Episode 53: 1 Timothy 2:9-10

11/07/19 • 4 min

1 Timothy 2:9-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

9 And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. 10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

This is one of those teachings that is so counter cultural that we struggle with it deeply. It offends us and we immediately go on the defensive.

Modesty is one of the most abused words in the Christian dialect and is usually only spoken about girls showing to much skin. Modesty goes much deeper than simply that.

Modesty and humility go hand and hand. Humility is evaluating ourselves properly, with sober judgment (Rom 12:3). Modesty is behavior that flows out of remembering our true place of service, and does not conceitedly boast about the self, but boasts in God (2 Cor 10:17) (Phil 2:3-4) Modesty, or the lack thereof, reveals where we’ve placed our identity.

Rich women in the ancient world arrogantly declared their high status, their value, their identity with expensive clothing and jewelry. How do we go about boasting in ourselves today?

We live in an identity-addicted society. We strive to put our tastes and our stuff on display so that everyone knows who we are. We’re told to accentuate our best features, get what we want out of life, stand up for and express ourselves. Social media is often the megaphone we use to herald our personal identity and covertly brag about our smarts, body, sexuality, culture, politics, sports, relationships, family, insecurities, experiences, and possessions.

People who are growing in there faith to become more like Jesus instead love to fade into the background, serving the needs of others, asking Jesus to take center stage. We’ve been freed to have a truly modest life, which will make the world wonder why we’re not fighting for our social status and incidental preferences. Maybe we can be so freed from human approval and praise that they begin to inquire, “Who are you?”

And we can respond, “I am not my own, for I was bought with a price. I belong to God”(1 Cor 6:19-20); (Romans 14:8)

Living modestly is to intentionally take the focus off of ourselves and shift people’s attention to God. “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” (Psalm 115:1)

Support the show

1 Timothy 2:9-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

This is one of those teachings that is so counter cultural that we struggle with it deeply. It offends us and we immediately go on the defensive.

Modesty is one of the most abused words in the Christian dialect and is usually only spoken about girls showing to much skin. Modesty goes much deeper than simply that.

Rich women in the ancient world arrogantly declared their high status, their value, their identity with expensive clothing and jewelry. How do we go about boasting in ourselves today?

And we can respond, “I am not my own, for I was bought with a price. I belong to God”(1 Cor 6:19-20); (Romans 14:8)

Support the show

Previous Episode

Episode 52: 1 Timothy 2:1-8

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul says, “I urge then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

As Christians, we are called to pray for those in authority: pastors, bosses, supervisors, managers, parents, school teachers, administrators, political leaders, etc. Not only are we called to pray for them, but we’re also told to thank God for each of these people.

How we feel about them, their work or their policies does not excuse us from the call on our lives to pray for them. Paul also says in 1 Timothy 2:8, “Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.” There are no conditions to this calling. We are simply called to pray, no matter our opinions.

Praying for and encouraging our leaders isn’t about asking God to find someone to take their place. Eventually every leader must step down, and it’s important that while they are in authority, we be willing to submit to God’s will for their lives—and ours— by thanking God for them and praying for their salvation, their protection and their ability to guide us and make wise decisions.

Support the show

Next Episode

Episode 54: 1 Timothy 3:1-13

Every decision we make reveals standards we set for our lives. Giving in to the pressures of purity, buying what we can’t pay for, talking about someone we think we are better than all reveal our character. How we act will be determined by whether we are allowing the values of the world or the Bible to set the standards of our lives.

When our standards are dictated by people rather than God, we are automatically limited. We have to be careful not to draw conclusions about our value from what others say about us. Being a Christian is about how we live out our faith, and oftentimes, the right stance isn’t going to be the most popular one.

In 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Paul gives us guidelines to live by because they are consistent with what God says is right and true. God is more concerned with who we are than with what we do. We are not given a list of duties to carry out, but qualities to live out.

Living a godly life starts at the heart. When we make God’s priorities our priorities, we’re less likely to allow work or volunteer activities to take us away from family responsibilities. When we see people the way Jesus saw people, we’re less likely to treat people we know well and treat people we don’t know poorly.

As a Christian, we represent Jesus at all times. Whatever we do, wherever we go, whatever we say, we make an impression of who Jesus is by what we say and how we act.

Support the show