Introductory remarks:
Paul continues giving Timothy the rules for the apostolic church. "Workers in the church should be chosen for their good reputations and pure motivation and they should be examined before taking office. Paul is giving these instructions in case he is delayed in returning" (A Survey of 1 Timothy - By Brenda). This chapter may be outlined as follows: Qualifications of bishops vv. 1-7: Qualifications of deacons vv 8-13: The mystery of our religion vv. 14-16.
Qualifications of Bishops
Verse 1, "This is a true saying, If a man desires the office of a bishop, he desireth a good thing."
LGT "Faithful is the saying: If any stretches forward to overseership, he is desirous of a good work."
Faithful is the saying: this is pointing to the following statement, and it means you can surely depend on it as being true. If any stretch forward to overseership: the Authorized Version has the word "desire" which doesn't quite define what Paul is saying; it is if any man seek after the office of overseeing or superintending the assembly, to make sure things are done according to the Word. In the Apostolic Church they had the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, and that if a man had the gift, and he sought after the office, Paul says that it is a good thing. There are two paragraphs where I agree with McGee, for when it comes to spiritual gifts, he and I part company; these are two we agree on: "Bishop actually means an overseer or superintendent. In the early church [Apostolic Church] the pastor was called by several different titles: (1) he was called a presbyter, or elder; (2) he was called a pastor, or shepherd; (3) he was called a bishop, or an overseer; and (4) he was called a minister. The pastor was never called 'reverend,' and I don't think any preacher should be so called. Reverend means 'terrible, that which incites terror.' It is a name which applies only to God." McGee goes on to say, "A bishop in the early church never had authority over other bishops or elders. He did not have authority over churches. You do not find a practice presented in the Word of God. Even Paul, who founded a number of Churches, never spoke of himself as the bishop of a church, or as the one who was ruling a church in any way whatsoever. Therefore, the minister is one who is to serve the church, not rule over it." He is desirous of a good work: if a man had the spiritual gift of being an overseer or superintendent, than it was a good thing that he desires this position. The next verse thru verse 7, Paul gives the qualifications for the overseer.
Verse 2, "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach."
LGT "It is necessary then the overseer to be blameless, husband of one wife, cautious, well mannered, cordial, competent to teach:"
It is necessary then the overseer to be blameless: one who gives no ground to accusations (Vincent). Paul tells Timothy that this office must be reserved for one who has no offense of immorality or teaching false doctrine in him. Paul is not saying the man is to be perfect, just that he is not one who is prone to rebellious or shameless behavior. Husband of one wife: this is obvious, for there were a lot of men practicing polygamy in Paul's day. The Bible is very clear that marriage is between one man and one woman, and Paul is telling Timothy, that the overseer should be the husband of one wife. Cautious: the overseer should not be given to loosing his temper, but in control of his emotions. Well mannered: an overseer should be a gentleman and not a spiritual bully; I have known men that have used the pulpit to bully their congregation, and it was a turn-off especially to my wife. Just because you may know more than the other person or persons you are fellowshipping with, it is no reason to treat them as if they were stupid; it takes self-control in this area sometimes, because sometimes people say dumb things; but if you are fair, you are also guilty in this area; the overseer needs to be very cautious in this area. I say "you" because I include every Christian in the age of grace as a servant of Jesus Christ; for today we have no spiritual gifts, and we have no Pastors; however, we do have teachers, and that is good. Cordial: an overseer was to be friendly and able to treat every believer as joint heirs with Christ. Competent to teach: this is the most obvious of the list. A man that has not studied the Word properly should not desire the office of overseer. I have witnessed this many times, in fact, I myself wanted to be a pastor before I was prepared; now I look back and thank God He never allowed me the chance of making a spiritual fool of myself; at least not in this area. Remember, Paul is speaking to Timothy the overseer of the Ephesian Church before the Word of God was complete.
Verse 3, "Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous."
LGT "Not quarrelsome over wine, not a striker, but gentle, not contentious, not loving money:"
Not quarrelsome over wine: this is a person who doesn't drink wine for pleasure, but is not only addicted to wine, but also drinks to become drunken and quarrelsome. "And, indeed, to drink wine excessively is not only very unbecoming in a pastor, but commonly draws along with it many things still worse, such as quarrels, foolish attitudes, unchaste conduct, and other things not necessary to describe" (Calvin). Not a striker: a pugnacious aggressive person. But gentle: the opposite of a striker. Not contentious: not a fighter. Not loving money: I have personally witnessed the doom of Christian men who fell into this trap of loving money first, and loving the brotherhood last. "All covetous persons [money lovers] are wickedly desirous of gain; for, wherever covetousness is, there will also be that baseness of which the apostle speaks. 'He who wishes to become rich wishes also to become rich soon' (Juvenal). The consequence is, that all covetous persons, even though this is not openly manifest, apply their minds to dishonest and unlawful gains. Accordingly, he contrasts with this vice the contempt of money; as there is no other remedy by which it can be corrected. He will not patiently and mildly endure poverty will never escape the disease of mean and sordid covetousness" (Calvin).
