Summary:

Since Timothy was the pastor of the Ephesian church, when Paul told him how pastors and teachers should behave (v.1-13), he was telling Timothy how to “behave thyself” (v.15).

“The house of God” today is “the church”, the Body of Christ (Eph.1:22,23), and specifically the local church, which is the visible manifestation of the Body. But God has lived in different houses through the ages. His starter house was outdoors (Gen.28:10-17). His next house was the ark. It moved around (Judges 18:31) until God settled in Jerusalem, where Solomon built him a house (IChr.6:32)

Into this new house of the temple they brought the old house of the ark (II Chron. 5:7). So it was a big house of God, with a little house of God inside. Kind of like we have today, with a lot of little churches inside the big church of the Body of Christ.

Paul calls it the church of “the living God” because Timothy pastored in Ephesus, where there was a big house of a dead god named Diana (Acts 19:27,28).

We can learn how to be the church of the living God by what God says about “the living God” in the past. We know that the living God speaks (Deut.5:26), and when He does, He tells His people how to live righteously (v.6-21). Well, that’s what the living God does today, only today He doesn’t speak out of the midst of the fire (Deut.5:26), He speaks out of the midst of the local church. God’s people can still hear Him tell them how to live righteously, and ask counsel of Him as they did when God lived in the ark (Jud.20:18).

When you do, God makes a promise similar to you that He made to the Jews. He promised to drive out the nations that didn’t belong in the land (Joshua 3:10), but planned to use Israel to do it. But he warned them that if they didn’t, those nations would torment them (Num.33:55). Well, if after you go to church and hear God speak about things that don’t belong in your life, if you don’t drive them out they’ll torment you as well, and rob you of the joy God wants you to have as His child.

The next thing we learn about “the living God” is that He has armies (ISam.17:36), Israel in time past, us today (IITim. 2:3,4). God’s also interested in driving things out of the Body of Christ that don’t belong there, things like the false doctrines on which we’re to use the sword of the Spirit. Angels fought His battles in Genesis 28:12, but today it’s us. We come to the local church to get orders as they came to God’s house, then depart to execute them.

The Assyrians taunted “the living God,” saying He couldn’t protect His people any more than the gods of the heathen (IIKi.18:33), but as Hezekiah pointed out, their gods were dead (19:15-19). Today the world taunts us that our God can’t protect us from hunger or danger or trouble, but God never promised to deliver us from those things, He promised to deliver us in them (Rom.8:35-37). When Israel was good God delivered them from those things, and they conquered those things through God, but we can be more than conquerors through Christ because none of those things can touch our salvation, and God can use all those things to help us grow in grace. When God doesn’t protect us from those things, some lose their trust in the living God, but Paul says that he suffered reproach “because” he trusted in the living God (ITim.4:10), trusted that He would help him grow in grace for having suffered them.

The church is the “pillar” of the truth (3:16), and led Israel step by step (Neh.9:12) until a Book was written to guide their every stop, and that Book now guides God’s people in the local church. God’s people should follow it as they followed the pillar of cloud, and not make a move without it (Num.9:18-22).

The leaders of the 12 were “pillars” (Gal.2:9), seemingly immoveable (cf.Rev.3:12) when it came to acknowledging Paul’s new truth. If Peter argued with the Lord to retain old Bible truth (Acts 10:14), imagine the fight he gave Paul! That’s how we should be about our truth too. If you will, God will make you an iron pillar (Jer. 1:17-19)!

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.

Summary:

A man must “desire” to be a spiritual leader like a pastor, which is what the word “bishop” signifies. One of the problems with saying God calls some men to the ministry and not others is that most pastors don’t know the mystery. Does it make sense that God called them? What He really does is use His Word to instill a desire in men to be a pastor, and if he doesn’t know the mystery before he enters the ministry, it is God’s will that he come to a knowledge of that truth after (ITim.2:4).

Paul calls the ministry an “office” (3:1), a position of authority, usually public. The priesthood was an office (Ex. 28:1), and Israel also had officers who ruled in civil matters (Deut.16:18). Being an apostle was considered an office (Rom.11:13), but Peter called Judas’ office a “bishoprick” (Acts 1:20). But Paul can’t be talking about desiring the office of an apostle, for apostles were chosen (Luke 6:13). From the rest of what Paul says in this passage it is obvious that the “bishops” he had in mind were pastors.

Pastors must be “blameless” (3:1), or saved, as the word is used in I Corinthians 1:8. What else would you expect to find at the top of the list of qualifications for a pastor? But in the parallel passage Paul told Pastor Titus that a pastor must be “blameless, as the steward of God” (Tit.1;7). Stewards were servants whom the master or lord put in charge of dispensing things to the other servants (Mt.20:8; Lu.12:42). Pastors are in charge of dispensing “the mysteries of God” (ICor.4:1). They must be “faithful” in this (v.2) and blameless in it.

“Husband of one wife” doesn’t mean a pastor can’t be divorced and remarried. “Wife of one man” (ITim.5:9) can’t disallow women who were widowed and remarried, it must mean she had to have been the wife of one man at a time. When a woman slept with a man she became his wife (Gen.16:3), so Paul is saying the church should help widows who weren’t married with a man on the side. And “husband of one wife” must mean the same. In saying this, Paul was announcing a dispensational change from the days of old when spiritual leaders often had a wife and a woman on the side, a concubine, or even many wives. That doesn’t mean a pastor has to be married any more than Verse 4 means he has to have kids. It means if he has kids he must rule them well and if he is married it must be to one wife.

