Verse 9 says, “Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.” The faith here, as in 1:19 and 2 Timothy 4:7, is objective. It refers to the things we believe in, the things which constitute the gospel. The mystery of the faith is mainly Christ as the mystery of God (Col. 2:2) and the church as the mystery of Christ (Eph. 3:4). A deacon in a local church should hold this mystery with full understanding in a pure conscience for the Lord’s testimony.
If the deacons know the mystery of the faith, the standard of their service will be uplifted. Whenever the deacons are asked by the elders to do a certain thing or to help others in a particular way, they should realize that they are serving the saints in the mystery of the faith. This will uplift their service. It makes a tremendous difference if the deacons’ contact with others is based on God’s New Testament economy.
Years ago, I visited the royal palace in London. I noticed that every aspect of the service of the palace, from the changing of the guard to the work of the janitors, was done with a high standard and with dignity. Even the janitors conducted themselves with dignity and gravity, in a way which invited others’ respect. How much more true this should be of the service of the deacons in a local church! Even the cleaning of the rest rooms should be done with gravity. Those who serve in this way should realize that they are not cleaning in a worldly place. Rather, they are serving the church, the house of God.
In verse 9 Paul speaks of a pure conscience. A pure conscience is a conscience purified from any mixture. To hold the mystery of the faith for the Lord’s testimony, we need such a purified conscience.
In order to have a pure conscience, the deacons need to behave according to their knowledge of the mystery of the faith. We may know this mystery, but not live according to it. As a result, instead of having a pure conscience, we have a conscience that condemns us. A deacon should consider how he deals with his wife, his children, and the other saints. He then may realize his shortage, that he does not live according to the mystery of the faith. A deacon must be justified in the first place by his own conscience. He should have a conscience which testifies even to the demons that he lives according to the standard of the mystery of God’s New Testament economy. Then he will truly hold the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
In verse 10 Paul continues, “And let these also first be proved; then let them minister, being Unreprovable.” Unreprovable here means blameless. The word that the deacons should first be proved may imply a period of apprenticeship. The word minister in this verse means to serve. This is the function of a deacon.
Verse 12 says, “Let deacons be husbands of one wife.” The requirement here is the same as that of the overseers, as mentioned in verse 2.
In verse 12 Paul also says that deacons should manage “their children and their own households well.” Managing the children and the household well proves the capability of a brother to serve the church.
In verse 13 Paul mentions the blessing on a good deacon: “For those who have ministered well obtain for themselves a good standing and much boldness in faith which is in Christ Jesus.” The word ministered here means served. The expression “a good standing” refers to a firm and steadfast standing as a believer and a saint before God and man. To serve the church well as a deacon strengthens one’s Christian standing.
By serving well, a deacon will also be blessed with much boldness in faith which is in Christ Jesus. The word boldness also means confidence. To serve the church well strengthens the boldness, the confidence, of the Christian faith. Faith here is subjective and refers to our act of believing.
Verse 11 says, “Women similarly must be grave, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.” The word women in this verse refers to deaconesses (Rom. 16:1), not to the wives of the deacons. Sisters who are serving ones in the church are deaconesses. Such ones must be grave. Furthermore, they should not be slanderers. This corresponds to “not double-tongued” in verse 8. The Devil is a slanderer (Rev. 12:10). To slander is to practice the nature of the evil slanderer. A sister who is a deaconess, a serving one in a local church among many other sisters, should flee slander, the evil act of the Devil.
Deaconesses must also be temperate and faithful in all things. We have pointed out that to be temperate is to be self-controlled, moderate. The charge to be “faithful in all things” corresponds to “not seeking gain by base means” in verse 8. A sister as a deaconess needs to be faithful, trustworthy in all things, especially in things concerning gain.
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