1 Tim. 5:1-2 - Old people, and Young

1 Do not address an older man harshly but appeal to him as a father. Speak to younger men as brothers,
2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters - with complete purity.

1 Do not address an older man harshly but appeal to him as a father. Speak to younger men as brothers,

Vs. 1: - "Do not address an older man harshly" - Timothy is in a position of authority in the local church, having been commissioned and sent to do the job. In the process of leading the church there will be people who need correction. We can imagine all kinds of behavior that need correction, or people that will make mistakes, or misunderstand the teachings. These two verses provide advice on how to correct them.
If you are lucky enough as an adult to still have your father alive, do you shout angrily at him when he misunderstands or makes a mistake? I would hope not. My Dad was still driving his little GMC S-10 pickup when in his late 70s or early 80s. Unfortunately, his vision and hearing were less than top notch. But, oh, he loved that pickup. I pleaded with him to stop driving, but he insisted that he was a good driver (in spite of the dings and dents that showed up occasionally). He promised he would not drive out of town, only to the city swimming pool or Dairy Queen). One Sunday afternoon I got a phone call that he and Mom needed to be picked up in a little town about 10 miles away. He and Mom had decided that they wanted to have a nice Sunday drive. Unfortunately, he rear-ended a pickup at a stop sign, and his pickup had to be towed to a repair shop. As a result I took the keys. After it was repaired, I sold the pickup. He was devastated, and angry and sad - he went through the five or seven stages of grief every 15 minutes for several days. I realized that losing that pickup was a loss of freedom, and it was a major loss. I could not shout at him. But I had to remain firm and gentle, to protect others. Eventually he came to accept the decision.

"younger men as brothers" - It not only older men that need to be treated with respect. Assuming you love your brother, do you shout angrily at him when you think he is screwing up? No, you try to reason, cajole, discuss and convince him to change.

2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters - with complete purity.

Vs. 2: - "older women as mothers" - The same question arises when trying to correct older women. Do you upbraid your mother, 'get in her face', shout and stomp around? No, because it is your Mom, you treat her with respect. You figure out ways to help her understand how to change her actions.

"younger women as sisters" - Same rational applies. We normally do not shout (rebuke) family members. We reason with them.

“With all purity” - Paul also urged Timothy to teach ‘with purity’ in chapter 4:12. In that instance, Paul was telling Timothy to lead them in the power of the Holy Spirit. Teaching as he had been taught, and to not be over-bearing or putting on airs. He was not to act superior. The idea of ‘purity’ is a sinless life. ”With all purity” applies to all the people Timothy is teaching and leading. The message applies to us as well. Correcting people requires tact and compassion. No one enjoys being told they have messed up.

Paul is talking about the church in family terms. He is not prohibiting the correction of church members, but doing it with respect. This is a message that has come from ages past. See: Lev. 19:32 (a command to show honor to the ‘grey-hairs’.) Jesus commanded that we deal with people who fall away with gentleness and patience. He is not suggesting we are to let it slide. We meet backsliding head on, with persistence, but with compassion and gentleness. Gentleness does not mean weakness. See: Matt. 18:15-20 The writers of the epistles agree (surprised?) See: Jam. 5:19, 20; Gal. 6:1; 2 Cor. 2:7; 2 Thess. 3:14, 15; Heb. 12:13,14. Likewise, older people are to be respectful. See: Tit. 2:2,3.
The culture of that time venerated older people. Our culture does not so much. The concept in these verses is to treat fellow believers as you would a family member you love and cherish. In all circumstances treat older men and women as ‘Dads and Moms’ - with gentleness and respect. In all circumstances treat younger men and women as younger brothers or sisters.
I also realize that some have had rough family lives - poor relationships with your fathers or mothers, etc. That does not change the exhortation. Treat people with respect, like you want to be treated by others. Treat them with respect, especially when reproof or correction is needed. It is too easy to become harsh and judgmental when dealing with problems. Bring them back into the love of Jesus. Show love and compassion, just as Christ has shown love and compassion to you. Your sin had separated you from The Lord. By His love you are saved. Pass it on.

1 Tim. 4:12-16 - Stay faithful to your calling

12 Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity.
13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift you have, given to you and confirmed by prophetic words when the elders laid hands on you.
15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that everyone will see your progress.
16 Be conscientious about how you live and what you teach. Persevere in this, because by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

Vs. 12: - Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity.

"look down on you" - The culture in which Paul and Timothy lived had a tradition of respect for older people. Several instances of longevity are seen in the early history of the Old Testament. Scientists estimate NT life expectancy was probably less than 40 years, due to lack of adequate medical knowledge and practice. Reaching the age of 70 or 80 was a real achievement. It was assumed that having lived that long you must know something. In our culture, ‘old’ means ‘useless’. Remember the saying in the 70's, "You can't trust anyone over 30." Today, if you can't slice and dice with a smart phone, or can't send pictures with an App, or master the social media you have no credibility. (One time in a homeowners association board meeting, one young lady (a homeowner) was upset with the board's decisions. She told us the reason we having trouble with her and her husband’s response was that we were not used to young highly educated people. We looked around the board which included a college professor, two electrical engineers, a banker, and a lawyer. That was the problem, we were old and dumb.) At a high tech conference, one speaker said his teenage daughters only talked on the phone if he and his wife called, otherwise they used text.
However, advances in technology does not necessarily amount to wisdom. In Timothy’s case, youth does not mean ignorant nor incompetent, especially if you have been called to serve the Lord by the Lord.

Timothy's potential problem was that he was relatively young, was a church leader, and would be instructing older men and women. Timothy had the authority to teach. He had been taught by his mother and grandmother. He had been trained by Paul and Barnabas, and by the laying-on of hands he had been commissioned to do this job. Timothy needed the respect of the people in the church. Paul is encouraging Timothy to not let others beat him down, just because he was young. See also: 1 Cor. 16:10,11; Tit. 2:15.

"set an example" - Sage advice in dealing with the lack of respect. Don't try to talk them out of their position. Don't beat them down with preaching and exhortation. Live out your salvation; demonstrate the things you want them to practice. Practice love, and purity, and faith in your speech and conduct. (Pro. 6:12; 2 Pet. 3:11; 1 Tim. 1:14; Tit. 2:7; 1 Pet. 5:3). Non-believers may not accept what you say, no matter how you live. Some will see that you live what you teach, and will want to know why. Your love, your purity, and your faith will be an example they will want to follow.

Vs. 13: - Until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.

