Deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13)
- please open your Bibles to 1 Timothy 3 tonight
- we’ve been looking at the first manual ever written on how to run a church
- you might remember that it was written by Paul to Timothy, who was leading the church in Ephesus at the time
- and so far Paul has covered such issues as correcting error, prayer, the function of women in the church, and elders
- tonight we come to the subject of deacons
- the Greek word for deacon, diakonos, as well as the related words diakone? (“to serve”) and diakonia (“service”) appear over a hundred times in Scripture
- but only twice is the word translated deacon
- (Philippians 1:1) Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
- and in the passage in front of us:
- (1 Timothy 3:8) Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
- the original meaning of the word was that of menial service
- the idea is that of waiting on tables
- the word serve began to be used within the church to refer to serve and minister to one another
- but a select group of people were appointed and actually called deacons or servants
- well, where did they come from?
- do you remember in Acts 6 where the Greek widows started grumbling that they weren’t being properly looked after by the apostles?
- seven men were appointed to “wait on tables” – to serve these widows
- some think that these men were the first deacons within the church
- the problem is that these men are never identified in Scripture as being deacons
- they might have been, but we just don’t know
- it’s frustrating to realize that nowhere in Scripture are we told what deacons are to do exactly, besides the obvious fact that they were to serve
- we’ll examine what the Scripture says here about deacons, before I propose a model for deacons and how they function within the church
- what does 1 Timothy tell us about deacons?
- THE FIRST THING IT TELLS US IS THE QUALIFICATIONS OF MALE DEACONS
- (1 Timothy 3:8) Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
- (1 Timothy 3:9) They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.
- (1 Timothy 3:10) They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
- (1 Timothy 3:12) A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well.
- once again, notice that when God looks for servants within the church, he first looks for people whose hearts are right with him
- God isn’t as concerned as talents and abilities as much as he is concerned with the spiritual condition of his servants
- and here, just like with the elders, we have a list of qualifications for those who are to serve as deacons
- and you could say that there are five areas in which a deacon needs to be qualified
- he has to be a person of personal integrity
- “men worthy of respect” means that they were to be serious, dignified, and stately
- I don’t think it means that they can’t have a sense of humor
- but they have to be men who understand the seriousness of life
- sincere literally means not double-tongued
- in other words, not a person who says one thing to one person and something else to another
- it can’t be a duplicitous person
- and then we come to this phrase again, “not indulging in much wine”
- not somebody who is known for his use of alcohol
- not somebody who is lingering beside a bottle all the time
- “not pursuing dishonest gain”
- as the deacons in the early church probably dealt with money from time to time, it was important that they be trustworthy in this area
- that they be free from any love of money that could compromise their integrity
- then you have their spiritual life
- (1 Timothy 3:9) They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.
- Paul says that they have to be individuals who hold the faith – that which was once secret, but has now been revealed – in such a way that their consciences are clear
- they are to be people of spiritual integrity
- Paul then goes on to talk about their spiritual service
- (1 Timothy 3:10) They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
- these are not to be unproven individuals
- they are to continually tested – not just before they are deacons, but also after
- they are to be men of good reputation
- don’t ever appoint someone as a deacon to find out how good they’re going to be
- you should know in advance!
- verse twelve talks about their domestic qualifications
- (1 Timothy 3:12) A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well.
- the Greek literally says that they should be “one-woman men”
- the idea isn’t that marital status, it is faithfulness to their wives both in thought and in deed
- by the way, it’s possible to have been married only once and to not be a one-woman man
- it’s possible, on the other hand, that you might be widowed and remarried, or even in exceptional circumstances divorced and remarried, and still be a one-woman man
- they must be men who are wholly devoted and faithful to their wives
- and not only that, in verse 12, they need to manage their children and household well
- if they can’t manage their own household, why should they be considered trustworthy to serve within the church?
- character is paramount within Christian service
- you can have everything going for you, but if you don’t have character, you’re not going to serve well!
