How the Gospel Shapes Our Conduct: 1 Timothy 3:14-16

My basketball coach during my freshman year of high school had a rule that his players had to wear long-sleeved shirts and ties with their shirt tales tucked in to every away game.  Although I didn’t care for the dress code at the time, as I get older I have come to appreciate what he was trying to do.  His intention, I believe, was for our team to make a statement with how we dressed and how we carried ourselves every time that we left campus.  He wanted others to take us seriously when we showed up to play ball. 

I believe that the apostle Paul also desired that Christians in New Testament would make a statement, not with how they dressed, but with how they lived.  In facts, in 1 Timothy 3:14-16, Paul tells us that this was his very purpose in writing Timothy.  In verse 15, Paul says his major purpose in writing Timothy this letter was so that Timothy would “would know how one ought to behave in the household of God.”  Here Paul is stressing for Timothy the importance godly behavior, or conduct, in the church.  This purpose was directly connected to the false teachers who were misbehaving and misleading others in the church.  

There are few messages are more appropriate for the contemporary church in light of the disconnection that normally takes place between what many people profess and then what those same people practice.  What we are going to see today is that in unpacking his reasoning for why we should conduct ourselves properly in the church, Paul draws attention to two realities: the church’s identity and the church’s theology.  In other words, this passage calls us to conduct ourselves in a way that is consistent with who we are and what we believe.

1 Timothy 3:14-16: [14] I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, [15] if 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. [16] Great 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.

1.     The Behavior of the Church Must be Consistent with Her Identity (14-15)

The first reality that Paul grounds his charge to behave properly in the church is the church’s identity.  Three metaphors are used here that call us to behave properly.  First, Paul points out that as God’s church, we are God’s Household (3:15).  This phrase communicates the truth that as believers in Jesus Christ, we are the God’s family.  Paul views the church as the family of God, not a building where people meet or a list of names on a roll.  Being God’s family makes the charge to guard/support the truth of the family all the more serious.  We should take as kindly to false teachers as we would to thieves who would want to break into our homes in order to steal, kill, and destroy our families. 

Not only do we learn that we are God’s household in this passage, we also learn that we are God’s People (3:15).  We are the summoned assembly (ekklesia) of the Living God.  This phrase highlights the church as the assembly of people where God most clearly manifests His living presence.  The title, “the living God” has rich Old Testament connotations and identifies God as the one true God over against dead idols, and also calls the church to be a people that manifest the life of God.  In other words, being the church of the living God consequently makes us God’s living church. We should bear the fruit of holiness because we are connected to the life of the true Vine (John 15:5). 

The final metaphor that Paul uses here reminds us that as the church, we are also God’s Temple (3:15).  I think this is what Paul means to communicate by saying that we are a “pillar and buttress of the truth” of God.  For the Ephesians, this phrase would have certainly brought to mind the pagan temple of Artemis (Diana), which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  127 gold plated pillars and many large foundation stones supported this temple structure.  This metaphor not only communicates that we are God’s temple in the sense that we are the place that God most manifests His presence to the world, but also highlights our function in displaying God to the world.  Our lives are to be a support for the truth of God.  This is obvious from the word “pillar” and also from the word “buttress,” which denotes the foundation upon which a building rests rather than a prop that keeps a structure standing.  The imagery presents the church as “holding up” and “supporting” the truth of the gospel before a watching world, and doing so in a way that repels the attack of false teachers.  It does not imply that God’s truth is unstable and shaky and therefore needs support, but presents the truth of the gospel as a strong immovable fortress that is fortified and held up by the conduct of God’s people for all to see.

So these metaphors are meant to communicate that who we are (our identity) directly affects our conduct.  You see, a dysfunctional family cannot effectively preach a functional gospel.  A dead people cannot effectively represent the living God.  And an unstable structure cannot effectively hold up the weight of the glorious gospel of Christ. 

