8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.  10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. 11 Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.  12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.  13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Introduction: Last week we looked at the purpose for a local church to have deacons. First we looked at the word "deacon" which comes from the Greek word, "diakonos," which carries the idea of serving as a helper, or one who renders service as a servant. We also noted that the purpose of deacons is to assistant the pastoral ministry by taking care of the physical needs of the church body so that pastors can accomplish their ministry of meeting the spiritual needs of the church body. Acts 6, also gave us some general qualities that we should see in those who wish to serve as deacons, such as; having a good reputation for being a Christian, controlled by the Holy Spirit, having the wisdom and ability to serve, and to look for those that we can count on to do the job that we called them to do.

This week, the Apostle Paul gives us a more detailed list of qualities to look for, again reinforcing the idea of church members being active enough in their church to know who is and who is not qualified to be a deacon, and our responsibility for making the right choice. When it comes to selecting the deacons of a local church we should not take the task light, but we should be aware of the high call of deacons.

Transition: Lets begin by looking at. . .

I. A Deacon's Distinctive Qualities (vv.8-9, 11-12).
1. A Man of Good Moral Character (v.8).

A. They are to be men of good character - "must be reverent" (v.8a).

1) The word "reverent," or "grave" originates from a Greek word that means to venerate or worship.

A) First a side note on the phrase "must be," (einai; present tense) this is a translation carry over from 3:2, by noting that likewise deacons must meet certain criteria to eligible to serve in that position.

(1) In the Greek text of the "TO BE" verb literally reads here, "He is to be this way right now..."

(A) In other words this recognizes that he certainly wasn't perfect in the past, but he should be living a certain way right now.

(B) Notice this doesn't mean that someone is qualified to be a Deacon if they just got their life together in time for an "election," but this stresses that they have shown a consistency in their present walk with the Lord.

(C) Paul's focus is on growth, maturity, and how a man is presently living (consistency in their present Christian walk is the key).

(D) This allows for redemption and restoration in the lives of those to be Deacons who have had problems in their lives where they may have had to step down from the office for a while (which is the goal for all Christians who have stumbled in their walk with the Lord; Gal.6:1-5).

(2) Therefore, with the listing of each qualifications we would say, a deacon is to be right now reverent, is to be right now not double tongued, is to be right now husband of one wife, etc.

B) Now back to the word reverent; often we ask people who is their idol is.

- Not in the sense that we actually worship them, but in the sense of wanting to be like them.

C) To be reverent, also carries the idea of someone who has a character that is honorable or respectable.

2) A man who would serve as a deacon should be someone who's character that worth imitating by others (BEC).

- A deacon should take his responsibilities seriously and use the office, not just fill it.

B. They are to be men of their word - "not double-tongued" (v.8b).

1) The word "double tongued," comes from two words which literally means "divided word."

A) It carries the idea of speaking one thing and meaning another, hypocritical, insincere, or being deceitful.

- sometimes we call this being two-faced (SL).

B) This is a prohibition against saying one thing to one person, and then telling someone else something opposite or different (MacArthur).

2) A deacon's speech must not be hypocritical, but be characterized by integrity, consistency, and honesty (MacArthur).

- A man who tells different stories to different people will quickly lose their confidence, and manifest a duplicitous and manipulative motive.

C. They are to be men of sobriety - "not given to much wine" (v.8c).

1) Simply put, deacons are to be men who are not preoccupied with drinking alcohol, nor are they to allow it to influence their lives (MacArthur).

2) A deacon should exhibit self-control and restraint in his life and not allow such things like alcohol to be have control over their lives.

1) A deacon should be someone who is honest and that you can trust.

- The first deacons would distribute money to Christian widows in need, so it was important that he would be someone who would not be tempted by the money.

2) A deacon should also be someone who would not use his office as a means of making money - in other words they are not interested in being a deacon so that they can make more business contacts, or get job promotions, etc.

Transition: Another distinctive quality that we should look for a in a deacon is that he is. . .

2. A Man Of God's Word (v.9).

A. They are men who know God's Word - "holding the mystery of the faith" (v.9a).

1) The word mystery means "truth once hidden but now revealed by God" (BEC).