"public reading of scripture" - Remember, the 'scripture' at that time was the Law and the Prophets. The title Old Testament was applied later. The covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and through Moses promising the Messiah is the 'Old'. The covenant promising eternal life, peace with God, freedom from the power of sin is the 'New'. The parts of the NT written at that time were the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and maybe a couple of letters. Most of the NT was written 55-69 A.D. The gospel of John and the Revelation were written much later, 80-90 A.D. Since most people could not read, having the Scripture read aloud was important. In a recent podcast, the speaker said that most of the letters in the NT were not ‘written’ but dictated to a person who transcribed it.

Note: God's grace, mercy, and salvation can be seen in the OT, and we should not avoid it.

My wife shared some goods insights about spending time in the Bible (from a Bible study: "Entrusted", by Beth Moore.):

"No matter who you are, where you've been, or what list of demands vies for your time, do whatever you have to do to get with Jesus and study the Scriptures.

• Because the words of Christ are Spirit and life.
• Because God sends forth His Word with accomplishing power.
• Because the Holy Spirit can bring the Scriptures to life in any life.
• Because those who let the Scripture sink into their bones are transformed.
• Because nothing renews our minds like the Spirit of Christ working through the Word of God.
• Because God could say your name before He said, "Let there be light.
• Because He's got a plan for you that you don't want to miss.
• Because you matter on this planet.

"to exhortation, to teaching" - These terms are the similar. 'Exhortation' is more impassioned, more persuasive, more admonitory than 'teaching'. “Exhortation” reminds me of a coach at halftime - explaining, urging, teaching, correcting, and above all being passionate about it.
When we teach we say, "This is what we do. See these Bible verses.“ Or, “This is how we do it. See the Bible verses and how others have succeeded.” Also, “This is why we do it. See these Bible verses." I see teaching as helping people understand what, why, and how to live the Christian life. Helping catch the vision of living for Christ. Teaching goes on in Sunday school, church sermons, and growth groups. Exhortation happens at retreats, and evangelism crusades. Paul wants both to happen in church - teach them to live the Christian life, fire them up to commit to actually doing it. We all may be guilty of listening to a sermon or speaker and thinking of how nice and interesting those points were, but never acting on those nice and interesting thoughts.

Vs. 14: - Do not neglect the spiritual gift you have, given to you and confirmed by prophetic words when the elders laid hands on you.

"Do not neglect the spiritual gift" - As far as I can tell, it wasn't recorded when Timothy was blessed by the laying-on-of-hands by the elders of the church. Paul became aware of Timothy during his second visit to Lystra. Timothy had a good reputation already. See Acts 16:1,2.

(Interesting side note: Paul and Barnabas has just returned from Jerusalem where the huge debate about Gentiles was decided in favor of the Gentiles. The Gentiles did not have to become Jews first in order to be a Christian. So why did Paul circumcise Timothy (Acts 16:3) if being Jewish was not a requirement? My study Bible indicates Paul was not caving to pressure from the Jews, but was indicating his respect for the Jewish faith, and to make it easier to start the conversation with Jews. Almost all of Paul's evangelistic efforts started in synagogues. If these Jews knew that Timothy was half-Jew and uncircumcised, a roadblock would be thrown up immediately. Christianity is not a breakaway from Judaism, but a completion of it. If the Jews perceived that Paul was belittling his own foundations they would not listen or allow him to speak.)

The elders of the church in Lystra spoke up for Timothy indicating that he had been called by God to be an evangelist. Although a young man, he had demonstrated spiritual power and wisdom. By prayer and supplication, these leaders commissioned Timothy to go out preaching and teaching the gospel. See 1 Tim. 1:15. Paul is warning Timothy to be aware that shepherding a church may draw him away from his calling. There was a small pamphlet 'Tyranny of the Urgent', by Hummell. This is the message here, don't let the problem solving pull you away.

"laying on of hands..." - I have never questioned this practice, having grown up in the church. It is a churchy thing we do, not quite understandable at first blush but we always do it, so it must be okay. (See also: notes for 1 Tim. 5:22.) The Levites, in the book of Numbers, are being commissioned to do the Lord's instructions in the Jewish community. The idea of commissioning is that authority has been granted to that person, and it is done before the congregation so they will know. See Num. 8:10, 12; 27:18-20. In Deuteronomy, Joshua is commissioned as the next leader of the Jews as they go into Canaan. See Deut. 34:9.

From this we can see that Timothy has been granted the authority by the church, and Paul is urging him to fulfill that commission.

Vs. 15: - Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that everyone will see your progress.

"be absorbed in them" - This phrase, coupled with 'take pains with these things' is an exhortation and a warning to Timothy. His job is not 'a walk in the park'. This is not for the flippant, the lazy. Devote yourself to study of scripture so you are ready to answer questions about the faith.
this message also applies to us: Devote yourself to prayer so you are renewed and strengthened with the power of the Holy Spirit. Work at teaching and encouragement of the church body. As you do these things all people we see you are serving as you were called.
Paul often used himself as an example. See: Phil. 4:9 “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” See also: 2 Tim. 2:2, 15.

Vs. 16: - Be conscientious about how you live and what you teach. Persevere in this, because by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

"Be conscientious" - More encouragement to be careful how you deal with your fellow believers. People will always be watching you, and some people will not be pleased with what you do. You must be as “Caesar’s wife” - i.e., without a hint of scandal or corruption. So be careful to always act in a manner that will please Jesus. He is the ultimate judge.

"Persevere in this" - Again, you can't do this once and forget it. You must keep on keeping on. If you are faithful to the faith in Christ Jesus, many will come to Him as Lord and Savior.

End of chapter (2/7/17)

1 Tim. 4:6-11 - Teaching the truth is good

6 By pointing out such things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, having nourished yourself on the words of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.
7 But reject those myths fit only for the godless and gullible, and train yourself for godliness.
8 For physical exercise has some value, but godliness is valuable in every way. It holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.
9 This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance.
10 In fact this is why we work hard and struggle, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of believers.
11 Command and teach these things.

Being a Good Servant

Vs. 6: - By pointing out such things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, having nourished yourself on the words of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.

