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Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.
Paul calls the church to be a praying people. “First of all,” believers should offer every kind of prayer for “all people,” including rulers and those in authority, asking God to grant conditions where the church can live out a peaceful, quiet life marked by godliness and dignity (vv. 1–2). This kind of praying pleases “God our Savior,” because His saving purpose is not narrow or tribal: He desires people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (vv. 3–4). Paul grounds this evangelistic prayer in the gospel itself: there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and humanity—Jesus Christ—who gave Himself as a ransom (vv. 5–6). That is why Paul insists on the universal offer of the gospel and defends his calling as an apostle and teacher to the Gentiles in faith and truth (v. 7).
Then Paul addresses how gospel-shaped worship should look when the church gathers. Men are to lead in prayer with “holy hands”—lives that match their prayers—without anger and quarreling that poison unity (v. 8). Women are to pursue beauty that fits godliness: modesty, self-control, and good works rather than showy self-display meant to draw attention or stir envy (vv. 9–10). In the teaching portion of gathered worship, Paul commands that women should learn—yet with a posture of quietness and submission, not taking on the authoritative teaching/oversight role reserved for qualified male elders (vv. 11–12; cf. ch. 3:1–2). Paul roots this pattern in the creation account (Adam formed first) and the fall narrative, showing he is not merely reacting to a cultural trend but appealing to Genesis for the church’s order (vv. 13–14). He ends with a difficult but hopeful statement: women are not saved by motherhood, yet in embracing God’s calling with persevering faith, love, holiness, and self-control, they experience the ongoing outworking of salvation in a way that honors God—including, for many, through the unique ministry of nurturing life (v. 15; cf. Ephesians 2:8–9).
🌀 Reflection:
When you pray, do you pray with God’s wide, gospel heart—asking for the salvation of all kinds of people—and do your relationships and posture in worship match what you’re asking God to do?
💬 Mission Challenge:
Pray today for a specific leader (local, state, or national) by name, and then pray for one unbeliever you know—asking God to bring them to the knowledge of the truth in Christ.
Click here to return to the contents page for Phase 2.4 — The Savior, His Church, and the Mission.
Just Keith Harris 