- that’s the lesson of these verses
- well, we’re going to get into some deep waters now
- BECAUSE PAUL THEN TALKS ABOUT FEMALE DEACONS
- verse 11 reads:
- (1 Timothy 3:11) In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
- that is a bad translation – the translators were reading their interpretation into the text
- in the original, verse 11 says
- “In the same way, women are to be worthy of respect.” and so on
- the New American Standard Version gets it right here:
- (1 Timothy 3:11 NASB) Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things
- verse 11 could either be referring to the wives of the deacons, or about female deacons themselves
- you could hold either view, but let me tell you why I think he is referring to female deacons:
- you know that I believe Paul teaches male eldership
- you’ll notice in the preceding section that Paul never outlines the qualifications for elder’s wives
- it would be very strange indeed for Paul to outline qualifications for deacons’ wives when he didn’t do that for elders’ wives, wouldn’t it?
- that would be very strange indeed!
- secondly, the use of the word “Likewise” or “In the same way” at the beginning of verse 11 would appear to indicate that Paul is giving a fresh category of officials, as he has already in the preceding verses
- and finally, Paul didn’t use the definite article in front of women
- if he was talking about deacons’ wives, you would expect him to have said, “Their wives” rather than simply launching in saying, “Women are to be..” and so on
- their qualifications, in fact, mirror that of male deacons
- let me continue by giving you two other reasons why I believe women can be deacons
- in Romans 16:1, Phoebe, a woman, is mentioned as being a deacon in the church of Cenchrea
- and one other reason: church history, going back very early, has strong evidence for women deacons
- Pliny, for instance, in 112 AD, mentions a couple of female deacons
- why not? the deacons weren’t there to lead the church, but to serve in it – probably things such as working with the sick and the poor, assisting at baptisms, and the like
- why wouldn’t women be involved in this task?
- well, I promised that it would get interesting
- in case you think I’m an out-and-out heretic in these and other matters, let me tell you I’m in good company
- even John MacArthur – whom I consider as straight as an arrow – takes the same position
- so give it some careful consideration
- AND THEN WE GET TO THE AREA OF A DEACON’S REWARDS
- (1 Timothy 3:13) Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
- when I read this verse, I’m amazed that people aren’t more interested in serving as deacons
- two rewards are promised
- first, they obtain for themselves an excellent standing
- they will be respected and esteemed by those they serve
- they will commandeer respect because of their faithful service
- second, they will gain great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus
- they will become more emboldened for greater service
- they will receive a peculiar courage and confidence based on their services
- the rewards for being a deacon are great
- well, let me propose a model for how deacons and elders should function
- I don’t think the way we’re doing it know is biblical
- we elect deacons, but we’re making them function as elders
- in addition, we don’t really have the biblical equivalent of elders
- nowhere in Scripture do deacons have ruling authority as elders do, neither are deacons ever required to teach Scripture or sound doctrine
- it appears that they served – probably both in an administrative way, as well as in a personal way (caring for practical needs within the church)
- it would appear that the Scriptural model for church government is that multiple elders have authority, conferred by Christ, to rule over a church – to lead the church
- within the group of elders in a church, probably at least one would be recognized as a teaching elder
- not an employee, and not someone who has authority over the rest of the elders, but rather just a first among equals
- it is possible, in the contemporary scene, that authority could be delegated to him for certain decisions, but the elders would govern together
- the leading elder or senior pastor would not have authority on his own, but the authority would belong collectively to the group of elders
- you could argue that the elders should not have unlimited authority within the church
- perhaps there should be some limitations
- perhaps the congregation should select them and re-affirm their leadership
- perhaps some items should be brought to the congregation as a whole
- an example of that would appear to be church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:4)
- but while the congregation would have some role, the elders would be empowered to lead
- well, what about the deacons?
- who is going to care for people within the congregation?
- when someone is sick in the hospital, or bereaved, or in need of a visit, who better to minister to them than those appointed in the church as servants?
- the traditional answer is that the pastor (elder) should do it, but ask yourself – is that the biblical pattern?
- certainly he’s not above that, but can a pastor be an able preacher and teacher, leader, plus care for the individual needs of each person within the church?
- shouldn’t he be more focused on the word of God and prayer?
- deacons could provide pastoral care to people within the church as needed, as well as help administer some of the programs within the church
- in the future, we will probably be addressing this issue as a church
- it’s not the most burning issue we face, but it is important
