1Timothy Study #4

“Paul, the Woman-hater?”

1 Timothy 2:8-15

Study #4 in 1 Timothy Series 

INTRODUCTION:

I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but I am going to make a prophecy. Before this day is over you men are going to pat me on the back and say, “Mike, you are either one of the bravest men I have ever met, or else one of the stupidest.” And you ladies will be looking at me as if I were an axe-murderer, or as if I had done something unmentionable in public!

I am about to go where no Bible teacher wants to go. I am about to plunge into a biblical text… and Lord, please forgive me… that I could wish were not in the Bible! However, it is in the Bible, and in fact, it is smack dab in the middle of our study of 1 Timothy, so I just do not see any way around it.

TRANSITION:

We live in a time when any discussion of gender roles is met with predictable hostility. In fact, just the use of that term, “gender roles,” is enough to send some people, women and men, over the edge because they insist that that whole concept is chauvinist, misogynist, patriarchal, and totally passé.

The problem for us who are Christians is that the Bible runs counter to our culture on this matter. That should not surprise us though, because it runs counter to nearly every human philosophy, anytime, anyplace. And even if what the Bible says makes us cringe, and cramps our style, we owe it to God, ourselves, and our church to pay attention to it, and to bring our thinking and practice into conformity with it, or else we should stop calling ourselves “Christians.”

On the subject that we will be addressing in this study you need to know that there is some variation even between conservative, evangelical scholars of both genders. You also need to know that we are not going to end the debate because of my stunning treatment of this passage, as wonderful as it may turn out to be. Also, know that this discussion is not going away anytime soon. And when I get done you may be more confused than you are right now, and for that I apologize in advance.

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 8: Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. 

• “Therefore.” Anytime we find this word we need to stop and figure out what it is “there for.” It always functions like a hinge, logically linking what has just been said with what is about to be stated. So, we need to look back at the preceding argument. In this context Paul has been talking about the importance of prayer. That is how he began this chapter, reminding Timothy that prayer should be offered up constantly on behalf of all men, including kings and all who are in authority. Then he narrows this down to point out the importance of prayer in all aspects of ministry, especially in evangelism. In verses 2:4-7 Paul talks about God’s desire to save sinners. But for that to happen Paul says they must deal with the Mediator, Jesus Christ. He came to give His life as a ransom for sinners and to provide a bridge to God. Then in verse 7 Paul tells us that this was exactly the message that was entrusted unto him by the Risen Christ, that he should carry the message to the Gentiles so that they could be saved. He says that he was appointed as a preacher, and as an apostle, and as a teacher of the Truth. Why? It is all about the salvation of priceless souls for whom Christ died. Everything is about winning lost people to Jesus!
• Now look again at verse 8. “Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.” Paul writes this to Timothy who was pastoring in Ephesus at the time, a church that had more than its share of wrath and dissension, and that was affecting the church’s outreach in a negative way. No church wracked by sin and anger and arguing is going to be effective in spreading the Gospel. That is a fact! But what is the cure for wrath and dissension? PRAYER – lots and lots of prayer!
• One more thing before we move on… Up in verse 4 where he says that “God wants all men to be saved,” Paul uses the word that is non-gender exclusive. It means humankind and includes both males and females equally. However, here in verse 8 he changes and uses the Greek word for “males,” “men” specifically. Why does he do that? Let’s move on and see if we can figure it out.

Verses 9-10: Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, ¹⁰ but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.   