2) The mystery of the faith is a description of the Christian faith (BBC).

- Therefore, deacons must be men of spiritual depth, who understand and hold fast to the deep truths of the faith (BKC).

B. They are men who live by God's Word - "with a pure conscience" (v.9b).

1) This describes a man of conviction who behaves in harmony with his beliefs (SL).

2) There must be nothing in the conduct of these men that was glaringly inconsistent with their professed beliefs (BKC).

- In other words they must not profess one thing but live another way.

A Church that would elect deacons to who do not know God's Word, nor apply it in their daily walk will reap nothing but disastrous results on the whole church. Only by studying God Word , praying and allowing the Holy Spirit to control your life will you grow in your faith. Deacons need to be students and practitioners of God's Word - to be anything less means that they are not qualified to be a deacon.

Transition: A third distinctive quality that we should look for a in a deacon is that he is. . .

3. A Family Man (vv.11-12)

A. They are to be faithful husbands - "be the husbands of one wife" (v.12a).

1) Is this speaking of divorce? - lets look at the facts.

A) Paul literally said here that a deacon is to be a, "one-woman man" (comes from gunaikos "wife or woman" and aner"husband").

(1) Paul did not use the Greek word for divorce which is apoluo that is used elsewhere in the New Testament (Matt.19:9; Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18; 1Cor. 7:11).

(2) Since polygamy was still fashionable among the pagans and the Jews (up to the 12th century), some feel that this passage has reference to such practice.

- Thus, anyone coming out of a pagan culture could not have escaped the pollution in his past.

(3) Another point that has to be made here is the use of the present tense "must be" (vv.2, 8), this would allow for a Deacon to have been divorced in his past but matured spiritually since then and therefore could hold the office of Deacon.

(A) We must remember that though divorce is tragic and is not what God intended for man, it isn't the "unpardonable sin" that some try make it.

(B) Again, using the present tense in the Greek, this passage could very easily be translated, "presently the husband of one wife."

B) Another major problem arises when you use this passage to permanently disqualify a divorced person from the office of Deacon, you then would have to permanently disqualify everyone who has ever failed in any of the other qualifications (even only one time) at some time in their Christian past.

(1) Not to do so is to be inconsistent in how you are handling these Scriptures.

(2) This would mean that any Christian who has ever thought a wrong thought, lost their temper, said or did the wrong thing would have to be permanently disqualified from serving as a Deacon also.

(A) Now when we look at what the Bible says about our sin natures, which we retain even after we become Christians (Rom.7:18-19), and are honest about ourselves then it becomes clear that there would be no one who would be qualified to serve as a Deacon.

(B) There was only one perfect person who walked the face of this earth and that was Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.

2) The emphasis here isn't on a deacon's material status, but rather their moral character.

- Deacons are to be men who have demonstrated that they are totally devoted to and faithful to their own wives.

B. They are to be faithful fathers - "ruling their children. . .well" (v.12b).

1) The word "ruling" carries the idea of "presiding or having authority over" or to "manage."

2) A deacon is to actively participate in the oversight and the raising of his children.

A) This doesn't mean that his children have to be perfect and never act up, or never get into trouble (remember they are still sinners too, and thus have a natural ability to rebel against all authority).

B) There is a recognition within that family of who is in charge and of their accountability to him.

C. They are to be leaders in their homes - "ruling. . .their own houses well" (v.12c).

1) A deacon is also to be the manage of his home, which affirms the biblical teaching about the husband's responsibility in faithfully carrying out his duties.

2) This affirms the consistent biblical teaching on male headship in the home (Eph.5:22-25; Col.3:18-20).

A) This verse isn't saying that he is to be the dictator of the home, but the leader.

- 1 Peter 3:7-9, "Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing."

B) The best leaders lead by example.

D. They are to have godly wives (v.11).

1) The issue of wives or deaconess - "Likewise their wives" (v.11a)?

A) Lets examine the facts here:

(1) The normal and standard use of the Greek word gune is woman or wife, not a deaconess.

