Page 34 - Pastoral Epistles student textbook

Summarize what Paul is saying about how women should dress
for church?

 Paul was not saying that women should not care how they look nor take the time to look attractive
– but Paul was saying that women should not be drawing attention to themselves because of how they
dress.

The way we conduct ourselves both inside and outside of church will affect our testimony (both men
and women). Once we identify ourselves as a follower of Jesus people begin watching. And for many
people – their ideas about Jesus will be greatly influenced by what they see in our life.

V8-15 talk about the need for doing things in an orderly manner inside the church.
This paragraph is one of the major battlefields of Scripture. Many people have fought over these
verses and still are fighting. We should approach it with great care, and yet deal with it in a proper
manner. We must always remember: The subject under discussion in this passage, as well as in this
entire chapter, is prayer. Paul is writing about the worship of the congregation when they come
together and especially as that worship centers on and focuses in prayer. So, the passage that touches
on women and on their ministry among us grows out of that subject as well.
Then, second, Paul tells us that prayer becomes an instrument for the salvation of all kinds of people.
Paul says, in V3-4. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people
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to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
The word "all" means all men and women without distinction.

One of the greatest attacks of the enemy is to make you busy, to make you hurried,
to make you noisy, to make you distracted, to fill the people of God and the Church of God
with so much noise and activity that there is no room for prayer. There is no room for being
alone with God. There is no room for silence. There is no room for meditation. Rev. Paul
Washer

In Verses 8-10, the apostle describes for us the specific attitudes both men and women should have
when they pray in a congregational meeting. This is what he says:

8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger
or disputing. I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety,
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adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive
clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
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 When Paul says he wants the men everywhere to pray … he does not mean that only men should
pray.
In some churches this verse has been defined as meaning only men are permitted to pray in church.

Paul is not saying that only men should pray, but that when men pray
- they should do so by - lifting up holy hands, and without anger or
disputing in their hearts.
In other words, Paul's concern is not who prays, but how they pray.

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