Lesson for October 3, 2021
The Book of I Timothy
Chapter 2:1-8
Verses 1-4
“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
There is a relationship between the prayer and the Laws of Divine Establishment. Praying for those in authority in our nation is a prayer for peace and freedom. The Laws of Divine Establishment are freewill, marriage, family, and nationalism.
- Freewill – Freewill sets up the potential for everything in life. It guarantees “the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Violation of God’s establishment laws or the laws of the land can, however, negate this potential. Freewill also guarantees human freedom and privacy. It is this institution that gives every human being the right to accept or reject Jesus Christ as Savior. Attempting to force people to believe in Christ and forming a “Christian nation” is tyranny. Our forefathers did not come to this country to establish a Christian nation. They came so that they could practice religious freedom: all religions. (John 3:16,18,36)
- Marriage – Biblical marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is a function for the protection of freedom, as the man fulfills his responsibility of protecting his wife and children. The stability of a nation depends upon the institution of marriage. Breakdown of marriages and the home inevitably leads to the destruction of that nation. Marriage guidelines are presented throughout Scripture for the believer and the unbeliever alike. For the believer, God has provided detailed guidelines for marriage, which include such instructions as to marry only another believer. We must remember that a person is no better in marriage than he or she is as an individual. Divine establishment principles of marriage apply equally to all persons. (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:21-33)
- Family – The family is designed by God for the perpetuation of the human race. Procreation brings new human beings into the world with freewill who must be protected and trained. Children who are trained properly by their parents grow up to be good citizens of the nation, whether they are believers or not. One of the basic concepts that needs to be taught is respect for This includes (but is not limited to) God, the Word of God, parents, teachers, government, and police officers. Proper training assures at least a good possibility that a person will utilize the Laws of Divine Establishment, even if they don’t call them by that name. (Ephesians 6:1-4)
- Nationalism – In order to provide protection for a nation and its citizens, God established the authority of human government. Nations, regardless of type, were established to provide the basic freedoms. These freedoms are privacy, the right to succeed or fail, protection from outside predators, freedom to accept or reject Jesus Christ, freedom of worship, and freedom of free enterprise. By following this divine establishment law of nationalism, believers and unbelievers are free to pursue their dreams. (Genesis 10:5; Deuteronomy 32:8; Romans 13:1-7)
The Greek word for entreaties is “deesis,” which means to want or desire. The Greek word for petitions is “aitema,” which means that which has been asked for or requested. Thanksgiving is the Greek word “eucharistia,” which means gratitude. Put all of these words together and we have a prayer that our government officials would make the right decisions for our country so that we would remain free. Only in freedom can people live a tranquil, quiet life.
When the Laws of Divine Establishment are adhered to in a nation, everyone should be able to live a peaceful, quiet life with godliness and with dignity. Godliness is the Greek word “eusebeia,” which refers to living a life pleasing to God, a life that is good and acceptable to God. Godliness is a synonymous term for a believer’s experiential sanctification. Godliness is based on the indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit and doctrine in the soul. (II Peter 1:6,7; 3:11-12)
This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Good means honorable or noble. It is noble to pray for establishment. Acceptable is the Greek word” apodektos,” which means pleasing and welcome. In the sight of God our Savior means that praying for the preservation of our nation under the Laws of Divine Establishment is good and well-pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ. The reason these prayers are well-pleasing is that God wants all men to come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior, which can be accomplished when there is freedom and tranquility in a nation.
Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. The will of God is stated for mankind as two objectives. The first objective is regarding salvation. God desires everyone to come to know Jesus Christ as Savior. The second objective is the spiritual growth of believers through knowledge and understanding of accurate Bible doctrine. God’s plan for the human race seems simple, but it is the plan that will ultimately prove to Satan and the fallen angels that God is fair and just in sentencing them to the Lake of Fire for all eternity, which will resolve the Angelic Conflict, forever.
