1 Timothy 2:2 speaks of praying for those in authority, in order that we may be able to “lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” Consider the word ‘dignified.’ Our desire is to be able to lead a ‘dignified’ life.

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Think about whatever is true. Think about whatever is honourable.

The word ‘honourable’ here is very closely connected to the word we find in 1 Timothy 2:2, translated: dignified. They come from the same basic word, and there is the same fundamental idea behind these two words.

Perhaps it might be helpful to contrast these words with their op­posite: that which is not honourable, dignified, is light-hearted, goofy, jesting, unserious.

We’re not trying to establish a moral contrast here, saying that that which instills dignity is always by definition good; and that which is light-hearted is always by definition bad. There can be a place for things that are unserious. A little bit of goofiness isn’t always wrong.

But when Paul in Philippians 4:8 is telling people to meditate on that which is honourable, and when he talks about leading a peaceful and quiet life that is dignified, then he is speaking about an important atti­tude that we are to encourage. Life is not always one big joke, and the Christian who is always goofing off, who shows no measure of dignity, is not living in the manner required by God.

Growing Up⤒🔗

Look at it this way: this is about being grown up, mature. The grown­up believer realises that life is not just about having fun. There is a serious side to life, and being grown up requires a bit of solemnity, and dignity.

This is not always appreciated in our culture. Some think it’s good to put off adulthood as long as possible. It’s fine for those in their teenage years, in their early 20s, maybe even their late 20s, to avoid adult responsibilities. Working hard in your youth is not necessary. Set­tling down, getting married, starting a family, becoming a responsible member of society, is something that is happening later and later, if at all.

Or how about this: every now and then you’ll see advertisements that depict older people acting like children. This is portrayed as being a good thing. The idea is that elderly people can be just as goofy as younger people, and this is what enjoying life is all about.

There is also the attitude in society that once you retire, you want to be in the position where you’re able to use your savings for personal enjoyment, spending as much of your time as possible in recreational activities. You will finally have time to have more fun, now that you no longer have to be working at your mundane everyday job.

But the Bible does not tell us that the goal of life is to goof off as much as you can in your younger years, and then earn as much as you can during your working years, so that you can let your hair hang down again and go back to goofing off in your later years.

And the Word does not present it as a good thing for older people to act like children, as if somehow that’s the only way that they can enjoy life.

The Bible presents old age as something that is a blessing. But it’s not a blessing that is given to us simply for our own enjoyment and pleasure. It’s a blessing that should make us more worthy of respect, a blessing that should instill in us a measure of wisdom. And the goal is to be able to share this wisdom with those who are coming after­ward, to help them have a sense of what it means to be a responsi­ble adult, to demonstrate to them what mature leadership is all about, to give them a model of what it means to be dignified.

Growing Up Together←⤒🔗

1 Timothy 3:8 says, “Deacons likewise must be dignified.” Deacons are to be reverent, they are to be dignified, respectable, honourable. This is a good thing to seek after.

In our congregation, we are hoping to instil this by having discussion groups on spiritual growth after alternate afternoon services. The initial idea was to focus on helping the younger men in our congregation to grow in maturity, to help them grow in their understanding of what it means to become responsible young men. We want them to eventually become leaders, and a big part of what it means for them to become leaders is to understand what it means to be dignified. We want to help them meditate on that which is honourable and to live their lives in a manner that is consistent with that sense of honour, that sense of dignity.

This is important for women as well. The ladies are having their own discussion groups focusing on spiritual growth, and the hope with them as well is to help those who are younger to grow as ma­ture and responsible followers of Christ.

In Titus 2, Paul speaks of how older women can have an impor­tant role in helping younger women grow in maturity, just as older men can have that same role in helping younger men.

This is what we do together as a community of believers. This is part of what it means to be the body of Christ, passing on the faith to the next generation and passing on what it means to live out that faith in our everyday lives, for the glory of God.

