Careful examination of the biblical qualifications for deacons yields valuable insight about
men being considered for ordination as well as deacons being reactivated for service. Let’s
consider each qualification individually.
A Deacon Must Be a Man of Dignity, Worthy of Respect
1 Tim. 3:8
[KJV] - Likewise must the deacons be grave,
[NASB] - Deacons likewise must be men of dignity,
[NIV] - Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect,
[NKJV] - Likewise deacons must be reverent,
[NLT] - In the same way, deacons must be people who are respected
[ICB] - In the same way, deacons must be men that people can respect.
[GW] - Deacons must also be of good character.
[LIVING] – The deacons must be the same sort of good, steady men as the pastors.
THE WORD MEANS...
Worthy of respect, grave, dignity, highly respected, serious, honorable, worthy, revered, noble.
Practical Application
It is being serious minded, the very opposite...
• of
• of
• of
• of
• of
being flippant.
dishonoring oneself.
being shallow by being over talkative.
having little respect because one is not grave or serious enough.
having a surface religion only.
However, this does not mean that the deacon is to walk around with a long face, never
smiling, joking, or having fun. It simply means that he is serious minded and committed to Christ
and to the mission of the church: the mission of reaching the lost and meeting the desperate
needs of the world.
FROM JOHNNY HUNT:
A wealthy businessman once said: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin
it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
The Bible makes the same claim on a man’s reputation: “Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.
Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well in
God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.” (Proverbs 3:3, Message Paraphrase)
The Bible uses the word “reverent” in the first qualification we consider. Recalling the initial
process that called into existence the office of deacon, having a good reputation stood as the first
apostolic requirement that the early church observed when men were called and chosen to serve.
Acts 6:3, “Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation,
full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.”
The phrase “of good reputation” is synonymous with the word “reverent.” Acts 6:3 brings clarity to
the concept of “reverent”:
- To be reverent is to be “honorable,” and being full of wisdom makes one “honorable.”
- To be reverent is also to be “devout,” and being full of the Holy Spirit makes one “devout.”
If the men whom we examine are found to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, they will likely
become deacons who grow in faith and remain faithful in service. Finally, it should be noted that a
deacon’s reputation is not limited to the church family alone. His reputation must be stellar outside
the church as well as inside the church.
From Bible Teacher John Macarthur:
"The deacon is to be grave." The word is semnos, it means serious. It could be translated
dignified. It could be translated stately. It has the idea of being serious in mind as well as serious
in character. It has the idea that this person has a stateliness about them that demands a respect.
They have a sort of majestic quality of character that makes people stand in awe of them.
Another word that is often a synonym is the word ira propase which means to act like a sacred
person. This is a person who by virtue of their life character spiritually has a certain mystic
about them. There's a certain awe held in the hearts of those who know them because of the
integrity of their spiritual life. It's a very beautiful word and a very important designation.
So, to begin with, one who serves as a deacon is to be one who could be held in awe as having a
majesty of dignity, of life that comes to one who understands the seriousness of spiritual issues.
This particular person would not be a flippant person, not be a silly person, not be a
frivolous person, not be a person who makes light of very serious things, not be a person
engaged in trivia as a way of life, not be a person who is trite...a person with dignity, a
person who understands the seriousness of life. And I confess to you that the older I get the
more seriousness life takes on.