You likely have noticed that, except for the passage from 1 Peter, God uses Paul to author the Scriptures above. Why is that? Because God appoints Paul as the special apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Romans 11:13; 15:16-18; Galatians 1:1, 16; 2:8; Ephesians 3:8). The Gentiles come from a non-biblical background. They need to understand God’s choices, God’s culture, the roles as God assigns them, and Paul is God’s inspired instrument to instruct them (1 Corinthians 2:7-16; 14:37-38).
I was appointed a preacher and an apostle… a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. I desire then that in every place the men should pray… (1 Timothy 2:7-8).
1 Timothy 2:8, Paul uses the word “then” or “accordingly” (oun in Greek) to show that he is applying his apostolic authority to the subject of roles—what men are to do and what women are to do. What he teaches in 1 Timothy 2 is part of the “faith and truth” that Jesus appoints him to teach. How about us today, are we “Gentiles” by birth? If so, we too need to learn “faith and truth.” We too should place God’s culture above our Gentile cultures. We too should heed God’s word on roles.
What Paul reveals may be new to Gentiles, but it is not new to those familiar with God’s past dealings with His people. The apostolic teaching on roles basically reflects God’s choices in creation and in every period of revealed history. As seen in this course’s survey, Paul is simply articulating details related to God’s repeated choices throughout the Bible.