Page 38 - Pastoral Epistles I & 2 Timothy, Titus

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8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for
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dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested
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first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be
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dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one
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wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a
good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus
Titus 1:1-9.
5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every
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town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are
believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God's steward,
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must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for
gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the
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trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to instruct sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who
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contradict it.
The Apostle Paul is giving Timothy and Titus a list of qualities (not qualifications) that should be evident in a
person’s life if they are going to serve as either elder or deacon, or as a leader in the local church.
These are not qualifications since qualifications would mean these items must be evident, or the person would
not be eligible to serve. No one is perfect. We all fall short, but God uses imperfect people to do the work of the
church. By using the word qualities, it does not diminish what we are looking for but it does help us to
understand that … we are looking for qualities in a person’s life – some may be more evident than others – and it
is possible that some of the items on the list may not actually be evident in the person’s life at present, but that
would not make them automatically ineligible to serve.
Identify some qualities that should be evident in a person’s life who is being asked to help
lead the church – items that are NOT found in these chapters.
1. Prayer.
2. Faithful in attendance.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Paul wants Timothy to understand that, without question, the leaders (elders and deacons) of our churches must
have character qualities clearly evident in their lives - with special emphasis on character, family, and
faithfulness. And if these qualities are not evident, the person is not qualified to serve.
In the United States, we elect a new president every four years. And for the months and months before the
election, television stations run one program after the next, talking about every imaginable area of all the
candidates’ lives. Each candidate talks about their plans for the future and how they
would make America a better place. The final candidates have their lives investigated
by every imaginable source. No stone was left unturned. But what if the television
stations had access to real-life videos of how the candidate treated the other people in
their family (when no one was watching), about how they treated their neighbors,
about the websites they visited on the internet, etc? If we had access to all that
information, would it make a difference in how people voted? Of course, it would make a difference – because
anyone can look good once in a while – including all of our deacons and elders. But if we knew every detail of the
lives of every deacon and elder, do you think it would make a difference as to who was asked to serve as a leader
in our church? Yes – of course, it would matter.

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