1 TIMOTHY 3:8-16 - QUALIFICATIONS FOR DEACONS

1 TIMOTHY 3:8-16

QUALIFICATIONS FOR DEACONS

1 Timothy 3:8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

Susie: In the same manner that the pastor/overseers needed to live blamelessly, those who performed the practical, sometimes menial tasks of caring for the congregation should have a good conscience concerning their behavior.

Susan: The word translated “grave” would be better understood as reverent, serious, dignified. They should have a good moral character and be financially responsible.

Susie: Deacons should be known for honesty and being the same with all people, not saying one thing to this person and another to that person. They should not be hypocritical.

Susan: They should not be in need of alcohol or be known for drinking to excess. My personal choice is not to drink at all because I don’t even want to give alcohol the opportunity to take hold of me. It is important to me that I am in control of my faculties always, and drinking can put one’s faculties at risk.

Susie: Since I grew up in a very conservative Independent Baptist church, the expectation was that church members not drink at all. However, I have since learned that modest drinking is not condemned in the Bible. However, the Bible does make it clear that a person should not be drunk or to the point of losing control:

Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Like Susan, my personal decision is to abstain from alcohol, but I do not think less of those who choose to drink in moderation.

Susan: Deacons were often in charge of distribution of benevolence funds to the poor.

Susie: Therefore, the deacons needed to be people who could be trusted with finances. They should not be money-hungry people out to make a profit from their service to the church.

Susan: They should not be more interested in the funds coming in than the meeting of the needs of the people whom they were serving.

1 Timothy 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

Susie: Paul uses the word mystery to mean something was formerly hidden but is now made known. To Paul the mystery was that God was incarnated in the form of Jesus the Son, that the Holy Spirit indwells all believers, and that God’s grace extends to Jews and Gentiles equally.

Susan: Their conscience should be cleansed by trusting in the work of Jesus on the cross, His death for the forgiveness of sin. The Messianic Community, the fellowship of believers, are to be ambassadors of the Gospel message.

Susie: Deacons, as well as pastors, should be a positive witness, living uprightly in their community.

1 Timothy 3:10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.

Susie: Deacons should not be baby Christians. They should be rooted and grounded in the faith and demonstrating a godly lifestyle in their homes as well as in public. Only after a “vetting” process should they be appointed as deacons.

1 Timothy 3:11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

Susie: Not all translations use the word “wives” here:

1 Timothy 3:11 (AMP) Women must likewise be worthy of respect, not malicious gossips, but self-controlled, [thoroughly] trustworthy in all things.

1 Timothy 3:11 (MSG) No exceptions are to be made for women—same qualifications: serious, dependable, not sharp-tongued, not overfond of wine.

1 Timothy 3:11 (NASB) Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.

1 Timothy 3:11 (VOICE) Again the same applies to women in key positions; they should also be dignified, not backstabbing gossips but self-controlled and faithful to the core.

Susie: Therefore, I looked up the Greek word in Strong’s and found it could be translated woman or wife.

Susan: This is a good place to insert that Paul names at least one woman who was a deaconess:

Romans 16:1 (AMP) Now I introduce and commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess (servant) of the church at Cenchrea

Susie: What I take from 1 Timothy 3 as a whole is that anyone in a position of leadership in a church—male or female, husband or wife of a leader, or even a leader who is single—should be above reproach, an example for all believers, and respected in their community.

1 Timothy 3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

Susie: We addressed these same qualifications with pastors in 1 Timothy 3:2. The words for husband and wife do mean the male and female in a relationship rather than spouse of one spouse. However, as we said before, a male in the leadership role would have been an assumption in that culture. We have already shown that Phoebe, a female, served as a deaconess.

Susan: Phoebe was approved and commended by Paul for her service. Both parents are to take responsibility for the upbringing of their children in discipline and education.

Susie: Both parents should require their children to be respectful and well-behaved at home, in church, and wherever they go.

Susan: Observing proper etiquette can determine how well someone functions in society.

Susie: As stated when we discussed pastors, if a deacon does not have control of his or her children and cannot manage his or her own household, they cannot be put in charge of matters in the church.

1 Timothy 3:13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Susan: If a deacon approaches this service with all due diligence, it will garner them a well-respected reputation in the congregation, the body of believers, and probably their community at large.

Susie: This may also be referring to eternal rewards for service done by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Susan: Being a deacon gives a person an opportunity to see God at work through them, to see themselves being an instrument of holy benevolence.

Susie: As deacons see the Lord meeting the needs of the church members, their own faith is increased. This helps them to be more bold in their testimony.

1 Timothy 3:14-15 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Susie: Paul hoped he would be able to visit his son in the faith, Timothy, soon; but in case he was unable to do so, he sent Timothy these instructions for how to manage the church at Ephesus.

Susan: He was instructing Timothy in how to be a good shepherd to the Lord’s flock which had been entrusted to him, not just by Paul, but by the Lord.

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Susie: Verse sixteen is one of Paul’s “Gospel in a nutshell” statements. We defined mystery as used by Paul as something that was previously unknown but now made clear.

Susan: The first mystery was that God was willing to contain Himself within the limitation of human flesh.

Susie: One of the things I find amazing about the incarnation, God becoming human, was that He chose to do so by becoming an embryo, a tiny helpless human, rather than just appearing as a full-grown man.

Susan: God’s Holy Spirit’s presence in the form of a dove confirmed that Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah, the only begotten Son of God.

John 1:32-33 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

Susie: The Spirit also enabled Jesus to perform signs and miracles that could only be attributed to the power of God.

Susan: After His baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness, fasted for 40 days and nights, and was tempted by Satan at His most vulnerable point as a human. After this time of temptation without sinning, angels ministered to Him and strengthened Him.

Matthew 4:11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Susie: Angels attended His birth, rolled the stone away when He rose from the dead, and were there when He ascended back to Heaven as well.

Susan: After Jesus returned to the Father, those Jews who believed on Him as the Messiah, could not hold this wondrous, exciting reality all to themselves. This was especially true in the case of the Apostle Paul, but he certainly was not the only one who preached Jesus to the Gentiles. He was probably the most prominent one.

Susie: He definitely is the one most associated with spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles. However, after the Lord showed Peter through a vision that the Gentiles should not be taboo, he preached to Cornelius and his entire household (Acts 10). Of course, this preaching increased in volume and power after the Holy Spirit came into believers on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).

Susie: As a result of Jesus’s own teaching and that of His disciples, many people believed Him to be the Messiah, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, their Savior.

Susan: What began with a band of twelve men has now spread to almost all known people groups . . .

Susie: . . .from one end of the earth to the other, on every continent. Jesus foretold this as He exited this earth after His resurrection:

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Susan: After Jesus had given His disciples their commissioning orders to spread the Gospel message to all people, He was then received back up into Heaven with the Father. He now is seated at the right-hand of God, restored to His glory, interceding for the saints, all those who believe and trust in Him.

Acts 1:9-11 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

QUESTIONS

1.       List the qualification of a deacon from this passage.

2.       What does Paul mean by “the mystery of the faith?”

3.       In what ways should a deacon candidate “be proved?”

4.       Is there a case for women as deacons? Cite scripture to support your answer.

5.       Verse 16 is a condensed version of the gospel. Use a concordance or online help such as www.biblehub.com or www.biblegateway.com to find one of Paul’s other “gospel in a nutshell” verses.