2:9-10 What exactly does Paul mean by what he says here?
2:9-10 What exactly does Paul mean by what he says here?
Paul is admonishing women in the church here to dress discreetly and modestly and not to adorn themselves with elaborate hairstyles and showy, expensive jewellery. Christian women must never dress in a way that passes the bounds of proper reserve which could provoke or excite others to impure or immoral thoughts and desires. They have to exercise sound judgement in the way they dress.
It must never be in a way that draws attention to their body, but in the way that reflects their Christian profession - with decorum and modesty (CP Ro 12:1-2; Ga 5:13; Eph 4:27; Tit 2:11-12). A Christian woman's real adorning is her good works (CP 1Ti 2:10; 1Pe 3:1-6). In 1Ti 2:9 Paul also forbids women in the church wearing extravagantly expensive clothes. This is not teaching against women dressing nicely and wearing some jewellery, but against unnecessary extravagance.
This admonition applies to all believers, men as well as women, and it does not apply only to clothes, but to the believers' complete lifestyle. Regardless of their wealth, believers cannot justify any unnecessary extravagance in any form, whether it be for expensive clothes and jewellery, or anything else that panders to fleshly desires while there are others of God's children in the world who have absolutely nothing (CP Lu 16:19-31). See also comments on 1Pe 3:1-6.