“1 Timothy 2” 

Saved from the Curse

1 Timothy 2:15

¹⁵ But women will be preserved through childbirth—if they continue in faith, love, and sanctity, with moderation.

This is a verse people tend to either avoid or simply fail to explain.  The Ephesian goddess, Artemis, was known as the goddess of midwifery.  One of the methods that were employed to keep women that joined the Artemis cult loyal to the goddess was fear.  Their fear was that any amount of disloyalty would be repaid with death while giving birth.  Throughout history, childbirth has presented a certain level of danger for women and some women were not able to survive the event.  Understanding this fact, when the goddess of your city is recognized for producing successful childbirths, there is an added motivation to appease her.  Women were encouraged to remain faithful to Artemis with the hope that she would show them favor by allowing them and their child to survive the birth process. 

As many men and women of Ephesus were becoming Christians and forsaking this false goddess to follow the true God, there was still a level of trepidation that the women would be punished for rejecting her and the vows that they had taken.  However, Paul extended them encouragement as he assured them that they would be spared during childbirth if they continued in faith, love, and sanctity, with moderation.  Paul made them confident in the fact that the God of all creation was greater than the goddess of childbirth. 

In conclusion, our dedication to Christ supersedes the curse of sin and the consequences for our previous alliance with satan.  Jesus has no rival and He has no equal, so there isn’t anything to hinder born again believers from experiencing the abundant life the Christ came to gift us with.

 

 

“1 Timothy 2”

The True Creation Story

1 Timothy 2:13-14

  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. 

In Ephesus, Artemis was the ruling goddess and the Ephesians subscribed to her version of the creation story.  Artemis is the known as the daughter of Zeus and the twin sister of Apollo.  The story of Artemis’ beginning is that she was born first, and then assisted in the delivery of her twin brother.  As a result of this narrative, the women of Ephesus assumed a position of superiority over the men.  The Ephesians worshiped Artemis as the fertility goddess and the goddess that aided in successful childbirth.

Paul explains to the Ephesians, in his letter to Timothy, that Adam was created first and that woman came from man.  Jewish people would have responded to this information with looks of confusion because this was common knowledge among the Jews.  However, for the Ephesians, this was a new teaching.  The doctrine that had been taught to them was that woman was created first, and man came from woman.  Considering the fact that Artemis is a false god, the Ephesian account of creation was incorrect and needed to be changed.    

There is a famous quote that says, “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”  So it was going to take more than a verbal teaching to get the people’s thinking on the right track.  Timothy was responsible for dispelling false teaching and Paul sent him the written ammunition that he would need to adjust the city’s incorrect understanding of the creation story. 

As Paul continued to write, he acknowledged that Adam was not the one who had been deceived by the serpent; Eve was.  Although the women of Ephesus were well educated, the level of superiority that they had over the men would have suffered a major blow as Paul reviewed the activity that had occurred in the garden.  History does not indicate that the Ephesians were teaching that the man was the one deceived, but Paul chose to highlight this bit of information.  The knowledge of this deception would have caused the women to develop a more humbling view of their position as well as the position of the men of Ephesus.

In conclusion, although cultural practices may change over time, the word of God is, has been, and will be a constant in the lives of believers.

   

“1 Timothy 2”

Proper Authority

1 Timothy 2:12

¹² But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.

As we study the culture of Ephesus, we notice that the women were dominant in that culture, so it was necessary for Paul to address the position of authority in the church.  He deals with the conflict between their cultural practices and proper order within the church.

Paul gave specific instructions that women should not have authority over men in the church. Ephesus was a city where many women were highly educated and held prominent positions.  Since Ephesus, in many ways, had become a female dominated society, it was important for Paul to ensure that people who were being saved and joining the body of Christ, did not bring their societal worldviews into the church and dilute God’s standard.  When we get saved, we need more than a conversion in our actions; we need a conversion in our thinking. 

There have been many battles and debates over this Scripture within the last one hundred years.  Some believe that women in that culture were restricted from being in leadership positions in the Church because they did not possess enough intellect.  This is an incorrect assumption because many of the women’s education was on par with or exceeded many of the men’s education.  Others believe that the woman’s pastoral restriction do not apply for this present time.  This belief is also incorrect.  Some have decided to redact the second chapter of First Timothy and simply refuse to preach on it.  As believers in Christ, we do not avoid uncomfortable topics in the Bible; we embrace them and study and seek to know what God’s desire is in our individual lives as well as for the body of Christ.   God’s will is expressed in His word. 

Some may wonder, “Why is it necessary for us to follow the strict guidelines of the Bible if it disagrees with our modern way of doing things?”  Here is an example to illustrate why we cannot supersede God’s instructions.  Imagine that you decide to embark on a home improvement project and you decide to have the kitchen painted eggshell white and to have hardwood floors installed in the living room.  After meeting with the painter and selecting the paint of your choice, you go and pick out the floors that you want to be installed.  On the day that the work is to be done, you leave the floor installer and the painter in your house to do their work.  After being gone most of the day, you return home with the image of the completed job in your head, only to discover that the painter decided on his own accord to paint the kitchen burgundy because he feels that a darker color will hide the grease stains better.  While you’re in disbelief over the audacity of the painter to make changes without your consent, you look down and discover that the floor layer decided that it would be much easier and cost effective to lay some sticky back vinyl tiles instead.  Although your instructions were not followed by either worker, both individuals expect to be compensated for their efforts.  The painter tells you about another job that he did for someone else and how they loved the color burgundy.  Although others may have approved of the color that the painter chose, it is unacceptable to you that he would make a change without your approval. 

In like manner, God doesn’t care what the culture views as acceptable; He will only endorse us when we function in the capacity that He designed us to.  He is not impressed because we feel that we have developed a better way of doing things.

In conclusion, the Church has been founded on Christ and built by the prophets and apostles.  God has set the order for His Church and it is designed to function according to God’s will.  His will is found in the pages of His word.  If we believe that we are hearing from God, and the word that we hear conflicts with the written word; the voice that we heard did not come from God.  We can trust the word of God because God is never in opposition with His word.  Nations, cultures, and modern times are not qualified to override anything in the Bible, nor dictate the function of the Church.