1 Timothy 3

introduction

We have been talking through the book of 1 Timothy and breaking down the incredible truths in the teaching that Paul gives to the young man. As a reminded, Paul is the man that wrote a majority of the new testament through letters of teaching. Timothy was a young but very strong believer. Some estimates put timothy around 14-16 at the point that 1 Timothy was written. But Timothy was a perfect example of what the early church was hoping for. He was the son of both a Jew and a Gentile, he was an avid believer who trusted in Jesus, and he was a convert because of the ministries that Paul was involved in. Now, we have been talking through the 1st two chapter over the last five weeks. We talked about watching for false teachers, trying to teach properly, and then touching on paying attention to context, and the difficulty of dealing with the roles of men and women in the church and how we unfortunately have been taught relatively incorrectly. This week, I get to continue by talking about church leadership. When I first got ny call to ministry I was so excited that I told my parents as soon as I could. Their response, they scoffed a bit and said, “are you sure?” I went silent because I thought they were making fun of me and not believing what I had to say, but rather, they were asking if I had thought it through. Which I had not. Let’s pray before we begin to break down chapter 3 of 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy 3:1 CSB

This saying is trustworthy: says “If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work.”

The word overseer here is hard to translate and is part of the reason that church leadership is so difficult to nail down is because of the variations of opinions on this passage alone. The word overseer in Greek is episkopos. This word can be translated overseer, teacher, elder, bishop, pastor, and is even used in the word for busybodies and the root of translation comes from visitation and a place of position. As you can hear, there is a lot of different ways that you can take this word. Ultimately though, this is the person who is at the head of the church. The person who teaches, who leads, and who oversees the ministries that go on. This is why Paul says that he desires a noble work, it takes a lot to want to shepherd people, because it is difficult and comes with it’s own set of responsibilities. Often with dire consequences for failure. James 3:1 “Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment.” and so, we must approach being a leader with careful consideration because the list of qualifications is high. But, God does not call the qualified, often he qualifies the called (if we’re listening) so let’s read through the qualifications to be an overseer, pastor, bishop, teacher, or elder.

1 Timothy 3:2–7 CSB

An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not an excessive drinker, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy. He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil. Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the devil’s trap.

to start, they must be above reproach. this means that those who look at what is on the surface will be able to trust that it is true because they live their life like that in all circumstances. There is never a moment where they can be called out for sinning. The dictionary defines reproach as “shame or disgrace or that which brings rebuke or censure upon a person.” The word must is emphasizing that this particular quality of being “above reproach” is an unconditional prerequisite for a leadership role in the church. Above reproach, however, does not mean without sin. No Christian lives an entirely sinless life, nor will we until we reach the glorified state in heaven. Above reproach means that the overseer’s life is free from sinful habits or behaviors that would impede his setting the highest Christian standard and model for the church to emulate. Similarly, the overseer must not give cause for those outside the church to impugn its reputation. Being above reproach means that no one can honestly bring a charge or accusation against him.

secondly, they must be husband of one wife. This is an interesting qualification because it shows how much marriage teaches a person. From personal experience, it teaches me how to accept help, how to lead, how to love, how to care, how to teach and guide, and so much more. This does bring up an interesting question though, can those who are not married lead the church. Well, the answer is pretty clear when it comes to Paul. Throughout his ministry, life, and death, we never hear of him being married, and yet he fulfills this role many times. So, no, it is not necessary to be an overseer, but it is a great lesson for those who are

next they must be self-controlled, sensible, respectable, and hospitable.

next they must be able to teach

next they must not excessively drunk,

next they should not bully, quarrel, and they should not be greedy.

Next they need to be able to control their children well.

Finally, we get into the religious qualifications. They must not be new to the faith and they must have a good reputation to those within and without of the church.

1 Timothy 3:8 CSB

Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money,

Deacons is the word diakonos and has a lot less mystery about what the word means. These are servants. a Deacon is someone who steps alongside of the overseers and helps them in their ministry with some of the more practical aspects in ministry. This is where a lot of churches get confused. We use the term Elder where we should use the term deacon and because we use the wrong term they believe that they have more power in the church then they should have. This causes power vacuums and politics that confuse and break the church. These too have responsibilities but far less than the overseer. they must not be greedy, hypocritical worthy of respect and they shouldn’t be a drunk. That is far easier. However, Deacons have extra responsibility when it comes to their faith walks.

1 Timothy 3:9–10 CSB

holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. They must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons.

Deacons should be those strong in the faith who have been tested and known to be a strong believer. This is so they can stand up when Satan inevitably tries to attack as a prayer warrior who can stand alongside of the Overseer.

1 Timothy 3:11–13 CSB

Wives, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything. Deacons are to be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently. For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Both deacons and overseers have difficult positions but we find out that the spouse of those who take these position are also in difficult situations. When Sarah and I were talking about being married, I got very serious one day while I sat Sarah down. I looked her in the eyes and said, “I am going to be a pastor one day, are you going to be ok being a pastors wife?” and she smiled and agreed. I wanted to make sure she knew that she would also be under scrutiny in the church and that we were going to be in a difficult situation.

1 Timothy 3:14–16 CSB

I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon. But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Paul finishes out this section by pointing to the Gospel, ultimately Paul would love to come and teach in person. However, Paul knew that God kept changing his course and he might not be able to come. So he clearly laid out the gospel and the qualifications for those who would be in charge so that Timothy could be a good leader and work well with those who would stand alongside him. Timothy himself stepped into the position of overseer, but he needed to know who to surround himself with. This same position was filled by Tychus before and eventually, John would step in and lead the church until his exile. And so Paul wrote so that the church would be without excuse! They had the rules on how to present themselves and then he ends with the Gospel.

1 Timothy 3:14–16 CSB

He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

So let us pray and sing the doxology praising God for what he did.