1 Timothy 3

This is the third of the six chapters of 1 Timothy. The previous chapter addressed the community's prayer and conduct in worship; this chapter turns to the qualifications of those who will hold office in the church.

Outline

• Verses 1–7 set out the qualifications of a bishop (overseer). He must be blameless and the husband of one wife, given to hospitality and apt to teach, and one who rules his own house well. He must not be a novice, and he must have a good report among outsiders.
• Verses 8–13 set out the qualifications of deacons. They must be grave, not doubletongued (saying one thing to one person and another to someone else), and must hold the faith with a pure conscience. They are first to be proved before being entrusted with the office, and verse 11 adds qualifications for "women."
• Verses 14–16 explain the purpose of the letter: if Paul is delayed in coming, Timothy will know how to conduct himself in the house of God. The passage calls the church "the pillar and ground of the truth" and ends with a six-line confession concerning Christ.

Key Verses

• 1 Timothy 3:2 "A bishop then must be blameless" — a principal text cited in discussions of the qualifications of church officers.
• 1 Timothy 3:15 "the pillar and ground of the truth" — frequently cited as a statement of what the church is.
• 1 Timothy 3:16 "great is the mystery of godliness" — many scholars regard it as a quotation of a confession or hymn used by early Christians.

People and Places

• Paul — Traditionally accepted as the author of the letter, though some modern scholars hold that it was written at a later date.
• Timothy — The recipient of the letter. A coworker of Paul, he was at this time overseeing the church in Ephesus (1:3).

Points for Reflection

• Bishop and elder: Presbyterians and others, noting that Titus 1:5–9 uses "elder" and "bishop" interchangeably, regard the two terms as referring to the same office (see Elder). Churches that maintain a distinct office of bishop, such as Anglicans and Methodists, sometimes cite this chapter as one basis for the episcopate.
• "The husband of one wife": Interpretations differ, reading the phrase as a prohibition of polygamy, an exclusion of the remarried, or a call to faithfulness to one's wife. This expression and verse 11 are read in different ways in the debate over women's ordination.
• The "women" of verse 11: Some interpret them as the wives of deacons, others as female deacons. The latter view appeals to Phoebe (Romans 16:1).
• The verses on wine (vv. 3, 8): Some read them as requiring total abstinence, others as warning against excessive drinking (see Alcohol and Tobacco).
• Manuscript variation in verse 16: Some later manuscripts read "God" in place of "He who." The King James Version follows this reading.

In the Korean Church

The chapter is frequently used as a sermon text at ordination services installing elders, deacons, and kwonsa (exhorters). It is also presented as a standard of qualification in the training of church officers.