• So now, in the very same context, with the very same thought in mind, Paul addresses the women of the church. And he uses the Greek word that is specific to the female gender. He has already spoken about the Christian men of the church needing to exhibit by their behavior the holiness that they claim to possess. Now he takes up the related subject of what genuine holiness looks like in Christian women of the First Century church.
• First, notice that in verse 9 the subject is not clothing (outward apparel), but inner beauty that exceeds the outer beauty that many women (and men) prize so highly.
• The word “likewise” applies to the women what has already been said about the men, namely that their lives, too, should be characterized by prayer and devotion to the Gospel.
• These two verses are very similar to what we find in 1 Peter 3:3-5, “Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; ⁴ but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.  ⁵ For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands.” It is important to note that neither Peter nor Paul is saying that there is anything wrong with a woman using jewelry, makeup, pretty hairstyles, and lovely clothing to enhance her natural beauty. But both apostles are reminding Christian women that no amount of paint and hardware can hide bad character. As Christian men and women, our primary focus should always be on the inner qualities of godliness rather than on the outward qualities of style and fashion. So far so good! I think everyone can agree with that.
• But there is something else here, too, and that is the cultural/historical context. In many, if not most of the early pagan religions, including the Diana worship so prevalent in Ephesus where Timothy lived, women played a prominent role. For example, the worship of Aphrodite at Corinth was probably one of the most immoral in which temple prostitution was made into a religion. In all the mystery religions there were priestesses, and I believe that it is because of these common heathen practices that Paul is emphasizing that sexuality is not to enter the public prayer or worship in the services of the Christian churches. He says that when a woman is going to sing in church, to speak or pray or to have any part in a church service, she ought to keep in mind that her appeal should in no way be based on sex. She should seek to please God, and there is no way in which she can appeal to Him based on sex at all. Such appeal always characterized the pagan religions in the Roman world, and Paul is stressing that it should never be a part of Christian worship.

Verse 11: A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.

• Oh boy, now we are into it! So, let’s check the KJV. Maybe that sounds better: “Let the women learn in silence with all subjection.” Oh no, that is even worse! So, what in the world are we supposed to do with this verse, or the one that follows it? 

Verse 12: But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. [i.e., in church services]

• First, I think that verses 11-12 must be looked at together because they form one thought in Paul’s mind. But what is that exactly? Well again, I believe that in this whole section Paul is dealing with the subject of “public worship” and what goes on in the public worship service of the local church. I believe that starting in verse 8 he is dealing with the conduct and appearance of those who are leading public worship. Some have concluded from these verses that Paul forbade women to speak or pray in church, but that is not true, because women praying in church is clearly implied in verse 9 and stated as fact in 1 Corinthians 11:5 so this cannot be a blanket prohibition. Rather, the point is that both men and women when involved in public worship should take care to dress modestly and appropriately, and not put on extravagant clothes that draw attention to themselves.
• But in these two verses Paul is talking about the learning and teaching of doctrine. He places this responsibility squarely on the shoulders of a select group of uniquely qualified males. Not all males, mind you, but some males. Most of the men were under the same injunction as the women; namely to learn in quiet submission.
• “I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man.” Some believe that Paul here prohibited only the uninstructed women of Ephesus from teaching. Other scholars see this as a general restriction for every church; that women are not to be official teachers in the assembled church. This later position is further buttressed by the phrase that follows, “…or exercise authority over a man.” [i.e., functioning in the role of overseer]
• In this egalitarian age we live in that idea does not go down very well, does it? According to our modern way of thinking we like to say that everyone is equal in every way, and everyone, men, and women alike, should have the same roles, privileges, and responsibilities. That idea is called “egalitarianism.” Unfortunately, God did not receive that memo! Remember earlier I said that as Christians, we need to accept the revealed Word of God, even when it chafes and cramps our style and clashes with our preconceived ideas? Well, this is one of those times.
• We must decide if we are going to agree that God knows what He is doing, even if we do not like it or even understand it, OR, if we are going to reject the Scriptures and rewrite them to please ourselves.

Verse 13: For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.

• As support for his position Paul refers to God’s order of creation as described in Genesis 2:7-25. Adam was made before Eve, and thus has the privilege of the firstborn, a concept well accepted and understood by all ancient societies. Paul views the man-woman relationship set forth in this passage as grounded in the order of Creation. Of course, being made first does not make men superior to women in any way, but it does carry privilege to which we as modern people find it hard to relate. 

