Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.
The list of qualifications turns here from overseers to a second group. These are men trusted with the practical, everyday affairs of a local gathering. What character does that work demand, and why is it spelled out in such plain terms as speech, drink, and money?
(Note: older translations say "grave" for "dignified" and "filthy lucre" for "dishonest gain".)
The work behind the word
The word "deacon" is not a title of rank. It names a job, and Acts 6 shows what that job was.
Hamilton SmithThe deacon is a minister, or one who serves. From Acts 6 we learn that his special work is called "serving tables." As the passage shows, this means meeting the bodily and everyday needs of the assembly. The overseer's work is different: it deals more with spiritual needs. Even so, the deacon still needs spiritual qualifications.
Because the work is local and practical, it does not travel with the man the way a gift does.
C J DavisA deacon, then, is one that "serves tables" — caring for the bodily needs of the poor believers at the local gathering where he meets, and he serves in everyday, material things... An evangelist, a pastor, or a teacher is a gift everywhere; a deacon holds office — and that for material things — only in his own city or town.
Dignified
The first word asked of him is a striking one in the original, and it is not a call to gloom.
G C WillisIt carries the meaning of serious, stately, dignified; yet it is not sad. It speaks of kingliness and royalty; it is a word with the majesty of Deity about it. One translator renders it: "The dignity of holiness."
Not double-tongued
Handling the assembly's business puts a man's speech to the test.
A J PollockSince the deacons handled the everyday business of the assembly, they needed to be careful. They were not to be double-tongued — saying one thing to a person's face, and another thing behind his back.
Wine and dishonest gain
Drink and money come last on the list, and both matter for a plain reason.
William KellyAgain, he must not be given to much wine, nor greedy for dishonest gain. Either would ruin the proper doing of his work, and the confidence he ought to inspire in others.
So the list goes on to say he must be tested first.
Numerical Bible NotesThey were to be trusted with things that clearly carry a power to tempt, even among Christians. They are to be tested first, and then to serve as men who are blameless and have proved themselves.
Faith joined to conscience
The list runs on into the next verse, where the deacon must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
An Outline of Sound WordsThey were not called on to teach the mystery of the faith, but they were required to hold it, and to hold it with a good conscience. The faith had to show itself in their lives, and that was the evidence that they held it in their conscience.
A conscience is inward, but it does not stay hidden.
William KellyIt is also possible for a man to hold high truth while his practice stays habitually low. That could not be so in a deacon, as it is unworthy of any Christian... Others may not be able to judge the state of his conscience directly, but an inconsistent life is the clearest proof that a man's conscience cannot be pure.
A mirror for every reader
These qualities are not just for office-holders. They are listed here because people watched such men.
F. B. HoleWe must remember that overseers and deacons were to have this fine Christian character, because they were to set an example to the mass of believers who looked up to them. So all of us reading this chapter today must take these verses as showing the character God wants to see in us. Can we read them without feeling rebuked? What about that greed for money, or the slander, or even being double-tongued — saying one thing in one direction and quite another thing in another? These are searching questions!
Summary
- Servant, not rank. "Deacon" means one who serves. The work is caring for the everyday needs of a local gathering, while the overseer cares for spiritual ones.
- Dignified. The word asked of him carries stateliness and the dignity of holiness — serious, but never sad.
- Trusted with words. He moves among people's private affairs, so he must not say one thing to a person's face and another behind his back.
- Trusted with money. Drink and dishonest gain would wreck the work and destroy the confidence others place in him. So he is tested before he serves.
- Trusted with truth. He is not asked to teach the faith, only to hold it with a pure conscience. An inconsistent life is the clearest proof that a conscience is not pure.