"you will be a good servant" - Does this sound like the beginning of 'Mission Impossible', "Your mission, should you choose to accept it..."? Too often in our culture, we are told (or we tell ourselves) it is not our job to point out errors or sins. We are told not to judge the actions of others. There are a couple of ways to respond to these warnings. We can shut up, and let the people go. Or, we can acknowledge that we will all be judged, by God Himself. (See: Eze. 3:18-19 "When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself.”)
God does not force us to behave in any certain way. He is not “telling us what to do". So many of us do not want to be told what to do by anyone - neighbors, fellow Christians, or Jesus. God always give us a choice. "If you want to live, come with me" ('Terminator 2'). If you follow Jesus, you live. If you reject Jesus, you die. It's your choice.
Paul is telling Timothy that it is his job to point out behavior and belief systems that will cause the fellow church members to fall away from Jesus. Those heresies prevent believers from living abundantly, and can also lead others to not accept and follow Jesus to life. Pointing out such things" is not judging, it throwing a life saver to someone who may not know they are drowning. Do your job. Christ approves.

"nourished yourself" - This may be taken as praise and as a warning. As praise,Timothy is being commended for using the teachings of the apostles as his guidelines for his ministry. As a warning, he is counseled to not take off on his own, but adhere closely to faith in Christ, and the teachings provided by Paul, Barnabas, Peter, James, Luke, Matthew, John and Mark. We also are given the same praise and warning. Hold on to Jesus and faith in Him. Trust in the Bible, and use it as your guide. Compare the instructions of other teachers to the Scripture. See: "Test the spirits..." (1 John 4:1)

Vs. 7: - But reject those myths fit only for the godless and gullible, and train yourself for godliness.

"reject those myths" - The NASB translates the word 'myths' as 'worldly fables'. Paul has slapped the Jews silly - the Jews who were adding the Law and Hebrew ritual to the faith - and now takes on the Greeks and the Romans. The Jews were the only monotheistic peoples at that time, people who worshipped one God. Paul is not picking on the Greeks, but he knows these religions will lead to death. Look at the pantheon of gods in the Greek and Roman religions - Zeus, Aphrodite, Mars, Vulcan, Pluto, Mercury, Venus, etc. Pay attention to the relationship of mankind and these gods. They toy with men, doing things just to watch them suffer. The multitudes of gods is replicated in the Hindu religion, in the North American Indian, as well as the tribes and peoples of Central and South America.

The idea is worldly fables are not righteous and holy stories, but are profane.

"godless and gullible" - Again, other translations are closer to the original words - "worldly fables fit only for old women". Note the NET (New English Translation) is more politically correct using 'godless and gullible'. In the phrase 'old wives tales' (OWTs), the emphasis is not on 'old wives', but 'old... tales'. These stories are not true, but have the ring of truth, told to children to scare them into behaving. Ghost stories, or boogie men, or monsters under the bed are all samples. Our modern OWTs are 'cops are pigs, out to kill blacks', or 'black people are lazy, and only want to rob you', or 'all Mexicans are criminals, coming to steal our jobs', or 'white people have privilege and are racists.'
Some theological OWTs include: 'God is dead', or 'God is too busy to care about your little problems', or 'religion is a crutch, only the weak believe', or 'You believe in God? How can you reject science?', or 'Through the advances in science, we can perfect our society so we do not need God." All of these types of statements are attempts to divert your focus from the only One who can save you - Jesus Christ the Lord. When Paul wrote this, he was dealing with predominant world religions - those of the Greeks, Romans, and the Jews. 'Worldly fables' did not apply to the Jewish faith (Judaism and Christianity were the only monotheistic religions in the world at that time). The reason that 'godless' and 'gullible' go together is when a person rejects God and His guidance in life, that person has no reliable standard on which to base his life decisions. Anything is possible, nothing is forbidden. That person has no basis to discern good and evil.

"train yourself for godliness" - The Christian faith is simple, but not easy. Do not expect to drift along the stream of life, like a 'Pooh-stick' dropped off the bridge (See the Winnie the Pooh stories). We are to be fully involved in living and growing in the faith. He has designed 'work' for us to do. (Eph. 2:10) We to 'work out' our salvation - not work for salvation, but to do the deeds for which we have been designed. (Phi. 2:12) We are grow and mature in our faith. In Hebrews, the writer is chiding us for stagnating in our growth. (Heb 5:12-14) The exhortation in those verses is to not maintain the status quo, go along to get along, go with the flow, but work at it, grow in it, use your faith to be a better Christian, a better witness, to be able to tell the difference between good and evil, right and wrong. Discipline yourself for His sake, to demonstrate His work in you. It was said that a person had been a Christian for 30 years. A sage asked if that was 30 years of experience, or just one year of experience 30 times?

Vs. 8: - For physical exercise has some value, but godliness is valuable in every way. It holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.

"physical exercise has some value" - Paul is not dismissing physical discipline - exercise or dieting. Remember, Paul also told us that our bodies are 'temples' for the Holy Spirit. (See: 1 Cor. 3:16,17; 6:19) Picture in your mind the National Cathederal in Washington, D.C., or St. Paul's Cathedral in London, St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Norte Dame in Paris. These magnificent 'temples' are garbage compared to you. The most Holy God, the Savior Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit does not live in any of those buildings. God may be in those buildings, but only when a believer is there. If you are horrified if a terrorist or a vandal defaces one those temples, good. Do not deface your body by neglect or abuse. Physical exercise and discipline is important in order to present a credible witness for Jesus. On the other hand, these temporary temples (tabernacles, or so to speak) will be replaced by a new and perfect body, suitable for heaven.

"godliness is valuable in every way" - So, while it is important to stay healthy, it is more important that your spiritual condition is growing and maturing in Christ. Jesus said, "Follow me", and "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength", and "Love your neighbor as you love yourself", and "Do unto others as you would have them do to you", and "Love one another", and "Go into all the world." Pretty simple, don't you think? Almost the whole rest of the New Testament is dedicated to helping us know how to pull off those simple commands. We are to do these things while being controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. He has been given to as a guarantee to the promises made by Jesus. He has been given to us to teach us how to "work out our salvation in fear and trembling."

