1 Timothy 3:8–16

Qualifications for Deacons

⁸ⁱDeacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued,^{3 j}not addicted to much wine, ^knot greedy for dishonest gain. ⁹They must ^lhold the mystery of the faith with ^ma clear conscience. ¹⁰And ⁿlet them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. ^11oTheir wives likewise⁴ must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, ^pfaithful in all things. ¹²Let deacons each be ^qthe husband of one wife, ^qmanaging their children and their own households well. ¹³For ^rthose who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

The Mystery of Godliness

¹⁴I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, ¹⁵if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. ¹⁶Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

^sHe⁵ was manifested in the flesh,

vindicated⁶ by the Spirit,⁷

^tseen by angels,

^uproclaimed among the nations,

^vbelieved on in the world,

^wtaken up in glory.