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1 Timothy 3:1

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Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ambition;   Church;   Minister, Christian;   Scofield Reference Index - Elders;   Holy Spirit;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bishops;   Church;   Leaders;   Ministers;   Religious;   The Topic Concordance - Bishop;   Drunkenness;   Sobriety;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Titles and Names of Ministers;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Church;   Deacon;   Elder;   Work;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Church, the;   Elder;   Leadership;   Ministry, Minister;   Overseer;   Timothy, First and Second, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Deacon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Bishop;   Synagogue;   Versions;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bishop;   Church;   Deacon;   Elder;   Offices in the New Testament;   Overseer;   Titus, Epistle to;   1 Timothy;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Bishop;   Church Government;   Deacon;   Minister;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Bishop, Elder, Presbyter;   Clement of Rome, Epistle of;   Home;   Lust;   Philippians Epistle to the;   Priest;   Soberness Sobriety;   Timothy and Titus Epistles to;   Visitation;   Word;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Bishop;   Lust, to;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Bishop;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Bishopric;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bishop;   Creed;   Faithful Sayings;   Office;   Spiritual Gifts;   Truth;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for December 1;  

Contextual Overview

1 Here is a statement you can trust: anyone aspiring to be a congregation leader is seeking worthwhile work. 1 The word [is] faithful: if any one aspires to exercise oversight, he desires a good work. 1 This is a faithful saying: if a man seeks the office of an overseer, he desires a good work. 1 This saying is trustworthy:[fn]Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:12; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:15;">[xr] The one who would an elder be, A noble task desires he. 1 1 This saying is faithful, that if a man desire the presbyterate, [fn] a good work he desireth. 1 It is a faithful saying, that if a man desireth the eldership, he desireth a good work. 1 Faithful is the saying, If a man seeketh the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 1 This is a true saying, A man desiring the position of a Bishop has a desire for a good work. 1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 1 This is a true saying, If any man desire the office of a Bishop, he desireth a worthie worke.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
is a 1:15; 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11; Titus 3:8
the office
2-7; Acts 1:20; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 2:25
bishop
Acts 20:28; Hebrews 12:15; 1 Peter 4:15; 5:2; *Gr:
desireth
Proverbs 11:30; Luke 15:10; Romans 11:13; Ephesians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; James 5:19,20
Reciprocal: Numbers 4:3 - to do;  Deuteronomy 18:6 - and come with;  1 Chronicles 15:16 - chief;  Matthew 26:10 - a good

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
And Jehovah Elohim said to the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.
Genesis 3:13
Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What have you done?" She said, "The snake tricked me, so I ate the fruit."
Genesis 3:13
The LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
Genesis 3:13
And the LORD God said unto the woman: 'What is this thou hast done?' And the woman said: 'The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.'
Genesis 3:13
And the Lord God said to the woman, What have you done? And the woman said, I was tricked by the deceit of the snake and I took it.
Genesis 3:13
And the Lord God sayd vnto the woman: Why hast thou done this? And the woman sayde: the serpent begyled me, and I dyd eate.
Genesis 3:13
And the Lorde God saide to the woman, Why hast thou done this? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eate.
Genesis 3:13
And the LORD God said to the woman, What is this that you have done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Genesis 3:13
The Lord God asked the woman, "Why did you do this?" She replied, "The snake tricked me into eating it."
Genesis 3:13
And Adam said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me—she gave me of the tree and I ate.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

This is a true saying,.... Some think this clause belongs to the last verse of the preceding chapter; and then the sense is, this is a doctrine that is true, and to be believed, that there is salvation through the birth of a Son, or through the incarnate Son of God, for men and women that believe in him, and continue in the faith of him, and love to him, joined with works of righteousness and holiness. And so the same phrase seems to belong to what goes before in 1 Timothy 4:8. Though it regards what follows in 1 Timothy 1:15 and so it seems that it should be considered here; and is used to excite attention, and suggests that what was about to be said was of moment and importance, and what was without controversy, and unquestionably true. The apostle, having denied to women the work and office of teaching, proceeds to observe, that though this belonged to men, yet not to every man; and therefore he gives the qualifications of such; which might serve as a direction to churches, in the choice of them; as well as be a means of stirring up persons in such an office, to a proper regard to themselves and their work:

if a man desire the office of a bishop; which is the same with that of a pastor or elder; and so here the Syriac version renders it, "if a man desires presbytery, or eldership"; and it lies in preaching the word, administering the ordinances of the Gospel, and taking care of the discipline of the church, and in the visiting, inspection, and oversight of it; as the word επισκοπη, "episcopacy", here used, signifies; and this work and office may be lawfully and laudably desired, with a view to the glory of God, and the good of immortal souls. Nor should any undertake it, but such who find in themselves an hearty desire, and inclination to it, on such principles, and a real delight and pleasure in it; and such an one

he desireth a good work: the office of a bishop, elder, or pastor of a church, "is a work", and a very laborious one; wherefore such are called labourers in the word and doctrine: it is not a mere title of honour, and a place of profit, but it is a business of labour and care; yet a good one, a famous and excellent one; it being an employment in things of the greatest excellency in themselves, and of the greatest usefulness for the good of men, and the honour of God; as the doctrines, ordinances, and discipline of the Gospel; and so must be excellently, honestly, pleasantly, and profitably a good work.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This is a trite saying - Greek, “Faithful is the word” - the very phrase which is used in 1 Timothy 1:15; see the notes on that verse. The idea here is, that it was worthy of credence; it was not to be doubted.

