I Timothy 2:1-15
2:1-2 Paul explains that in order for there to be widespread peace, all people must be prayed for, treated kindly and dealt with fairly. We cannot have categories of people to be kind and fair with for as we learned in Matthew 5:46, even the unkind are friendly with the people they like and agree with.
What is beautiful and amazing about God's children is that they are so abundantly full of His love and kindness, they have enough to share with even the people outside of their circle. A peaceful and quiet life is a life which consists of peace and serenity in all moments, with all people, regardless of vexing external factors (bad moods, bad habits, bad weather, bad lunches, etc).
It absolutely requires practice. Implementing patience in your life is work in the beginning. Implementing kindness for all is also work because we do not always feel that people deserve our kindness. God encourages us to be kind to all not just for their betterment but for our own. When we are internally serene we feel better, think more clearly and behave kindly. God encourages us to pray for all people; He knows that sometimes other people are wrong and/or cruel and He does not ask us to be kind to them to absolve them...but because kindness leads to growth and edification, growth and edification leads to resolution, peace and quiet.
What is beautiful and amazing about God's children is that they are so abundantly full of His love and kindness, they have enough to share with even the people outside of their circle. A peaceful and quiet life is a life which consists of peace and serenity in all moments, with all people, regardless of vexing external factors (bad moods, bad habits, bad weather, bad lunches, etc).
It absolutely requires practice. Implementing patience in your life is work in the beginning. Implementing kindness for all is also work because we do not always feel that people deserve our kindness. God encourages us to be kind to all not just for their betterment but for our own. When we are internally serene we feel better, think more clearly and behave kindly. God encourages us to pray for all people; He knows that sometimes other people are wrong and/or cruel and He does not ask us to be kind to them to absolve them...but because kindness leads to growth and edification, growth and edification leads to resolution, peace and quiet.
2:3-4 It is good to pray for everyone because God's intention is that we all receive His love and guidance. Your prayer creates a tether between a person and God. God does not act in your life without your permission, if you permit Him to help another, you are working with Him on behalf of others.
2:5-6 When you pray for a person, you allow this philosophy brought by Jesus (the mediator between God and humanity) to reach that person. Prayer for others allows instruction and love to come into their lives and help, align and direct them toward a better life.
2:7 Paul explains that the aforementioned is his purpose in life (and it can be yours). You were created and place here with the potential to be impactful. Be true and honest, let the way you live your life teach others of compassion, humility and diligent work.
2:8 Therefore, says Paul, focus. Dedicate yourself to true, pure faith. Disentangle yourself from gossip and argumentative disagreement and just focus on your potential and purpose here.
2:9-10 Paul's advice here is a bit metaphorical: instead of living ostentatiously, live humbly. Let your most attractive feature be your compassion, wisdom, honesty, hard-work and faith. You are more than a body, you are a soul. Adorn your soul with beauty (goodness) and disregard the modern conceptions of beauty of the outside, physical body.
2:11 This is a mistranslated verse. Paul is saying to allow women to learn in a quiet atmosphere. Because Paul specifically references women, we can guess that in the context of his time, gender roles were undergoing some adjustment.
2:5-6 When you pray for a person, you allow this philosophy brought by Jesus (the mediator between God and humanity) to reach that person. Prayer for others allows instruction and love to come into their lives and help, align and direct them toward a better life.
2:7 Paul explains that the aforementioned is his purpose in life (and it can be yours). You were created and place here with the potential to be impactful. Be true and honest, let the way you live your life teach others of compassion, humility and diligent work.
2:8 Therefore, says Paul, focus. Dedicate yourself to true, pure faith. Disentangle yourself from gossip and argumentative disagreement and just focus on your potential and purpose here.
2:9-10 Paul's advice here is a bit metaphorical: instead of living ostentatiously, live humbly. Let your most attractive feature be your compassion, wisdom, honesty, hard-work and faith. You are more than a body, you are a soul. Adorn your soul with beauty (goodness) and disregard the modern conceptions of beauty of the outside, physical body.
2:11 This is a mistranslated verse. Paul is saying to allow women to learn in a quiet atmosphere. Because Paul specifically references women, we can guess that in the context of his time, gender roles were undergoing some adjustment.
2:12 These next few verses are fumbled quite a bit as in other places in the Bible women are indeed teachers and have authority in faith (Example these verses specifically highlight women of faith: Deborah in Judges, Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17).
2:13-14 Men and women were made from the same helix curve (although mistranslated as "rib" in Genesis) therefore making them equal. Also misrepresented is the Genesis story because Adam as well as Eve was deceived (more on that figurative story when we begin study of the Old Testament).
God's create of men and women explains to us that souls are gender-less (and see also: Matthew 22:30). God loves His children without partiality (Romans 2:11).
2:15 Women have the very important spiritual, yes spiritual work of growing children and thus bringing new souls into the world. Part of mother's (and father's) mission here is to cultivate faithful, compassionate, generous child-rearing. Unfortunately we have to consider the context of Paul's time in these verses, where women did not have equal status with me. Yet, we cannot mistake these poorly translated verses to express the beliefs of the entire Bible because women have had, do have and will always have important work to do with God.