Verse 14: And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

• Here Paul gives his second argument for men carrying the lead in public worship, and that has to do with The Fall, way back in the Garden of Eden. According to the Scriptures it was Eve who was deceived, not Adam. In fact, we know that Adam sinned with his eyes wide open. According to Romans 5:12 he knew exactly what he was doing. “So,” you ask, “does that make Adam better?” NO, of course not, and Paul is not saying that either.
• He does, however, seem to argue that since the woman was deceived and then led Adam astray, she is not to be entrusted with the teaching function of an overseer (elder) in the public worship services of the assembled church.
• Again, nowadays lots of self-proclaimed “Christians” have jettisoned this view as misogynist, patriarchal, and out-of-touch with the modern world. For that reason, everywhere you look you will find women pastors, women preachers, women elders, and women evangelists. They insist that Paul was wrong and misguided, a product of his times. They say, “Surely God did not mean to communicate what Paul said. Somehow Paul went off the reservation there for a minute and just threw in a little of his own patriarchal bias.” However, I do not think so. My view of the Inspiration of Scripture does not allow me to pass judgment that way. I believe that Paul was being led by the Spirit of God to write this, even though I do not fully understand all the reasons behind it. 

Verse 15: But women will be preserved through [he uses the Greek preposition διά with the genitive case meaning through, or by instrumentality of] the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.

• This is the last verse, but things are not getting any easier! What in the world does this mean? Three possible answers have been put forth over the years:

1.    Some have postulated that it speaks of the godly woman finding fulfilment in her role as wife and mother in the home. However, even in that day not all women were wives or mothers. So, are childless women just left out entirely? I do not think this is what Paul was talking about.

2.    Others say that it refers to women being kept physically safe in childbirth. But wait a minute. Even in those days lots of women died in childbirth, even Christian women. So, what kind of a promise is that if it does not seem to hold up under closer examination?

3.    Still others say that it refers to women being saved spiritually through the most significant birth of all, the birth of Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary. For me, this is the best explanation of the three, and seems to me to make the most sense. I think that Paul is here referring to Genesis 3:15-16 to point to the Incarnation of Christ, the Savior of the World. Salvation came to the world through one special childbirth.

• Dr. J. Vernon McGee, in his commentary on 1 Timothy, agrees with me. He writes: “It was the sin of Eve that brought sin into the world. Now every time a woman bears a child, she brings a sinner into the world—that is all she can bring into the world. But Mary brought the Lord Jesus, the Savior into the world. So how are women saved? By childbearing—because Mary brought the Savior into the world. Don’t ever say that woman brought sin into the world, unless you are prepared to add that woman also brought the Savior into the world. My friend, no man provided a Savior: a woman did. However, each individual woman is saved by faith, the same as each man is saved by faith. She is to grow in love and holiness just as a man is.” 

CONCLUSION:

So, here is the deal… we should not read this passage as a barrier to women working and serving in the Church. Paul was not a member the of “He-Man Women-Haters Club.” While it is true that the woman was created second, and that it was the woman who fell into sin due to the seduction of the serpent, yet…

·       It was Mary of Nazareth who bore and who trained the child Jesus.

·       It was Mary of Magdala who was the first to see the Risen Lord.

·       It was four women, who of all the disciples, stood by the cross.

·       Priscilla with her husband Aquila was a valued teacher in the early Church, a teacher who led Apollos to a fuller knowledge of the truth (Acts 18:16).

·       Euodia and Syntyche, despite their quarrel, were women “who labored in the Gospel” (Phil. 4:2-3).

·       Philip, the evangelist, had four daughters who were prophetesses (Acts 21:9).

·       The aged women were commanded to teach the younger women (Titus 2:3).

·       Paul held Lois and Eunice, Timothy’s mother, and grandmother, in the highest honor (2 Timothy 1:5).

·       And there are many women’s names held in honor in Romans 16.

