Modesty and Good Works

Jim Butler1 Timothy 2:9–10

Paul's instructions to women in 1 Timothy 2:9–10 are grounded in one controlling concern: corporate worship is about God, not the worshipper. This sermon works through the passage under three headings — the general principles of adornment, the specific applications Paul names (braided hair, gold, pearls, costly clothing), and the reorientation Paul commands toward good works. A biblical theology of jewelry demonstrates that Scripture nowhere condemns adornment as such; the prohibition targets ostentatiousness — the deliberate drawing of attention to oneself, whether through sexuality or the display of wealth — that distracts men from worship and provokes covetousness in sisters. The sermon closes by calling the Christian woman to pursue modesty, self-control, and good works as the true adornment of a gospel profession.