"It holds promise" - Do not misunderstand what I am about to say. There is the promise of heaven - "the life that is to come." It would be kind of discouraging if our only hope is heaven. Some one once described that as 'Pie in the sky, bye and bye." The opportunity to go to heaven is wonderful. But, if that is all there is, you could almost feel cheated. Why do I say that? Life here on earth is messy, hard, dirty. We face frustrations, limitations, pain and suffering, as well as joy. If we must endure life on earth just to get to heaven (because heaven is all there is), why wait? Let's get there, right now! However, for our benefit and because of God's mercy, heaven is not all there is. There also is the promise for the "present life." Just as the Jews were to be ambassadors for God to the unsaved world, we too are here to help others come to know Him. More than that, without that "something else" life here would be a slog through the messy, hard, dirty world with a job we have to do. We would be in a world that is antithetical to Jesus and His message of salvation. Godliness, becoming more and more like Jesus, is not all on us. We need to be available, ready to go, and willing. WE ARE NOT ALONE. (This is not a science fiction or horror movie.) Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit as our Helper and Teacher. (See: John 14:13-17, 26-27; John 10:11) Living 'abundantly' is not a slog through misery. Working out your salvation is not stumbling along as though in darkness (See: Isa. 59:9-10 - Yes, I know this verse is about the Jews stumbling along because of their rebellion against the commands of God, and were beset all round). Yet, if you and I do not rely on the Helper and His teaching, we are stumbling along a dark path at dusk without a flashlight, groping our way along. That is the promise for this life - joy and guidance for you and I. Paul emphasizes this in 1 Cor. 15:19, Jesus has given us hope for living here and now, in this dark and sinful world, but there is more! Praise the Lord!

Vs. 9: - This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance.

"trustworthy" - Paul uses this phrase three times in this letter - see 1 Tim. 1:15, 3:1 (twice in two other letters). You can stake your life on this. The 'this' is that godliness is profitable in all things, and that godliness is believing in Christ, crucified for our sins and resurrected to His and our glory. Our glory is based on His work, not on what we have done. Godliness is also avoiding myths and fables, holding to the truth and basing your life and behavior on that faith. I know I have said this several times, but it is worth repeating. You are not the same person you were before Jesus became your savior. You should not live as if Christ is not in your life. You are a new creature, the old has passed away, behold the new has come. 2 Cor. 5:17

Vs.10: - In fact this is why we work hard and struggle, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of believers.

"this is why we work hard" - Paul's life had changed - from a persecutor and a prosecutor of believers to the most effective evangelist and prolific defender of the faith. He had hated Christians, hunting them, running them to ground. Arresting them. Delivering them to the authorities. Now, in Christ he preaches the gospel, builds churches, and is delivered to the authorities. I doubt that many of us has had such a dramatic change in our lives. I fully understand that we should not compare ourselves to others - we each are responsible for ourselves.
There are two (2) possible places to which "this is why" refers:

1. the trustworthiness of godliness being applicable to this life and the life to come
2. the hope fixed on the living God, the Savior.

Both possibilities work: you work hard because of your focus on godliness; you work hard because God has saved you and you want to please Him. From your personal experience - don't you like to work hard because you believe in the company that employs you? If your boss tells you a raise is coming your way because of your work, doesn't that put a spring in your step, a little more effort gladly given? Look at the 'boss' we serve - the Living God! Look at the 'raise' we receive - eternal life in heaven with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

"set our hope" - Our hope is set on the promises the God who spoke the universe into existence, who knows us and loves us anyway, who wants a personal loving relationship with each of us. God is eternal, and is in your life, here and now.

"Savior of all people, especially of believers" - Jesus came to save the world, the whole world. (I think a case could be made that He came not just to save humans, but the world. It was not just humans that suffered from the Fall, but all creation groans. (Rom. 8:22) However, Jesus indicated that not all people will be saved. (Matt. 22:14) Those of us who know and accept the gift of salvation are now different than non-believers. (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 17:14) Salvation is offered to all. God does not force you to accept His gift. There are consequences to rejecting his offer. Until you die, the choice will always be offered. After that, there are no 'do-overs' - (see: Heb. 9:27, 28). Jesus came the first time to save you. The next time He comes, it will be for judgement. The big question, perhaps the only question is, "Is your name in the Lamb's Book of Life?" (See - Rev. 20:12, 15; 21:27; 22:19).

Vs. 11: - Command and teach these things.

"Command and teach" - Timothy, as well as other teachers and preachers in the following centuries to declare, announce, or charge fellow believers with the message to seek godliness through Jesus Christ our Lord. We also are to discuss with others in order to instruct them, and to deliver didactic discourses, that is teach others that they met teach others also. (See: 2 Tim. 2:2). We are not be left alone, to fumble our way along. We have other Christians who have lived and learned, and they can share their successes and failures. We have the Holy Spirit to teach us.

1 Tim. 4:1-5 - Some will stray

1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings,
2 influenced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared.
3 They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
4 For every creation of God is good and no food is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.
5 For it is sanctified by God's word and by prayer.

Vs. 1: - Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings,

"the Spirit explicitly says" - The previous verse (3:16) just said Jesus was vindicated by the Spirit of God. Jesus' claim to be the Son of God, to have come to save the world from sin has been validated. It is proved beyond a doubt by His resurrection from the dead and His ascension to heaven. The Spirit of God (God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:23, 24) raised Him because He was worthy and fulfilled every requirement.

The Spirit has a Word of Warning for Us.

"in the later times" - We might be tempted to think Paul, by the guiding of the Holy Spirit, is addressing us in particular. Actually, the "later times" happened within 30-60 years from the time of Christ's resurrection. We still are in the "later times".

"desert the faith" - By that time, there were several heresies that were invading the belief systems of the church. For example - Gnosticism had gained strength in the church. Briefly, Gnosticism is very 'Oriental' in nature beginning with the idea that 'material nature’ is bad or evil, and the spiritual is good. The heresy in this case is that Jesus could NOT have been a real human since that would make Him material, physical and so, evil. Therefore Jesus' death on the cross was not real. Whether it was a substitute on the cross, or only a figment of imagination - both are heresies that deny the sacrifice of Jesus our Lord and Savior. A good source for further study is "Total Truth" by Nancy Pearcey. (See Note 1)
Another problem arose as the church spread across the land: the Jews had tried to make Christianity an adjunct of Judaism (for example: the Pharisees and Sadducees were "denominations" of the Jewish faith, and Christians would be also). There was great concern in the Jewish-Christian community that abandoning the Jewish religious culture may be blasphemy. It was an insult to the Jewish faith. How do you step from Judaism with all the sacrifices, holy days, festivals and rituals into Christianity where the main sacraments were baptism and communion without feeling disobedient and sinful?
Paul's letter to the Colossians deals with this issue. (Col. 2:16-23) He also deals with almost any teaching that would have you concentrate on rituals, holidays, sacred days, what you eat or drink. Some leaders in the local churches were advocating retention of Jewish traditions and practices. This happened in Jerusalem also. The Holy Spirit, through Paul warns us not to focus on works for the basis of salvation. Paul is emphasizing Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2), and resurrected, and at the right hand of God the Father - ONLY. Moving away from salvation by faith in Christ alone is 'deserting the faith'. The Gospel is Christ alone, not 'Christ plus...'