If a man desire - Implying that there would be those who would wish to be put into the ministry. The Lord, undoubtedly, by his Spirit, often excites an earnest and irrepressible desire to preach the gospel - a desire so strong, that he in whom it exists can be satisfied in no other calling. In such a case, it should be regarded as one evidence of a call to this work. The apostle, however, by the statements which follow, intimates that wherever this desire exists, it is of the utmost importance to have just views of the nature of the office, and that there should be other qualifications for the ministry than a mere desire to preach the gospel. He proceeds, therefore, to state those qualifications, and no one who “desires” the office of the ministry should conclude that he is called to it, unless these qualifications substantially are found in him. The word rendered “desire” here ( ὀρέγω oregō), denotes properly, “to reach” or “stretch out” - and hence to reach after anything, to long after, to try to obtain; Hebrews 11:16.

The office of a bishop - The Greek here is a single word - ἐπισκοπῆς episkopēsThe word ἐπισκοπή episkopē- “Episcope” - whence the word “Episcopal” is derived - occurs but four times in the New Testament. It is translated “visitation” in Luke 19:44, and in 1 Peter 2:12; “bishoprick,” Acts. Acts 1:20; and in this place “office of a bishop.” The verb from which it is derived ( ἐπισκοπέω episkopeō), occurs but twice, In Hebrews 12:15, it is rendered “looking diligently,” and in 1 Peter 5:2, “taking the oversight.” The noun rendered bishop occurs in Acts 20:28; Philemon 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 2:25. The verb means, properly, to look upon, behold; to inspect, to look after, see to, take care of; and the noun denotes the office of overseeing, inspecting, or looking to. It is used to denote the care of the sick, Xeno. Oec. 15,9; compare “Passow;” and is of so general a character that it may denote any office of overseeing, or attending to. There is nothing in the word itself which would limit it to any class or grade of the ministry, and it is, in fact, applied to nearly all the officers of the church in the New Testament, and, indeed, to Christians who did not sustain “any” office. Thus it is applied:

(a)to believers in general, directing them to “look diligently, lest anyone should fail of the grace of God,” Hebrews 12:15;

(b)to the elders of the church at Ephesus, “over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers,” Acts 20:28;

(c)to the elders or presbyters of the church in 1 Peter 5:2, “Feed the flock of God, taking the oversight thereof;

(d)to the officers of the church in Philippi, mentioned in connection with deacons as the only officers of the church there, “to the saints at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons,” Philemon 1:1;

(e)to Judas, the apostate. Acts 1:20; and,

(f)to the great Head of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 2:25, “the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”

From this use of the term it follows:

(1) That the word is never used to designate the “uniqueness” of the apostolic office, or so as to have any special applicability to the apostles. Indeed, the term “bishop” is “never” applied to any of them in the New Testament; nor is the word in any of its forms ever used with reference to them, except in the single case of “Judas,” Acts 1:20.

(2) it is never employed in the New Testament to designate an order of men superior to presbyters, regarded as having any other functions than presbyters, or being in any sense “successors” to the apostles. It is so used now by the advocates of prelacy; but this is a use wholly unknown to the New Testament. It is so undeniable that the name is never given in the New Testament to those who are now called “bishops,” that even Episcopalians concede it. Thus, Dr. Onderdonk (Tract on Episcopacy, p. 12) says, “All that we read in the New Testament concerning ‹bishops‘ is to be regarded as pertaining to the ‹middle grade;‘ that is, to those who are now regarded as ‹priests.‘” This is not strictly correct, as is clear from the remarks above respecting what is called the “middle grade;” but it is strictly correct, so far as it affirms that it is “never” applied to prelates.

(3) it is used in the New Testament to denote ministers of the gospel who had the care or oversight of the churches, without any regard to grade or rank.

(4) it has now, as used by Episcopalians, a sense which is wholly unauthorized by the New Testament, and which, indeed, is entirely at variance with the usage there. To apply the term to a pretended superior order of clergy, as designating their special office, is wholly to depart from the use of the word as it occurs in the Bible.

(5) as it is never used in the Scriptures with reference to “prelates,” it “should” be used with reference to the pastors, or other officers of the church; and to be a “pastor,” or “overseer” of the flock of Christ, should be regarded as being a scriptural bishop.

He desireth a good work - An honorable office; an office which it is right for a man to desire. There are some stations in life which ought never to be desired; it is proper for anyone to desire the office of a bishop who has the proper qualifications; compare notes on Romans 11:13.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

This is a true saying - Πιστος ὁ λογος· This is a true doctrine. These words are joined to the last verse of the preceding chapter by several of the Greek fathers, and by them referred to the doctrine there stated.

The office of a bishop - Επισκοπης· The episcopacy, overseership or superintendency. The word ορεγεται, which we translate desire, signifies earnest, eager, passionate desire; and επιθυμει, which we translate desire, also signifies earnestly to desire or covet. It is strange that the episcopacy, in those times, should have been an object of intense desire to any man; when it was a place of danger, awl exposure to severe labor, want, persecution, and death, without any secular emolument whatsoever. On this ground I am led to think that the Spirit of God designed these words more for the ages that were to come, than for those which were then; and in reference to after ages the whole of what follows is chiefly to be understood.

A good work - A work it then was; heavy, incessant, and painful. There were no unpreaching prelates in those days, and should be none now. Episcopacy in the Church of God is of Divine appointment, and should be maintained and respected. Under God, there should be supreme governors in the Church as well as in the state. The state has its monarch, the Church has its bishop; one should govern according to the laws of the land, the other according to the word of God.

What a constitutional king should be, the principles of the constitution declare; what a bishop should be, the following verses particularly show.


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