I Timothy 3:8-13
We ended last week in verse 8. The deacon is a model servant. The deacon is one to pattern your life after in life and service to the Lord and to the Lords church. The deacon is to be a spiritual person. Our walk with the Lord makes us who we are. These qualifications are for the deacons, the servants, but like with the elders, these qualifications are for everyone. This is the model in which we are to be serving. If you have been in a church growing up, you should be able to think of some godly servants: men and women. These are those who lovingly and faithfully served in the Lord's church. Some of them may have held the office of a deacon, others may not have, but either way they were unique. Their life gave you a model to follow. Their life was a life of successful service. Thank the Lord for godly deacons.
"Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience," I Timothy 3:9. Deacons are not ignorant of the Bible. They are not a second class Christian that didn't know enough to be an elder. The office of a deacon can be an exalted office. "Holding" in this verse means to have firmly in mind, to hold to, hold fast. The deacon is to have the mystery of the faith firmly in their minds. "Mystery" in this verse is a secret or mystery (through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites):- mystery. Initiate here is speaking of learning a secret. A mystery, i.e. something into which one must be initiated or instructed before it can be known; something of itself not obvious and above human insight. In the New Testament, spoken of facts, doctrines, principals, etc… not previously revealed. Specifically, of the gospel, the Christian dispensation, as having been long hidden and first revealed in later times. We know that the New Testament is the reveling of the Old Testament. What was a mystery to the Old Testament saints and even Old Testament writers, are revealed in the New Testament.
"Faith" in verse 9 is the object of Christian faith, meaning the doctrines received and believed, Christian doctrine, the gospel, all that Christianity stands for. The deacon is to have firmly in his mind the Scriptures; and he is to have an understanding of the Scriptures. He is to be able to communicate the Scriptures to others. We know that no one is all-knowing, but the deacon is to have knowledge of the doctrines of the Bible. These are to be firmly in his mind. He is to be grounded upon the Scriptures. Where ever he is not grounded, he can be moved by any wind of doctrine. This goes for all of us. He is not to just have the knowledge of the doctrines of the Bible, knowledge puffeth up.
The deacon is to know the doctrines in a pure conscience. "Pure" means clean, pure, in a moral sense, i.e. guiltless, innocent; sincere, upright, void of evil. "Conscience" is a knowing of oneself, consciousness; and hence conscience, that faculty of the soul which distinguishes between right and wrong and prompts one to choose the former and avoid the latter. The Word of God has transformed the deacon's life and is continually conforming him to be more like Christ. The deacon lives and serves according to the Word of God. Selfish, prideful, power hungry deacons, have ruined many churches. Loving, humble, Christ honouring deacons have helped edify the body of Christ and brings honour and glory to the Lord. Notice how long they are to do this:
"And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless," I Timothy 3:10. "Prove" means to make trial of, put to the proof, examine. This is in the present tense and means that they are always on trial. It's not a onetime qualification and then live how you want to live or serve how you want to serve. This is for life.
"Then let them use the office of a deacon." To use the office of a deacon is to serve in and through the church. The elders serve the church by studying and preaching the Word; the deacons serve the church by carrying out the preached Word. The deacons lead by doing and applying what is taught. They are to do this "being found blameless" which means unaccused. If an accusation comes up it must be dealt with. Accusations will come, but that doesn't mean they are true. Many false witnesses came against Christ. Deacons, as with the elders, are always to be blameless; as are the whole church. When someone is not then church discipline is to start. This is with anyone. But, when someone in a position of authority and responsibility is not blameless, it has a greater impact on the church. Let the deacons continually be proved and as they are proved let them continually use the office of a deacon. Let me say again, the kind of leaders a church chooses speaks volumes about that church.
Sometimes churches get in a hurry, or they chose someone based on that persons finances to be a deacon. This is detrimental to the church. When we get in a hurry we will cut corners, and turn our heads away from something that may disqualify someone. God has clearly given us these qualifications, and a church that follows them is a church that is obedient to the Scriptures, but a church that does not follow them is a church that is disobedient to the Scriptures. Once you start compromising the Scriptures, you are on a deadly slope that will cause much turmoil and heartache. May the Lord help us to be biblical. Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