"deceiving spirits and demonic teachings" - Teachings which draw you away from salvation through Christ alone, are from the DEVIL. Do not think for a moment they are not. The Devil has used the idea "God really didn't mean that..." Look at the Garden of Eden, and Eve's encounter with Satan. (See: Gen. 2:25-3:8) Satan's basic message was, "God is lying to you. It can't be that simple. He is hiding something from you."
This is the same message from the people teaching "Christ plus..." You will know them by the list of things they would have you do to be classified as 'saved'. Note: Few of these 'additional' activities are sins. For example, ‘you must go to church’; or ‘you must be baptized’; or ‘you must take communion’. (None of those activities are bad. They are good.) Church attendance is good - Christianity is not a hermit faith. It is designed as a community to build each other up in the faith. Baptism is a command of our Lord - it is a public proclamation of your commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ - so baptism is good. Jesus instructed us to remember and reminded each other of His blood shed for us, and His body broken for us in the communion service - so communion is good.
These things, plus piling on restrictions in food, or drink, or 'festivals', celebration of 'new moons', or 'holy days' are all designed to take our attention off of Christ. That is why some of these teachings are demonic and are sourced from deceiving spirits.
The phrase "reasonable people can agree" may be a lead-in to teachings that will draw us away from Christ. Who wants to be thought of as unreasonable? Test the spirits, the teachings - do they match the scriptural teachings of the New Testament, or the words of Christ, or the writings of Paul, Peter, James and John to the churches? If they do not, reject them. If you are not sure, find a pastor or a fellow Christian you can trust and ask for help to understand.

No one says, "Let's go commit adultery in the name of the Lord." We all recoil in disgust at that. "Let's go beat up some non-Christians!", says no one, ever. Never is it said, "Sexually abusing children serves the cause of Christ." Anyone who would say those things should be immediately be thrown out of our midst (perhaps beating them to a pulp, first.) It is obvious these are evil and have no place in our faith. You KNOW these are evil, and the people saying them are evil. You would never follow the teachings of such a person.
Do not be deceived, your salvation is found only in Christ. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph. 2:8,9, Acts 4:12). Do not be deceived, Jesus wants you to live your life for Him, as an outward display of the inner reality. "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure". (Phi. 2:12, 13). There is no separation of spiritual truth (you are saved by grace) from physical truth (live your life for Christ). There is only one truth - spanning both spiritual and material. Christ in you, the hope of glory! (Col. 1:27, Rom. 5:2)

Vs. 2: - influenced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared.

"influenced by the hypocrisy of liars" - The demonic teachings are lies. This is saying those who teach these things are not simply deluded people. They are not confused, or misunderstand what they are saying. They KNOW they are lying.
This partial passage, "paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars" could also be saying that believers will be lost to the teachings of demons whose consciences are seared. I am not sure that demons have consciences. Since they rebelled against the Lord, their consciences would be permanently damaged. Angels rebelling against the Lord is several quantum leaps above human rebellion. The angels were in the presence of the Lord Almighty, seeing His glory and power - yet they turned on Him. In comparison, we are relatively ignorant (we are 'simple', or 'naive'). They should have known better. We can receive instructions, turning us from naive to prudent. That prudence saves us, because we listened and believed in Him.

I do not think Paul is talking about simple delusion or misinformation by some teachers. We are taught by others. If we are led down the wrong path, away from faith in Jesus by these others, we will have been deceived. Because Satan is hard at work to keep people from giving their life to Jesus, or keeping them from living abundantly, there will be false teachers that arise. These will know the truth, but reject it and try to suck others into the same errors. When they know the truth and reject it, they are spiritually foolish. They know the right thing to do, but choose to do otherwise. They no longer listen to the Holy Spirit, sealing off their conscience from His healing power. Their consciences have been seared. The NASB adds "as with a branding iron" at the end of this verse. A branding iron leaves a permanent mark. A cow is not damaged by the branding iron. The owner is identified by the brand. A seared conscience also identifies the owner - it isn't Jesus - however it may be permanently damaged, having no salvation.
On the other hand, it is clear that people can make mistakes, and teach the wrong things if they have not heard the truth. We see this in Acts 18:24-19:6. Apollos was teaching, but not teaching the right stuff. He was pulled aside by Priscilla and Aquila, got a 'hardware update' and began to be a powerful evangelist for the Lord. He was not lying, but was inadequately informed, ignorant of some vital information. Notice he did not continue in his error once he learned the truth. A teacher who continues the error after it has been made known is following the ‘hypocrisy of liars.’

Vs. 3: - They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

"prohibit...require..." - These are made-up rules that have little to do with faith in Christ. Prohibit marriage? Really, where do you think that comes from? God has commanded and blessed marriage between man and woman. Why would anyone prohibit what God has blessed? There was no blanket prohibition against marriage outside of Judaism, except for the Canaanites (See: Deut. 7:3, 4; 23:3, 7, 8; Exod. 34:15). Remember the incident of Jesus and the 'woman at the well'? She was a Samaritan, and she KNEW that "good" Jews despised the Samaritans. Why? The remnants of the Ten Northern tribes of Israel intermarried with the refugees imported by the Assyrians. The Northern Kingdom was invaded in 845 BC, and totally wiped out in 721 BC. The Assyrians took away many of the able-bodied inhabitants and forced other conquered peoples to move to the new conquered territories. To survive, the remnant Israelites married those the Assyrians dropped there. The Jews that were captured and taken away never came back, nor did their descendants. The proud Judeans, the Southern Kingdom, hated them for doing that. (Never mind that they suffered the same fate at the hands of the Babylonians, and the Medes and Persians.) The majority of the Jews in captivity in Babylon stayed there rather than return to Jerusalem. So it appears the command to not mingle with the Canaanites (because the false religion in that area would cause the Jews to fall away - and it did) morphed into a prohibition to not marry Gentiles.