Consider the family metaphor.  Who would you go to for marital/parental counsel: a dysfunctional or a functional family?  I used to watch a TV show called “In Living Color” in Junior High and from time to time they would air a skit called “The Dysfunctional Home Show.”  Jim Carrey’s character would always open the show by saying, “Welcome to the dysfunctional home show, where we teach you how to live the dysfunctional life.”  Carrey played an alcoholic dad who was always drunk, whose wife had left him because “she couldn’t take a punch or two,” who is constantly trying to make physical advances towards his own daughter (who made money as a prostitute in middle and high school), and whose encouraging parenting skills include constantly telling his children what losers they are and how they will never amount to anything.  Honestly, would you seek his advice if your marriage or family were in trouble?  Of course not!  Why?  You wouldn’t because a dysfunctional home cannot effectively communicate functional truths for the home. 

This is why the conduct of the church matters.  A dysfunctional church cannot effectively preach a functional gospel.  It’s time for the church to remember who she is.  We are God’s family.  We are God’s people.  We are God’s temple.  And it’s time to act like it.  But not only is this charge to godly conduct in the church grounded in the church’s identity, it is also grounded in the church’s theology. 

2.     The Behavior of the Church Must be Consistent with Her Theology (16)

What we have in verse 16 is what most commentators believe is part of an early hymn that summarizes the content of the Christian faith.  It unpacks “the truth” that the church is supposed to be a pillar and buttress of.

Let’s first consider the title of this hymn, which is called “the mystery of godliness.”  The word “mystery” refers to God’s redemptive plan, which had been kept secret but is now revealed and “godliness” implies that there is a godliness of living that this mystery produces.  “Godliness” accompanies becoming a part of this redemptive plan.  The TNIV actually translates this phrase “the mystery from which true godliness springs.” The hymn itself, as I said earlier, summarizes, but not exhaustively, “the truth” that we are a pillar and a buttress of.  It tells the story of Christ’s work.  Some commentators see this hymn as having two stanzas of three verses each.

Stanza one deals with Christ’s earthly ministry and victory.  It’s first line states that Jesus was “manifested in the flesh.”  This is a reference to Jesus’ incarnation, the reality that in Christ, God appeared in a human body (took on flesh).  One of the clearest places in the Bible that this truth is declared is in John 1:1-3, 14: “[1:1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made…[14] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  The second line states that Jesus was “vindicated by the Spirit.”  This is mainly a reference to Jesus’ resurrection because it is the event in which God’s Holy Spirit supremely vindicated all of Jesus’ claims.  Paul speaks this way in Romans 1:4, where he says that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.”  The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead in power in order to declare Him to be just who He had claimed to be, the Son of God.  That’s how He was “vindicated by the Spirit.”  Finally, the third lines states that Jesus was “seen by angels.”  This line is a little difficult, but we do see angels appearing around Jesus’ birth, death, burial, resurrection, & ascension.  Also, several passages speak of how angels have been and will be made subject to Jesus due to His victorious and finished work on the cross (Phil. 2:5-11, 1 Peter 3:18-22).  Colossians 2:15 even says that in Jesus work on the cross, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”  Jesus publically humiliated demons (which are fallen angels) in His victory on the cross.  Basically, this phrase reminds us that Jesus’ victory was not some back yard throw down.  It was history’s MAIN EVENT in which Jesus picked a fight with the forces of hell and invited all creation to see them get publically humiliated.  Perhaps this is why William Mounce says that this phrase here refers to Jesus’ “victorious proclamation” at the resurrection and ascension. 

Stanza two deals with Christ’s ongoing ministry and the basis for its victory.  The first line here states that Jesus was “proclaimed among the nations,” and is followed by the second line, which states that Jesus was “believed on in the world.”  If we take these two lines together, they obviously refer to the mission of the church to make disciples of all nations (Gentiles).  The third line states that Jesus was “taken up in glory,” which refers to Jesus’ ascension (Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9-11) and solidifies the success of His ongoing mission to redeem a people for Himself.  What is interesting, however, is that chronologically, Jesus was taken up in glory before He was proclaimed and believed upon in the world.  Why, then, do these two items appear before the last one and why are they spoken of in the past tense?  One reason that the mission of the Christ appears before the ascension of Christ may be because the giving of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) actually did come before the ascension.  And as far as God is concerned, that mission is as good as done.  It is important to understand that the New Testament often assumes the success of the mission the church ahead of time (Matt. 16:18, John 10:16, Acts 18:9-10).  Even the angels in heaven, in Revelation 5:9-10, speak of missions in this way.  Why can the success of the church’s mission be assumed?  It can be assumed on the basis of Christ’s finished work and on the basis that Christ is the ultimate builder of His church.  It is like a game that awaits the final buzzer, but is as good as over.  The crowd is singing, “Na-Na, Na-Na-Na-Na, Hey-Hey-Hey, Goodbye!”  In such a case, people are celebrating and declaring the sure victory of a team before the game is over.

