Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.
Growing up in a small church in Saucier, Mississippi, I heard over and over that scripture is “sharper than any two-edged sword.” This heavily quoted phrase never made much sense until I read 1 Timothy 2 along with the context surrounding it. In many instances, scripture, like any double-edged sword, has a center line with sharp edges used for cutting. In this chapter, we see that a centerline is needed in some instances to bring party lines together under one name – Jesus Christ. Paul intends to carve out sin, false doctrine, and deceit among the Ephesians by unifying them on common ground. So, think of this section of scripture as if it were a reverse double-edged sword; this passage is also meant to unify.
To kick off this chapter, Paul immediately covers the importance of being humble and praying for those who oppose us. These verses almost directly quote Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount when He says to “turn the other cheek.” At the time of this letter, the Roman Empire had conquered much of the world, and Nero, the most ruthless Roman emperor to live, was on the throne. He martyred Christians by the droves. Could you imagine being told to pray for the well-being of a king such as that? I couldn’t imagine being told to live a “quiet and peaceable” life while Nero murdered brothers and sisters in the faith; however, that is what we are commanded to do by scripture. Not that we stand idly by, but we are to set the example of love and humility while praying for a change of heart so that “all men may be saved and come to the knowledge of truth.”
Now, let’s take a look at verses eight through fifteen. At first, this excerpt comes across as abrasive, but let’s take a look at the cultural context. At the time Paul wrote this letter, the idea of polytheism (the belief in many gods) was at its height. One of these gods was Artemis, “the great mother goddess.” Artemis was essentially the goddess of radical feminism and called women to be superior to men in the temple. The women of Ephesus had a strong belief in this false doctrine even to the point of adorning themselves in costly clothing and hairstyles in order to publicly show their devotion to the goddess. They also believed that Artemis, being the mother goddess, would help them through childbirth if they worshiped her faithfully. As you can imagine, this idolatry threatened the unity of the early church. If Christians were going to be set apart from the rest of the world, this doctrine would need to be carved out.
Considering this cultural context, let's take another look at this section of scripture. When Paul calls women to be adorned modestly allowing their heart to show their beauty, or when he calls women to learn submissively, or even when he writes about the authority of men in the church, he is not calling the early church to a male-dominated worldview, rather, Paul is calling them away from a radical female-dominated worldview to a place of humility and kindness. Through Christ, Paul is setting these women free, from the burden of having to be adorned in expensive clothes, jewelry, and fancy hair. Paul is breaking the cycle of superiority over another gender while giving them the right to learn and be present in the church (something the Jews would certainly have forbidden). Paul, through love, calls the church at Ephesus to a middle ground.
I can only imagine what it must have been like to be an early Christian. The vicious cycles, worldviews, and traditions that needed to be broken in the early church must have been daunting. Paul clearly understood this as a former Pharisee who traded his old life for the faith we all share in Christ Jesus. Unification is necessary for the body of Christ to grow. It is certainly important to remember that we are all in this life together!
Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.
Reflection:
- Has there been a time when the Lord brought you to unity or a middle ground with people you once strongly disagreed with? How did you see God move in you and the situation by calling you to unity?
- Why do think unity is hard, even with Christians?
Family Devo: 1 Timothy 2
By: Tina Bryant
When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.
Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset
Head
In today’s passage, something really stuck out to me; God wants everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. The truth is that Jesus died for each and every person and wants them to all know Him personally. What’s really cool is that we get to help Him with that mission!
Heart
How can you help Jesus teach others to know, love, and follow Him? Sometimes it’s as simple as an invite. You can invite friends, neighbors, family, and even strangers to come to church with you. A lot of times people just want to be invited before they take a big step.
Hands
Going by yourself to a new place can sometimes be scary or intimidating, but if you go with a friend, it’s a little less scary, and it can even be fun! Think about someone you could intentionally invite to attend church or House Church with you this weekend, and then go for it!
Prayer: Father God, thank You for wanting everyone to know the truth about Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for letting me help You with that mission. Please give me the courage and opportunity this week to invite someone to come to church with me. Prepare their hearts to receive the invitation and give them the courage to attend with me. Amen!