1 Timothy 2:8-10

God calls Christian men and women to live holy. However, many Christians have difficulty defining holiness. They have even more difficulty creating a set of rules for holy living.

The Hebrew root word for “holy” is the same word translated “other.” To say a Christian is holy is to say that a Christian is other. A Christian is other than what they were before they met Christ, other than the culture of the world, and because a Christian is constantly changing into the likeness of Christ, they will be more other tomorrow than they are today.

Paul does not attempt to lay down all of the rules that he could have used to describe how the church of Ephesus should live other/holy. He gives a couple of examples for men and for women. These examples are very visible and striking to someone who is observing Christians.

For men, Paul tells them that he wants them to pray. Men of the world are slow to ask anyone for help. Christian men should be other than that; they should be quick to talk to God and ask His advice and assistance in all that they do. Paul notes another important difference between Christian men and worldly men. Christian men should live lives not given over to quick tempers and argumentative natures.

The advice Paul gives to women is rooted in the flaws of unholy men. Worldly men are quick to lust, and Christian men can be tempted. Paul advises godly women to dress modestly with decency and propriety. Christian women dress and act differently around men than worldly women do. The world cares about looking good; Christians care about doing good deeds.

Paul did not give commandments, he gave principles, and he gave examples that applied them to Ephesus. The rules will change depending upon our culture, but the principles remain forever. Christian men and women should act differently, look differently, and talk differently than the world does. When being a Christian makes a difference, God calls that holiness.