Commentary - 1 Timothy 2:1-8

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, the Apostle Paul, having dealt with the foundational importance of sound doctrine in chapter one, now turns to the public life of the church, beginning with its most foundational public act: prayer. This is not a list of suggestions for those who are "wired" for intercession; it is a command of first importance for the entire assembly. Paul instructs Timothy to ensure that the church is a house of prayer for all kinds of people, from the highest corridors of power to the common man. This prayer is to be broad in its scope, including petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings. The goal is both civic and spiritual: a peaceful society conducive to godly living, and the salvation of men, which is the desire of God. Paul then grounds this universal missionary impulse in the deepest truths of the gospel: the oneness of God, the unique mediation of the man Christ Jesus, and His universal ransom. The passage concludes with a specific directive for the men, who are to lead this public prayer with hands and hearts that are clean, free from the defilement of anger and doctrinal instability.

This is a profoundly political passage, but not in the way our modern world understands politics. The first and most potent political action of the church is to get on its knees. Before we march, before we vote, before we write letters to the editor, we are to pray. We pray for our leaders not because they are godly, but because God is sovereign and desires the salvation of all kinds of men, including pagan Roman emperors. This instruction establishes the church as a distinct and public society with its own king and its own foreign policy, a policy that begins with supplication to the throne of heaven on behalf of the thrones of earth.

Outline

Context In 1 Timothy

First Timothy is one of the Pastoral Epistles, written by an aging Paul to his apostolic delegate in Ephesus. The church in Ephesus was beset by false teachers who were promoting myths, genealogies, and a distorted view of the law (1 Tim 1:3-7). Paul's central concern is the proper ordering of God's household, the church (1 Tim 3:15). After charging Timothy to wage the good warfare by holding to faith and a good conscience, Paul moves from correcting bad doctrine to establishing good practice. Chapter 2 is the beginning of these practical instructions for the public assembly. The instruction on prayer is foundational to everything that follows, including the roles of men and women in worship (1 Tim 2:8-15), the qualifications for elders and deacons (Chapter 3), and the conduct of various groups within the church. A church that has forgotten how to pray has forgotten its essential function, and all other order will soon collapse.

Key Issues

The Church's Foreign Policy

When Paul says "first of all," he means it. The primary, central, foundational activity of the gathered church is prayer. And the scope of this prayer is breathtakingly ambitious. We are to make petitions, prayers, requests, and thanksgivings for all men. This is the church acting as the church, as God's appointed priesthood for the entire world. We stand before God on behalf of the whole of humanity.

This includes, specifically, kings and all in authority. Think about who was king when Paul wrote this. It was Nero. The same Nero who would eventually martyr Paul. Yet the command stands. We are to pray for him. This is not a pragmatic strategy to curry favor with the powerful. It is a theological declaration. We are declaring that Jesus is Lord and Caesar is not. We are declaring that God is the one who establishes thrones and brings them down. And we are praying for the establishment of a social order where the gospel can run freely, where we can live quiet lives in godliness. This is a profoundly optimistic, postmillennial prayer. We are praying for the kingdom to come and God's will to be done on earth, and we expect our prayers to have a real, historical effect on the conduct of nations.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 First of all, then, I exhort that petitions and prayers, requests and thanksgivings, be made for all men,

Paul begins with a note of primacy: "First of all." Before you organize the potluck, before you arrange the small groups, before you debate the finer points of eschatology, you must pray. This is the main business of the church at worship. He uses a cluster of four different words for prayer, likely to cover the subject comprehensively. Petitions are specific requests for needs. Prayers is the general term for communion with God. Requests or intercessions are prayers made on behalf of others. And thanksgivings are the necessary expression of gratitude that must undergird all our praying. And the scope is universal: "for all men." No one is to be excluded from the church's prayerful concern. We are to pray for our neighbors, our enemies, people in distant lands, and all sorts and conditions of 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.

From the general category "all men," Paul singles out a specific group for prayer: "kings and all who are in authority." The civil magistrate is a minister of God (Rom 13:4), whether he knows it or not. We pray for him because his decisions have a direct impact on the mission of the church. The goal here is twofold. First, it is civic: that we might lead a "tranquil and quiet life." This is a life free from civil strife, war, and persecution. Second, the goal is spiritual: "in all godliness and dignity." We desire a peaceful society not so we can be comfortable, but so we can be holy. A stable social order is the trellis upon which the vine of the church can grow. We are praying for the government to do its job, which is to punish evil and praise good, so that the church can do its job, which is to preach the gospel and make disciples.

3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

Praying this way is not just a good idea; it is intrinsically "good and acceptable" to God. It pleases Him. Why? Because it aligns our hearts with His heart. God is the one who establishes authorities, and He is the one who desires the salvation of men. When we pray for our rulers and for the lost, we are participating in God's own work in the world. We are demonstrating that we share His concerns and His priorities. This prayer is not an attempt to bend God's will to ours, but to align our will with His revealed will.

