19. A Noble Work: God’s Design for Men in the Church (1 Timothy 3:1-13)

Bring up anything related to how the church functions, and you will be sure to get all sorts of opinions and emotions on how things should be done. One of the highest points of disagreement is individual roles within the church. In this article, we will be looking at 1 Timothy 3 at men’s leadership roles in the church and how God designed them.

A noble task

The first thing one should notice is that this is a noble task.

Nobility is a characteristic lacking in our society today. There are too many men today who are fine attending church for a couple of hours and then going home and waiting a week to go again. Part of nobility is being brave enough to sacrifice some of your own desires. Selfishly, yeah, it’s a lot easier to not be a leader or a servant in the church; however, it’s also a necessity that is good for men in the church to aspire to.

A noble task is not an easy task. There is hard work, determination, and denying oneself the “luxuries” the world has to offer. While it is not easy, it is still a good or noble task. God has deemed it necessary that certain men serve as overseers and elders in the church and one, if called to the position of overseer, should not pursue it lightly.

This verse is specifically talking about the office of overseer being a noble task. Now, overseers and deacons do have slightly different roles (which will be touched on towards the end of this article), but the focus of this article is God’s design for men in the church, and since this passage focuses on character qualities of men in church leadership, that’s what will be focused on.

Character list, not a task list

Another thing one should notice is that it’s not a job description of overseers and deacons but a character list. We can glean from other sections of scripture what types of things overseers and deacons do, but what proves more important is what their character is like.

A major theme throughout the book is being aware of false teachers, so in this chapter, Paul lays out qualifications for what an overseer (teacher) and also for deacons should look like. In chapter 1 verse 3, Paul reminds Timothy of why he encouraged him to remain in Ephesus: to charge the teachers to not teach false doctrine but to remain true to God by faith. 1 Timothy 1:5 gives a nice summary statement of the goal Paul has for Timothy and church leaders in the midst of him warning about false teachers:

If a leader in the church holds true to a sincere faith in God with a pure heart and a good conscience (staying true to God’s word), the resulting fruit and the aim of Paul’s charge is going to be love.

Now in chapter 3, the qualifications for overseers and deacons could be summed up by the love they demonstrate, but Paul gives other qualifications which can be shown in and through this love. This article will not hit every character in the list, but many of the major ones that are shared between overseers and deacons.

Blameless/of good behavior: Overseers and deacons should be of good report, with a proven record in a sense, that would give no one inside or outside the church any reason to blame or cast doubt on their ability to serve in their role. This is the first in his list of qualifications here in Timothy and also in Titus. In Titus 1 verse 6 it is the first item on the list and Paul repeats this requirement for an overseer in verse 7:

It is vital that any overseer or any church leader be above reproach so as not to tarnish the ministry God has given him to steward. At the end of the section about overseers in 1 Timothy 3:7, Paul writes,

As this verse states, it is important for an overseer to be of good reputation so as to not be a stumbling block or a snare the devil could use to trip up the overseer, members of the church, or people outside the church who may develop an aversion to the gospel. For deacons in verse 8, it says deacons must be dignified, which is a similar idea of being well thought of or above reproach.

God desires holiness of his church, men set apart for service to Him who are above reproach. Being blameless or dignified is the first and foremost characteristic Paul requires of an overseer or deacon and the rest of the following qualifications are just more specific examples of what it looks like for an overseer or deacon to fulfill their office blamelessly and with love.

Husband of one wife: Overseers and deacons should follow God’s design for marriage and family. It’s a type of proving or testing in its own way. How a man treats and manages his family will reflect on how he will likely manage his role in the church.

Vigilant and Sober-minded or of a sound mind: These two characteristics go well together. They communicate the idea of being diligent and watchful to fulfill your ministry along with being temperate in your thoughts and actions. As other sections of scripture point out, the spiritual forces of wickedness will attempt to devour those devoted to the Lord’s ministry, church leaders must be vigilant and sober-minded so as not to fall for the scheming ways of the wicked, vigilant to follow the master’s call.

Hospitable: a church leader should have a hospitable heart towards others. He should demonstrate open-handed helpfulness toward those in need, more concerned with others' needs than his own wealth.

Not a drunkard or given to much wine: Allowing wine or other addictive or mind-altering chemicals to affect you can inhibit the ministry God has called you to. In relation to the context of verse 3, drunkenness also leads to the other characteristics church leaders should avoid, which are violence and a quarrelsome nature.

Lover of money/covetousness: One who loves money does not have God’s kingdom at the front of his mind. Remember that the aim of Paul’s charge is love from a pure heart and sincere faith in God (not money or anything else). A sincere faith leads us to love what God loves. Paul lists money here as an example because the love of money is a dangerous trap Christians can easily fall into which distracts their focus from God and can result in all sorts of evil (1 Timothy 6:10).

One who rules/manages his household well: The home is where we have the most influence. God has called men to lead their families, so how one leads their family to love and honor the Lord is a good indication of whether a man should be stewarded with leading the church.

Not a new believer:

It is important for a new believer to have time to grow in their faith so that it is sincere and proven. Verse 6 says that Overseers should not be recent converts and verse 10 says deacons should first be tested in order to be proved blameless before serving in this role.

Promoting a new believer to leadership positions too quickly can result in them becoming puffed up with pride. I think of the story of Icarus, escaping bondage only to be filled up with pride and fly close to the sun in ignorance, and then falling to the sea in disgrace. The prime example of pride of course is the Devil himself, who desired to rise above God.

When we succumb to pride, we fall into that same condemnation the devil fell into years ago. Even if a leadership position needs to be filled, it is better to not have a new believer fill the position and cause a potential stumbling block for them.

The main difference between overseers and deacons (in 1 Timothy 3): Able to teach.

Many of the qualifications of overseers and deacons are very similar; however, the main difference one sees is that in the list for overseers, Paul says they must be able to teach (1 Tim. 3:2), while for deacons, Paul says they must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

Both must understand the gospel, but it is the overseers' role to teach. This is part of the reason why Paul puts such an emphasis on overseers being above reproach. They are the ones who are teaching, and teachers are held to a high standard. I taught in a behavioral classroom last year. Students are much more apt to put in the work and do a good job if they see their teacher putting in the work to prepare lessons and being available to help their students out.

The same is true of teachers of the gospel, as they are both presenting and representing the most important message in the world! Teachers of the word must know the word and do it.

Blessings for men living out God’s design for them in the church

This chapter begins by commending the desire of those who aspire to the noble work of an overseer and ends with explaining a blessing for those who serve well as deacons. While in the context, verse 13 describes the blessing of serving as a deacon, both deacons and overseers have a noble task that does result in blessing.

The blessing and results for men who serve as deacons as found in verse 13 says that they will gain a good standing for themselves and also receive a great confidence in the faith in Christ. The deacon does not have a teaching role, but a servant-leader role, and as they serve, they will see the work God is doing in their lives and the lives of others, resulting in the strengthening of their faith!

Serving as a leader in the church is a noble task that is not easy, but the reward that comes from obeying and serving our creator is well worth it!

Works Cited

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) ESV Text Edition: 2016

© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.