"1 Timothy 2"
Introduction
1 Timothy 2:11-15
9 Likewise, I
want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and
discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive
apparel, 10 but
rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to
godliness.
11 A woman must quietly
receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12 But I do not allow a
woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13 For it was Adam who was
first created, and then Eve. 14 And it was not
Adam who was deceived, but the woman was deceived
and became a wrongdoer. 15 But women
will be preserved through childbirth—if they continue in faith,
love, and sanctity, with moderation.
In our day, First Timothy 2:12 is
probably one of the most controversial scriptures in the Bible. The reason this Scripture has become so
controversial is, the church has dropped God’s standards and adopted the American
culture’s standards. The change in standards
has produced two different responses toward this Scripture: On the one hand, there have been men who have
mishandled this Scripture, and have used it as a weapon with the intention of
denigrating women. That is a sin.
On the other hand, weak men have
completely avoided this Scripture for the purpose of avoiding conflict. That is also a sin. Titus chapter 1:9 says, “The man of God
should hold firmly the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching,
so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to
refute those who contradict it.”
When we value the opinions of people
more than we value what God has to say about a particular subject; that is
idolatry. Our personal opinions become subordinate
to God’s design when we are teaching the Word of God. There isn’t any point of view that supersedes
the authority of Scripture. The scriptures
were inspired by God and written unapologetically. In like manner, our teaching should be unapologetic. The Word is the Word.