- To make this read as a deaconess, you have to add a modifying word or phrase, where as to take it at the meaning of wives nothing has to be added.

(2) Some argue from Romans 16:1, where Phoebe is called a servant (diakonon a feminine form of diakonos) of the church.

(A) The word diakonos occurs 31 times in the New Testament; The KJV translates it "minister" 20 times, "servant" 8 times, and "deacon" only 3 times (Phil.1:1; 1Tim.3:8, 12).

(B) The common meaning and the most used use of the word carries the idea of one who executes the commands of another, esp. of a master, a servant, attendant, minister.

(C) It has been used in the general sense of Christians serving other Christians (John 12:26); It's been used to describe such people as Jesus Christ (Rom.15:8; Gal 2:17), the Apostles who suffered for Christ (2Cor.11:23), the Apostle Paul (Rom.1:1; Titus 1:1; Col.1:25; 1Cor.3:5), Timothy (1 Thes.3:1-3; 1 Tim.4:6), Epaphras (Col. 1:7), and Tychicus (Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:7).

(D) The same word has also been used of nonbelievers in government (Rom:13:1-4).

(E) To argue for an office of deaconess based on the use of the Greek word diakonon being used this one time, with no other real Scriptural support leaves an individual on very thin ice at best.

(3) Acts 6:3 clearly calls for men (aner) to serve in this position and the context surrounding the use of gune or wives found here in 1 Timothy focuses on male deacons, thus the flow of this passage best fits with the women being the wives of the deacons.

B) To translate it any other way makes this an awkward translation, but when it is translated as wives it allows for all the pieces of this passage to fit together best.

C) Why would deacons wives need to meet certain qualifications?

(1) Because their behavior would have a direct impact upon their husbands service.

(2) Because they may be involved in helping to meet the needs of some of their church members.

(A) Like taking food to someone's house.

(B) Like visiting someone who is sick.

(C) Like taking someone to the grocery store, or to pay a bill.

2) A deacon's wife must also be a person of character.

A) They must be someone who is respected by others - "must be reverent" (v.11b).

- Like their husbands, they should be someone who is respectable and has a good character.

B) They must not be gossips - "not slanderers" (v.11c).

(1) They are not to be gossips and able to control their tongues.

- "slanderers," ("diabolos" {dee-ab'-ol-os}); devil, false accuser, prone to slander, given to malicious gossip.

(2) A gossipy deacon's wife can cause much trouble in the church (McGee).

C) They must have self-control - "temperate" (v.11d).

(1) The word "temperate," ("nephalios" {nay-fal'-ee-os}; means sober or abstaining from wine.

(2) She is not to be a drinker, but someone who is sober in judgment (MacArthur).

D) They must "faithful in all things" (v.11e).

(1) They are dependable, loyal, and worthy of confidence, because they are able to keep personal confidences and family privacy private (BBC).

(2) She should be faithful to her husband, to Christ Himself, and to His cause (McGee).

(3) She is someone who is completely trustworthy (SL).

Transition: Now that we know what is expected of a deacon, lets look at. . .

II. A Deacon's Testing (v.10).
1. They have demonstrated a consistency in their Christian walk - "But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons" (v.10a).

A. The word "tested" carries the idea of testing metal to see if it is genuine.

B. A church body is to have watched the lives of those who might become deacons to see how they conduct themselves in such a way to prove that they are genuine deacon material.

- I have known of some churches who have taken their possible deacon candidates and put them on "notice" for a year so the congregation could watch them to see if they were worthy of serving as a deacon.

2. They have been found worthy to serve in the office - "being found blameless" (v.10b).

A. The word "blameless" here refers particularly to the qualifications that we just looked at.

B. Being "found blameless," doesn't mean that they are perfect, but rather as we compare those who are seeking the office of deacon, with the qualifications given, there should be no reasonable grounds to accuse them of not living up to these standards.

Transition: The last thing we need to look at in relation to the office of deacon is. . .

III. A Faithful Deacon's Reward (v.13).
1. They will be highly respected by others - "For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing" (v.13a).

A. One reward of being a faithful deacon is that it will have an excellent standing and will gain the respect of others.

- Deacons that serve well will become known as men who that can be trusted (McGee).

