3:1 This 1 [is] a true saying, 2 If a man a desire the
office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
(1) Having completed the treatise of doctrine and of the manner
of handling of it, as well also of public prayer, he now in
the third place comes to the persons themselves, speaking
first of pastors, and afterwards of deacons. And he uses a
preface, so that the church may know that these are certain
and sure rules.
(2) The office of bishop, or the ministry of the word is not an
idle dignity, but a work, and that an excellent work: and
therefore a bishop must be furnished with many virtues both
at home and abroad. Therefore it is necessary before he is
chosen to examine well his learning, his gifts, his
abilities, and his life.
(a) He does not speak here of ambitious seeking, of which
there cannot be a worse fault in the Church, but
generally of the mind and disposition of man, prepared
and disposed to help and edify the Church of God, when
and wherever it will please the Lord.
3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of b one
wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to
hospitality, apt to teach;
(b) Therefore he that shuts out married men from the office
of bishops, only because they are married, is
antichrist.
3:3 Not c given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy
lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
(c) A common drinker and one that will often partake of it.
3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into
the d condemnation of the devil.
(d) Lest by reason that he is advanced to that position, he
takes occasion to be proud, which will undo him, and so
he fall into the same condemnation that the devil
himself has fallen into.
3:83 Likewise [must] the e deacons [be] grave, not
doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy
lucre;
(3) Likewise the deacons must first be proved, that there may
be a good trial of their honesty, truth, sobriety, mind
void of covetousness, that they are well instructed in the
doctrine of faith, and to be short, of their good
conscience and integrity.
(e) These are those that had to look after the poor.
3:9 Holding the f mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
(f) The doctrine of the Gospel, which is indeed a mystery:
for flesh and blood do not reveal it.
3:114 Even so [must their] wives [be] grave, not slanderers,
sober, faithful in all things.
(4) Regard must also be had for the pastor's and deacon's
wives.
3:125 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling
their children and their own houses well.
(5) They that have than one wife, at one time, must neither by
called to be ministers, nor to be deacons.
3:13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well
purchase to themselves a good g degree, and h great
boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
(g) Honour and estimation.
(h) Bold and assured confidence without fear.
3:146 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto
thee shortly:
(6) Paul purposing to add many particular things pertaining to
the daily office of a pastor, speaks first a word or two
concerning his coming to Timothy, that he should be so much
the more careful, lest at his coming he might be reproved
of negligence.
3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou
oughtest to behave thyself in the 7 house of God, which
is the church of the living God, the i pillar and ground
of the truth.
(7) The pastor always has to consider how he carries out his
duties in the house of the living God, in which the
treasure of the truth is kept.
(i) That is, with regard to man: for the Church rested upon
that cornerstone, Christ, and is the preserver of the
truth, but not the mother.
3:168 And without controversy great is the mystery of
godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, k justified in
the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles,
believed on in the world, received up into glory.
(8) There is nothing more excellent than this truth, of which
the Church is the keeper and preserver here among men, the
ministry of the word being appointed to that end and
purpose: for it teaches us the greatest matters that may be
thought, that is, that God has become visible in the person
of Christ by taking our nature upon him, whose majesty,
even though in such great weakness, was manifested in many
ways, in so much that the sight of it pierced the very
angels. And to conclude, he being preached to the Gentiles
was received by them, and is now placed above in
unspeakable glory.
(k) The power of the Godhead showed itself so marvellously
in the weak flesh of Christ, that even though he was a
weak man, yet all the world knows he was and is God.
