Qualifications of Deacons

Dignified  KJV—grave  RSV—serious  NASV—men of dignity  ESV—dignified  NIV—men worthy of respect  BAGD—worthy of respect/honor, noble, dignified, serious

Not Double-Tongued  KJV—not double-tongued  RSV—not double-tongued  NASV—not double-tongued  ESV—not double-tongued footnote: Or devious in speech  NIV—sincere  BAGD—not insincere

Not Addicted to Much Wine  KJV—not given to much wine  RSV—not addicted to much wine  NASV—or addicted to much wine  ESV—not addicted to much wine  NIV—not indulging in much wine  BAGD—not {occupying oneself with, devoting oneself to, applying oneself to} much wine

Not Greedy for Shameful Gain  KJV—not greedy of filthy lucre  RSV—not greedy for gain  NASV—or fond of sordid gain  ESV—not greedy for dishonest gain  NIV—not pursuing dishonest gain  BAGD—not shamelessly greedy for money, not avaricious, not fond of dishonest gain  From the words ‘shameful’ and ‘gain’

Holding to the Mystery of the Faith with a Clear Conscience  KJV—… mystery … pure conscience  RSV—… mystery … clear conscience  NASV—… mystery … clear conscience  ESV—… mystery … clear conscience  NIV—… deep truths … clear conscience  BAGD—mystery, transcendent/ultimate reality, secret; clean, pure

Be Tested First … Blameless  KJV—being found blameless  RSV—prove themselves blameless  NASV—are beyond reproach  ESV—prove themselves blameless  NIV—there is nothing against them  BAGD—blameless, irreproachable

Women: Dignified  KJV—grave  RSV—serious  NASV—dignified  ESV—dignified  NIV—women worthy of respect  BAGD—worthy of respect/honor, noble, dignified, serious

Women: Not Slanderers  KJV—not slanderers  RSV—no slanderers  NASV—not malicious gossips  ESV—not slanderers  NIV—not malicious talkers  BAGD—not slanderous

Women: Temperate  KJV—sober  RSV—temperate  NASV—temperate  ESV—sober-minded  NIV—temperate  BAGD—1. temperate, sober; being very moderate in the drinking of an alcoholic beverage; 2. self-controlled, level-headed, being restrained in conduct

Women: Faithful in all things  KJV—faithful in all things  RSV—faithful in all things  NASV—faithful in all things  ESV—faithful in all things  NIV—trustworthy in everything  BAGD—trustworthy, faithful, dependable, inspiring faith/trust, being worthy of belief or trust

Deacons: Men of One Woman  KJV—the husbands of one wife  RSV—the husband of one wife  NASV—husbands of only one wife  ESV—the husband of one wife  NIV—the husband of but one wife  BAGD—man, esp. husband; woman, here wife

Does not mean:  All the deacons share the same wife  Only one woman deacon is allowed But:  Each deacon should be the husband of one wife  So several translations change the plural to a singular to avoid misunderstanding

Can a divorced man serve? Arguments in the affirmative:  No second class citizens in the church  Means only one of the following:  Not unmarried  Not divorced  Not a polygamist  Not an adulterer (a one-woman man)  Not remarried (married only once)

Answers to Affirmative First:  Are women then second class citizens?  What about those who fail to meet another of the qualifications? Second:  A phrase may have a general meaning  It’s “man of one woman”, not “one- woman man”

Genitive used for Marriage In Paul’s writing the genitive is used of marriage:  Eph. 5:28—the man ought to love the woman of himself  Eph. 5:31—cleaves to the woman of him  Eph. 5:33—each must love the woman of himself  I Cor. 5:1—someone has the woman of the father (note that the genitive relationship is between the father and the woman, not between the son and the woman; he just “has” her)  I Cor. 7:2—each must have the woman of himself  I Cor. 7:39—a woman is bound for as much time as the man of her lives

Genitive used for Marriage Luke also uses the genitive for marriage:  Luke 1:13—Zachariah … the woman of you Elisabeth will bear you a son  Luke 8:3—and Joanna the woman of Chouza  Luke 17:32—Remember the woman of Lot  Acts 18:2—Aquilla … and Priscilla woman of him  Acts 5:1—some man named Ananius with Sapphira the woman of him  Acts 5:7—the woman of him came in  Acts 5:9—the feet of those burying the man of you

Genitive used for Marriage And Jesus uses the genitive for marriage:  Mark 10:11—whoever divorces the woman of him  Mark 10:12—if she divorces the man of her  Matt. 5:32—every one divorcing the woman of him  But perhaps the real evidence is found in the account of the woman at the well:  John 4:18—the man you have now is NOT the man of you (she was committing fornication with the man, but Jesus says there is no marriage relationship, therefore it is not a genitive relationship)

Genitive NOT used for Fornication  It is notable that in Paul’s extended discussion of fornication in I Cor. 6 the genitive is not used of that relationship.  Herod “had” Herodias “the woman of Philip his brother” (Mark 6:17-18), but the genitive is only used of Philip, not Herod.  If a married man having a mistress makes him a man of two women, then an unmarried man with a mistress would qualify as a “man of one woman,” hardly the intended meaning.

Evidence from 1 Tim. 5:9  “Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband,”  “having been” is not in the Greek text  1946 RSV translated this “married only once” as well as in 1 Tim. 3  NIV translates this “has been faithful to her husband”

Manage Children Well  KJV—ruling their children and their houses well  RSV—manage their children and their households well  NASV—good managers of their children and their own households  ESV—managing their children and their own households well  NIV—manage his children and his household well  BAGD—to exercise a position of leadership, rule, direct, be at the head of, manage, conduct

Gain a Good Standing  KJV—used the office of a deacon well purchase a good degree and … boldness  RSV—serve well as deacons gain a good standing and … confidence  NASV—have served well as deacons obtain a high standing and … confidence  ESV—serve well as deacons gain a good standing and … confidence  NIV—have served well gain an excellent standing and … assurance  BAGD—step, stage, grade, rank