1 Timothy 3.12-14-Paul Presents The Final Two Qualifications For Deacons And Rewards For Faithful Service As A Deacon And Writes Of His Imminent Return
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday May 15, 2011
1 Timothy: 1 Timothy 3:12-14-Paul Presents The Final Two Qualifications For Deacons And Rewards For Faithful Service As A Deacon And Writes Of His Imminent Return
Lesson # 68
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 3:14.
In 1 Timothy 3:12, the apostle Paul continues to list the qualifications that must be met by those men who aspire to the office of deacon.
In this verse, he presents the eleventh and twelfth qualifications.
1 Timothy 3:8 Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, 9 but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 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, and good managers of their children and their own households. (NASU)
“Deacons must be husbands of only one wife” indicates that the man who desires to be a deacon must already be characterized as a one-woman man.
A one-woman type of man, can be placed in the office of deacon and trusted to deal in maturity and with discretion in a situation involving female members.
“And good managers of their children and their own households” expresses the idea that the man’s children submit to his leadership out of respect for him and not out of fear.
The deacon’s wife and children must love, respect and follow his leadership and his children should have respect for authority in every area of life.
It teaches that like the overseer, the deacon must be governing his own children and household according to the standards of God’s Word.
Specifically, he must do so with regards to operating in God’s love by the power of the Spirit.
Running one’s household according to the world’s standards will not cut it.
The apostle Paul in verse 13 concludes his discussion of the list of qualifications that must be met by those men who aspire to the office of deacon with a word of encouragement for those who serve well as deacons.
1 Timothy 3:13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. (NASU)
Paul’s statement in verse 13 advances upon this list and intensifies it in the sense that he is presenting the rewards that a deacon can receive for serving well.
Verse 13 advances upon and intensifies the discussion of this list in the sense that it advances from discussing how to qualify as a deacon to the rewards for serving well as a deacon.
It is emphatic in that it would attract special attention from those men who sought to qualify as a deacon because it presents the rewards for serving well as a deacon.
“For those who have served well as deacons” is used of those men who serve as deacons in the church according to God’s standards of excellence that are revealed by the Spirit in the Word of God.
It expresses the idea of a man serving in the office of deacon in the way God would have him serve, namely by obeying the teaching of the Holy Spirit as it is found in the Word of God, who instructs the Christian to operate according to the love of God by His power.
“Obtain for themselves a high standing” denotes that the deacon who serves faithfully “gains for himself” excellent progress spiritually resulting in greater confidence before Christ at the Bema Seat.
It speaks of advancing toward the Father’s goal of conforming the Christian into the image of Christ.
Therefore, serving as a deacon according to the standards set in God’s Word produces excellent progress toward the Father’s will of conforming the deacon into the image of Christ.
The office of deacon presents greater opportunities to operate in the love of God and to grow up spiritually.
The fact that bathmos, “standing” refers to “spiritual progress” or “advancement to the goal of spiritual maturity, i.e. Christ-likeness” and not an excellent reputation in the Christian community is clear since the former is a much greater reward for a believer and has a much greater value that the latter.
Also, it does not mean “standing” since the believer already has an excellent standing before God, which they obtained at the moment of conversion through faith alone in Christ alone, which can never be improved upon.
The adjective kalos, “high” is used to modify the noun bathmos, “spiritual progress,” which as we noted speaks of spiritual advancement or progress to the goal of spiritual maturity or Christ-likeness as a result of faithful service as a deacon.
The adjective means “excellent” and describes this spiritual progress or advancement as being of a high moral quality or character with the implication that this person is a great benefit to the community in which he lives and to the Lord Himself.
“And great confidence” presents the result of advancing spiritually to greater Christ-likeness, which is greater confidence before the Lord Jesus Christ at the Bema Seat.
The noun parresia means “confidence” referring to the confidence that the Christian man will possess at the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church while in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ because he was faithful in serving as a deacon.
It speaks of the confidence the faithful deacon will possess in the presence of the Lord at the Bema Seat because he served as a deacon according to the Lord’s standards, which are taught by the Spirit in the Word of God.
The adjective polus, “great” denotes the increase in confidence.
“In the faith” refers to the deacon’s faith in the Word of God after conversion.
It does not refer to the Christian faith in an objective sense since the expression “that is in Christ Jesus” defines the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ as the object and basis for the deacon’s faith.
By exercising faith in the teaching of Jesus Christ the deacon gains for himself excellent spiritual progress resulting in greater confidence at the Bema Seat.
“In the faith” indicates that those deacons who serve correctly gain for themselves excellent spiritual progress resulting in greater confidence at the Bema Seat “by means of” faith, which is based upon the teaching of Jesus Christ.
“That is in Christ Jesus” contains the figure of “metonymy” meaning that the Person of Christ is put for His authoritative teaching directed to His body and future bride.
It teaches that deacons who serve according to God’s standards gain for themselves excellent spiritual progress resulting in greater confidence at the Bema Seat by means of faith, which is “based upon” the teaching of Lord Jesus Christ.
He taught His disciples to serve one another by means of His love through the power of the Spirit.
In verse 14, the apostle Paul informs Timothy that he gave him instructions that are contained in chapters two and three even though he was confident he would soon visit him.
1 Timothy 3:14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 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. (NASU)
“I am writing these things to you” is a reference to Paul’s instructions that appear in 1 Timothy 2:1-3:13 that address the proper conduct of Christian men and women in the public worship setting.
This is indicated by the fact that the instructions in 1 Timothy 2:1-3:13 address the proper conduct of Christian men and women in Ephesus in the public worship setting.
Though Paul is writing to Timothy, he is addressing the entire church at Ephesus.
This is indicated by the second person plural form of the personal pronoun humeis, which means “all of you” that appears in the benediction in 1 Timothy 6:21.
As we also noted, William Mounce observes that 1 Timothy and Titus “while private in form, are public in intention, speaking through Paul’s delegates to the churches.” (Word Biblical Commentary, volume 46, Pastoral Epistles; page xcvi; Thomas Nelson)
This fits with the literary genre of 1 Timothy and Titus, which are mandate letters in the sense that they are intended from the beginning to be read in public, both to support Paul’s delegates, Timothy and Titus in their work and to hold them accountable to a standard of personal behavior that is exemplary.
“Hoping to come to you before long” is a concessive clause, which indicates that even though Paul was confident that he would shortly visit Timothy and the Ephesians, he felt it necessary to communicate in writing at that time the instructions that appear in chapter two and three.