Tímótaìqiánshū 3:1-13

1 Rén ruò xiǎng dé jiāndū de zhífèn , jiù shì xiànmù shàn gōng . zhè huà shì kĕ xìn de .

2 Zuò jiāndū de , bìxū wú kĕ zhǐzé , zhǐ zuò yī gĕ fùrén de zhàngfu , yǒu jié zhì , zì shǒu , duānzhèng . lèyì jiēdaì yuǎn rén , shàn yú jiàodǎo .

3 Bù yīn jiǔ zī shì , bù dǎ rén , zhǐyào wēnhé , bù zhēngjing , bù tān cái .

4 Hǎo hǎo guǎnlǐ zìjǐ de jiā , shǐ érnǚ fán shì duān zhuāng shùnfú . ( huò zuò duān duān zhuāng zhuāng de shǐ érnǚ shùnfú )

5 Rén ruò bù zhīdào guǎnlǐ zìjǐ de jiā , yān néng zhào guǎn shén de jiàohuì ne .

6 Chū rù jiào de bùkĕ zuò jiāndū , kǒngpà tā zì gāo zì dà , jiù luò zaì móguǐ suǒ shòu de xíngfá lǐ .

7 Jiāndū yĕ bìxū zaì jiào waì yǒu hǎo míngsheng , kǒngpà beì rén huǐbàng , luò zaì móguǐ de wǎngluó lǐ .

8 Lún zhíshì de yĕ shì rúcǐ , bìxū duān zhuāng , bú yīkǒu liǎng shé , bú hào hē jiǔ , bù tān bú yì zhī cái .

9 Yào cún qīngjié de liángxīn , gù shǒu zhēn dào de àomì .

10 Zhè dĕng rén yĕ yào xiān shòu shìyàn ruò méiyǒu kĕ zé zhī chù , ránhòu jiào tāmen zuò zhíshì .

11 Nǚ zhíshì ( yuánwén zuò nǚrén ) yĕ shì rúcǐ , bìxū duān zhuāng , bù shuō chán yán , yǒu jié zhì , fán shì zhōngxīn .

12 Zhíshì zhǐyào zuò yī ge fùrén de zhàngfu , hǎo hǎo guǎnlǐ érnǚ hé zìjǐ de jiā .

13 Yīnwei shàn zuò zhíshì de , zìjǐ jiù de dào mĕihǎo de dìbù , bìngqiĕ zaì Jīdū Yēsū lǐ de zhēn dào shǎng dà yǒu dǎnliàng .

Tímótaìqiánshū 3:1-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 TIMOTHY 3

In this chapter the apostle treats of the qualifications of officers of churches, bishops and deacons, and of their wives; and points at the principal reason of writing this epistle to Timothy: and first, he commends the office of a bishop, as a good and desirable one; and asserts it to be such in the strongest manner, 1Ti 3:1 and then follow the qualifications for it, some of which are of the economical or domestic kind, and regard him as an husband and parent, and the head of the family; others of a moral nature, and relate to sobriety, hospitality, temperance, patience, and liberality; and others of the ecclesiastical sort, as aptness to teach, and that he should not be a novice in religion; and in general, that he should be a man of a blameless life, and of good report in the world, 1Ti 3:2-7, next an account is given of the qualifications of deacons; some which concern their moral character; others their soundness in the faith; and others their domestic affairs, and their conduct in their families; about which they should be first examined, before they were put into their office; the characters of their wives are also given; and for their encouragement in the faithful performance of their office, it is observed, that they hereby obtain a good degree of honour and boldness in the faith of Christ, 1Ti 3:8-13. And the end of the apostle's writing this epistle, and particularly of giving Timothy this account of the qualifications of the officers of the church of God, is, that he might know whom to appoint over it, and how to conduct himself in it; which he commends from its being the house of God, the church of the living God, and the pillar and ground of truth, 1Ti 3:14,15. Of which truth he gives a summary, in several particulars of it, which open the great mystery of godliness, 1Ti 3:16.