我願男人無忿怒，無爭論（或作：疑惑），舉起聖潔的手，隨處禱告。
～ 提前二8 ～
如何成為敬虔的男人？按照聖經提摩太前書的教導，保羅在這裡勉勵教會的弟兄：
1. 無忿怒－敬虔男人的性情，當制止發怒的機會以至於無忿怒。男人因其角色要保家衛國，體格強壯，一般而言比較容易忿怒動粗。雖然神也發怒，但神發怒的原因是罪─人持續犯罪：如抱怨、惡語（民11:1），神所發的是義怒；而人是因自己不高興而發怒，因為罪性的緣故，人發怒的結果常是犯罪。所以人的怒氣不能成就神的義。敬虔男人在性情上要操練控制脾氣。減少發怒的頻率與時間。
2. 無爭論－敬虔男人的信心，要消除疑惑以至於因信稱義。此處的爭論與為真道爭辯是不同的。這裡的爭論是疑惑的意思，對真道疑惑不信而產生爭論。當時教會也存在對真道疑惑不信的問題，有些人對復活真理心存疑惑，弟兄理性較強，對福音往往觀望、裹足不前，用理性分析。因此弟兄要消除疑惑、不起爭論，以致因信稱義。
3. 舉起聖潔的手－敬虔男人的禮儀，心存聖潔以至於舉起聖潔的手。戰場上舉雙手表示投降，舉單手表示敬意。在神面前舉手禱告是一種禮儀，聖經多處有此根據。而外表禮儀的內在是聖潔的生命，如果沒有聖潔，神無法垂聽禱告。
4. 隨處禱告－敬虔男人的生命，性情信心持守禮儀隨處禱告。禱告不受時間、空間的限制，隨時隨處禱告，並且必須沒有忿怒、懷疑、爭論、持守聖潔才能禱告，因為當時有優越感的猶太人看到外邦人不行割禮、進入聖殿，他們就心裡懷疑、生氣、爭論，因此敬虔的男人要有禱告的生命，在聖靈裏禱告，成為守望者。
Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands
without anger or disputing. ～1 Timothy 2:8～
How does one become a godly man? According to the teachings of 1 Timothy, Paul here encourages the brothers:
1. No anger - It’s the temperament of a godly man to flee the opportunity to get angry, so that there is no anger. Men are generally more prone to anger and tough because of their roles in defending their homes and nations and their stronger build. Although God also gets angry, God’s anger is aroused by sin—people’s sins such as complaining and bad words (Num. 11:1). So God’s anger is righteous anger, while men’s anger is just because they are unhappy due to their sinful nature; as a result of men’s anger is often to sin. Therefore, human anger cannot fulfill God's righteousness. Godly men must control their tempers, reducing the frequency of and amount of time in anger.
2. No disputing - It’s the faith of a godly man that eliminates doubts and can be justified by faith. “Disputing” here is different from “contending” for the faith. It means “doubt”. The disputes arise from doubts or disbeliefs in the Gospel. At that time, the church also had the problems of people doubting and not believing the truth. Some were doubtful about the truth of the resurrection. The brothers were more rational, and they often waited and hesitated to believe the Gospel due to their rationality. Therefore, brothers must not doubt nor argue about the truth. Instead, they should believe and be justified by faith.
3. Lift up holy hands - It’s the etiquette of a godly man, who has a holy heart and raises up holy hands. Raising up both hands on the battlefield means to show surrender; raising one hand is to show respect. Raising hands in prayer before God is a kind of ritual, which shows up frequently in the Bible. The external ritual reflects an inner heart of holiness. Apart from holiness, a man’s prayer cannot be heard by God.
4. Pray everywhere - It’s the lifestyle of a godly man, the temperament, faith, and etiquette to pray everywhere. Prayer is not limited by time and space. You can pray anytime and anywhere, and you must be free from anger, doubt, and argument, and be holy to pray. Because the Jews, who had a sense of superiority, at that time saw Gentiles entering the temple without being circumcised, they doubted and were angry and contentious. So a godly man must have a life of prayer, praying in the Holy Spirit, and become a watchman.
～Rev. Benguang Du 都本光牧師～