1 Timothy 1:12 - 2:15

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: 1 Timothy

Rusty's Notes

Man – Woman Forms
 - Quickly write down a characteristic, trait or role that you associate with each word.
 
Timothy had no doubt heard Paul’s testimony before, but Paul apparently never tired of telling the story of the power of God’s grace in his life.

• No matter where you came from or what you did, if you trust in Jesus as your substitutionary sacrifice, you too have a testimony of grace to proclaim.[1]

PAUL’S TESTIMONY
1 Timothy 1
12 I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry--13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man.

• Persecutor – hunted down Christians like wild animals. Violent man – bully.
• Paul was describing his life before his conversion.
• “I am the worst of all sinners.”

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.

• Paul received grace first, then faith and love was established in Paul through Jesus’ presence in him.

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.

• The only time Paul refers to himself as a sinner.

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.

• Quote from Augustine: “God does not choose a person who is worthy, but by the act of choosing him he makes him worthy [translation mine].”[2]

17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
 
ENGAGE IN BATTLE
18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you,

• Most likely Paul is referring to an experience in Timothy’s early days whereby he was recognized to have received the gift of the Spirit for ministry, a recognition that was made clear through some prophecies.[3]

so that by recalling them you may fight the good fight, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and have shipwrecked their faith.

• There is always going to be distractions and distortions in teaching Scripture.
• Biblical worldview – so many interpretations.

20 Among them are Hymenaeus (him-men-nay-us) and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme. [4]

• They will not repent, so Paul has no other choice but to put them out of the church because they are damaging the faith of some of the believers. (2 Tim 2:17-18)
• Delivered to Satan – handed over.
• There was nothing Paul could do because they weren’t even listening to Paul.
• Sounds evil, but I’ve heard it said, “I am here to feed sheep, not coral goats.”
• Paul was encouraging Timothy to make the best of his time and energy.

 
INSTRUCTIONS ON PRAYER
2 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone,

• “Then” – In reference to the 2 men who had been turned over to Satan because of their lack or repentance.
• He was not outlining church organization, but he was confronting errors and heresies already underway[5]
• “First of all” – Pray
• “everyone” – For God so loved the world!

2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

• Godless Emperor Nero was on the throne at that time, and yet the believers were supposed to pray for him!
• We are on the verge of WWIII. We need to be praying for Putin and Zelensky.
• Even when we cannot respect men or women in authority, we must respect their offices and pray for them.[6]
• Praying for them is for our own good – to live in peace with ourselves.

3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior,

• Because our lives would be based upon love and respect.
• “I can’t respect…” still focused on you.
• You miss this and you live in torment… not peace.

4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

• The term “all/everyone” in v. 4 must refer to the same group as the reference to “everyone” in v. 1.
• The petitions of v. 1 are to include all human beings, and the objects of Christ’s death must include the same group.
• It would certainly include all persons without distinctions of race or social standing, but it also refers to all persons individually[7]

5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,

• “Mediator” necessary
• “mankind” – identifies with us

6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time.

• John 3:16 – “that He gave His only Son…”

7 For this I was appointed a herald, an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

• If God did this for Paul, then certainly there is hope for everyone.

 
INSTRUCTIONS TO MEN AND WOMEN
8 Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.

• Morally pure hands
• Not in dispute with others.
• Sometimes this is a posture in prayer.
• Our traditional posture of bowing the head, folding the hands, and closing the eyes is nowhere found or commanded in Scripture.
• Actually, there are many prayer postures found in the Bible: standing with outstretched hands (1 Kings 8:22); kneeling (Dan. 6:10); standing (Luke 18:11); sitting (2 Sam. 7:18); bowing the head (Gen. 24:26); lifting the eyes (John 17:1); falling on the ground (Gen. 17:3).
• The important thing is not the posture of the body but the posture of the heart.[8]

9 Also, the women are to dress themselves in modest clothing, with decency and good sense, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or expensive apparel, 10 but with good works, as is proper for women who profess to worship God.

