Summary:

Most Bible teachers would say that “deacons” are those in charge of the material and financial things in a church, but the only time we are told what they do is here, where we are told they are to hold the mystery of the faith (3:8,9). The Greek word for “deacon” is sometimes used for men handling material things, but it is also used to describe spir-itual leaders in I Corinthians 3:5. So I believe the deacons were the Bible teachers in the local church. Ideally, the pastor shouldn’t be the only one. At our church, our board members do the job that spiritual leaders so spiritual leaders can give themselves to the Word (Acts 6:1-4).

Deacon teachers must be “grave,” deadly serious about teaching the Word. Not “double-tongued,” a word used only here, so we have to define it by Psalm 12:2,3. When a man with a double heart speaks it would be with a double tongue, which the psalmist describes as flattery. Flattering is thinking one thing and saying another, usually to get something from someone. Many pastors believe the grace message but teach something else to get money. Many teachers do it to get praise, or a larger following.

Teachers can’t be “given to much wine.” Drinking in moderation is a cultural thing. Wine is served at McDonalds in Argentina, and you can get a beer with your Big Mac in Germany. Wine was acceptable among believers in ancient Rome, but so was kissing (IICor.13: 12). In our culture, the acceptability of drinking among Christians varies, and some teachers drink in moderation. They just have to remember not to cause weaker brethren to stumble (Ro.14:21) by flaunting their liberty (v.22).

Teachers can’t be “greedy of filthy lucre” (cf. Mal.1:10), or of any kind of “gain” (Isa.56:10-12). Some teachers don’t teach the mystery to gain popularity and admiration, which will never lead to teaching something as unpopular as the mystery!

“The faith” is the body of truth God gives in any dispensation. The priests were obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7), the faith of Acts 2:38. But after Paul began preaching the mystery, men were obedient to “the mystery of the faith” (v.9 cf. Acts 14:21,22). Since spiritual leaders are also told to “hold” Paul’s words (IITim.1:13), the mystery of the faith must be the words of Paul’s gospel. Kingdom saints had to hold fast to their faith to be saved (Heb.3:6); we don’t, but teachers should hold the message of their faith as if it did. Since Paul alone teaches the faith-alone message of salvation that saves today, the salvation of others depends on teachers holding it tightly. Teachers who believe it won’t have a “pure conscience” unless they are doing all they can to promote that faith.

A teacher must first be “proved” (v.10) or tested (cf.Ex.16: 4) to see if they are “blameless” about holding the mystery of the faith. His wife must also be “grave”ly serious about holding it or she won’t let him give himself to studying and teaching it. She can’t be a “slanderer,” i.e., a false accuser (cf.Tit.2:3). She must be “sober,” not drunk, and not think more highly of herself than she should, another definition of “sober” (Rom.12:3). If she does, she won’t be “faithful in all things,” for she’ll think some things are beneath her.

“Husband of one wife” is dispensationally different than when spiritual leaders were husbands of more than one in time past. A man’s “house” in those days included servants as well as his “children,” so today if a teacher has employees he must rule them well. If a man can’t teach employees how to serve him by motivating them by gracious treatment, how can he teach God’s people to be motivated to serve Him by being motivated by His grace?

“Purchase” means to obtain by any means, so using the office of a deacon well helps you obtain a good degree. A “degree” is a step or stair (see a variation of the Greek word in Acts 21:40). The Bible speaks of men of low and high degree (Ps.62:9; IChron.17:17), so Paul is saying that if a teacher uses his office well he obtains a good degree, a good standing in the church, and great boldness. Boldness just comes with the territory if you’re a teacher. If you don’t think you are bold enough to be a teacher, it’s probably because you haven’t done enough teaching!

Summary:

For a pastor to rule his house well (v.4) he must love his wife as Christ loved the church (Eph.5:23). Christ would never harm the church and always acts in her best interest, and that’s how pastors must love their wives. A pastor must be willing to give himself for his wife like Christ gave Himself for the church (Eph.5:25). He must love her even before she washes away the things in her life that he hates, as Christ loved us (Rev.1:5).

If a pastor’s wife doesn’t submit to him he must love her anyway, do what he’s supposed to do even though she isn’t doing what she’s supposed to do (cf. IICor. 12:15). It’s called grace, and pastors must give it to rebellious wives because this is what God gives us “very gladly.”

Of course, a pastor’s house also consists of “children” he must rule well (I Tim. 3:4). This doesn’t mean his children never get into trouble, it means he disciplines them when they do. The problem with Samuel wasn’t that his sons got into trouble, it was that he “restrained them not” (ISam.3: 13). You’d think David would have been a better father, but the reason his son Adonijah plotted to take over the throne was because David never restrained him (IKings 1:6).

The Bible is clear that children must be restrained by spanking them with “the rod of correction” (Pr.22:15; 23:13; 29:15). When Paul says that pastors must rule their children “with all gravity,” that tells you how serious a matter it is for a pastor to rule his children “well” by spanking them. The word “gravity” is related to the word grave, and it doesn’t get any more serious than that!

How does an ability to rule his own house show an ability to rule God’s house (v.5)? Well, there are ways a pastor must rule the church as he rules his wife, and there are ways he must rule the church as he rules his children. Pastors must love the house of God as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. Pastors give themselves to their people by giving themselves to studying and teaching the Word. If he feels like he is giving more to them than they are giving to him, he must continue to do give himself for them “very gladly” (cf. II Cor. 12:15).

But sometimes the people in the pastor’s congregation act like children (ICor.3:1). The Corinthians were acting so childishly Paul had to threaten to come to them “with a rod” (ICor.4:21). What kind of rod? The kind Paul used in Acts 13:9-11, the kind he talked about in II Corinthians 12:21—13:2. This wasn’t a power Paul liked using. He wished they’d obey his words so he didn’t have to (IICor. 13:10). Paul had the power to inflict destructive chastening on the saints, the kind a father uses on his son with a rod.

Of course the only chastening power pastors have today is that of disfellowshipping. But if a pastor wasn’t man enough to spank his son, do you think he will man up and put a man out of the assembly? Do you see how ruling his own house well helps a pastor rule the house of God?

A pastor also can’t be a “novice” (v.6), a beginner. Paul didn’t ordain pastors in the churches he founded until he left for awhile and let men be proved faithful (Acts 14:21-23). This is why Paul said to “lay hands on no man suddenly” (ITim.5:22). In those days they’d lay hands on a man to ordain him to the ministry (ITim.4:14).

The problem with ordaining a novice is that he’ll be “lifted up with pride” (3:6). “Look where I’m at, and I didn’t have to prove myself, they thought I was good enough without proving myself.” The “condemnation of the devil” is the condemnation the devil fell into when he was lifted up with pride, the loss of his office (Isa.14:12-14).

Pastors must have a good report of them that are “without” (ITim.3:7), i.e., without Christ (Col.4:5) lest he fall into “reproach (3:7), i.e., the disapproval of the world. Since unbelievers tend to voice their disapproval of believers, all Christians should “give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully” of them (ITim.5:14). The “snare of the devil” are the traps Satan sets in our lives to snare us into doing things of which the lost can speak reproachfully.