27 May 2023
Paul's letters to Timothy are loaded with Christian Law.
Historical context: Paul went before Caesar and won his case. The Sanhedrin could not justify under Roman Law having Paul jailed or executed. Upon his release, he made a beeline for Macedonia. From there, he wrote to Timothy, who by this time was the senior man in Ephesus. This is likely around AD 60, before the Siege of Jerusalem in AD 70. Just before the siege, the Christian community left Jerusalem according to Jesus' prophecy in Matthew 24-25. Once the apostles left Jerusalem, John came to Ephesus and took the roll of senior Apostle there. It quickly became the new center of gravity for Christian religion until John's death sometime around AD 100. The story here is on the way to that situation, but not there yet.
So, from Macedonia, Paul writes and tells Timothy to stay put in Ephesus. This letter sounds almost like Paul is responding to something Timothy wrote to him first. It also sounds like he is giving Timothy an authoritative document to silence opposition on certain issues. He jumps immediately upon the issue of the Judaizers. At this point, the main theme of the Judaizers was Jewish nationalism, leading up to that revolt that provoked the Siege of Jerusalem. The Zealot branch was taking over Judaism. Thus, the emphasis of the Judaizers at this point was on their genetic purity and the self-serving claim that this gave them moral authority. Along with this was a bunch of fables cooked up to enhance the religious authority of Pharisaical Talmudic teaching. So Gnosticism wasn't the issue at this point; it was the Jewish nationalism leading up to a revolt.
Thus, it's all about the flesh and the power of the flesh to accomplish human ambitions, not about seeking the power of the Holy Spirit to manifest divine glory.
This is where Paul lowers the boom on Pharisaical legalism: The only reason God gave a law code in the first place was to keep the sinners in the Nation of Israel in check. Those who bowed the knee and gave their heart to God never really needed the code. However, it was obvious from history that the majority of Israel was never up on that level. Thus, the law code was for them, not the Elect. It becomes a basic principle for Christians: When the people you deal with act according to grace, grace is how you handle them. When your fellow believers act with insufficient internal restraint, you give them law. And you most certainly give law to the sinners in your life. That's where they are. The law code is for the flesh, not for our hearts.
Paul then explores the meaning of humility, in that he professes to be the greatest sinner God could have redeemed. Isn't it sweet to know that God has a thick skin, and doesn't take our sins as a personal insult? It takes a lot to provoke our Lord.
Paul said some verses before (1:5) that the goal of all Christian teaching or commandment was "love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith". This is what Paul had delivered to Timothy to keep as the focus for his ministry in Ephesus. We can't actually command people to have that, but we hold it up as the goal of teaching. People must have that internal drive to please the Lord or they cannot claim to follow Christ. Paul ends the first chapter citing a couple of examples of those who failed to get that greatest of all gifts of the Holy Spirit.
He also sets the example of turning people over to Satan, meaning that you become aware that they are not under your moral covering. You stop trying to provide for them because they have chosen to be under Satan's covering.
Then in Chapter 2, Paul calls for a serious otherworldly focus versus human action. Unlike the Jewish Zealots, provoking and plotting a political revolt, Paul says Christians must start by praying for the outside political leadership God has placed over you. If we take seriously the mission to bless them, we are less likely to provoke them. Paul even insists that this is what God expects of us; it's a Covenant boundary. Yes, those rulers are evil, in that they are incapable of even understanding, much less doing what God calls "good". Still, God has chosen them for whatever reason, and we serve Him best by avoiding making trouble for them.
Thus, keep up the mysticism and trash the activism. Prayer is the battlefield, and Satan is the enemy, not the people Satan uses. Keep in mind that bad people are victims of deception, and that a major element in revealing truth to them is not getting trapped in anger at their bad policies, and plots to harm them. Don't draw attention to yourself in the first place, but to God.
Just as men should avoid rebellion typical of men, women should avoid their own temptations to rebel. That kind of decorum is demonstrated with women dressing modestly. This is where Paul lays down the law on not wearing jewelry, flamboyant hairstyles or fancy clothes. A Christian woman's adornment is living quietly and undefiled. She must be submissive to her man first, and then to the male leadership of the covenant community along with that. Women cannot be allowed to teach or lead men in anything. The reason Paul gives is that women are not wired for leadership; it is part of God's natural order in Creation that they be submissive to male leadership. She must have covering. Adam was not deceived by Satan's lies; Eve was. God designed women to keep the nest, not try to fix everything that displeases them outside the nest.
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