Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 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. 1 Timothy 3:8-13
Here we see the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, giving the qualifications for the leaders of the Church. Previously Paul gave the qualifications for an “overseer” which includes positions such as a Pastor, Elder, ect. And we see the qualifications are we see the seriousness of these callings. Nobody should enter into these positions lightly, as the Apostle James said “Not everyone should be a teacher, as you will be held under stricter judgment” (James 3:1)
Today we look at the position of “Deacon” this word means “to serve” A deacon is essentially anyone who is serving the Church under the authority of the Overseer (Pastor, Elder, ect) While many like to claim the title as Deacon for carnal reasons, from a Biblical perspective, the Deacon is a servant of the Church, held under strict qualifications just as the overseer, as the Apostle Paul says “they should have great boldness in that faith which is in Christ Jesus”
Now an interesting note in verse 11, the original Greek word is “Gune”now this word can be translated as wife, but also as woman. If you look at the different English translations, many translate it as woman, meaning this role as “deacon” is open to men and women in Christ. We can see an example of this in the Bible, Romans 16:1 Phoebe is listed as a deacon or servant of the Church.
However in the next verse 12, we see the Apostle Paul says “Deacons to be the husbands of one wife” So the question would be in verse 11, is Paul addressing the woman deacons or is he addressing the wives of the men deacons of the Church? Either way, this position of Deacon is to be under the spiritual authority of the Overseer (Pastor/Elder)
It’s clear the Deacon is not to be a new convert, as the Apostle Paul says “let them first be proved, and let them use the office of deacon , being found blameless” This should be a mature Christian, who has been proven to the Church for their spiritual maturity and leadership. In the Early Church , one of the main responsibilities of the deacon was managing the finances of the Church. As you can imagine, this trust needed to be put in a Christian who was well respected and trusted by the body of Christ.
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