• Acceptable standards of modesty will vary with place and generation.
• Most people can even see through “classy”.
• Paul’s point is that genuine faith in God should display itself in holiness.[9]
• He did not forbid the use of nice clothing or ornaments.
• He urged balance and propriety, with the emphasis on modesty and holy character.[10]
• Women will pursue other women.
• Do you want to be pursued because of your style or behavior?
• Do you want to be pursued because of your maturity and wisdom?
• We must never underestimate the important place that godly women played in the ministry of the church.
• The Gospel message had a tremendous impact on them because it affirmed their value before God and their equality in the body of Christ (Gal. 3:28).
• Women had a low place in the Roman world, but the Gospel changed that.
• There were devoted women who ministered to Jesus in the days of His earthly ministry (Luke 8:1–3).
• They were present at His crucifixion and burial, and it was a woman who first heralded the glorious news of His resurrection.
• In the Book of Acts we meet Dorcas (Acts 9:36ff), Lydia (Acts 16:14ff), Priscilla (Acts 18:1–3), and godly women in the Berean and Thessalonian churches (Acts 17:4, 12).
• Paul greeted at least eight women in Romans 16; and Phebe, who carried the Roman epistle to its destination, was a deaconess in a local church (Rom. 16:1).
• Many believing women won their husbands to the Lord and then opened their homes for Christian ministry.[11]

11 A woman is to learn quietly with full submission.

• “Silence” is an unfortunate translation because it gives the impression that believing women were never to open their mouths in the assembly.
• This is the same word that is translated “peaceable”[12]
• Paul was not demanding physical silence but a teachable spirit.[13]
• “Submission” – We have made this such a negative term in relation to women. I get it.
• But we have also distorted the idea of “submission”
• It is about the rank of the “role”… not the rank of value or ability.
• You submit every day… if you don’t… you can look at the news and see what happens.
• Submit to what? Those who were in Biblical authority.
• They were being taught freedom with the Gospel but they interpreted that as “freedom with their flesh” rather than “freedom with their spirit”.

12 I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet.

• It’s not a rule. Paul says he does not allow.
• What is his reasoning?
• Women are permitted to teach.
• Older women should teach the younger women (Titus 2:3–4).
• Timothy was taught at home by his mother and grandmother (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15).
• But in their teaching ministry, they must not “lord it over” men.
• There is nothing wrong with a godly woman instructing a man. (Acts 18:24–26 - 24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only John’s baptism. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately.[14])
• But the women never assumed authority in the church and try to take the place of a man.
• She should exercise “quietness” and help keep order in the church.[15]
• This would be referring to the gossip of the church.

13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed. 15 But she will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with good sense.[16]

• She will receive fulfillment through her role as a parent in the household.

How I led my youth ministry for years has influenced how I lead Leavener currently.
 
How I lead my family will influence my family to come.

• Cory

1.      How would you describe how your Mom and I manage our family?
•   When things hit the fan, Dad usually steps up to the crisis.
•   Mom handles on the day to day basis that fits her skills.
•   Kids pick and choose who they go to during emotional crisis… depending on situation.
•   To Mom when health issues and stressful… Dad when he has relationship problems or need to fix something.
•   Day to day roles are divided
2. Who is the teacher?
•   Both are teachers… it was hard to learn from you when I was kid.
•   Mom helped me school stuff more… Mom taught Bible stories… Dad taught more spiritual stuff
•   Mom taught me how to do daily essentials… laundry, cooking, etc… Dad was more technical.
3. What is the one thing that defines our marriage?
•   Never gave up on each other… focused on importance on being one… always being on the same page… one flesh.
4. What is the one thing I could work on in our marriage?
•   What Mom would want… words of affirmation. You are never ooey gooey with Mom.
5. What would it look like if Mom was the leader?
•   It would shut you down which would be problematic and make it uneasy in the house. It wouldn’t be natural… awkward situations.
6. What is the one thing that has been modeled that you want to carry on to your family?
•   You guys had times when you didn’t get along but you never did that in front of us. You created a sense of stability and peace. You have to be evenly yoked.
7. What is the one thing that has been modeled that you don’t want to carry on to your family?
•   Can’t think of anything…Involved al ot at church because of job… extracurricular activities
8. Would you say your mom submits to me?

• Yah

9. Is it a bad thing? Why?
•   No… I think you submit to each other… but at the same, when you have a family or a group of people, you have to have a person who makes decisions.

[1] Evans, T. (2019). The Tony Evans Study Bible (p. 1432). Holman Bible.
[2] Lea, T. D., & Griffin, H. P. (1992). 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (Vol. 34, p. 73). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Fee, G. D. (2011). 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus (pp. 57–58). Baker Books.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (1 Ti 1:12–20). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Lea, T. D., & Griffin, H. P. (1992). 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (Vol. 34, pp. 84–86). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 215). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Lea, T. D., & Griffin, H. P. (1992). 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (Vol. 34, p. 89). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 216). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (1 Ti 2:10). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 218). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 218). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[12] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 218). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[13] Lea, T. D., & Griffin, H. P. (1992). 1, 2 Timothy, Titus (Vol. 34, p. 98). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[14] Christian Standard Bible (Ac 18:24–26). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[15] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 218). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[16] Christian Standard Bible (1 Ti 2:1–2:15). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.