B. We are also reminded here that there may also be greater rewards for faithful service given to them at the Judgment Seat of Christ (ROM 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:10-15, 2 Cor. 5:10: NIBC).

2. They will grow greatly in their faith - "For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves. . .great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus" (v.13b).

A. Another reward for faithful service as a deacon, is an increased confidence in dealing with other people and with God (SL).

1) Successful service breeds confidence and assurance among the people served (MacArthur)..

2) Those who serve God well and see His power and grace operative in their lives will be emboldened for even greater service (MacArthur).

B. Serving as a deacon helps them to mature in their faith.

Invitation:

1. When it comes to selecting and electing deacons, we must apply God's Word, and not our own standards.

A. If you ignore God's Word, then you can expect to have deacons who will disappoint you and who fail to serve the church as God intended.

B. Remember, the key to selecting deacons isn't that you are looking for perfect men, but men who are dedicated Christians, who have shown a consistency in their present Christian walk, and they have a servant's heart.

A. God doesn't expect more from you than what you are able to do.

B. Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
 

BBC - Believer's Bible Commentary, William MacDonald, Thomas Nelson Publishers.
BEC - The Bible Exposition Commentaries, Warren W. Wiersbe
BKC - Bible Knowledge Commentary, John F. Walvoord & Roy B. Zuck, Victor Books.
MacArthur - John MacArthur's New Testament Commentary.
McGee - Thru The Bible, J. Vernon McGee.
NIBC - New Illustrated Bible Commentary, Radmacher, Allen & House, Thomas Nelson Inc.
SL - Expository notes, Dr. Thomas Constable (http://soniclight.com/).

V.8.
- "deacons," ("diakonos" {dee-ak'-on-os: n, acc, masc, pl}); who renders helpful service, servant, helper, official in the church.
- "must be," (einai; present tense) This is a translation carry over from 3:2, by noting that likewise deacons must meet certain
    criteria to eligible to serve in that position.

- - In the Greek text of the "TO BE" verb literally reads here, "He is to be this way right now..." In other words this recognizes that he certainly wasn't perfect in the past, but he should be living a certain way right now. Notice this doesn't mean that someone is qualified to be a Deacon if they just got their life together in time for an "election," but this stresses that they have shown a consistency in their present walk with the Lord. Paul's focus is on growth, maturity, and how a man is presently living (consistency in their present Christian walk is the key). This allows for redemption and restoration in the lives of those to be Deacons who have had problems in their lives where they may have had to step down from the office for a while (which is the goal for all Christians who have stumbled in their walk with the Lord; Gal.6:1-5). Note also that throughout our text there is the constant use of the Present Tense (instead of an Aorist Tense which would have denoted an action in the past without regard to its duration).

NOTE: Verse 8, Present Infinitive of the TO BE verb is used here; Lit., "Servants right now presently are to be worthy of respect...presently not indulging in much wine...presently the husband of one wife...etc." This allows for those who have stumbled in their Christian walk in the past to be restored to ministry when there has been a consistent Christian walk reestablished by them.

NOTE: Verse 9 could read: "Clinging to the faith that previously wasn't revealed with a clean conscience."

-- Present Imperative; do it and keep on doing it

-- This comes from two words, ana = above and klatos = called

NOTE: Verse 10 could read: "Let them go through a period of examination; then let them serve as Servants if they are above called."

