On Being A Deacon
ON BEING A DEACON
1 TIMOTHY 3:8-13
Dignity, integrity and uprightness are among the marks of deacons.
It appears that in the early church the main element of the local ministry was elders (overseers) and deacons (apostles, prophets and others exercised wider ministries and cannot be thought part of the local organization). So after speaking about elders (overseers) bishop Paul turns his attention to the deacons. Between two sets of instructions specifically addressed to deacons (3:8-10,12f.) there is another for “the women” (3:11). Some consider this refers to the wives of the deacons, others to deaconesses. The principal point in favor of the former is that there is little clear evidence in the New Testament of a specific order of deaconess, or for that matter in the early church. In favor of the latter is the difficulty of seeing why Paul should take two bites at the deacon’s duties interspersed with an instruction that does not concern a church official. On the whole it seems more likely that he does refer to deaconesses.
As in the case of elders, deacons must be people of good character. They must have a sense of serious purpose, be careful in their speech and not indulge themselves either in wine or loving money. A firm hold on the faith is important (3:9) and it is important that they should be tested before being admitted to office. Unfortunately Paul does not tell us what the test consisted of, nor what the office consisted of (see also Acts 6:1-7). We are left to guess at both. We do not know what deacons did in those early days. There is a reference to the deacon’s home life (3:12) and to the result of serving well (3:13).
Notes 3:8: deacons are to be “serious” (“dignified”) as are the women (3:11); and for that matter the elders (3:4). The term denotes a sense of high and serious purpose, the opposite of frivolity. 3:9: “mystery” means something that people cannot possibly work out for themselves (not simply what is difficult to work out), and usually, as here, there is the added thought that it has now been revealed. People would never have guessed that the way of salvation has nothing to do with their good living, prayers, offerings, etc, but that it depended on God’s sending his Son to die for us. That had to be revealed. 3:11: “slanderers” is literally “devils.” Let us not take slanderous gossip lightly as though it were a normal part of human life. It is not: it is devilish.