As
Paul the apostle began to give Timothy his “son in the faith”
instructions concerning different people and offices within the
church, he added “deacons” to his list. “Deacons”
or “ministers, servants or attendants” were to be “grave,
not double-tongued, not given to much wine” and “not
greedy of filthy lucre;”. In chapter three and verse nine Paul
added the trait of “holding the mystery of the faith” to
the list of the “deacons” requirements where we read:
Holding
the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
The
verse begins, “Holding the mystery of the faith...”
Paul employed the word, “Holding”
which means “owning, possessing, clinging to or adhering to” “the
mystery” or “hidden or
secret” “of the faith”
which refers to “conviction of the truth of anything and belief
that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the
provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ, and that
Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the
kingdom of God”. With conviction the deacon was to hold to, cling
to and own the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The verse continues,
“...in a pure conscience.”
Paul included a manner in which the “deacons”
should hold “the mystery of faith” “in a pure”
or “cleansed, purified, and chaste, free from corrupt desire, from
sin and guilt, free from every admixture of what is false,
sincere genuine, blameless, innocent, unstained with the guilt of
anything” “conscience”
which refers to “the soul as distinguishing between what is morally
good and bad, prompting to do the former and shun the latter,
commending one and condemning the other”. In other words the
“deacons” were to
free from the guilt of any moral impropriety as they held the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
As
we ponder Paul's words concerning “deacons”,
we might benefit from asking ourselves whether we hold “the
mystery of the faith” with a
“pure conscience”.
Is there anything within us that would be indited for not being so?
Is there conviction from the Holy Spirit concerning any area in our
lives? “Deacons”
were and are held to a high standard because of their visibility and
position within the church, and we also are more visible to others
than we know. Let us always be sure to live our lives in a “free
from guilt” manner so that others may bear witness of our trust and
faith in the Lord Jesus.
Next
time Paul shares more requirements for “deacons”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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