This hymn has several functions.  It proclaims the essential truths of the gospel; it serves to engrave these truths upon our hearts and minds; it calls the church to mission; and finally, it celebrates the success of the church’s mission on the basis of Christ’s victory.  This is one practical benefit of hymns, creeds, confessions, and catechisms.  When it comes to music, deep, rich theology is supposed to saturate the songs that we sing so that it can become engraved upon our minds and hearts.  This reminds us as a church corporately to sing worship songs that are teaming with gospel truth and you individually to listen to music throughout the week that is teaming with those truths as well (examples). 

This hymn calls us be CLEAR in our understanding and proclamation of the gospel and CONFIDENT in the success of our mission.  Surveys and statistics today reveal that the average person in the pew doesn’t know why he or she believes what they believe.  They reveal that the average person in the church is both Biblically illiterate and theologically inadequate to explain or defend their own faith.  This has to change.  Will you, by God’s grace, commit to become a devoted student of the Bible and of theology today?  Don’t settle for ignorance.

From this passage, we see that there is an inseparable link between who the church is, what the church believes, and how the church behaves.  A healthy sense of who we are and what we believe leads to godly behavior.  But everything we are talking about today begins and continues by coming to treasure the person and work of Jesus Christ.  

How the Gospel Shapes Our Leadership, Part 2 (1 Timothy 3:1-13)

The book of 1^st Timothy was written to charge Timothy to confront false teachers and teaching by allowing the truth of the gospel to shape the life of the church and her members.  In 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Paul instructed Timothy how the gospel is to shape the leadership of the church in particular.  This is a crucial matter, because if the church is going to be shaped by the gospel, then she must be led by leaders whose lives are being shaped by the gospel. Godly leadership in the church makes the church a pillar and buttress of the truth.

This is a passage that is directed at pastors and deacons, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that this passage is only speaks to pastors and deacons.  These character qualities called for among the church’s leaders are the same character qualities called for among all believers throughout the New Testament.  As D.A. Carson said, this list of qualifications is most notable for not being very notable at all!  We are all to live “above reproach” for the sake of the gospel.  And furthermore, most all of us are leaders in some capacity with respect to others.  So what does gospel shaped leadership in the church look like? 

 [3:1] The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. [2] Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, [3] not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. [4] He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, [5] for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? [6] He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. [7] Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

[8] Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. [9] They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. [10] And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. [11] Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. [12] Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. [13] 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. (1 Timothy 3:1-13 ESV)

I.              Gospel Shaped Overseers (3:1-7)

In this passage we see two distinct servant-leadership offices in the church: the office of “overseer” and the office of “deacon.”  The word, “overseer” is one of three words (elder, pastor, overseer) that are used interchangeably in the New Testament to describe this first office (see Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:1-2), and is probably used to stress their role in watching over the congregation (Hebrews 13:17).  One helpful way to think through these two offices is that elders/pastors/overseers are men who serve and lead the church with their words and deacons are those who serve and lead the church with their works.

a.     Their Noble Task (1)

b.    Their Character (2-3)

In verses 2-3, Paul lists 11 character qualities that an overseer must possess.  A leader’s character matters more to God than their skill set, ability, or popularity.  This is why the first requirement is that an overseer be above reproach.  This means that there should be no legitimate accusation upon their lives that would bring disrepute upon the gospel or the church.  This quality serves as title for the present list, setting the benchmark for how we are to interpret each item on the list. 

An overseer must also be the husband of one wife.  Last week, we said that this means an overseer must be above reproach in the area of marriage if he is married; that he must be a one-woman man.  Again, I do not take this to mean that an overseer (or deacon) can never have been divorced and remarried.  That may or may not cause a person to be no longer above reproach.  Reading it that narrowly ignores the reality that there are many married men who have never been divorced and yet are not one-woman men. 

