Verses 1-7 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
The Apostle Paul now turns his attention and advice to the leadership structure of the Church. The Greek word translated as “bishop” is “episkope” and it means overseership, office, charge, the office of an elder, or the overseer or presiding officers of a Christian church. A pastor is a bishop. This is not to be confused with bishops as seen in Catholicism. The Apostle Paul states that to desire this function in the Church is a commendable thing. But then he lists the requirements. The man seeking the office of bishop must be blameless or irreproachable. Bishops are men as they have to be a husband or married, and they can only have been married to one woman. Since God does not sanction divorce, this means that these married men cannot be divorcees as they would have at least two wives. “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” Matthew 5:31-32 In today’s societies it may be difficult to find men who are married to their first and only wife to fill this function in the Church. So bishops cannot be single or divorced, plain and simple. Nor can they be Catholic as they are not married men.
Application: There will be some who insist that being “the husband of one wife” means a monogamous relationship or the state of being married to one person at a time, and that being divorced from a former wife is not a problem. Multiple wives were common in early Old Testament times, but at the time of the writing of this epistle the normal was one husband and one wife. And if a man cannot keep his marriage going and ends up in divorce, is that man blameless? Is that man able to manage a church situation with all of its people if he could not manage his marriage with just one other individual?
Bishops must also be vigilant (sober, temperate), sober (of a sound mind, sane, self-controlled), of good behavior (modest, seemly), given to hospitality (hospitable, generous to guests), and apt to teach (skillful in teaching). They must not be given to wine (drunken), or a striker (contentious, quarrelsome, ready for a physical fight), nor greedy of filthy lucre (greedy for money). Again, they must be blameless. They must be patient (equitable, fair, mild, and gentle), not a brawler (abstaining from fighting), and not covetous (not loving money, not avaricious). They must be blameless. They must have their family under control as is fitting for Christian people and as per the commandments of the LORD. Their children must be obedient to their authority because of the adult characteristics demonstrated that engender respect from the children. A bishop who has an unruly family situation cannot lead a congregation, plain and simple.
Application: This writer knows of two pastors who resigned from their very successful churches because of the sins of their children. They understood these verses and did that which was scriptural and pleasing to God. In time, the children repented and reformed and God honored these pastors by restoring them to the function of a shepherd in His Church. God has a standard of behavior and performance that He expects from His servants placed in positions of leadership. A flock of sheep cannot survive if their shepherd is distracted from his job. Likewise a congregation suffers if their leadership is distracted by family concerns. Deacons and bishops are also church leadership and must also be blameless and above reproach.
A bishop should not be a new convert or one who has recently become a Christian. There is a lack of spiritual maturity and having a position of authority can result in pride, and Satan understands pride and will use it to make the new convert fall and fail.
A bishop “must have a good report of them which are without” or who are not a part of the Church. The unsaved are always watching those who profess to be followers of Jesus for the purpose of finding something they can criticized and gossip about. Therefore, the Christian bishop must be able to get along with the unsaved without compromising his Christianity.
Verses 8-13 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; 9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. 11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. 12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 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.
Deacons are servants in the Church. The Greek word translated as “likewise” is “hosautos” and it means in like manner. So all the attributes and character requirements of bishops also applies to deacons. To be double-tongued means to say one thing with one person and say another with another person usually with the intent to deceive. This is sin. A bishop must be blameless. Gossip can fall into this meaning as gossips often change their stories as they spread misinformation in order to have a greater effect depending on the people they are gossiping to or gossiping about.
Application: The Apostle Paul mentions for a second time wine and filthy lucre. Usually when something is mentioned twice in Scripture it is to be paid attention to. One of the greatest blights upon most cultures today is drug use and abuse. Alcohol is a drug, plain and simple, but because it is a revenue maker for the governments of nations, it is sanctioned. Misuse of alcohol affects the brain and therefore thinking and decision making. If used in excess it destroys relationships, destroys employment and therefore financial security, and destroys the physical body of those using it. The devils love alcohol and all other drugs as they can have a free rein with those people trapped in the cycle of addiction. Alcoholism is not a disease as is taught by the secular world. It is a spirit that controls the people stupid enough to get involved with this drug. If it was a disease, God would not have had the Apostle Paul write in Ephesians 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” People usually cannot help being sick or diseased, but they can choose not to use alcohol and all other drugs. If filled with the Spirit of God, there is no room for the spirit of a devil.
The second blight upon people today is the love of money. Jesus said, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:10 Notice Jesus said “all evil”. The advice to follow the money trail when trying to understand a situation in politics or commerce is true. All the wars that have ever claimed the lives of young men were for the purpose of stealing the wealth of the nations under attack. All the statutes, rules, and laws passed to enslave the peoples of a nation are for the purpose of extracting the fruits of the people’s labor. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer because of the love of money that drives men and women to want more and more and to want the power that money can buy. Those people in leadership functions in the Church need to resist greed. They are to be blameless.
Deacons are to hold fast or keep those things of the Christian Faith which God reveals to them, but which are hidden from ungodly and wicked men, by having a clean or morally good conscience that can distinguish right from wrong. Men wishing to function as deacons have to be “proved” (tested, examined scrutinized, or found worthy) before holding this office in God’s Church. They, like the bishops, must be married to only one woman and not be divorced, and they must rule their families in a Godly manner. They are to be blameless. Their wives are to be blameless also and to conduct themselves in a manner pleasing to the LORD. The Apostle Paul then concludes by stating that those men who use the office (office meaning work or a job, not a position or a place) of a deacon well will end up with a good reputation in the Church and will be a good influence among God’s people, and will become bold with a freedom to speak openly and frankly about the things of God.
Verses 14-15 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: 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.
The Apostle Paul was always anxious to return to the churches that he ministered to and to the people he mentored, and Timothy was very special to him. So he wanted Timothy to succeed where he was planted and to know how to behave among the family of God, the Church. Notice that it is the Church that is the “pillar” or support of the truth. The LORD Jesus Christ is the Truth, and those serving Him in the Church hold/should be holding the truth up for all people to see.
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. (1 Timothy 3)
Application: A mystery is a hidden thing. The understanding of the Christian Faith is hidden to those who are the enemies of God and who reject the LORD Jesus Christ and His free gift of salvation. God is hidden or a mystery because He is Spirit. But there can be no argument about truth. And the truth of the Gospel and of godliness is contained in this single verse. It is a magnificent verse and one that every Christian should have memorized. It explains the entire plan of salvation which was from the foundation of the world. The Greek word translated as “manifest” is “phaneroo” and it means to make visible or known what has been hidden. Again, God (Greek word theos) is a Spirit and invisible to mankind, therefore He has been/is hidden. The God of Creation showed Himself to sinful man in the fleshly body called Jesus. The man Jesus was/is justified (Greek word “dikaioo”) or made righteous by the indwelling of the Spirit of God and was/is therefore without sin unlike all other people. He allowed Himself to be seen by the angels and that included the fallen angels such as Satan. He was publicly proclaimed to the Gentiles who did not reject Him but believed Him, and then He was received (Greek word “analambano”) or taken up into Heaven.