In chapter 2 we have the premise that God wants all mankind to be saved, and Paul proceeds from there to give practical guidelines to help make that happen.
For the men it's pretty straight forward in this particular passage: lift up your hands in prayer (even in public) and be free from anger and quarrels. Easier said than done, right?
For women (like so many other situations) it's a little more complicated. First it's important to note that this passage is not categorically forbidding women to dress nicely, style their hair, or wear jewelry in church. What does it mean then? Historical insight always helps interpretation, and a study of the Ephesian culture (where Timothy was Pastoring) shows that what Paul is referring to is particular styles that emulated the excessive luxury and licentiousness of the Roman court. A modern day parallel would be a warning against imitating the styles of promiscuous pop singers or actresses.
Paul's overriding concern was that the way Christian's deported themselves would not detract from but enhance the Gospel mission. Likewise, let's not worry about the exact dimensions of hem lines, and stay concerned about our testimony for Christ.
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