1 Timothy 3:8 – Grave and respectable

Servants, similarly, are to be grave, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not avaricious…

While “the supervisor” oversees education and sound doctrine, “the servants” are the ones who assist him in this. Some of the required qualities that Paul mentioned for “the supervisor” are also found in “the servants”, but the list is shorter. The position of the servants is (hierarchically) subordinate to that of “the supervisor”: they do not lead but serve. Paul names the qualities that deserve priority for them.

Of the three negative qualities, the first is: “not double-tongued.” In other words, servants are trustworthy. It is also important for “the supervisor” that he can rely on his helpers. This is absolutely necessary if they also manage the money-box. Certainly such work must of course be done honestly. It would be a mockery if ministers were out for profit and wanted to profit from, for example, collections. But drinking a lot of wine would also harm their service. Above all, “the servants are to be grave.” Deserving respect. This one positive characteristic automatically excludes all negative characteristics. This applies not only to servants, but to all believers!

Delen: