Open Canon

Timothy ā€” Chapter 3

Qualifications are given for bishops and deaconsā€”Great is the mystery of godliness.

1 This is a true asaying, If a man desire the office of a bbishop, he desireth a good work.
2 A bishop then must be ablameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, bsober, of good behaviour, given to chospitality, apt to dteach;
3 Not given to awine, no bstriker, not greedy of cfilthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that aruleth well his own bhouse, having his cchildren in subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to arule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
6 Not a anovice, lest being lifted up with bpride he fall into the ccondemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good areport of them which are bwithout; lest he fall into reproach and the csnare of the devil.
8 Likewise must the adeacons bebgrave, not cdoubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure aconscience.
10 And let these also first be aproved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
11 aEven so must theirbwives becgrave, not dslanderers, esober, ffaithful in all things.
12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well apurchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
15 aBut if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the bchurch of the living God, the pillar and cground of the dtruth.
16 And without controversy great is the amystery of godliness: bGod was cmanifest in the dflesh, ejustified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, freceived up into glory.