1 Timothy 3:11, 13
Ps Paul Cheng
“…they are first and foremost God’s servants…”
~7 min read
Dear Bethelites,
In our previous pastoral chat, we had considered how the Apostle Paul focused on God’s divine spiritual standards for the elders and deacons, and then he moved on to focus on the office of deaconesses.
I. The Spiritual Qualifications For Deaconesses
1 Timothy 3:11, Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
There has been a lot of debate about whether Paul was speaking about the deacons’ wives, or the deaconesses. Let me give you some reasons why we believe that Paul was speaking about the deaconesses.
Firstly, remember, the word likewise is very important. It means Paul had finished discussing one category, and he moved on to another category; he had spoken about the spiritual qualifications of the elders, and then he said, likewise, and he moved on to talk about the deacons (another category). Then again, he said, even so (same word for likewise), which means, he had moved on to a new category - the deaconesses. So, the words even so (or likewise) tell us that he was speaking about a different group.
Secondly, one notices that Paul did not give any qualifications for the elders’ wives. If he did not do that for the elders’ wives, why would he do that for the deacons’ wives? If the deacon’s wife was important, how much more would the elder’s wife be?
Thirdly, the reason why Paul did not use the word “deaconesses” is because there was no such word in the Greek language; the masculine form of deacons was used for both men and women.
For example, if you can turn with me to Romans 16:1, I commend unto you, Phebe, our sister, which is a servant (same word for deacon, but since Phebe was a woman, therefore she was a deaconess) of the church which is at Cenchrea. Remember, the word deacon or servant can mean someone who serves in a general sense, or someone who has a spiritual gift to service, or someone who has the office of a deacon. How do we know that Paul was referring to Phebe as a deaconess? Because of the definite article the church, not just any church, but she was a deaconess of that particular church which is at Cenchrea. In today’s term, we would say, so-and-so is a deaconess of Bethel BP Church which is at Oakleigh. It speaks of her office as a deaconess.
Fourthly, the qualifications were similar to the male deacons. She must be grave, she must not be a slanderer (or doubletongued), sober (or not given to much wine), and faithful in all things (both in the church and at home).
But why did the Bible use the word wives? The original word for wives means women. And the reason why the Bible used the word wives or women is because there is no Greek word in the Bible for deaconesses (servants), so the only way Paul could distinguish between deaconesses and male deacons, was to use the word women.
Now the next question is why did the King James Bible translate it as wives? In Old English, the word wives was often used to refer to women. For example, when they said, “Old wives’ tales,” they meant, “Old women’s stories.” Here, their wives means their women, or the women in the church.
By the way, there are some people who believe that there are no deaconesses in the Bible. That is not true! Phebe was a deaconess, Romans 16:1, “I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:” The definite article indicates her office that she was a deaconess (servant) of a particular church which was at Cenchrea.
One of the reasons why they do not believe in deaconesses is because of the command in 1 Timothy 2:12 that the woman must learn not to teach, not to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. But a woman can still be a deaconess and not violate this command because she can be a deaconess to lead in the children's ministry, or the ladies' ministry, or the widows' ministry, etc.
Our church believes in the office of deaconesses, and we pray that one day, God will provide us with godly women who are called to serve as deaconesses. Since we are on this topic of deaconesses, it is not easy to have women as deaconesses because women (married women) are to be their husbands’ helpers, and they are to be keepers at home. So, you can imagine if you have a married woman, with children, and she is serving as a deaconess; she has to leave her husband and children at home, and then attend session meetings until late in the night, and be busy serving in the different ministries of the church. Surely, she will neglect her own family, and God does not want her to do that.
That is why it is not easy, and that is also why in 1 Timothy 5:9, Paul talked about those older women serving in the church, especially those widows serving other widows. Paul said, “Let not a widow be taken into the number (some theologians believe this number is the list of deaconesses), and she must not under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man (which means she must be at least 60 years old, and by the time she reached that age, her children would have grown up and had their own families, and she would not have much commitments at home) (added words mine). In other words, if that was the case, Paul said, “Let her be included in the list of deaconesses!”
So, we have considered the spiritual qualifications of deacons and deaconesses, and let us move on to our last point, the spiritual reward for the deacons and deaconesses!
II. The Spiritual Reward For The Deacons And Deaconesses
1 Timothy 3:13, 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.
There are two rewards awaiting those men and women who have served well as deacons and deaconesses. Firstly, they purchase to themselves a good degree which means they gain for themselves an elevated stand, or a worthy stand. In our modern term, perhaps we may say, “They are on a pedestal.” Not in a proud sense though, but they are worthy of it. When they humble themselves to serve the Lord, they will be exalted by Him, and by the church. Deacons and deaconesses who serve faithfully ought to be honoured and respected by the people whom they serve.
It is very sad when we see people treating deacons and deaconesses without any respect. Members think of themselves as the employers, and the deacons and deaconesses as their employees or their servants. They have this idea that they are the ones who put them into the office, and they are the ones who voted them into the office. But they fail to realize that if these are people whom God has called into the ministry, they are first and foremost God’s servants. They are God’s deacons and deaconesses, and if you disrespect and dishonour God’s servants, do you think He will not deal with you? Surely, He will!
Secondly, they will have great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. As they serve the Lord, there will be trouble, hostility and persecution, but as they press on and persevere, God will give them boldness and power, to strengthen them for greater service.
How long should the deacons and deaconesses serve? They should serve for as long as they can, and for as long as they live. And out of all the deacons, God will call some to serve Him as elders. As Paul said in verse 1, “If a man desires the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.”
Dear friends, we must aspire to grow spiritually, and we pray that Bethel will be a church where the members will grow. People will grow old but spiritually, they will become examples of the believers. Their children will become adults, and some will be preachers, full-time ministry workers, Bible teachers, musicians, Sunday school teachers, and others will be deacons and deaconesses, and yet others will be elders. This is the kind of church we want to be, and this is the kind of church we want to worship in!
By way of illustration, we must not be like the couple who have three sons, Peter, John and Matthew. One day, they said to each other, “Our first son, Peter, is very good at music. Let us send him to Juilliard because we believe he will be a famous musician. Our second son, John, is very good with languages. Let us send him to Harvard because we believe he will be an excellent lawyer. Our third son, Matthew, is a bit slow and not sharp. Let us send him to the Bible College. Maybe God can use him in the ministry, and he can serve the Lord in the church.” Do we have this kind of attitude? Or do we say to our sons and daughters, “It does not matter how well you do in the world. We want you to do your best for the Lord first, in His ministry.”?
“Behold I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)
With love in Christ,
Pastor Paul Cheng
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