1 | The saying is sure: If any one aspires to the office of bishop, he desires a noble task. |
2 | Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, |
3 | no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money. |
4 | He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way; |
5 | for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for God's church? |
6 | He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil; |
7 | moreover he must be well thought of by outsiders, or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. |
8 | Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for gain; |
9 | they must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. |
10 | And let them also be tested first; then if they prove themselves blameless let them serve as deacons. |
11 | The women likewise must be serious, no slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. |
12 | Let deacons be the husband of one wife, and let them manage their children and their households well; |
13 | for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. |
14 | I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, |
15 | if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. |
16 | Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. |