·       Then, of course, there is Paul’s own statement found in Galatians 3:26-28, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  ²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”         

I urge you not to go off half-cocked, like so many have done, and conclude that Paul was just wrong about this subject. You do that to your own peril. God’s Word is God’s Word, whether we like it or not! I confess that I do not fully understand all the reasoning behind this teaching, but despite that, it is my understanding that in the church there are some roles and some duties that are for certain chosen men to carry out. To arrive at any other conclusion, I must do injury to the text to try and make it conform to my modern ideas rather than simply accept it and submit to it.

1 Timothy Study #3

“The Titanic Revisited”

1 Timothy 1:18 – 2:7

Study #3 in 1 Timothy Series 

INTRODUCTION:

In recent years there has been a great deal of interest in the story of the RMS Titanic, the luxurious British passenger liner that was touted as being “unsinkable,” but that on the night of 15 April 1912 sank in the North Atlantic Ocean after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to NY City, taking 1,517 people to their deaths.

For many years she was lost, having sunk in waters some 2½ miles deep. However, on September 1, 1985, almost 25 years to the day after the approximate site of the wreck was finally located, an expedition to the ocean floor led by Robert Ballard, an oceanographer and former Navy captain, was able to transmit images of history’s most famous shipwreck. Many of us can still remember that day as the ghostly images of the doomed ship on the ocean floor flashed across our TV sets, holding millions of people spellbound. 

TRANSITION:

I love old books and I have several that I treasure. One of them is a first edition that my father gave me. It was printed within weeks of the sinking of the Titanic, giving fascinating details taken from eyewitness accounts while the memories were still very fresh in the survivors’ minds.

NOTES on the Text:

Verses 18-19: This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, ¹⁹ keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. 

• Paul had known Timothy for many years already and had almost certainly been instrumental in leading Timothy’s mother and grandmother to Christ. Moreover, he had served as Timothy’s spiritual mentor, taking the young man with him on several of his missionary journeys and exposing him to every aspect of ministry. So close were they that Paul felt like a spiritual father to Timothy and regarded the younger man as his son. Thus, in Paul’s letters to him he addresses him as such several times, emphasizing the loving relationship that existed between them.
• “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son…” What command? In this case the command is yet to come in the last part of the verse. But before we look at that I want us to examine this word “entrust.” This is one of Paul’s favorite words. He has already used it once in this chapter, up in verse 11, and it appears many times throughout the Pastoral Epistles. In verse 11 Paul speaks of “…the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.” Paul recognized that the Gospel is a precious, costly gift from God and must be defended and protected. He also recognized that he had been given the awesome privilege and responsibility of sharing that life-giving Gospel with unsaved people everywhere. Later in this letter, in 6:20, Paul impresses upon Timothy the fact that he has been entrusted with the very same Gospel and should take great pains to guard it. Paul writes: “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you…” He is speaking of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, here in verse 18 of chapter 1 Paul is referring to something more specific. He is telling Timothy to value and treasure in his mind and memory the prophecies that were spoken over him when he was ordained and commissioned. Apparently on that occasion there were godly prophets present who predicted that Timothy would be greatly used by God in the future and would one day have a significant leadership role in the Church.
• Paul is bringing this to Timothy’s remembrance and urging him to continue to “…fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience.” The KJV says, “…wage the good warfare.” The word Paul uses does not mean a battle but a campaign. A battle is a single event. The Christian life is a long-term campaign, a siege. Anybody can fight a battle. Paul is trying to prepare Timothy for the long-haul warfare that he will have to wage against God’s enemies. Some of those enemies are in the spirit realm, while others are in the form of people who arise to attack the work of God.
• “…which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.” Did you know that a person’s faith can suffer “shipwreck”? I would guess that every single one of us can think of at least one person who in the past claimed to be a child of God and was active in the church, leading everyone to assume that he or she was a genuine believer and very dedicated to Christ. Then something happened, and now that person has apparently abandoned the faith and shows no interest whatsoever in the things of God. How do you explain this phenomenon? This is what Paul is talking about when he says that some have suffered shipwreck regarding their faith. But look at the rest of the phrase— “…which some have rejected.” What exactly have they rejected? In context Paul mentions three things: “fighting the good fight, keeping faith, and keeping a good conscience.” I already said something about this first phrase, “fighting the good [noble, pure, honorable] campaign.” But what does it mean to “keep faith”? It means to hold onto the truth even though the whole world disagrees. The Gospel includes both the aspects of believing the truth, and also obeying and living out the truth. Which leads us to the third command— “…keeping a good conscience.” If we turn away from obeying God, we always do injury to our conscience. To violate your conscience for very long will lead you to change your belief system so that you can live with yourself. That is why we say that sin is a slippery slope. Paul is warning us against reshaping our doctrine to fit our sinful practices, then proceeding to teach a false doctrine that no longer cramps our style. That is a sure-fire formula for spiritual shipwreck! 

