Behave Yourself in Church!

1 Timothy 2:8-15 - Behave Yourself in Church! 

Remember, it’s all about holiness. That is important. Paul told Timothy that we are to live holy lives so that others will see that we have been set apart for our Heavenly Father. If we look, act, talk, and dress like lost people, lost people won’t see any reason to change. So Paul wrote these verses to the women at Ephesus so that they would know the importance of standing out in the world – but not in a way that called attention to their sexuality. From clothing to hair to jewelry, Paul said, “Be modest because you are a woman professing godliness.” Rather than focusing on your looks, practice good works. That’s the best way to get noticed. With that in mind, notice Paul’s intention – the goal is not only not to look like the world, but also to minister to lost people.

As you might guess, there were other problems in the church at Ephesus. Understand, there were wealthy, powerful, prominent women in the church. We know that because of Paul’s admonitions about dress previously. Only the wealthy could afford such fashions. With wealth and power, there is often the feeling of privilege. Whether man or woman, the idea is that if I’m the one paying the piper then I have the right to name the tunes. Control. Authority. That is the issue here.

Hold that thought for a second because I want you to understand something about these verses. Women read it and suppose that Paul was bringing his Jewish consideration of a woman’s role into the church. Many have accused Paul of being anti-woman. “Let a woman learn in silence with all submission,” he wrote. Sounds like he was telling the women to keep their rightful place as second-class citizens, doesn’t it? But he wasn’t. In Judaism, women didn’t have the right to learn. They couldn’t be in the synagogues or the Temple with the men. In actuality, Paul was demonstrating that in the church, women were accepted into the congregation. The problem was that many of these women had become outspoken to the point of causing problems in the church. It is likely that they had begun interrupting the teachers – so much so that Paul felt the need to address the situation.

As with all Christians, women must learn. The best way to learn is to listen to someone who knows what they are talking about. Paul was encouraging these women to embrace their role in sharing the gospel by focusing their minds and learning the essentials of the Christian life. That is what the words of the apostle mean. In the NKJV, the wording is that the women are to “learn in silence.” The word for silence would be better translated as “quietness” because the emphasis is more on the attitude or spirit with which she was to learn. Paul was not demanding silence but a teachable spirit. The idea of submission? Well, all of us are expected to be submissive to our Christian leaders. Paul’s warning was good for all of us – don’t abuse the leadership of the church by disrespectful actions. Simply put – behave yourself in church!