Chapter
1 2 3 4 5 6
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

1 Timothy chapter 3

English Standard Version

1The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
8Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
14I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. 16Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
New International Version

1Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.
8In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
11In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
12A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
14Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
16Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
New American Standard Bible

1It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching, 3not overindulging in wine, not a bully, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money. 4He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5(but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into condemnation incurred by the devil. 7And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.
8Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not insincere, not prone to drink much wine, not greedy for money, 9but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10These men must also first be tested; then have them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. 11Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. 12Deacons must be husbands of one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. 13For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
14I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
16Beyond question, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.
Christian Standard Bible

1This saying is trustworthy: "If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work." 2An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not an excessive drinker, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy. 4He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity. 5(If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God's church?) 6He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil. 7Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the devil's trap.
8Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, 9holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10They must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons. 11Wives, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything. 12Deacons are to be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently. 13For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
14I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon. 15But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
16And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
New Living Translation

1This is a trustworthy saying: 'If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position.' 2So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. 3He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. 4He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. 5For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?
6A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall. 7Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.
8In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. 9They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. 10Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons.
11In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.
12A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well. 13Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.
14I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, 15so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.
16Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith : Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.
King James Version

1This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
8Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; 9Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 10And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. 11Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. 12Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13For 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.
14These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: 15But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

What does 1 Timothy chapter 3 mean?

Chapter 3 consists of three major sections. Verses 1 through 7 discuss the qualifications of elders in the church. These verses resemble the quality traits Paul gave to Titus in Titus 1:5–9. "Elders," in this case, are the senior leaders within the church. According to Paul, these men must be capable teachers, with a good reputation, known for their patience and fairness. Elders are not necessarily required to be married or have children, but those who are must be faithful to their wives and have reasonable control over their children.

While the information Paul gives for elders is similar to his instructions elsewhere, the second section of this chapter is unique to 1 Timothy. Here Paul gives qualifications for deacons, in verses 8 through 13. The character requirements are almost identical to those of elders in verses 1 through 7, though deacons are not explicitly required to be able to teach. However, this section also adds characteristics of a deacon's wife and a mandate that deacons be "tested" prior to being fully installed in their role. These additional points of emphasis probably reflect the fact that those being considered as "elders" are most likely already well-known to the church and have already shown themselves to meet the requirements.

The third section of this chapter relates to the church and covers verses 14 through 16. It includes a summary of Paul's first section of his letter to 1 Timothy (1 Timothy 3:14), as well as words that speak highly of the importance of the church (1 Timothy 3:15). Verse 15 is often misinterpreted as endowing the church—the earthly body of Christian believers—with special power or authority. In reality, Paul clearly sets the written words of the Bible as authoritative (2 Timothy 3:16). And, when discussing the "foundation" in terms of Christ, he uses Greek words which are very different from those written in this passage to describe the church.

The chapter concludes with a hymn-like doxology (1 Timothy 3:16) which reflects the theme of glory, similar to Paul's earlier hymn in 1 Timothy 1:17.

The three chapters to this point have been both personal and focused on "big picture" concepts in the church. Chapters 4 through 6 transition to a more practical tone. Paul will discuss specific dangers within the church, instructions toward various groups of people, and thoughts about money and trust.
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