Paul tells Timothy that there is a need for a radical overhaul of the church’s leadership. The men who strayed from the truth and led others off course must be replaced with men of integrity who can lead the church in its mission. There are two words used for leaders in this chapter are overseers and deacons.
This is a passage that can cause significant distress and disagreement, so it is important to establish some essential truths before addressing the text itself. Men and women bear the image of God and are therefore equal in value and dignity (Genesis 1:27). As the creator, God gave men and women different roles.
Paul addresses some particular issues facing the church in Ephesus. Evidently, some of the men had been expressing anger toward one another, and some of the women had been dressing in ways that were associated with prostitutes. As a result, this young church community was struggling, and their testimony to the watching world was not what it should be.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1–7, ESV)
Paul instructs believers to pray for all people. This includes the salvation of their leaders rather than for their overthrow. Christian citizens are to lead peaceful, quiet, godly lives which is pleasing to the Lord. Paul is urging the Christians in Ephesus to pray that God will save all kinds of people and to spread the good news in the expectation that he will do so. It is in God’s nature to reach out and save those who are far from him. The Greek word used for all means all kinds of people rather than every single person, and in verse one Paul uses the same word in relation to praying for people.
There are some basic facts about the gospel that are essential for a knowledge of the truth. There is only one God. This God is the one true living God, which set apart his people and made them distinct from the surrounding nations who worshiped idols. There is also only one mediator. A mediator is a person who brings two people or groups together by identifying with both sides and establishing a relationship between them that would not otherwise exist. Jesus was able to bring us back to God because he became the man Christ Jesus and gave himself as a ransom for all. Ransom was a word used to describe the price paid to secure a slave’s freedom. This is a compelling picture of the way that Jesus has brought about salvation. People are like slaves, captive to sin and helpless to do anything to save themselves. A price had to be paid because God has to punish sin. Otherwise, he would be neither holy nor consistent with himself. Jesus took the punishment upon himself, bringing about forgiveness for sin and freedom from its power. The apostle Paul was one of the twelve men appointed by the risen Christ to teach the truth that God had revealed to all, including the Gentiles.
You may have made a great start to your Christian life, but you must not allow this to make you complacent. Sometimes unexpected people make a shipwreck of their faith. Every day disciples need to fight to keep their lives on course by knowing and living God’s Word.
These truths lead Paul to issue the first five trustworthy sayings found in this letter. The apostle drew attention to a fundamental truth which God has revealed. Jesus came to rescue sinners and Paul viewed himself as the preeminent sinner.
Only the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. The difference between Paul’s teaching and these false concepts is most distinctive when juxtaposed with the good news. The misuse of the law places the emphasis on what people can do, but the gospel highlights what Christ has accomplished on our behalf.
The aim of the teaching that Paul had entrusted to Timothy was love that found its source in a pure heart which had been cleansed from sin. It was accompanied by a good conscience that is sensitive to the direction that comes from God and discerns between right and wrong. A sincere faith describes a humble trust in God.
Christian joy is produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the Word and the world. We should seek to be gracious and kind to everyone. Jesus is imminent, so we need not be filled with anxiety. We have the privilege of bringing our problems and needs to the Lord with the confidence that he cares for them, and he is sufficient.
Paul begins with no condemnation and concludes with no separation and a lifetime cannot provide enough time or space to plumb the depths of this passage. We must be content to gaze upon only a few truths that will captivate both heart and mind, but do not lament for you can return again and again for refreshment.
The Passover arrives with an ominous cloud hanging over it. Jesus has set his face toward Jerusalem and his time is near. Things will soon move quickly in an unthinkable fashion. Instead of remembering what God had done for his people during this season of celebration, the religious leaders were plotting murder. God had visited his people, and his people sought to kill him.
Jesus was also announcing that he was the true shepherd that would gather his own flock of sheep, who are known because they follow his call. Jesus is the true shepherd that is able to provide for and protect the flock, only this time he changes the imagery from that of the shepherd who leads out his flock, to that of the gate of his flock’s sheep pen.
Genesis three takes a dire and unforeseen turn as a new character appears in the story. This "serpent" is crafty and sinister. He is the architect of lies, and he starts a conversation that will bring about an unimaginable disaster. This adversary comes to confuse our first parents and questions what God has said.
There is nothing without God. He is the ultimate cause and reality of all things and the watershed moment for all of the creation begins with the revelation found right here in the first chapter of the Bible. Genesis records the beginnings of life, history, redemption, and the fundamental institutions of society.
John concludes in an affectionate and pastoral tone. He tells the precious ones to keep themselves from idols. The Son will keep the believer, but the believer has a responsibility and obligation to keep themselves and guard against idolatry. The believer is to work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).
The arrangement is to remember what they heard from the beginning about Jesus, believe what they heard, live because they believe and know because the evidence and the internal testimony give the assurance of eternal life. Our union with Christ also assures the believers that God hears our prayers. What a marvelous thought.
The Bible does not contradict itself, and there are many places where we are told to fear the Lord because it is wise and right. It is the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). The fear of the Lord is the recognition that the King of Heaven is infinitely holy and pure, and although he is near, he is transcendent, and it is wise to approach him with the correct posture of the heart.
Just because someone preaches, writes books, or hosts a show does not mean that they are teaching truth. These things must be tested against the truth of God's word. The apostolic witness about the person and work of Jesus has to be affirmed or the teaching presented is false and John does not mince words over the reality that there are false prophets in the world.
It may seem redundant, but John tells his readers over and over to remember what they heard from the beginning. Belief and behavior must be harmonious. Love and light are the way of the follower of Jesus while darkness and hate are the paths of the wicked. We must hold fast to the things of God and reject the things of this world because a love for the world indicates that the love of the Father is absent.
John offers assurance that his message is trustworthy and directly from Jesus himself. The elderly apostle is direct in his assertions about God. He boldly declares that God is light, and there is no darkness at all. This disciple also offers a stinging critique to those that walk in darkness no matter what profession they may make.