Verse 20: Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.

• “To blaspheme” means to speak or act in a dishonoring way against God or God’s work, and refers to any violation of the Third Commandment, any light and sinful use of God’s name. Paul says that these two men were doing exactly that by their speaking against the leaders and doctrines of Christ’s Church. We know next to nothing about these two guys whom Paul mentions by name, although this is probably the same Alexander spoken of in 2 Timothy 4:14 where Paul observes, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.” And Hymenaeus is mentioned in 2 Timothy 2:17-18 where Paul tells Timothy, “But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, ¹⁷ and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.” So, in Paul’s mind these two professing believers are examples of people whose spiritual lives ended up being shipwrecked, and Paul knew something about being shipwrecked. According to his testimony in 2 Corinthians 11 coupled with the story at the end of the Book of Acts about his sea journey to Rome, Paul was shipwrecked four (4) times over the course of his ministry. He knew what he was talking about.
• “…whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.” What does he mean by that? To understand it we need to see how he uses that phrase in other places. For example, in 1 Corinthians 5:5 he says the same thing about a man in the Corinthian church who was living openly in immorality, yet the elders of the church refused to do anything about it. So, Paul wrote, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. ² And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? ³ For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. ⁴ So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, ⁵ hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.” Paul was telling Timothy that these two men, Hymenaeus and Alexander, just like the man in Corinth, should be excluded from the fellowship of the congregation so that they might repent and abandon their evil ways. The reference is to “church discipline” (cf. Matt. 18:17). Paul’s purpose was not punitive but curative, to cause these men to see the error of their ways and return to the Lord. Failing that, he knows that their lives will be just like the Titanic, headed for the bottom and for destruction.
• The Church of Jesus Christ is like a big tent and serves as a kind of sanctuary from Satan’s power and direct influence. Out there in the world Satan is king. So, Paul says, “Throw these guys out of the tent and let the devil chew on them for a while. Then maybe they will come to their senses and realize what they are missing.” 

Chapter 2:1-2: First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 

• In the preceding verses Paul has been describing the forces that try to tear down the church. Now he turns his focus to talk about the things that will build up the church. Here in 2:1 Paul uses four different synonyms for prayer—entreaties, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings. He says that all of these should be offered up on behalf of all men but especially for kings and other authority figures.
• So, what are the differences between these four kinds of prayers?
• “Entreaties” refers to asking on behalf of our personal needs.
• “Prayers” is the normal and most used word for prayer in the NT and always refers to prayers directed toward God in reverence and worship.
• “Petitions” are intercessions on behalf of others as we bring their needs before God’s throne of grace.
• “Thanksgivings” speaks to the attitude that should permeate all kinds of prayers; namely, an attitude of gratefulness and praise to God for all that He has done for us.
• “…so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” This is interesting in that the emperor in Rome at that time was none other than old “Crazy-pants Nero,” one of the bloodiest, and cruelest leaders in Rome’s whole history. And yet, Paul tells Timothy that he and other Christians should pray for Nero “so that they might lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” Was he nuts? What was he thinking? Well, first we should pray for our leaders because their actions and policies affect the whole society. Secondly, if they do not know Christ then they are as eternally lost as anyone else, despite their power and influence. In this next verse Paul reminds Timothy that God wants all men to be saved, even a man like Nero. 

