another form of sexual sin. See the Ten Commandments - Deut. 5:18. It is more in the news in the U.S. The modern secular culture wants Christians to accept, (not just tolerate, but approve of) homosexual sin. To quote from an article in The Weekly Standard - "The attack is on religion itself - the freedom of faith to assert itself in public... Freedom of faith, perhaps: Believe what you want, in private. But freedom of religion, absolutely not: Everyone must conform in public." Prepare yourself - we will be asked, nudged, maybe even forced to change how we live our lives, rather than according to the scriptures. Prepare yourself - you must not be surprised when this happens, and must be ready to know how you will respond.

The following are some notes from a November 2015 sermon "What is the Church response to gay or lesbian people?" - part of a series on the church in the community:

The question for the church, "How does a person who is made to feel overwhelming shame be able to seek God?" Often Church's attitude is that homosexuals should feel shame.

The Bible is clear - homosexual sex is not in God's plan. Saying the Bible does not teach homosexual is a sin is a modern interpretation that is wrong. A survey indicates 91% young people say the church as 'anti-gay'. (We should not try to attach it pedophilia - note: most pedophiles are heterosexual).

What does it look like to love our gay neighbors? Our primary goal should not be to get the gays to agree with us about homosexuality, but about the love of God who sent his Son to save.

We need to apologize about the way the church has treated homosexuals. Note: most gays think we are all Westbury Baptist Church. We need to listen to them. We can begin to understand.

Separate orientation from behavior. Attraction is not the sin, what you do with it is sin. We are all tempted, it's what we do with it. We cannot get rid of our temptations. If you tell a person they must get rid of their same sex attraction before they can be a Christian, how can they respond to that? Telling a homosexual that you love the sinner, but hate the sin - is saying to them you hate them. (Part of the protests are fighting for their behavior!).

Need to get over being disgusted with homosexuals. Need to change our definition of defending the faith. "Would you let a gay couple come into your house?" God does not need us to defend Him. Need to be vulnerable towards the gays. (Side Note: I am not sure what this means, or how this accomplished.) It is brutal what we ask them to do - in order for you to be in the church, you must be celibate for the rest of your life.

This puts a interesting light on how we react to homosexuals, and how we react reflects on the church, on Christ.

Kidnappers - See Ten Commandments - Deut. 5:19. Kidnapping is a rather extreme form of theft. It is a violation of "Do not steal."

Liars - See Ten Commandments - Deut. 5:20. Is there any thing you dislike as much as having someone lie to you? Doesn't this mean to you the person can no longer be trusted? A loss of faith in that person?

Perjurers - See Ten Commandments - Deut. 5:20. From the dictionary, "The crime of willfully and knowingly making a false statement about a material fact while under oath." False statement is a nice way of saying, "You Lie!", in a legal sense.

Whatever else is contrary - Other stuff - See Ten Commandments - Deut. 5:21. - Things "contrary to the gospel..." There are very few commandments in the new covenant - not at all like the Old Covenant. The two greatest commandments - Love God. Love your neighbor. John writes in his first letter that we all know the 'old commandment' and also the 'new commandment'.

vs. 11 - "based on the glorious gospel" - From verse 10, the "sound teaching" is based on the gospel - the information Paul is imparting is based on the gospel. Christ Jesus, and Him crucified, resurrected - that is the glorious gospel. The Holy Spirit, the Helper, living in you.- that is the glorious gospel. The world will know we are Christians by our love - that is the glorious gospel.

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