Living Honourably Before Others←⤒🔗

Titus 2 also makes clear that believers will want to live lives that are reverent, dignified, mature, grown up and responsible, because of what living this kind of life will say to those outside the church. We live lives worthy of respect, so that we can be seen as respectable among unbelievers. We want it to be clear that we believe the Christian life is a life of integrity; it is a life worthy of respect, and we want other people to see this.

And it’s not because we want them to think well of us. It’s certainly not because we want to give the im­pression that we believe we’re better than them. No. It’s because we don’t want the word of God to be blasphemed in our lives. We want to present a positive, dignified, noble picture to the world, because we serve a God who is dignified, who is noble, who is holy, who is ultimately worthy of respect.

We do not serve a light-hearted God who tells us that we are here for a good time, not a long time, so we should enjoy ourselves as much as we can. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may die.

No, we serve a God who has a much more serious purpose for us. We serve a God who has the long view in mind, and who has made it clear that that perspective requires a measure of responsibility on our part.

God’s philosophy is not: in the long run, you are all dead. We serve a God who has made it clear that in the long run, those who belong to him, those who have been set apart to serve him, those whose sins are forgiven through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, those who are recipi­ents of his amazing grace, in the long run, they are alive.

In the long run, we know what true joy is all about. And having the long run in mind, we understand why we are serious, why it’s important to be dignified, why we need to have a sense of responsibility and maturity, why we should be living lives of reverence, being honourable, having a serious sense of purpose.

And because this is what God has in store for us, we want to make it clear that we are going to pattern our lives in such a way so that it is clear that we serve this God, we love this God, and we want to take seriously his serious instructions for how we are to live.

We want to present this picture to the world, so that others may see in us who it is that we serve. We want others to have a sense of just how big, how glorious, how majestic, how dignified this God really is. And we want them to see this, so they too will have a sense that this God is their Creator, that this God calls them to serve him, and they too need to humble themselves before him. We want them to know this God, know Jesus Christ, trust in him, and grow in him. We want them to join us in living a life of reverence that gives glory to God.

1 Timothy 2, after speaking of how we want to lead a dignified life, says,

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

Why lead a quiet and peaceable life? Why lead a life of godliness and reverence? Why act in a digni­fied, honourable manner? Because of our saviour Jesus Christ. Because our God desires to work more and more, so that the dignity, the honour, the glory of his Son may be displayed for all to see.

And our God has made it clear that he is a God of grace. Any kind of person, no matter how irresponsi­ble they may have been in their lives, no matter how disreputable they may have been in the past, can come to know Jesus Christ as me­diator. They can be forgiven of their sins, thanks to the perfect sacrifice of the Lord and Saviour. They can be joined to him in true faith, and be one of his people.

Striking, isn’t it? Paul talks here about praying for all men, praying for those who are in authority, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. And his basic intent for why we should be doing this is evangelistic: so that God may be glorified in having others come to aknowledge of the truth.

This is not to say: just present a positive, dignified life, and that’s the extent of our message to the world. The apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 2:7 speaks of how he is a preacher, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. The word does need to be preached. We must teach very clearly who God is and what he has accomplished in Je­sus Christ. That’s fundamental to our calling as God’s people. We proclaim the truth, and we spell out what that truth is. We do so with words, true words, biblical words.

But we also need to live out that truth. If we don’t, if our lives are disruptive, disreputable, un­godly, undignified, if we do not lead a quiet and peaceable life in reverence, then the message that we proclaim loses its impact.

How can we present the truth of the holy God if our lives are characterised by unholiness? How can we maintain the honour of our ma­jestic God, if we can’t even live honourable lives? How can we show that the gospel is a very seri­ous thing, if there is no sense of seriousness in our lives?

Meditate on that which is noble, honourable. Live a life of reverence. Say to yourself: “I serve a God of dignity, and I want to show that dignity in my life. I want to become mature and responsible, so that I can be a better witness to the saviour who has loved me so much. I want to understand better the nobility of what he is done for me. I want to be serious about learning more and more about him, because this is a very serious thing. Not because I want to be sombre and miserable, but be­cause true joy is experienced in knowing him, trusting him, living for him.”