Verses 3-4: This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

• “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God…” What exactly? Praying and interceding for others, including unbelievers. According to 1 Peter 2:9 you and I are called to be priests. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Did you get that? “A royal [i.e., kingly] priesthood.” And what do priests do? They intercede before God on behalf of other people, which is exactly what you and I are called to do, for all people, including the most obnoxious people that we cannot stand to be around. 
• “God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” This phrase has been the cause of many theological debates because people say, “If it is true that God really wants everybody to be saved then why are there still unsaved people running around who reject His offer of salvation and thumb their noses at Him in every way possible?” That is because universal salvation is not the determinative will of God by which He rules the universe. This is where we get into some sticky theology. But perhaps the best way to clarify it is to point out the difference between the concepts of “wishing” and “willing.” From the day when God created man in His own image and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden, it was his “wish” that they would remain faithful and obedient to Him. However, He created them with free will and they used it against Him, which grieved Him and made it necessary for Him to set in motion the Plan of Salvation involving the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. On the other hand, there are occasions in the Scriptures where we see God exercising His sovereign “will,” and nothing in the world can stand against that. When God wills to do something, it gets done! In the case of this verse, it is God’s wish, His desire that all men would come freely to drink from the fountain of salvation, but He does not force them. He does not exercise His “will” to force men to be saved, because that would violate the system He set in motion. To be saved men must respond to God in faith, confessing Jesus as their Savior and Lord, and they must do it willingly, voluntarily. 

Verses 5-6: For there is one God, and one Mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. 

• This verse is hugely important! It tells us that there is only one who stands between us and Almighty God, and it is not a priest, or a preacher, or Mary, or the saints, or angels—no, it is Christ, and Christ alone. He is the only Mediator. Moreover, He is the One who gave His life as a sacrifice for us. This word “ransom” is the Greek word, antilutron, made up of anti- (a preposition meaning substitution) and the noun, lutron, (meaning the ransom of a slave). When put together it means a payment given instead of a slave—that is, in substitution for him or her. The person holding the slave accepts the payment as a substitute. Paul describes this in Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us.” We were slaves to sin and thus stood condemned. Only Christ, the sinless Son of God, could pay the price to release us from that bondage.

Verse 7: 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. 

• “For this” meaning for the proclamation of this glorious message. Paul uses three different words to describe his calling:
• “I was appointed a preacher” – The word means a herald, a proclaimer of a message. In 1 Cor. 1:21 Paul tells us, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” 
• “I was appointed an apostle” – This word means an envoy or an ambassador, commissioned by a sovereign king with a message and authority to declare that message.  But in a sense every Christian is called to an apostolic ministry. In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul says, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 
• “I was appointed a teacher” – A teacher instructs people in things that are true. You and I are also called to be teachers of the truth. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus commanded us, “Go ye into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching to obey all that I have commanded you.” We accomplish that teaching task by instructing people in the truth and by modelling the truth in our own personal lives.

CONCLUSION:

There are many things in this text that are of great importance. Let me recap four that I see:

1. The Christian life is not a sprint, but a marathon. We need to prepare and train ourselves for a long engagement. We need to KNOW the truth and PRACTICE the truth so that we do not end up on a spiritual reef or sandbar somewhere, shipwrecked in our faith and useless to the Kingdom of God.
2. Paul’s statement about Christ being the Only Mediator between us and God flies directly in the face of one of the most sacred teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and virtually every other religion on the planet. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me,” and He was not just joking around when He said it. There is no other WAY to God. Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. Acts 4:12 clearly states, “There is salvation in no one else.” 
3. In this text Paul names the individuals who were creating problems in that local church. He was more concerned for the health of the Body than he was for the feelings of any individual. We too need to learn that lesson.
4. We need to ask God every day to show us how precious lost people really are to Him. The heart of God is evangelistic to the max! If we are not moved by the lost condition of people around us, then we have no clue what God is really like. He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” The question is… do we? Really? And exactly what are we prepared to do about it?