Paul's Exhortations & Instructions to Brother Timothy 1st Letter Volume 31

Paul Details to Timothy the Qualifications of Leaders in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ Part 8

1 Timothy 3:12-13 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. KJV

The Apostle Paul himself had at one time been married but now writing this letter he is not and what happened to his wife we do not know (for he was a full ruling member of the Jewish Sanhedrin (which was the supreme judicial and ecclesiastical council of ancient Jerusalem) and at that time one of the requirements of being a part of that council was that every man be married. However, Paul, is not now bringing Jewish rules, rites, and requirements into the Church of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ, for it is not even required for a Bishop or a Deacon to have a wife in order to serve in either office in Christ Church, but Paul is just making it clear what the requirements are for those candidates who are married with children, so he writes here, "Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well." (1 Timothy 3:12) (KJV). Paul addressed this same requirement concerning the Bishop having but one wife at a time and by no means is he declaring here anything different for the Deacons of the Church, therefore, for his meaning of 'one wife', see volume 24. In the case of his instruction here concerning the Deacons 'ruling their children and their own houses well', see my respone written in Volume 25.

Now Paul declares to Timothy the reward, or recompense, or results of the person who has been selected or awarded the office of Deacon in our Lord Jesus Christ Church and serves our Lord well during his tenure, Paul declares these words concerning him, "For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 3:13) (KJV). When Paul writes here, 'For they that have used the office of a deacon well ', he means that during their time in the office there were no scandals concerning their management or overseeing of the Churches resources, that is, its money or the people who belonged to Christ Jesus our Lord. They served out their tenure virtuously and honestly not bringing any sort of reproach or disgrace or shame to the Church Body. When Paul writes here they, 'purchase to themselves a good degree', he means they establish a good reputation for themselves among believers and in some cases even with some non-believers. The English word 'purchase' he uses here (is only used one other time in the entire New Testament) it is translated by the Greek word  peripoieomai which means to make around oneself, that is, acquire (buy): - purchase.

In other words, Paul is not here declaring that the Deacons honorable service in Christ Church would purchase or aquire for him some higher office in the Church with rewards of more money or compensation, for at the time of this letter written by Paul to Timothy, there was no such concept ever even thought of by Paul or even Timothy the recepient of this letter. Those chosen in the early Church (as it grew Acts 2:47) were not seeking offices to prosper themselves, but in order to please our Lord Jesus Christ building His Body (the Church) into the best it could be, for they were giving themselves first and then their own resources for the benefit of the entire Body of believers, "And all who believed (who adhered to and trusted in and relied on Jesus Christ) were united and [together] they had everything in common; And they sold their possessions (both their landed property and their movable goods) and distributed the price among all, according as any had need." (Acts 2:44-45) (Amplified Bible). The English word 'degree' is translated by the Greek word bathmos (used this one time only in the entire New Testament) meaning a step, that is, (figuratively) grade (of dignity): - degree. So, you see then the step is the dignity, that is, the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect that the Deacon who serves our Lord Jesus well in that office will gain from his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

This was the only reward Paul himself sought during his many decades of following Christ, as he declared to the Corinthian Church with these words, "For if I do this work of my own free will, then I have my pay (my reward); but if it is not of my own will, but is done reluctantly {and} under compulsion, I am [still] entrusted with a [sacred] trusteeship {and} commission. What then is the [actual] reward that I get? Just this: that in my preaching the good news (the Gospel), I may offer it [absolutely] free of expense [to anybody], not taking advantage of my rights {and} privileges [as a preacher] of the Gospel." (1 Corinthians 9:17-18) (Amplified Bible). When Paul writes here these words, "and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus", Albert Barnes declares this explanation, "The sense is, that by the faithful performance of the duties of the office of a Deacon, and by the kind of experience which a man would have in that office, he would establish a character of firmness in the faith, which would show that he was a decided Christian. This passage, therefore, cannot be fairly used to prove that the deacon was 'a preacher,' or that he belonged to a grade of ministerial office from which he was regularly to rise to that of a Presbyter."

"Paul wants to instruct Timothy to look for men who are not self-seeking aggrandizers, that is, one who makes himself  appear better or greater (in power, wealth, quality, etc.) than he really is, but to search out for 'men of good {and} attested character {and} repute, full of the [Holy] Spirit and wisdom' (Acts 6:3), who will only have the interest of our Lord Jesus Christ at hand and not advancing themselves to some higher level of promotion in the Church merely for status, power, and or greed." Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…