The first objective (all people to be saved) demands the true and accurate communication of Gospel information carried out in three ways: a) through the spiritual gift of evangelism; b) through pastors teaching salvation passages c) through believers sharing the Gospel with others. The second objective (knowledge of the truth) is accomplished in local churches by men with the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher who teach accurate Bible doctrine to believers with positive volition, who in turn advance in the spiritual life.
Now we can see the importance of believers praying for divine establishment freedom in their nation. The freedom of a person to hear the Gospel and respond by faith in Christ, plus the freedom of believers to hear the teaching of the Word and respond in growth, all come by means of the Laws of Divine Establishment (whether those in authority realize it or not). The Laws of Divine Establishment are in direct conflict with Satan as the ruler of this world. Therefore, members of the Royal Family of God need to use the spiritual weapon of prayer against the forces of evil.
Verses 5-8
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself as a ransom for all, 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) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.”
Mediator refers to one who mediates or arbitrates between two parties to remove a disagreement between them, so they can reach a common goal. The Geek word for mediator is “mesites,” which means to represent, or to have someone who is neutral who can represent or can act as a referee between two contesting sides — someone who is neutral. The word came to mean a person who had the power to judge a dispute between two parties.
Since we are born sinners with sin natures and with the imputation of Adam’s sin, we are born spiritually dead. So, the moment we are born we are automatically hostile to God because of spiritual death. So, we need a mediator to bring us to God. On the Cross, Jesus Christ became our Mediator. Romans 5:10, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
Who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. Salvation has always been and will always be by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, regardless of the dispensation. God’s greatest testimony of Christ’s saving work was demonstrated on the Cross at the perfect moment in history, selected by the sovereign will of God.
For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. The Greek word for pastor is “episkopos,” which means overseer or guardian, which is another word for pastor. The Greek word for apostle is “apostolos” meaning one who is sent with a message. The Greek word for teacher “didaskalos” means one who instructs. Paul had all of these spiritual gifts, which were needed to carry out his ministry to the Gentiles. Paul also had the spiritual gift of evangelism that he needed to win people to Christ and establish churches. He had several other spiritual gifts, as well. Paul was saying, “I am speaking doctrine, I never lie about doctrine, I am a teacher of the Gentiles in doctrine, even truth.”The highest spiritual authority at that time in the Church Age was the spiritual gift of apostleship (no longer a valid gift). Next to that was the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher which carried with it the authority to teach doctrine, to lead the local church and to protect them from those who taught false doctrine. Timothy had this authority as the pastor-teacher in Ephesus.
Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. Remember the background is to pray for freedom through divine establishment. Only the Royal Family of God is qualified to pray (when they are in fellowship with God) because all believers are royal priests. Lifting up holy hands is a figure of speech in Greek. The Greek language is filled with figures of speech. The words “lifting up holy hands” means showing devotion to God. It does not mean being emotional in an attempt to show God or others how “holy” we are. When we pray, if we are in fellowship with God, we are also filled with the Holy Spirit. Understanding accurate Bible doctrine and applying it properly in our prayer life means our prayers will be effective. So, the devout hands simply indicate the fact that it is a believer who is growing spiritually by “growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (II Peter 3:18)
Without wrath means without anger, which is a mental sin and not characteristic of a believer who is in fellowship with God. There is a difference between mental and emotional anger and the Greeks recognized that by using two words: “orge” is mental anger and “thumos” is purely emotional outburst of anger. The Greek word used here for wrath (anger) is “orge,” which is an abiding, settled condition of the mind.
Dissension is the Greek word “dialogismos,” which means reasonings, opinions, and thoughts which are in dispute with doctrine. Hence, it comes to mean a skeptical, critical attitude toward Bible doctrine. Such an attitude results in dissension from antagonism toward accurate doctrine. This passage is suggesting that mental attitude sins totally hinder effective prayer, whether anger, pride, jealousy, bitterness, vindictiveness, implacability, guilt complex, or any mental attitude which rejects the authority and the teaching of the Word of God.