Most commentators group the next three qualities together under the idea of self-mastery.  An overseer must be “sober-minded,” which means to be clear minded, or clear headed.  He needs a clear head in order to make sober judgments.  “Self-controlled” does not mean self in control, but rather self under control of God’s Holy Spirit.  The result is a man who is disciplined and has his priorities, passions, and fleshly appetites in check.  The reason that “respectable” would fall under self-mastery is that it implies an orderliness of outward behavior that is a reflection of inner stability.  An overseer must have character that earns the respect of God’s people and the outside world.

An overseer must also be hospitable.  This word literally means “lover of strangers”.  In Paul’s day this actually meant being willing to open your home to strangers, especially itinerant ministers for lodging.  A pastor’s home should always be open and they should gladly welcome people into their homes.

An overseer must also be able to teach.  This is the one and only aptitude required.  This qualifications is elaborated upon in Titus 1:9: He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also rebuke those who contradict it.  This quality requires competence and skill in communicating Scripture and Christian truth in order to build up believers and refute error in the church.   

Furthermore, an overseer must not be a drunkard. This requirement is not arguing for or against a position on drinking.  It simply means that an overseer’s judgment must never be clouded by alcohol or any other addiction.  A pastor who ministers under the influence of an addiction is just as dangerous as a school bus driver who drives under the influence. 

An overseer must also not be violent but gentle and must not be quarrelsome.  This means that an overseer must be gentle in both speech and action, not resulting to violence in shepherding God’s people.  Together, these two qualities require that an overseer must not be a contentious person.  He must not be looking to pick a fight with his hands or his words.

The last character quality in the list is that an overseer must not be a lover of money.  Simply put, an overseer cannot be a greedy man.  That might seem strange due to what most pastors get paid, but remember someone doesn’t have to be rich to love money. 

c.     Their Home Life (4-5)

An overseer must manage their own household well if they are going oversee the church, which is God’s “household.”  The obvious implication here is that a man will lead the church the way he leads his home.  And the posture of one’s children is an indicator of the quality of one’s leadership.  This requirement reveals the home to be a rich training ground for ministry, where a person proves that they can set a godly example day in and day out, serve others, discipline others, resolve conflict, be loving, etc. 

d.    Their Spiritual Maturity (6)

A pastor must not be a new convert because there is a danger for a new convert to become puffed up and fall into the same condemnation that the devil did (pride).  We’re not told how long we are to wait because different people grow in different ways, but I do think that this shows why it is imperative for a church to have a systematic process of making mature disciples of people.  This allows for someone to come up through the ranks and learn while applying truth in the church so that once they have made it through such a process, they obviously meet this qualification.  No matter a person’s level of giftedness, time is needed for every believer to develop.

e.     Their Reputation (7)

A pastor must also be well thought of among the outside world.  There is a way that a man can live by his convictions and earn the respect of people who completely disagree with him.  This is important because even a rumor can destroy a person’s ministry.  Satan is called “the accuser” (Revelation 12:10) for a reason: he will use anything, even a rumor, to damage and destroy the ministry of a healthy church.

Mark Dever says “the point of leadership in the church is to bring glory to God by commending the truth to outsiders.”[1]  And since we are all leaders in some capacity, all of us should, by God’s grace and empowering, cultivate character that commends the gospel to a watching world.  It is interesting that Paul doesn’t give a detailed job description for either of these offices in the church.  I think that is because he wants to communicate that to God, a person’s character matters most.   And that is why we cannot approach filling leadership positions in the church the way we do in the secular world. 