Verse 4, "One who ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity."
LGT "Ruling his own house well, having [his] children in subjection with all dignified seriousness."
Ruling his own house well: lovingly, not as a dictator. Standing up before his household as an example of godliness. Having his children in subjection with all dignified seriousness: this is accomplished by proper discipline of the children. The father must be honest with his children, and able to discipline them in love, not to provoke them to wrath, but in order to bring them in line with the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The discipline must never be in anger, but the father should not 'spare the rod and spoil the child.' This happy horse crap today of not spanking your children is out of the garbage can of hell. The man who does not spank his children, does not love his children, for the example of our heavenly Father is, 'the son whom He loves, He disciplines.' Do not give children a time-out, spank them, they will not die. The reason we have so many juvenile delinquents and disrespecting brats today is that they were not properly disciplined.
Verse 5, "(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?"
LGT "(But if one knows not [how] to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the assembly of God?)"
This is a beautiful illustration of grace logic in the fact that the Assembly of God is just an extension of our own families. The overseer cannot be a tyrant, nor can he be Mr. Milquetoast, not able to stand up to his charges. The "if" in this verse is in the first class condition and it is assumed to be true, that one must be able to rule his own house, if he is to rule in the family of God. By the term rule, it means to superintend his leadership with a godly consistency.
Verse 6, "Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil."
LGT "Not a novice, lest being puffed up, he may fall into [the] crime of the devil."
Not a novice: a novice is one who has recently come to the faith. This is one who could not be apt to teach. Lest being puffed up: being pushed into the highest office in the assembly, a novice might be puffed up, thinking he had arrived, and this would be to the detriment of the entire assembly. He may fall into the crime of the devil: pride cometh before a fall, and a haughty spirit before destruction. This is the reason the devil fell; his pride was so great he thought he should be above God, and that is exactly where he said he would exalt himself, that is, above the Most High God. A novice might be overtaken with conceit, and then he would not be able to edify the assembly.
Verse 7, "Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."
LGT "But it is necessary for him to have a good testimony from those without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."
But it is necessary for him to have a good testimony from those without: this is obvious that the overseer must have a spotless reputation with the world outside the church. If the world thinks the minister is a crook, why would they want to hear him? Lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil: "Lest, being subject to reproach [accusations and criticisms], he begins to be hardened, and abandoned himself the more freely to all iniquity, which is to entangle himself in the snares of the devil. For what hope is left for him who sins without any shame?" (Calvin)
Qualifications of Deacons
Verse 8, "Likewise must the deacons be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre."
LGT "In like manner, those who serve, grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of base gain:"
In like manner, those who serve: in the first church they appointed certain men with the qualifications similar to the overseer that would tend to the physical needs of the assembly, and especially the needs of the poor.
William Barclay makes this historical note:
"In the early church, the function of the deacons lay much more in the sphere of practical service. The Christian Church inherited a magnificent organization of charitable help from the Jews. No nation has ever had such a sense of responsibility for the poorer brother and sister as the Jews had. The synagogue had a regular organization for helping such people. The Jews rather discouraged the giving of individual help to individual people. They preferred that help should be given through the community and especially through the synagogue.
"Each Friday in every community, two official collectors went round the markets and called on each house, collecting donations for the poor in money and goods. The material collected in this way was distributed to those in need by a committee of two, or more if necessary. The poor of the community were given enough food for fourteen meals, that is for two meals a day for the week; but no one who already possessed a week's food in the house could receive from this fund. The fund for the poor was called Kuppah, or the basket. In addition, to cover emergencies, there was a daily collection of food from house to house for those who were actually in dire need that day. This fund was called the Tamhui, or the tray. The Christian Church inherited this charitable organization, and no doubt it was the task of the deacons to attend to it."
Grave: a man of dignity, with self-respect. Not double-tongued: these servants must be men of their words, not given to being two-faced, and liars. Not given to much wine: the same as to the overseer; they were not to stay too long at the bottle, not drinking for pleasure, but drinking to get drunk. Not greedy for base gain: these were to be men of high integrity. Men who lust for money get muddled in their thinking, and they begin to rationalize why they want to be rich, and soon they even fool themselves.
