1 Timothy 3

Paul sets out the qualifications for an “overseer” (elder): he must be “above reproach,” faithful in marriage, self-controlled, hospitable, able to teach, gentle, not a lover of money, managing his own household well, and not a recent convert. Deacons likewise must be dignified, tested, and of good character, along with their wives. Paul explains that he writes these things so Timothy will know “how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.” He closes with the great confession of “the mystery of godliness”: Christ “was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit... proclaimed among the nations... taken up in glory.”