A pastor must be “vigilant,” watchful of danger (IPe.5:8,9). Peter is talking about Antichrist in the Tribulation. Today Satan is “an angel of light” (IICor.11:14), but pastors must be vigilant of him in this lest men stray from the mysteries of God. Being “sober” helps with this (3:2), a word that just means a pastor must be serious about dispensing God’s mysteries, and not think too highly of himself (Rom.12:3).

Pastors must also be “of good behavior” 3:2, but not all are “given to hospitality.” This suggests that in the measure a man has these things, in that measure God can use him. For instance, God blesses all faithful teaching of His Word, but He can bless and use those who are “apt to teach” more (3:2). When spiritual gifts were given, some were given a gift of teaching (Rom.12:6,7), but since the gifts were gone by this time Paul said pastors must have an aptitude for teaching, an ability to give men joy by helping them understand God’s Word (Neh.8:8-10 cf. IICor.1:24).

Pastors can drink but can’t be “given to wine” (3:3), but if civil rulers shouldn’t drink (Pr.31:4,5) how much more spiritual leaders. The most sanctified people in the Bible didn’t drink (Num.6:2,3). Paul announces another dispensational change when he says pastors can’t be strikers (3:3 cf. Neh.13:25). Being “greedy of filthy lucre” (3:3) often leads to other sins (Pr.1:18,19). Pastors must be “patient” (3:3) because people are slow! There’s a reason Paul compares the ministry to the planting and watering and waiting of farming! “Brawlers” are noisy quarrelers (Pr.21:9), and pastors who are passionate about the Word must be careful not to let discussions degenerate into doctrinal brawls.

Finally, pastors can’t be “covetous” because the truth is never popular, and covetous men might stop preaching it to be paid more to buy the things they covet. May it never be so among grace pastors!

Summary:

After telling Timothy to pray for leaders that we might lead a peaceable life so the gospel can reach “all men” (2:1-4), Paul tells him it his will that “therefore” he pray “every where,” since all men are found everywhere.

You can pray lifting up your hands if you want to (v.8 cf. Ps.141:2), but when Paul talks about lifting up “holy hands,” some think he was thinking of how under the law God didn’t answer prayer if your hands weren’t holy (Isa.1:15; Ps.66:18). Under the law you also couldn’t pray with “wrath” (v.8 cf. Mark 11:25) or “doubting” (v.8 cf. Mark 11:23,24). But we’re not under law (Rom.6:15), so Paul’s not thinking of all that.

In the context of praying for leaders in government, if men aren’t lifting up holy hands it might be because their hands are involved in unholy activities like resisting the government they are supposed to submit to (Rom.13:1-8). They shouldn’t be full of “wrath” against them, “doubting” their leadership. That’s how the Greek word for “doubting” is often used. The 12 doubted the leadership of one another, thinking they could lead better (Mark 9:33,34). Paul also used that Greek word when he said that we should receive weak brethren but not to doubtful disputations (Ro.14:1). Some men accept the leadership of leaders but are always second-guessing them.

Paul isn’t changing the subject when he begins speaking about “women” (2:9). Married women also have a leader whose leadership they are tempted to question and second-guess, thinking they could lead the marriage better than their husband. This is something they should pray about “in like manner” instead of being wrathful about.

The first way a woman accepts the leadership of her husband is by dressing “modestly” (v.8 cf. Pr.7:10) “with shamefacedness,” a lack of being restrained by shame. “Sobriety” means making good decisions while dressing, unlike the bad decisions women make when they are drunk. “Broided” or braided hair was associated with immodesty back then but it isn’t now. But if there’s nothing wrong with wearing gold (Gen.24:53) or pearls or costly array (Ezek.16:10-13), why’s Paul say that there is? Well, Peter couldn’t have been saying he was against the “putting on of apparel” (IPe.3:3) in general, he must have been against excesses in putting on apparel and gold. The Greek word for “adorning” he used (3:3) is elsewhere always translated “world,” so he’s saying if a woman’s whole world revolves around her adorning it’s a problem. By the way, the Greek word is kosmos, from which we get cosmetics. A woman’s’ cosmetics should be “a meek and quiet spirit” and “good works” (2:9cf.Eph.2:10), specially the “good works” women excel at (ITim.5:10).

“Silence” (2:11) can’t mean total silence (Acts 21:40; 22: 2), but if it did, that was probably a custom then, not now, like how they wore hats instead of rings to show they were married (ICor.11:1-11). “Subjection” (2:11) doesn’t mean inferiority (Lu. 2:51), but it does mean a woman can’t teach men (2:12). They can teach children like Timothy himself (IITim.2:5 cf. 3:15) and other women (cf.Tit.2:2,3) for that isn’t usurping or seizing authority that belongs to a man.

Paul says women shouldn’t lead men since they were designed to be followers not leaders (2:13). In addition to being second in creation they were first in the fall (v.14) because they are more easily deceived, as when Solomon’s mother didn’t know giving his brother David’s wife to his older brother would give him a claim to the throne (IKi.2: 17-22 cf. IISam.12:7,8). Paul knew women are more easily deceived doctrinally as well (IICor.11:3), and Satan loves it when women become pastors, get deceived, and lead others in deception.

A woman can’t lead men but they can bear children and lead them (2:15). Women naturally “desire” to rule their husbands (Gen.3:16), but their part of the curse is that he must override this desire and rule them (cf.Gen.4:7). Of course, these women who started on the right path by choosing to have children must “continue” on the right path (2:15) by ruling their children well, or they’ll become unruly and she’ll return to wanting to rule her husband.