HH Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div
If we claim to be in God’s household, we must be concerned to behave in a certain way. What is that way? When Paul says, “know how people ought to conduct themselves” which implies specific conduct and also that we can know those specifics. What are the specifics?
This morning, I would like to direct your attention to the specifics found in I Timothy 2:8-15.
8 I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
Peaceful Prayer
The first detail about conduct is the call in verse 8 for men to lift up holy hands in prayer. People who belong to God must be people of prayer. Prayer indicates that we are not self-made, but people who are dependent on God. If we can meet all our needs by ourselves, then we do not need to pray, but then we should also not call ourselves members of God’s household. People who belong to God are people who need God, so prayer is appropriate to conduct for people who belong to Jesus Christ.
What is interesting about this phrase, however, is that prayer is encouraged “without anger or disputing.” Why is this warning attached to prayer?
It seems clear that Paul knew the reality of church life. He knew that passionately held ideas and convictions about the direction of the life of the church can cause terrible fights among the people of God. Paul knew the awful damage that is caused when the people of God are involved in disputes with each other. He was aware that church fights do great damage to the kingdom of God. I believe that the concern for how we ought to conduct ourselves in God’s household” is behind his direction that there be peace.
Sometimes we are not very good at this. Relating to one another in the church “without anger or disputing” does not mean that we all think the same way. Some say, “If we all think the same way, someone is not thinking.” It is inevitable that we will not all agree, but how do we speak to and about one another when we disagree. How can we do so without anger? James 1:20 warns us that “The anger of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God.” Can we learn to disagree without anger? Can we discuss without disputing? As members of God’s household, we need to learn to do so.
Right conduct in God’s household means that we deal with our disagreements so that we can pray together without harbouring resentment towards one another.
Modest Attire
When he uses the word “also” in verse 9 but changes from addressing men to addressing women, we might ask, “what does “also” refer to? I believe that the connection between the two verses revolves around the theme which we have already put forward as the primary theme of the text. The question is, “What is appropriate conduct in God’s household.” The word “appropriate” appears in these two verses and so shows this connection. Although I do not think that the specifics of “braided hair, gold, pearls and expensive clothes” is the centre of what constitutes appropriate behaviour, the call for a dress that is modest and decent and appropriate for women who profess to worship God is a universal principle which still applies today.
I have struggled a bit to know how I can communicate this truth about appropriate attire. What can I as a man say to you as women that will be the right word for you? Some have sometimes come to me and suggested that I should preach about the way in which some of the women were dressed, particularly when they were involved in front. I have to admit that there have been times when I have been uncomfortable with some of the clothes that some of you were wearing. I have, however, hesitated to say anything until I could set it in a proper context and this verse allows us to do so. The question is what is appropriate behaviour for us as people who belong to God’s household. Here is the guideline that I would like to suggest. The guideline that is often used is fashion. That was the concern that Paul had when he mentioned “braided hair, gold, pearls etc.” Those were the fashion standards of that day. Today, they are different. God’s Word, however, points to another standard. If you are concerned to conduct yourself as a member of God’s household – not only when you come to church, but always, the standard which the Bible suggests is this, what is “appropriate for women who profess to worship God.” So, putting it practically, when you go to the mall to shop or when you get dressed to go out, or when you prepare to come to church, the question you need to ask yourself is “am I dressing so that I will help, not hinder, the worship of God wherever I go.” I would encourage the women of this church to start a conversation with each other and especially with the younger women about what that means in practical terms. It is a part of conduct that is appropriate for those who are members of God’s household.
Continue In Faith, Love And Holiness
Next, we come to another passage which is difficult and with which I could get myself in real trouble. If what I say causes you trouble, please remember verse 8. This is something I baffle with for a long time and I hope I do not offend anyone with my understanding of what I believe the word is saying to us as a church.
The text says that women should be silent. Now, this is a problem because we don’t follow this teaching in the church. Women are not silent. Are we disobeying God? How are we to understand this passage? Is it a universal principle or an application of our theme, “conduct in God’s household” to a specific situation which Timothy needed to address in the church in Ephesus?
In order to help us understand this passage, it is important for us to look at what the rest of the Bible says. There is no question that there are differences between men and women. The physical differences are obvious, but there are also other differences such as the way in which we process things and even differences in the things we value. Volumes have been written on these differences.
Even though there are differences, however, the Bible talks about the many ways in which we are equal. We are equal in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” The image of God in people is the ability to think, the ability to engage in relationships, especially a relationship with God and the ability to reason and plan. Therefore, men and women are equal when it comes to intelligence, being relational and in knowing God.
Men and women are also equal when it comes to being recipients of the grace of life given us in Christ. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Men and women are also equal when it comes to the gift of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. On the day of Pentecost when the Spirit was poured out on people for the first time, Peter quoted Joel 2 in Acts 2:16-18 saying, “No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ”‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”
Since the Bible tells us that men and women are equal in these ways, we should not be surprised to find that God has placed men and women into positions in which they lead and minister and speak His Word and are anything but silent and that is exactly what we find. In the Old Testament we read about Deborah in Judges 4:4, “Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.” God also appointed several women to be the first witnesses of the resurrection in Matthew 28:7 and to teach the disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead. Furthermore, we find many women who were not silent but served in the early church. I Corinthians 11:5 says that they were prophesying and praying in the church and Romans 16 lists a whole bunch of women who were significantly involved in speaking and leading in the church. If that is what the rest of Scripture teaches, what then does Paul mean when he tells women to be silent in I Timothy 2:12?
I believe that he was addressing a situation that was a specific example of the greater concern he mentions in I Timothy 3:15 about conduct in God’s household. One explanation that makes a lot of sense to me is that in a culture which restricted the role of women, Christian women were discovering that God did not so restrict them and in their newfound freedom in Christ, they engaged in behaviour that was not appropriate. Another explanation could be that it was women who were primarily involved in the false teaching which is mentioned several times in I Timothy and Paul was commanding them to be quiet so that they would learn the truth before they taught falsehood.
So if this is about conduct that fits in God’s household in Ephesus and is not a universal principle, but applies to a specific situation, how can we learn from it today? Perhaps the question is best answered by stating that women will engage in conduct appropriate to God’s household if they follow the last part of verse 15 which says, to “continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.”
The Conclusion
We are members of God’s household. That is a very high calling. It means that God has left us on earth to represent and defend the truth of God. Our conduct – in church, in the community and wherever we go matters.
Paul has given these three specifics about conduct that fits for members of God’s household, particularly as it applied to the church in Ephesus. If Paul would write to us, what would the specifics be for our church? As you examine your life, what would the Holy Spirit reveal to you about what is appropriate behaviour in God’s household?
What does the Spirit say about going to bars? If we go to drink and put ourselves in the dangerous place of drinking too much is that right conduct? If we participate in sports as a player or a fan and become so intense that we become angry is that appropriate conduct? What about our practices as we conduct business. Do we engage with total integrity? As we interact with unbelievers, “are we an influence or are we being influenced?”
As we consider such details, there is a danger of becoming strict and legalistic, but please remember the direction. We are recipients of the gracious mystery of godliness and continue in grace every day and therefore our desire for a life that fits with being members of God’s household arises out of His grace. May we love God in our acts as He has loved us in His great and sacrificial act.
