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. 1 Timothy 3: 8-13 LSB
1 Timothy 3: 8-13
Deacons likewise must be dignified - The word deacon means servant, those that serve in the church. It is not just a title, not just someone who passes the plate, not for pride, not a singularly prescribed definition as to duty. To be an elder one must be able to teach, and that is not said of deacons, though there are some that serve in this capacity, and we will see that, regardless, their doctrine must be pure as well. "Likewise", has followed the very clear expectations given to the elders. An elder is an experienced servant, a model for the deacons, and one who applies much time to learning and teaching. Stephen is an example of a deacon who also preached, and was stoned by Saul as a martyr for the faith.
Wait a minute, the reason you have elders is not to say, “Well, here’s a spiritual standard; they’re different,” but to says, “Here’s a spiritual standard; we’re to all be like that.” The same is true of deacons. Deacons are the models of spiritual virtue. They stand, in that sense, alongside the elders. There’s no diminishing. You don’t have elders here, and deacons here spiritually. The elders have the authority because they carry the power of the Word of God in their teaching emphasis. But the deacons from the standpoint of spiritual modeling are equal. In fact, there’s no difference between the spiritual qualifications of the two.
So, these are to be equally godly men, but men whose strength is not in the teaching area. That’s the difference. That’s where a pastor and an elder and an overseer steps apart. His overall responsibility is in the ruling of the church through the authority of the understanding and proclamation of the Word of God. But right alongside him come those who implement what he teaches, who implement the ministry, and whose lives are no less godly than his. And the reason is to pull the whole congregation to that level, not to set those people apart and say, “Well, they’re the abnormal pious ones; none of us could ever be expected to live like that.” Quite the contrary. The message of what a deacon is to be is a message of what you and I are to be, because they’re there to model that for us. - John Macarthur
Now in those days, while the disciples were multiplying in number, there was grumbling from the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. 2 So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not pleasing to God for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this need. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.” 5 And this word pleased the whole congregation, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. 6 And these they stood before the apostles, and after praying, they laid their hands on them.
7 And the word of God kept on spreading, and the number of the disciples continued to multiply greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. Acts 6: 1-7
Not double tongued - Not saying one thing to someone and another thing to someone else. People often do this who are people pleasers, they read body language, will back down or away from truth to appease someone. So now you have a double standard, truth for those who can handle it, and then milk that has so much water added to it that it is useless for those that hate the truth. I have seen this start all sorts of factions. I think, in the broader sense, Peter was guilty of this when converted Jews were present. He acted and lived differently with them then he did among gentiles. Paul corrected him as brothers should. We are not here to protect each others egos, but to protect the purity of the gospel, the representation of Christ. My opinions don't matter, but God's word does, and it is of utmost importance that it is understood and proclaimed clearly. There is only one Gospel, only one Jesus, all else is ushering people towards certain destruction. A double tongued person lacks integrity of speech.
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles, but when they came, he began to shrink back and separate himself, fearing the party of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before everyone, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
15 “We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; 16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. 17 But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! 18 For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” Galatians 2: 11-21
Not indulging in much wine, not fond of dishonest gain - As pointed out before it is not a good thing in those who rule or serve to be controlled by drink and not able to think clearly. Taking up the offering and counting the money is not the sole purpose of deacons, though at many churches you would think that is the case, but someone who steals or does business of a questionable nature should not be considered. I mentioned the deacon I grew up with before and his porn, but I have known pastors and elders who also have tried to use their position to talk people out of money that was owed, to not pay for damages they caused, or to say they are a deacon where it seemed to mean something to the person over them at work. That is not a model life.
V. 9 Holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience - His doctrine is sound, the mystery of the OT, the Seed foretold in Genesis, this man can see clearly that this mystery of the gospel is revealed to us in Christ, taught to us in the NT. I will include a link that you can follow to trace this revelation through the OT pictures. At the bottom of each one if you click the left arrow it will take you to the next in the series.
V. 10 And these men must also be first tested - This is something left out of the majority of evangelical churches, and they are in full on disobedience here, but they make it out to be such a light thing. We have fallen to the level of , "I like his hair cut, his suit, she smells nice, they always seem so happy, they give a lot of money here, we play golf together, he is my fishing buddy." We are far too quick to lay on hands just because someone wants the title. This is a huge problem in the corporate world as well. Character needs to come back into fashion, and I will not give my name for someone else until I have tested them, and even then I will follow up with them when I think they are an embarrassment to their title. Leaders need to be the greatest servants, but some only see it as prestige. Did God not make you? Did you create the talents that you have? God has put first in all these list, not ability, not looks, but character. Note the word "also" which can only refer to the elders in this context. This assumes that elders are first tested.
21I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality. 22Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands and thereby share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. 23Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments.… 1 Timothy 5: 21-23
…27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” 29As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.… Matthew 20: 27-29
V. 11 Women must likewise be dignified - I think the Legacy Standard Bible gives one of the better linear translations here. The word deacon means servant, and so women that serve must have their lives evaluated in the same manner. Women had specific roles that were named, like teaching children, but also the older were to teach/disciple the younger women. Some serve as secretaries, as accountants, and so they would need to not be lovers of dishonest gain either. When it comes to teaching, I had Sunday school teachers that were all over the place as a child, no one checked to see if they were sound, only too happy to let them fill a perceived void. As a teenager we had youth groups, which I mostly condemn because of what I saw, but I have seen it done well at Grace in St. Cloud. At the mega churches, like FBCO, we played chubby bunny to see how many marshmallows you could put in your mouth, sang a lot, had a lot of plays and performances, but somehow they didn't think we needed sound teaching as we approached adulthood. They wanted moralists, for us to be well behaved, but fed us entertainment, worried more about filling seats. There were Sunday school teachers that never even went to a service, and so no one seemed to care or know about their spiritual maturity. I think of the woman in Proverbs 31, she was a great leader, but not to the neglect of her household. People have looked down on motherhood for far too long, and the results have been devastating. Not all women become mothers, and some have the gift to remain single, but a woman that would take on one of these roles must show that she has done so as the guardian/ruler of her home. Since the 60's on I would say that we have produced the most insecure and feral generations due to a lack of parenting and trusting others with what was entrusted to us.
8Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother. 9For they are a garland of grace on your head and a pendant around your neck. 10My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them.… Proverbs 1: 8-10
V. 12 Husbands of one wife - These mirror the moral character requirements of the elder in the previous post. I find it hard to trust a man who is not true to his wife, who talks viciously about her or to her. Marriage is a covenant ordained by God, and to enter into such a union is before Him, and so why if you do what God opposes in this should I trust you in anything else. After the contract between Creator and creation, there is no higher contract than that of marriage. It is the building block of the family which is the foundation of civilization.
…4Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”… Matthew 19: 4-6
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