4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth.

This verse is a favorite of Arminians, but it poses no problem for a robustly Reformed understanding of God's sovereignty. The word "all" here must be understood in its context. Paul has just urged us to pray for "all men," and specifically for "kings." God's desire for salvation is not limited to one particular tribe, race, or class of people. He desires the salvation of "all kinds of men," including kings and commoners, Jews and Gentiles. This is God's will of desire, not His will of decree. God has not decreed that every single individual will be saved; Scripture is clear that many will perish. But His heart, His benevolent disposition, is for the salvation of sinners from every station of life. This is why our prayers must be for all men; we do not know who the elect are, so we preach the gospel and pray for the salvation of all, trusting that God will use our prayers to gather His chosen people from every corner of the globe and every level of society.

5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

The universal scope of the gospel is grounded in the most fundamental truths of our faith. First, "there is one God." Monotheism is the foundation of mission. If there were many gods, then each nation could have its own. But because there is only one God, He is the God of all men, and all men are accountable to Him. Second, there is "one mediator." Just as there is only one God to get to, there is only one way to get to Him. There are not multiple paths. That one way is the mediator, the man Christ Jesus. He is the bridge across the infinite chasm that our sin created between us and a holy God. He is fully God and fully man, and so He is uniquely qualified to represent God to man and man to God.

6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the witness for this proper time.

This mediator accomplished our salvation by giving Himself as a "ransom for all." Here again, "all" must be understood as all kinds of people without distinction, not all people without exception. Christ's death was sufficient to save every person who has ever lived, but it was efficient only for the elect. He paid the price to purchase His bride, the church, which is gathered from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. The cross is not a speculative investment that might or might not pay off. It was a definite, effective atonement that secured the salvation of a particular people. This truth, the witness to this ransom, was revealed at the "proper time" in history through the preaching of the apostles.

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.

Paul inserts a personal testimony to underscore the point. His own calling is proof of the universal nature of the gospel. He was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and specifically a "teacher of the Gentiles." The fact that God called him, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, to take this gospel to the pagan nations is a living demonstration that God's saving desire extends to all kinds of men. He adds the parenthetical oath, "I am telling the truth, I am not lying," because his apostleship was often challenged, particularly his mission to the Gentiles. But his very ministry was a testament to the truth he is expounding.

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

The "therefore" connects this practical instruction directly to the profound theology that preceded it. Because God is one, because Christ is the one mediator, because His ransom is for all kinds of men, and because this gospel is to go to all nations, therefore this is how you are to conduct your public worship. He specifically addresses "the men." In the public assembly of the church, the men are to take the lead in prayer. This is a matter of God-ordained order. They are to pray "in every place" where the church gathers. The posture mentioned is "lifting up holy hands." This is not a required posture, but it is an appropriate one, symbolizing both surrender to God and supplication. But the posture is meaningless without the proper heart attitude. The hands must be "holy," which means they must be the outward expression of a clean conscience. Paul then specifies two things that make hands unholy: "wrath and dissension." Wrath is anger and bitterness toward your brother. Dissension refers to quarreling and disputes, likely over the doctrinal errors Paul addressed in chapter one. A man cannot lift holy hands to God in prayer on Sunday if he has been using those same hands to shake his fist at his brother or to type out divisive arguments all week. Public prayer must be led by men who are at peace with God and at peace with their brothers.

Application

This passage calls us back to the first things. Is our church known as a house of prayer? Is the prayer meeting the engine room of the church, or is it a poorly attended formality? We are commanded to pray for all men, which means we must cultivate a genuine, Spirit-wrought concern for the salvation of the lost and the good of our society. This begins with our leaders. It is easy to complain about politicians, to mock them, to rage against their policies. It is much harder, and much more biblical, to get on our knees and pray for their wisdom, their restraint, and ultimately, their conversion. Our prayers for the government should be shaped by the gospel, asking God to create a society where we can live godly lives and freely proclaim the truth that there is one God and one mediator, Jesus Christ.

And for the men, this is a direct charge. Men, you are to lead in prayer. This is your responsibility in the public gathering. This does not mean you must be eloquent or long-winded. It means you must be holy. Before you can lift your hands in public, you must examine your heart in private. Have you harbored anger against your brother? Have you been stirring up strife and division? Have you been arguing just to win, rather than to seek the truth? If so, you must go and be reconciled. You must confess your sin. You cannot lead the people of God to the throne of grace with dirty hands and a quarrelsome heart. The health of the church, the peace of our communities, and the advance of the gospel are tied, in the economy of God, to the prayers of righteous men.