Qualifications for elders and deacons
3
📚✭This is a true saying: If a man desires the position of overseer in the church, he desires a good work. 2 📚An overseer must be blameless✭, the husband of only one wife✭, temperate✭, sound in thinking✭, of good behaviour✭, hospitable✭, able to teach✭, 3 📚not given to wine✭, not violent✭, not greedy for sordid gain✭, but gentle, not quarrelsome✭, not a lover of money✭, 4 📚one who rules his own home well, keeping his children obedient✭ with full respect 5 📚(for if a man does not know how to rule his own home, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6 📚not a new convert✭, or he may get puffed up with pride and fall into the condemnation of the devil✭. 7 📚Moreover, he must have a good testimony among outsiders✭, or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil✭.8 📚Likewise, the deacons✭ must be honorable✭, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for sordid gain✭, 9 📚but holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience✭. 10 📚And let these men also first be tested✭, and when found blameless, let them serve as deacons.
11 📚✭Also their wives must be honorable, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
12 📚✭Let the deacons each be the husband of only one wife, ruling their children and their own homes well. 13 📚✭For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
14 📚I write these things to you, hoping to come to you shortly. 15 📚But in case I am delayed, I am writing so that you may know how you should behave in the house of God✭, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth✭.
God’s mystery in a human body
16 📚And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness✭:
God appeared✭ in the flesh✭,
was declared righteous
by the Spirit✭,
seen by angels✭, preached to the Gentiles✭,
believed✭ on in the world,
and received up into glory✭.