II.            Gospel Shaped Servants (3:8-13)

The next office of leadership that Paul gives here is that of deacons.  The word “Deacons” comes from the Greek, “Diakonos,” which means “servant” (see 3:10,13).  This office is recognized by the church to be someone who “serves” the church in various ways, particularly so that overseers can devote themselves to prayer, teaching the Word, and exercising oversight in the church.  The first deacons in the early church were selected in Acts 6:1-7, and there we see four clear purposes of deacon ministry in the church.  They are: (1) to put the power of the gospel on display, (2) to preserve the unity of the church, (3) to support the ministry of the Word in the church, and (4) to meet the physical needs of the church.

a.     Their Character (8):

Once again, Paul begins with their character.  Four qualities are listed here, but notice the word, “likewise,” which lets us know that the same basic character qualifications are expected for both of these offices.  A deacon must be dignified.  This means that he is a man who is worthy of respect and is synonymous with the word, “respectable,” that we saw in the overseer’s list.  A deacon must also be a person who has learned self-mastery, because the next three qualifications call for self-control in the area of speech, drink, and the desire to be rich.  To not be “double-tongued” means to be honest, careful, and consistent in one’s speech.  A deacon is not a church politician that says one thing to please one crowd and another thing to please another crowd.  A deacon must also not be “addicted to much wine” or be “greedy for dishonest gain,” as we saw earlier.   

b.    Their Doctrine (9)

Deacons must also hold “the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.”  The “mystery of the faith” refers to the overall body of Christian doctrine.  So while deacons are not required to be able to teach, they are required to have a good grasp of the gospel and the important doctrines of the faith and also live out of that teaching.    

c.     Their Testing (10)

Deacons must also be tested in order to occupy this office.  While we are not told how long a deacon is to be tested, we are told what to look for in their testing.  Their test is meant to discover if they are “blameless,” or above reproach.    

d.    Their Home Life (11-12)

Some people take verse 11 as qualifications for women deacons.  While a strong case can be made for women deacons, I take this verse as part a larger unit made up of verses 11-12 and see this as simply qualifications for deacon’s wives in the larger scope of his home life. My reasons for reading it this way is that it seems to fit the flow of the context well.  Paul has just restricted women from teaching or exercising authority over men and then gives two offices of church leadership.  Also, it problematic to see explain how a woman could be the “husband of one wife,” which is a qualification as this passage unfolds.  Even with a valid case for women deacons, it would not be wise to allow women to fill such roles if the position was authoritative over the church in any way because that would violate 1 Timothy 2:8-15. 

What is certain from verses 11-12 is that deacons are also called to manage their households well.  This includes cultivating Christian character in their wives (dignified, not slanderers, sober-minded, faithful) and children.  They too will serve the church in the way that they serve their families. 

e.     Their Reward (13)

Deacons who serve well will gain “a good standing and great confidence in the faith.”  This means that they will earn the respect of God’s people and develop boldness and confidence as a believer.  Godly leadership does not go unrewarded.  May all who serve the church remember just how privileged a title it is to be called a servant.  Mark 10:42-45: [42] And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. [43] But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, [44] and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. [45] For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

Just as we are all to be leaders in some capacity, we are also called to serve in some capacity.  And according to the passage in Mark, we are really saying the same thing.  Servant-leadership is how the Bible defines leadership.  Jesus Christ, who stands as THE example of Christian leadership, was the greatest servant leader of all.

In C.J. Mahaney’s book, Humility, he makes a profound statement about this passage in Mark.  He points out that while this passage is pointing us to Jesus’ example and definition of greatness, it is mainly pointing us to Jesus’ ransom so that we can be great.  We need more than Jesus’ example of leadership.  We need more than Jesus’ definition of leadership.  We need Jesus’ death to pay our ransom for all the ways in which we fail to be godly, servant leaders.  This reminds us that gospel shaped leaders are simply gospel shaped people whom God wants to use to light up a dark world with the truth of the gospel, themselves being the proof of the gospel’s power.  I hope you see that in Mark 10 and in 1^st Timothy 3 the desire to lead and be great is nowhere condemned.  God wants you to become a great leader in His kingdom.  The issue is simply whether or not we will trust God’s wisdom on what true greatness is and how to get there.  One becomes a great leader in God’s kingdom by trusting Jesus as their ransom and then passionately pursuing the One who ransomed them.  Over time, we are shaped by this pursuit into living proof of the gospel’s power to change lives and it is at that point that we recognize a person.  And we recognize them, not to point to them, but to the God who has ransomed and changed them.  Will you come to Him today and be changed?  

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[1] Mark Dever, A Display of God’s Glory, 19