A big question came up early: Must Gentile believers first become Jews before they can be considered a member of the church? This question was answered in Jerusalem. See: Acts 15:1-26. Gentiles may become Christians without converting to Judaism, or following the rituals and sacrifices of the Jewish faith. They were admonished to give up some of their pagan practices. This ruling by the apostles in Jerusalem meant that both Jews and Gentiles would be meeting and worshipping together. Marriages would be bound to happen. The ugly prejudice against Gentiles sprung up and became a problem.
Paul's answer: God called both Gentiles and Jews into His church. God created and blessed marriage. If both Gentiles and Jews are both called, there is no difference (See: Col. 3:10, 11). Marriage cannot and is not a problem. This 'rule' is a heresy.
Forbidden foods? Again, this is a remnant of the Jewish law (and adjunct of the Law). It was being forced on the believers. This rule too, had been dealt a death blow by the Lord. (See: Acts 10:9-16; 11:2-18) Peter was told that all food was given by God and could be eaten. Peter also understood that those who ate food forbidden by the Law were not forbidden to be Christians. That is, Gentiles were welcomed by God (even though they ate forbidden foods). Paul, being called to evangelize the Gentiles, understood that not only the Gentiles were acceptable to Jesus, but there were no more restrictions on food. It is easy to see how these habits and rituals can be a stumbling block. For example: how long have we had fish the primary food served on Fridays? This was s rule from the Catholic Church. The first time I encountered the Fish on Friday rule was when I entered high school. (I lived in a tiny town in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I didn’t know any Catholics until then.) These rules about food are 'heresy'.

"thanksgiving... believe and know... " - Since God created both marriage and the food, those who believe Him, and know that truth can freely and thankfully accept both. There is no condemnation. Rejoice and be glad. See Gal. 5:1. We are free. Free from the slavery to sin. Free from the slavery to rules. This is not a call to lawlessness - which is slavery to sin. This is a call to live in the control of the Holy Spirit, to live in the power of Holy Spirit. Abundant living! See: John 10:10.
Do you see rules - Don't eat this, or that, or that. Don't marry. Don't go to movies. Don't enjoy life - as abundant living. Neither do I. Be thankful to God, and live!

Vs. 4: - For every creation of God is good and no food is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.

"every creation of a God is good" - All food is acceptable. Give thanks for it and eat.

Vs. 5: - For it is sanctified by God's word and by prayer.

"sanctified" - Set apart. Made holy. Cleansed and purified. Because God said it was okay to eat, then go ahead, eat. But first, prepare yourself by being thankful to God - pray over the food, pray for yourself. Is it hard to visualize a hamburger and fries as holy? Me, too. Do it anyway, as part of your obedient Christian life. Warning: praying before you get drunk, or high, or loaded, or buzzed is not acceptable! Do not offend God by trying to do this.

Note 1: Pearcey, Nancy. “Total Truth”. Crossway Books. 2004.
***

1 Timothy 3:16 - Compact Gospel

16 And we all agree, our religion contains amazing revelation: He was revealed in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Vs. 16: - This verse is the ‘Cliff Notes’ of the life and work of the Messiah. This verse is similar to 1 Cor. 15:3-4 - "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."

I like the NASB wording: "By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness" of this verse more than the New English Translation (NET) version shown above. The NASB is more poetic. Nothing can be more amazing than the mystery revealed - God loves you, and He Himself paid the price for your sins. This is the Gospel laid out in a few words. We can also see the gospel laid out in "Four Spiritual Laws" (by Campus Crusade for Christ), another version is ‘Roman Road to Salvation’ (the Letter to the Romans is the source material) .

"And we all agree, our religion contains amazing revelation" - Perhaps this NET version is clearer and more understandable, yet is weaker. There is no controversy here; no one disagrees - We have an amazing God, who through His amazing grace has saved us from the penalty of our sins. If we reject Christ and Lord and Savior, the wrath of God remains on us - not anger, not revenge but execution of His clearly defined justice. See: John 3:36.

The NET turns 'godliness' into 'our religion'. It is not entirely wrong, but the word 'religion' has all kinds of baggage loaded on it. Things like: Ecclesiastical church, denominations, popes, cardinals, cathedrals, etc. (Not picking on the Catholic Church, here - just using one of the largest denominations in the world as an example.) 'Religion' also includes Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Greek and Roman gods (not a big factor in our time, but huge in the first century A.D.).

The word Paul uses in 'godliness', not 'religion', which are different Greek words rather than different meanings for the same word.
“Godliness” (1 Tim. 3:16) refers to piety pertaining to God, or ‘holiness’.
“Religion” (James 1:27) refers to ceremonial observances and practices.
Paul is not talking about religious practices and rituals, but the miracle of Jesus Christ - His incarnation, His sacrifice, His resurrection, and His ascension into heaven. Those facts are AMAZING!
Paul, after all the time he spent being a missionary for the faith, was still amazed and astounded that God dealt with us through Jesus. Godliness - God exercising His grace and mercy in order to bring us to Him, holy and without blemish or spot - is an amazing revelation. (Jude 1:24)

"He was revealed in the flesh" - Jesus, is God and man, wholly and fully both. This is another 'mystery'. (See: Matt. 1:18, Luke 1:27-35) We humans have trouble visualizing abstract things. (Side note - for example: how many people do you know that can look at construction plans and drawings and have no idea what it will look like when built? There are people who can 'see' the object in their minds in 3-D, and get it on paper for the construction contractor to build.) God is Spirit, and His true worshippers will worship Him in Spirit and truth. (John 4:23, 24) We cannot imagine what a Spirit looks like. We cannot imagine fully how a omnipotent, omniscient Spirit can know us and love us. Jesus came to show us, in actions, in His sacrificial death and resurrection. Would you give your life to save your children whom you love? Of course.

"vindicated by the Spirit" - In short, the resurrection!

1. If Christ's life was not sinless, the sacrifice would not be acceptable.
2. If His sinless life and death was not sufficient, there is no resurrection.
3. If no resurrection , there is no eternal life.
4. His life is acceptable, the vindication is Jesus is in Glory, heaven right now, with the Father, preparing heaven for our arrival.

"seen by angels" - He was announced by the archangel Gabriel (one of the few angels with names!). HIs birth was heralded by angelic hosts ('Angels We Have Heard on High'). Luke 2:18-25.

"proclaimed among Gentiles" - This was Paul's calling. (Acts 9:15, 26-31) Peter also shared the gospel with Gentiles, Acts 10:1-48.

"believed on in the world" - Jesus was followed by his disciples, some of whom became His apostles. After 'Easter' and then Pentecost they became proclaimers of the grace of our Lord. In an incident in Acts, the apostles were warned to no longer preach Christ and Him crucified. "We must obey God, rather than man," was their response. (Acts 5:29) Thousands believed and were saved through their ministry. (Acts 2:24, 4:4)

"taken up in glory" - Not long after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples to 'prove' his resurrection. He had defeated death. That is our hope. We have seen the resurrected Christ! We have seen Him taken up into glory. We, too, shall be like Him! After a short time with the disciples, Jesus ascended into heaven to be with the Father, to advocate for us. (Acts 1:8-11).

How cool is that?!

