1 Timothy 3:5

(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) FOR, [ De (G1161)] - 'But.' THE CHURCH. Perhaps, 'a church.' [But Theou (G2316) being without the article, justifies its omission before the governing word, ekkleesias (G1577).] How shall he who cannot perform the less function perform the greater?...

5_And if any one know not how to rule his own house _(61) This argument, drawn from the less to the greater, is in itself manifest, that he who is unfit for governing a family will be altogether unable to govern a people. Besides that it is evident that he is destitute of the virtues necessary for that purpose, what authority will he have over the people, seeing that his own house makes him contemptible?...

1-7 If a man desired the pastoral office, and from love to Christ, and the souls of men, was ready to deny himself, and undergo hardships by devoting himself to that service, he sought to be employed in a good work, and his desire should be approved, provided he was qualified for the office. A minister must give as little occasion for blame as can be, lest he bring reproach upon his office. He must be sober, temperate, moderate in all his actions, and in the use of all creature-comforts. Sobriety and watchfulness are put together in Scripture, they assist one the other. The families of ministers ought to be examples of good to all other families. We should take heed of pride; it is a sin that turned angels into devils. He must be of good repute among his neighbours, and under no reproach from his former life. To encourage all faithful ministers, we have Christ's gracious word of promise...

Verse 1 Timothy 3:5. _FOR IF A MAN KNOW NOT_] _Method_ is a matter of great importance in all the affairs of life. It is a true saying, _He_ _that does little with his head must do much with his hands_; and even _then_ the business is not half done for want of _method_. Now, he who has a proper method of doing business will show it in _every affair_ of life, even the _least_. He who has a _disorderly_ family has no _government_ of that family; he probably has none because he has no _method_, no _plan_, of presiding. It was natural for the apostle to say, _If a man know not how to rule his own_ _house, how shall he take care of the Church of God_? Look at a man's domestic arrangements; if they be not good, he should not be trusted with any branch of government, whether ecclesiastical or civil....

FOR IF A MAN KNOW NOT HOW TO RULE - This is a beautiful and striking argument. A church resembles a family. It is, indeed, larger, and there is a greater variety of dispositions in it than there is in a family. The authority of a minister of the gospel in a church is also less absolute than that of a father. But still there is a striking resemblance. The church is made up of an assemblage of brothers and sisters. They are banded together for the same purposes, and have a common object to aim at. They have common feelings and common needs. They have sympathy, like a family, with each other in their distresses and afflictions. The government of the church also is designed to be “paternal.” It should be felt that he who presides over it has the feelings of a father; that he loves all the members of the great family; that he has no prejudices, no partialities, no selfish aims to gratify. Now...

EXPOSITION 1 TIMOTHY 3:1 _Faithful is the saying _for _this is a true saying_,_ _A.V.; _seeketh _for _desire_,_ _A.V. FAITHFUL IS THE SAYING (see above, 1 Timothy 1:15, note). This manifestly refers to what follows, not, as Chrysostom and others, and margin of the R.V., to the saying which precedes, in 1 Timothy 2:15. SEEKETH (ὀρέγεται); literally, _stretches out his hands after_._ It _is peculiar in the New Testament to the pastoral Epistles and the Epistle to the Hebrews, though common in classical Greek (see...

FOR IF A MAN KNOW NOT HOW TO RULE HIS OWN HOUSE,.... Which is an affair of less importance, and more easy to be done; not requiring so much resolution, prudence, care, and thought: HOW SHALL HE TAKE CARE OF THE CHURCH OF GOD? preside over it, rule in it, provide for it, and see that everything is in its proper place, and done according to the will of God. The argument is from the lesser to the greater....

III. CONCERNING THE HOUSE OF GOD CHAPTER 3 _ 1. The overseer (1 Timothy 3:1)_ 2. The deacon (1 Timothy 3:8) 3. The house of God and the mystery of Godliness (1 Timothy 3:14) 1 Timothy 3:1 As stated before, the Church is viewed in these pastoral Epistles as the house of God. The holiness which becomes this house is to be maintained and expressed in a practical way. The different directions given as to overseers and deacons demonstrate what God esteems highly, and what He expects of those who are saved by grace, and who constitute His House. Paul wrote these instructions to his son Timot

(_b_) III. 1 TIMOTHY 3:1. Church Officials. 1 Timothy 3:1. The Bishops. Not only public worship, but also the appointment of officials, must be regulated. He who exercises oversight a good work, as is generally admitted must possess moral qualifications which place him beyond reproach. He must be (_a)_ of disciplined life: _e.g._ he must not marry a second time, or indulge in the drunken riots prevalent around him (_cf._ 1 Corinthians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 11:21); (_b)_ hospitable, since Christians, especially teachers, frequently travelled from church to church; (_c)_ succe

There is a saying which everyone must believe--if a man aspires to the office of overseer in the Church, it is a fine work on which his heart is set. An overseer must be a man against whom no criticism can be made; he must have been married only once; he must be sober, prudent, well-behaved, hospitable and possessed of an aptitude for teaching. He must not over-indulge in wine, nor must he be the kind of man who assaults others, but he must be gentle and peaceable, and free from the love of money. He must manage his own house well, keeping his children under control with complete dignity. (If a man does not know how to manage his own house, how can he take charge of the congregation of God?) He must not be a recent convert, in case he becomes inflated with a sense of his own importance, and so fall into the same condemnation as the devil did. He must have earned the respect of those outs...