1 Timothy

3.1-16

Verses 2-7 are a checklist of qualifications for pastors and elders. Not duties, but qualifications. In an unsuccessful church, the issue is less often poor programs or uncommitted people, but rather substandard, unqualified leadership. Only the Holy Spirit can produce a true spiritual leader. When Saul failed to follow God as the King of Israel, the Lord Yahweh sought out David, "a man after His own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14). The call to lead the church is so important that the office must be qualified by the highest standards. Today, people may enter the ministry for a variety of reasons that do not honor God, including Power, Fame, and Profit. The office must be above reproach, with deed matching word. Otherwise, in the words of the 17th-century Puritan preacher Richard Baxter, you may "unsay with your lives, what you say with your tongues." The chapter closes with a Gospel summarizing poem from an early church hymn. God became man, died for our sins, triumphed over death, was honored by angels and feared by demons, and ascended into heaven. It is our mission to proclaim this message to the world.

CHAPTER 3

Overseers and Deacons

1 It is a trustworthy saying: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a good work.
2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but considerate, peaceable, free from the love of money;
4 leading his own household well, having his children in submission with all dignity
5 (but if a man does not know how to lead his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),
6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not fond of dishonest gain,
9 but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
10 And these men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.
11 Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.
12 Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, leading their children and their own households well.
13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you soon,
15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
16 And by common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was manifested in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.