Church Polity, Manhood & Womanhood, 1 Timothy, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Today we’re going to unpack 1 Timothy 2:11-15. This is one of the most debated sections of all of the Apostle Paul’s writings – even New Testament. Quite literally, the interpretation of every word is debated. But, the good news is that you don’t have to be a New Testament scholar to understand what’s here. Yes, we must pray earnestly, we must think deeply, we must carefully search the Scripture, but in the end, the plain meaning of the text is the plain meaning of the text. This section, in particular, has significant implications on how we understand manhood, womanhood and ministry. For us, as a newly forming church, it is crucial to grasp and apply what God has here. If we love what God loves, want to be what God wants us to be, we must humbly seek to understand God’s design for men, women and the leadership of his people.

1 Timothy, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Amidst the mess in Ephesus, the men were not functioning as spiritual leaders, passionately and prayerfully leading out, and the women were using the local church gatherings as immodest fashion shows to flaunt their wealth and bodies. For obvious reasons, these issues were distracting and disrupting the life of the church from matters of central importance. Paul calls angry men and immodest women alike to be transformed by the gospel.

1 Timothy, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Many argue that First Timothy is primarily about church order, governance and structure. That is unfortunate. Church order, governance and structure are certainly addressed, but are not Paul’s driving concern. His driving concern for Timothy, the church(es) in Ephesus and us is that we get the gospel right. The context of this section (2:1-7) is prayer, but the content is salvation. A right understanding of the one mediator between God and men, compels us to be mediators before God for men.