This is a faithful saying: if a man seeks the office of an overseer, he desires a good work. The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching; not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having children in subjection with all reverence; (but if a man doesn’t know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the assembly of God?) not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Servants, in the same way, must be reverent, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for money; holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. Let them also first be tested; then let them serve if they are blameless. Their wives in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let servants be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well gain for themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly; but if I wait long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great:
God was revealed in the flesh,
justified in the spirit,
seen by angels,
preached among the nations,
believed on in the world,
and received up in glory.
Questions
Elders…
- What’s the first requirement for an elder?
- What does it mean to be “without reproach”?
- What does husband of one wife mean?
- What does it mean to be temperate? Sensible? Modest? Hospitable?
- What qualifies someone as a good teacher?
- Here’s a tough one: What does “not a drinker” constitute?
- What qualifies a person as not violent? Not greedy for money? Gentle? Not quarrelsome? Not covetous?
- What does it mean to rule his own house well?
- If a man doesn’t know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the assembly of God?
- What’s a new convert? When are you not a new convert?
- What does having a “good testimony from those who are outside” look like?
Now for the Deacons (or servants)…
- What is reverent mean and why wasn’t it a qualification for elders?
- What does double-tongued mean?
- What does not addicted to much wine mean and how is it different than the elder’s qualification of “not a drinker”?
- Not greedy for money shows up in both sets of qualifications. How important do you think that one is? Where do we draw the line between “enjoying a good living” (or as we like to call it in the church, “blessed”) and being greedy for money?
- What does holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience look like?
- Let them also first be tested: How?
- Blameless. That’s probably the toughest qualification in either set. Who is blameless?
- Wives are a big part of a deacon’s, or servant’s, qualifications: reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Sounds like they’re just as qualified as men. So can wives not be deacons, or servants?
- Husbands of one wife… what does that look like today? What did it look like then?
- Ruling their own house well. Does that mean they have to be parents?
- How does serving well create a great boldness in the faith?
And finally, for all of us…
- Paul states that these qualifications—all of them—are the guidelines for how all of us are to behave as part of God’s family. Do you believe this statement or not?