***
*** End of Chapter ***

1 Tim. 3:14-15 - Desire to come to you

14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you
15 in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, because it is the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth.

Since I Can’t Come to Ephesus...

Vs. 14: - I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you

"hope to come to you" - Most likely, Paul was in Rome. Timothy had been dispatched to the Ephesus church to teach, and correct some doctrinal errors that had cropped up. It is believed Paul might have been released from prison, but was required to remain in Rome. Later, he was arrested again, and executed. The desire to come to Ephesus to talk and mentor Timothy was tempered by Paul's situation.

"writing these instructions" - This is an instructional letter to correct problems in the local church. If left alone, the problems will destroy the church from within. Sometimes heresies are subtle, and seem to make some sense. One such is about the Law (from the Torah) and its relevance to Christianity. Jesus was/is a Jew, and all the first disciples and apostles were Jews. The Christian faith has its roots in the Jewish Law and Scripture. It could make sense that Christians should follow the Law in their behavior and worship. (In our time, the Seventh Day Adventists come closest to this way of thinking.)

I do not say 'it does make sense', but there is enough logic there to sort of make sense. Jesus came to fulfill the Law and prophecies, not to abolish the Law. See: Matt. 5:17. Now, in some ways, Jesus fulfilling the Law has the effect of abolishing it. (That is a discussion for another time.)

Some heresies are so beyond the pale they can be rejected outright. For example: Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child together. (This was part of the book 'Davinci Code', by Dale Brown.) Another is that Jesus did not really die. The problem here: No death equals no sacrifice equals no salvation! Another: Jesus was not really a human (what then, a hologram, a ghost that merely looks human?). This has the same error as claiming Jesus did not die.

Paul is emphatic. The people who are trying to get the Ephesus church to fall back into following the strictures of the Law don't know what they are talking about. He deals with the heresy of the Law in the first chapter of this letter, urging them to get back to the true gospel - Christ died for your sins, was buried, and resurrected, resides in glory. Then Paul spends the rest of the letter dealing with the church family members.
The interpersonal relationships of a group of people is complex. Even though we are 'new creations, all things have become new' (2 Cor. 5:17), our personalities, needs, and wants are all thrown into the church membership pot and stirred. The administration of a group of people requires planners and doers, servants and the served, leaders and followers. I believe the Holy Spirit leads Paul to lay out a local church hierarchy, and guidelines for dealing with the believers. The apostles named some men to help them with growing church membership. It seems that no decisions were made for the long term growth of the church. Paul codifies local church structure in this letter.

Go through the letter, and see how God wants us to treat and work with each other in the church.

Who will lead us? Elders.
Who will serve us, help us in need? Deacons.
Who should do these jobs? Upstanding citizens.
Who should they serve? Widows. Old people. Slaves, Masters, Young men. Young women. Those who are in need.
You know who they are. Just look around you. They are your fellow believers. You see them every day, every church gathering.

How Believers Should Conduct Themselves

Vs. 15: - in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, because it is the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth.

"to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves" - This is the purpose of the letter.

"the household of God" - Remember the Pointer Sisters song, 'We Are Family!"? That's us - 'my brothers, my sisters, and me.' We are children of God. See: 1 John 3:1-3. We serve the Living God! We are His children! We are no longer enemies because of our sins that separate us from His righteous holiness. We are more than friends, more than slaves. See: John 15:15.

"church of the living God" - We are the family of believers - the church. This is not a NGO - 'non-government organization. We are not the Elks Club, Rotary, Red Cross, or the Beaver Fan Club. We are the Bride of Christ. We are God's ambassadors to a lost and hopeless world. “The Holy God of Israel, the Lord who saves you, says, ‘I am the Lord your God, the one who wants to teach you for your own good and direct you in the way you should go’.” (Isa. 48:17)

"support and bulwark of the truth" - This is our job! Support the truth. Defend the truth. This is why you must know what you believe. "Be ready at all time to give an account of the hope that is in you." See 1 Pet. 3:15. There will be myriad messages out there designed to draw people away from salvation in Christ alone. There is salvation in no one else. See: Acts 4:12.

*** End of Chapter ***

1 Tim. 3:8-13 - Rules for Deacons

8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not two-faced, not given to excessive drinking, not greedy for gain,
9 holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
10 And these also must be tested first and then let them serve as deacons if they are found blameless.
11 Likewise also their wives must be dignified, not slanderous, temperate, faithful in every respect.
12 Deacons must be husbands of one wife and good managers of their children and their own households.
13 For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

6 Desireable Character Traits for Deacons

Vs. 8: - Deacons likewise must be dignified, not two-faced, not given to excessive drinking, not greedy for gain,

"Deacons" - Deacons are chosen to serve by working in the body, whereas elders are called to lead the church (not rule it, but lead by service). The deacon is the implementer of the service the church needs. 'Deacon' is a different church office than 'Elder'. The list of attributes for a deacon is just as daunting as it is for an elder. Does it seem unreasonable to have such high standards for church leaders? Does that sound like a dumb question?

As the church matured, women were called deacons (deaconess sounds stuffy). They served in the local body and were honored because they stepped up. Why are women deacons and not elders? I think the following list plus the admonition in chapter 2:12 will help us understand. Deacons are not teachers (called as such), they are workers. I know that some deacons have also the gift of teaching. So a deacon could well be a teacher.
To clarify, the scriptural description of deacon is a person who serves the needs of the members of the church. In the very early church there was no government organization that provided for the physical welfare of citizens (No ‘Department of Human Services’, no ‘Welfare’ nor ‘Social Security’). Even though God told the Jews to care for the widows and orphans (Zech. 7:8-11) their obedience was spotty at best. There appears to be no functionary within the Jewish religion to take care of the needy. This is something new - people called and appointed to provide for the needs of the church. The supplies are not coming from the pocketbook of the deacons only, but from the tithes and offerings of the church.

There are eight (8) attributes for deacons listed in these verses, and four (4) for the deacon’s wives.

(1) "dignified" - honest and trustworthy. Deacons are to be honorable in deeds and with people.

(2) "not two-faced" - No accomplished liars need apply. Someone who is honest and trustworthy (see above) will not be one person with you, and a different person with someone else. You can trust this person when he gives his word. No written contracts are necessary - his word is his bond.

(3) "not given to excessive drinking" - not a drunkard. This is not a admonition to refrain from alcoholic beverages. A little later in this letter (5:23), Paul instructs Timothy to drink a little wine for his ailments. There are plenty of warnings about getting drunk, and using too much wine, especially in Proverbs and some of the prophets. Too much wine (alcoholic beverages, in general) dulls the senses, clouds the judgment.