NOTE: Wives of deacons, or women deacons? The normal and standard use of the Greek word gune is woman or wife, not a deaconess. To make this read as a deaconess, you have to add a modifying word or phrase, where as to take it at the meaning of wives nothing has to be added. Some argue from Romans 16:1, where Phoebe is called a servant (diakonon a feminine form of diakonos) of the church. The word diakonos occurrs 31 times in the New Testament; The KJV translates it "minister" 20 times, "servant" 8 times, and "deacon" only 3 times (Phil.1:1; 1Tim.3:8, 12). The common meaning and the most used use of the word carries the idea of one who executes the commands of another, esp. of a master, a servant, attendant, minister. It has been used in the general sense of Christians serving other Christians (John 12:26); It's been used to describe such people as Jesus Christ (Rom.15:8; Gal 2:17), the Apostles who suffered for Christ (2Cor.11:23), the Apostle Paul (Rom.1:1; Titus 1:1; Col.1:25; 1Cor.3:5), Timothy (1 Thes.3:1-3; 1 Tim.4:6), Epaphras (Col. 1:7), and Tychicus (Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:7). The same word has also been used of non-believers in government (Rom:13-1-4). No one has ever tried to argue that these individuals were deacons of the church based on the use of word diakonos, To argue for an office of deaconess based on the use of the Greek word diakonon being used this one time, with no other real Scriptural support leaves an individual on very thin ice at best. Whereas, Acts 6:3 clearly calls for men (aner) to serve in this position and the context surrounding the use of gune or wives found here in 1 Timothy focuses on male deacons, thus the flow of this passage best fits with the women being the wives of the deacons. To translate it any other way makes this an awkward translation, but when it is translated as wives it allows for all the pieces of this passage to fit together best.

V.12.
- "let," ("esto" {es'-to: v, imper, pres, act, 3per, pl}); let be, be, to be, denotes what exists.
- "deacons," ("diakonos" {dee-ak'-on-os: n, nom, masc, pl}); one who renders helpful service, servant, helper,
    official in the church.
- "husbands," ("aner" {an'-ayr: n, nom, masc, pl}); husband, an adult male.
- "of one," ("mias" {mee'-ah: adj, card, fem, sg}); one, a certain someone.
- "wife," ("gune" {goo-nay': n, gen, fem, sg}): woman, a wife.

NOTE: It literally means, "one-woman man" (comes from gunaikos "wife or woman" and aner"husband"). The Greek word for divorce is apoluo which means "to set free, let go, to send away or dismiss" (Matt.19:9; Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18; 1Cor. 7:11). Paul doesn't use this common word for divorce in this verse which has led to much debate about what he meant by this passage. As a result no one can be dogmatic as to the meaning of this phrase. Since polygamy was still fashionable among the pagans and the Jews (up to the 12th century), some feel that this passage has reference to such practice. Thus, anyone coming out of a pagan culture could not have escaped the pollution in his past. Therefore, the way that Paul phrased the wording of this verse along with the use of the present tense (must be- v.8), a Deacon could have been divorced in his past but matured spiritually since then and therefore could hold the office of Deacon. We must remember that though divorce is tragic and is not what God intended for man, it isn't the "unpardonable sin" that some try make it. Again, using the present tense in the Greek, this passage could very easily be translated, "presently the husband of one wife." Another major problem arises when you use this passage to permanently disqualify a divorced person from the office of Deacon, you then would have to permanently disqualify everyone who has ever failed in any of the other qualifications (even only one time) at some time in their Christian past - not to do so is to be inconsistent in how you are handling these Scriptures, without any Scriptural support to do so. This would mean that any Christian who has ever thought a wrong thought, lost their temper, said or did the wrong thing would have to be permanently disqualified from serving as a Deacon also. Now when we look at what the Bible says about our sin natures, which we retain even after we become Christians (Rom.7:18-19), and are honest about ourselves then it becomes clear that there would be no one who would be qualified to serve as a Deacon. There was only one perfect person who walked the face of this earth and that was Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. Please note that I have never been divorced, so I don't have any agenda here besides trying to understand what God's word teaches and being honest about that whether I like it or not.

V.13.
- "well," ("kalos" {kal-oce': adj, adv}): well, good, full well, very well, rightly, to speak well of.
- "served. . .deacons," ("diakoneo" {dee-ak-on-eh'-o: v, part, aor, act, nom, masc, pl}): who renders helpful service,
   servant, helper, official in the church. (KJV = used the office of deacon)
- "obtain for themselves," ("peripoieo" {per-ee-poy-eh'-om-ahee: v, ind, pres, mid, 3per, pl}); obtain, acquire, win,
   preserve for oneself, gain or acquire for oneself. (KJV = purchase to themselves)

-- Indicative mood implies certainty and reality