Verse 9, "Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience."
LGT "Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience."
Holding the mystery of the faith: that which has been revealed of the gospel of grace, and that it has been revealed to the entire world, not just to the Jews, but also to the Gentile nations. Paul is not talking about the definition of faith, but the Glad Tidings of the Grace of God that had been hidden in the Old Testament in types, and are now revealed in doctrine, since Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, making up the Church that consist of every nation, tribe, and tongue. The Law and the Prophets had been sealed up in the nation Israel in types; Christ, the Antitype, came and fulfilled the Law and Prophets, and now the mystery of the Gospel of Grace is offered to all men. In a pure conscience: this means that these servants not only hold to these doctrines of grace mentally, but keep them in their everyday life with a unpolluted conscience, regardless of the way they might be maligned by the outside world, and they should not cower and be shamed of the truths of the doctrines of grace. This also applies to each one of us in this age of grace; we are all in full time service because we belong to the royal family of God.
Verse 10, "And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless."
LGT "And these also let them be proved first, then let them serve, being unimpeachable."
And these also: these who want to serve the assembly, including the overseers. Let them be proved first: that is, they should be tested and demonstrate that they are not a novice, and live up to the listed qualifications from verse 8 on. Paul does not say how they are to be tested, but I imagine they served for a brief period and then if they were unimpeachable, they could continue. Then let them serve, being unimpeachable: once the family has seen that they are capable servants, let them continue serving. This also was the standard used for all who served, including the superintendent or overseer, that is, the elder.
Verse 11, "Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things."
LGT "In like manner women be grave, not gossips, sober, faithful in all things."
In like manner women be grave: the Authorized Version has the word "wives" where I have translated it "women." The Greek word gunaikas means "woman", and it also mean "wives." The context is the only way we are able to tell the difference. Some expositors like to say it means the wives of the deacons; others say that it means deaconesses; Now I believe it refers to the wives of the overseer, as well as the assembly servants, I am not too fond of the term "deacon." I believe it also applies to women in general, because I believe we are all in full time service of our Lord. The women assisted in the ministry to the poor, as well as setting up things for Bible study, and making sure the service ran properly. Not gossips: nothing can be more devastating to a servant than a gossipy woman. The Greek word used for gossip is diabolous, the same word meaning 'devil.' Women should not through slandering gossip become "she-devils." Satan is the father of all lies, and slander and gossip are based on lies. Sober: she should be a woman of a sound mind prone to listen to sound reason and judge things based on logic rather than emotion. Faithful in all things: to their husbands, to the assembly, and most of all to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 12, "Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own house."
LGT "Let those who serve be husbands of one wife, ruling [their] children well, and their own houses."
Let those who serve be husbands of one wife: this is the same as for the overseer in verse 2. It literally means, 'one wife at a time." You can do with that as you please; however, I do not believe it meant to give way to divorce and remarry, although I believe each case is judged on its own merits or demerits. The context is for monogamous relationships. Ruling their children well: also the same as for the overseer; they were to maintain strict discipline in regards to their children, but always in love. And their house: the Christian father in every house should be the final court of appeal, and the spiritual leader, bring his family up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The husband and father should be the spiritual leader in the home, with the emphasis on spiritual.
Verse 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."
LGT "For those having served well gain a good standing for themselves, and much boldness in faith which [is] in Christ Jesus."
For those having served well gain a good standing for themselves: the word in the Authorized version "purchase" is unfortunate, for in today's nomenclature [classification], it would involve bargaining. It simply means that the servant, having served well, according to Paul's stipulations, will have gained the confidence and respect of the rest of the family. And much boldness in faith which is in Christ Jesus: the more doctrine acquired the more boldness, which is courage, to be faithful in the things of Christ. "An assured position and blameless reputation in the church, with a pure conscience, would assure boldness of speech and of attitude in the Christian community and elsewhere" (Vincent).
The Mystery of Our Religion
Verse 14, "These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly."
LGT "These things I write to you, hoping to be coming to you quickly."
Paul was in Macedonia and Timothy in Ephesus, and Paul hoped to come and see him right away.
Verse 15, "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."
LGT "But if I should delay, that you may know how it is necessary in the family of God to conduct oneself, which is [the] assembly of [the] living God, [the] pillar and base of the truth."
