1 TIMOTHY 2
8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. – 1 Timothy 2:8-15
1 TIMOTHY 2 GOD’S ORDER BRING ABOUT SELF-CONTROL
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Without the acknowledgement of God’s order, there will be chaos
Every person will be seeking their own longings and desires
God created everything in this world with a purpose
The sequence of his creation is to bring peace and order
Man was created before woman so she is to submit to him
When a woman takes over a man’s role, she commits a sin
She will begin to take control of what is not given to her
Therefore, she will surely create chaos if she is out of order.
In this letter of Paul to Timothy, he points out to him the importance of God’s order and to remind the believers that following God’s order will bring about faith, love, holiness and self-control. For the men, he cautioned them to have self-control when praying, making sure that they have no resentments or anger when they pray since it will hinder their prayers. They were also warned not to quarrel among themselves for it will steal their peace and joy as they worship the Lord in prayer. What Paul was stressing here is the importance of coming to God in reverential posture. We serve a holy God and we cannot come to him when we are in conflict with others. Since we are all image-bearers of God, having a grudge on someone else is almost like having that same resentment towards God himself.
Another very important admonition in this letter is towards women. They are to clothe themselves modestly during worship and specifically instructed to have self-control by adorning themselves with things that may distract others’ attention. This is a problem with many churches today who do not have a dress code to follow and call attention to themselves when they come, distracting others from focusing on the worship service. Women were also told not to teach men since the men have authority over women. Older women can teach the younger women to love their husbands and be good wives and mothers but never to teach the men. There are so many churches who are out of order with this. Some even have women pastors in their churches. When we don’t follow God’s order, we will have no peace.
REFLECTION
· Why is it very important to follow God’s order in all that we do as Christians?
