In the light of these solemnizing considerations Paul commences his
charge to Timothy in verse 1 of chapter 2. His first exhortation is
significant. In the end of 1 Tim. 3 he tells us that the church-to
which Timothy belonged, and to which we belong-is the "house of God"
for God is dwelling today in the midst of His redeemed people. Now it
was always God's intention that His house should be called "an house of
prayer for all people" (Isa. 56: 7). The temple in Jerusalem should
have been this, as our Lord's words in Mark 11: 17 show, and how much
more so the house in which God dwells today? Only at the present time
God's house has taken such a form that all nations do not come to it in
order to pray, but rather the believers who form the house being also
the household, "an holy priesthood" (1 Pet. 2: 5), they take the place
of prayer and intercession with all men in view.
The great mass of mankind is wholly out of touch with God. In Paul's
day the majority were worshippers of dumb idols and it is not otherwise
today. How important then that we Christians should be busy in this
service which is exclusively ours. In it we have immense scope for the
only limit set is "all men" and then again for "kings and for all that
are in authority." We are to pray for all such and to give thanks as
well. God is "kind unto the unthankful and to the evil" so we may well
render thanks on their behalf.
Our prayers for those in authority have a good deal of reference to
ourselves: it is that we may be permitted to live godly lives in
quietness and tranquillity. Those who compose God's house should carry
upon them the stamp of godliness, and although times of persecution may
be overruled of God for the promotion of courage and endurance amongst
His people, yet it is in times of quietness and rest that most they are
edified and established, as Acts 9: 31 bears record.
But in praying for all men generally our requests are to be purely
evangelic. The God whom we approach is a Saviour God who desires that
all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Have we
come to the knowledge of the truth ourselves? Then we have found it to
be salvation and we are put into touch with a Saviour God and His
character is stamped upon us. He desires the salvation of men and so do
we. In our case the natural outlet for our evangelic desires is prayer.
The expression of God's loving desire for men is far different, being found in the ransom gift of Christ. God
indeed is one-this fact was made manifest in the Old Testament, in
contrast to the many gods of the heathen-the Mediator between God and
men is equally one, the Man Christ Jesus. The priestcraft of Rome has
built up in the minds of its votaries an elaborate system of many
mediators, but here is one sentence of Scripture which demolishes its
system at one blow.
Long before Christ appeared the hearts of men yearned for a
mediator. The book of Job is evidence of this, for that patriarch felt
the immense gulf that lay between God and himself. "He is not a man as
I am" was his complaint, "neither is there any Daysman betwixt us, that
might lay his hand upon us both" (Job 9: 32, 33). The One who takes up
the part of Daysman or Mediator must Himself be God to fully represent
God, and must be Man to rightly represent man. The Man Christ Jesus is
He. Being Man we have no need of further men to come in as subsidiary
mediators between Him and ourselves.
And then, oh wonder of wonders! the Mediator became the Ransom.
Being Man He could rightly offer Himself as the ransom price for men,
and being God there was infinite value in the ransom price that He
offered Hence none are excluded on God's part. His desires for the
salvation of men embrace all: the ransom work of Christ had all in
view. This is one of those Scriptures that states the scope and bearing
of the death of Christ rather than its actual realized effects. All are
not saved, as we know sadly enough, but the blame of that lies upon
their side and not upon God's. The tidings of Christ's ransom work are
the subject of gospel testimony in the appointed season. Now is that
appointed season and the Apostle himself was the great herald thereof
in the Gentile world.
All this has been brought before us by the Apostle to enforce
upon us how necessary it is that prayer for all men, and not only for
ourselves and our own small interests, should mark the church of God if
it is to rightly set forth the God whose house it is. But who are to
actually voice the church's prayers? The answer is, the men. The word
used in this eighth verse is not the one which means mankind, the human
race in general, but that which means man distinctively, the male, as
contrasted with the female.
Verse 8 then brings before us that which is to characterize
Christian men, and verses 9 to 15 that which is to characterize
Christian women. The men are to be marked by holiness and the absence
of anger and doubting, or "reasoning" as it more literally
is. But then the reasoner usually becomes a doubter so that there is
not much difference between the two words. Any breakdown in holiness,
any allowance of anger or reasoning is an effectual barrier to
effectual prayer, and indicates that there is but little sense of the
presence of God.
The women too are to be sensible of the presence of God. Those
addressed are spoken of as "Women professing godliness" or more
literally "Women professing the fear of God." The woman living in the
fear of God will not run after the extremes of fashion but rather adorn
herself in the modest and quiet way of which verse 9 speaks. Moreover
she will practice good works and also be content to take the place
which God has assigned to her. That place is governed by two
considerations, according to this passage. First, there was God's
original act in creation giving priority and headship to the man. This
is mentioned in verse 13. Then there is that which happened at the fall
when Eve took the leadership and was deceived, and of this verse 14
speaks.
There is not the slightest ambiguity about this passage. There is
really no doubt as to what it teaches. Nor is there any uncertainty
about the reasons given for woman's place of subjection and quietness
in God's house. Those reasons have nothing to do with any peculiar
prejudices of the Apostle as a Jew or as a bachelor, as some would have
us believe. They are founded in God's original order in creation, and
in that order confirmed and perhaps accentuated as the result of the
fall. Genesis 3: 16 is explicit in naming two results which were to
follow for the woman consequent upon her sin. The second of those two
results is alluded to in the verses we have been considering, while the
first result is alluded to in verse 15 of our chapter, and in
connection with that a gracious proviso is attached, no mention of
which is found in Genesis 3.
The modern feminist movement must of necessity come into
violent collision with the instructions here laid down, and end by
rejecting this small portion of the Word of God. This rejection may
seem to the unthinking a comparatively harmless thing. But is it so?
There is the allied modernist movement which comes into
equally violent collision with the truth of the virgin birth of Christ,
with His atoning death, with His resurrection. There is just as much
reason-or just as little-for conceding the point in the one case as in
the other. True, we may not have the slightest wish to concede the
point to the modernist, and we may have a good deal of feeling as to
matters raised by the feminist but to be swayed by such feelings is to
stand on dangerous and uncertain ground. Are we then to virtually say
that we believe what commends itself to our way of thinking and what
does not we reject? Away with such a thought!
May all our readers stand honestly and happily and altogether upon the authority and integrity of the Word of God.