(4) "not greedy for gain" - not out for 'filthy lucre' (KJV), not out to make money off the church from funds intended for the needy of the church. The idea of getting rich from the church not only seems wrong - it is wrong. The duty of the deacon is to take the offerings, whether cash or goods, and distribute these to those in need. I think, but am not sure, that many of the first believers were not the wealthy, but the downtrodden, the widows and orphans. Also, after a few years the church would begin to acquire widows by attrition. More on this later. The deacons were to distribute the offerings to those who need it. Money would be passing through the deacons to the church members. The deacons must be honest, and not skimming a percentage for themselves.
The Bible has plenty of warnings about riches. Usually in reference to depending on riches instead of the Lord. (For example: Luke 12:15; Heb. 13:5; Matt. 19:20-24) On the other hand, the apostles were not called to a life of poverty. Those who dedicated their full time to studying the scripture, teaching and preaching were to be considered worthy of wages. (1 Tim. 5:17, 18)

Vs. 9: holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

(5) "holding to the mystery of the faith" - a firm and steady believer in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This has been said before, 'mystery' in the Biblical sense does not mean the 'Hound of the Baskervilles', or a Robert B. Parker, or Edgar Allen Poe type mystery. In the NT, a mystery is new revelation regarding Jesus' work for us or the church. The redemptive work of Jesus on the cross was foretold, but not understood by the Jews (or anyone else for that matter). The resurrection was not understood, even when Jesus told his disciples it would happen.
The disciples were totally surprised at Jesus being alive. They had watched him die! Their surprise is evident when we see the response to the women returning from the open tomb. How about 'Doubting Thomas'? "I won't believe unless I touch His nail scarred hands," followed by "My Lord and my God!" when Thomas’ eyes were opened (John 20:24-29). It is not that Thomas didn’t see Jesus, but his mind could not accept this information as true!
Prophecies concerning the church are harder to find in the OT. The church is the Bride of Christ - surprise! That Gentiles would be part of the church without being Jewish first - Surprise! Gentiles being brought into the kingdom of God was prophesied, but not understood. (See: Isa. 60:1-14; Hos. 1:10, 2:23; Amos 9:12) All these new things including, but not limited to, Christ living in me, being reborn (See John 3:1-9), the Holy Spirit teaching and leading from within - Surprise!
This is the mystery that deacons are to know and understand. If you don't understand and know this deep within yourself so that you are completely confident, how can you help others understand and know the wonder of Jesus loving you.

Vs.10: - And these also must be tested first and then let them serve as deacons if they are found blameless.

(6) "tested" - The local church body needs to check out the people who are aiming to be deacons. Are they believers? What is their reputation in the community? Will they be a credit to the church - will the community have positive or negative impressions of the church because of the life of the deacon in that same community? Do the deacons know Jesus as Lord and Savior? Are they living accordingly?

4 Desireable Character Traits for a Deacons‘ Wife

Vs. 11: - Likewise also their wives must be dignified, not slanderous, temperate, faithful in every respect.

"wives" - The wives of the deacons are part of the criteria? Wives are not mentioned in the rules for elders (see verses 1-7 above). The roles of deacons and elders/overseers are different. There is the aspect of authority and teaching for the elder position that is not evident for the deacon. The wives of the deacons may be more involved in their husbands 'work' than for the elders. The deacon is dealing with church member needs, and perhaps the informal network of wives will be more aware of needs, than would the men. The women may be co-workers in meeting the needs. If so, the wives should be of the same temperament and moral standing as the deacon husband.

(1) "dignified" - This is the same description as for the deacon. (See 1 Tim. 3:8 above).

(2) "not slanderous" - The wife is not to participate in gossip, especially gossip that damages someone's character. (See: 2 Cor. 12:20; Col. 3:8; Tit. 2:8) The sense of the word is that a 'slanderous' person by opposing God's will is taking the devil's "side" on things. The devil is described as a liar and a slanderer. He is the one who accuses you before God. Jesus is the one who stands for you and declares you innocent. You are His, and no one, not even Satan, can take you away.

Satan says, "Sinner! Loser! Deserving of death!" Jesus says, "I have paid the price. They have believed and placed their trust in Me. They now have My life." God the Father says, "Why, yes they do. Their name is written in the book of life. Enter into My peace. Welcome, child, welcome."

Spreading gossip is slandering people, just as does Satan.

(3) "temperate" - A sober woman, not emotionally, but figuratively. This person does not over-indulge in alcohol (commentaries say moderate use of wine, but I suspect beer and distilled spirits fall into the same category.) Temperate can also mean to be in control of yourself, and capable of devoting your will and actions to accomplish a desired end, serving God and Jesus to further the kingdom. Although that is a valid goal, that word is not the one used here.

(4) "faithful" - That is faithful in all things. This can mean that whatever she is given to do, it gets done. She is dependable for every task. This can also mean that she has accepted and believes that Jesus is the Son of God who came to die for our sins. She has placed her life in His hands.

2 More Desireable Character Traits for Deacons

Vs. 12: - “Deacons must be husbands of one wife and good managers of their children and their own households.”

(7) "one wife" - Back to the characteristics of the deacon, the male part of the equation. This is a simple declarative: married; one man to one woman. In many cultures the idea of one man/one woman marriage is too restrictive. See the discussion of 1 Tim. 3:3 above.

(8) "good managers" - The deacon is to be 'fine, upstanding, citizen'. Not only is his public persona real and respected, but his home - wife and family - is also fine and upstanding. The reputation of this man is known throughout the community.

Vs. 13: - For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

An old aphorism says, “The proof is in the pudding.” The result of a faithful servant will be reflected back from the community and spur others to serve boldly for Christ as well.

"served well" - When the legacy of the deacon is reviewed, it will be apparent. See also 1 Cor. 3:11-15.

"good standing" - Jesus will say to the deacon who has served well, "Well done, My good and faithful servant." (Matt. 25:21,23) See also 1 Cor. 3:11-15. No other declaration need be made.

"great boldness in the faith" - How does serving the believers in the church equate to great boldness in the faith? The deacon is sharing the gospel without needing to go door-to-door, meetting people, or sharing the Four Spiritual Laws. The deacon is sharing the command of Jesus to "Love one another, as I have loved you." (John 13:34) Why does the deacon do these deeds? Because the love of Jesus fills and controls him. As the deacon sees lives changed, his life is filled with joy because he knows that it Jesus working in him and through him. He will not want to stop.

***