But if I should delay: Paul wrote this epistle in case he was delayed longer than he expected; otherwise he would have given them these doctrines in person. That you may know how it is necessary in the family of God to conduct oneself: The Greek word for "house" is oikoi here meaning 'household of God', that is 'family of God' rather than 'house (or temple) of God' (Robertson). McGee uses this verse as his key verse in proving that the church was to organize. I take the opposite view; I believe that when the church organized, it began to depart from the faith. There are churches today that still teach grace doctrine, but very few; and the ones still teaching truth are very small, and are more like family than ecclesiastical monuments. Which is the assembly of the living God: where two or more Christians are meeting around the Word of God to study, the Holy Spirit is blessing their fellowship. The pillar and base of the truth: Paul is not talking about the building with its high steeple, nor the organization, but the family of God and its testimony before the world. "This does not refer, I suppose, to creed and confessions, or to the decisions of synods and councils; but to the living Spirit of truth and piety in the church itself [the family of God]. As certainly as the church continue to live, so certain it will be that the truth of God will be perpetuated among men" (Barnes).
Calvin has this to say about the Church in Rome:
"First by applying this pillar and base of the truth to themselves, they act wickedly; because they deck themselves with borrowed feathers. For, granting that the Church was elevated above the third heaven, I maintain that it has nothing to do with them in any manner. Nay, I even turn the whole passage against them; for if the Church 'is the pillar of truth,' it follows that the Church is not with them, when the truth not only lies buried, but is shockingly torn, and thrown down, and trampled under foot. Is this either a riddle or a quibble [splitting hairs]? Paul does not wish that any society, in which the truth of God does not hold a lofty and conspicuous place, shall be acknowledged to be a Church; now there is nothing of all this in Popery, but only ruin and desolation; and, therefore, the true mark of a Church is not found in it. [I might add that this also goes for all denominations]. But the mistake arises from this, that they do not consider, what was the greatest importance, that the truth of God is maintained by the pure preaching of the gospel; and that the support of it does not depend on the faculties or understandings of men, but rests on what is far higher, that is, if it does not depart from the simple Word of God."
Verse 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."
LGT "And confessedly great is the mystery of faithfulness:
Who was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Was seen of angels,
Preached among the Gentle nations,
Was believed on in [the] world,
Was received up in glory.
And confessedly great is the mystery of faithfulness: the mystery of faithfulness is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, previously hidden, but revealed in and through the cross. Who was manifested in the flesh: the incarnation of Christ born of the Virgin Mary. Christ was truly human and at the same time truly divine, He was the God-Man [*See addendum] Justified in the Spirit: Christ was justified in His own Spirit. He was justified in the Spirit by the fact that He was resurrected. He was manifested in the flesh by His incarnation, that is, His Virgin Birth; He was justified in the Spirit by His resurrection. Was seen of angels: His manifestation to the angels was probably after His ascension when He presented Himself before them Phil. 2:10. Preached among the Gentile nations: this was Paul's entire ministry, for it was his glory Eph. 3:1, 8. Was believed on in the world: people are still accepting Christ as Savior even in our time. Was received up in glory: Christ is seated at the present time at the right hand of the Father making intercession for you and me.
*Addendum:
"By the word flesh Paul declares that Christ was true man, and that He was clothed with our nature; but, at the same time, by the word manifested, He shows that there were two natures. We must not imagine a Jesus Christ who is God, and another Jesus Christ who is man; but we must know that He alone is both God and man. Let us distinguish His two natures, so as to know that this is the Son of God who is our brother. Now I have said that God permits the ancient heresies, with which the church was troubled, to be revived in our time, in order to excite us to greater activity. But, on the other hand, let us observe, that the devil is constrained to do his utmost to overthrow this article of faith, because he sees clearly that it is the foundation of our salvation. For if we have not that mystery of which Paul speaks, what will become of us? We are all children of Adam, and therefore we are cursed; we are in the pit of death; in short, we are deadly enemies of God, and thus there is nothing in us but condemnation and death, till we know that God came to seek us, and that, because we could not rise to Him, He came down to us. Till we have known this, are we not more than wretched? For this reason the devil wished, as far as he could, to destroy that knowledge, or rather to mix it with his lies, so as to be perverted. On the other hand, when we see that there is such majesty in God, how shall we dare to approach unto Him, seeing that we are full of misery? We must therefore come to this union of the majesty of God with human nature. And thus, in every respect, till we have known the divine majesty that is in Jesus Christ, and our human weakness which He hath taken upon Him, it is impossible for us to have any hope, or to be capable of having recourse to the goodness of God, or of having the boldness to call upon Him, and return to Him. In a word, we are entirely shut out from the heavenly kingdom, the gate is shut against us, and we cannot approach to it in any way whatever"(William Pringle- Editor of Calvin's Commentary).
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