Ezekiel, Jonah, and Pastoral Epistles by Patrick Fairbairn - 1 Timothy 3:13 - 3:13

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Ezekiel, Jonah, and Pastoral Epistles by Patrick Fairbairn - 1 Timothy 3:13 - 3:13


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Ver. 13. Here follows a reason for exacting such qualifications of deacons, as requisite for the safe and efficient discharge of the trust committed to them; the yap, for, coupling this to the whole of the preceding instructions on the subject: for those who have done the work of a deacon well obtain for themselves a good degree, and much boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus ( ἐí ðßóôåé ôῇ ἐí × . Ἰçóïῦ , lit. in faith, that which is in Christ Jesus: fide, eâque in Ch. J. collocatâ—Fritzsche on Rom_3:25). There is a certain indefiniteness in the apostle’s language here, which has given occasion to a considerable variety in the interpretations that have been adopted. The step or degree ( âáèìὸí ) mentioned has by some been understood of ecclesiastical advancement—the higher office of the pastorate; by others, of the consideration and honour awarded by the members of the church to such as have faithfully acquitted themselves of any sacred trust devolved on them; by others, again, of a subjective elevation—the rise made in faith and the several graces of a Christian life, as the result of continuous and active employment in the divine service; by others, still again, of the place of honour and distinction that will accrue in the great day of final reckoning to those who have served the Lord diligently in His church on earth—their own measure of fidelity and love here shall be meted back to them by the great householder—“a measure full and running over.” It is this last reference which is now most commonly adopted by the better class of commentators, and is undoubtedly the one that should mainly be pressed, although I see no reason why at least the two immediately preceding it should not also be included. There can be no doubt that the faithful discharge of the duties of the diaconal office would tend to secure for the individuals giving it a growth in the attainments and virtues of a Christian life,—grace properly used leading to larger endowments of grace; and, as a matter of course, they would at the close of their service occupy a higher place in the esteem and confidence of their brethren than they could possibly do at the commencement. But such things, however true and good, are still inadequate; they fall greatly short of what we may justly conceive the apostle to have had mainly in view, and can only be regarded as among the incidental and temporary grounds of encouragement, which may be looked for by the true servant of the Lord: the degree by way of eminence, the grand stage of honour and enlargement which lies before him, is the recompense of glory which shall be conferred on him at that day by the exalted Redeemer. It is surely but natural to suppose that the apostle, when pointing to only one ground of encouragement for fidelity in diaconal work, wishing to fix the eye on a specific prospect of future advancement, would shoot beyond the earthly sphere, and make special account of that which in its worth immensely overshadows all. It also accords best with what immediately follows,—namely, great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus, as conscious, from what is granted to him by the Master Himself, that he does really stand in the faith, and cannot need to be ashamed. It may be added, as a still further confirmation of this view, that the word designating the diaconal service ( äéáêïíÞóáíôåò ) is in the indefinite past, and appears to contemplate the work as a finished totality. No doubt this might be done in respect to an immediate past, as contrasted with a future still in this life, to which it formed the introduction (so that the use of the aorist cannot of itself, with Alford, be held to be conclusive evidence of a regard simply to the day of judgment). Still, it may most fitly be taken to contemplate the diaconate as a thing lying altogether in the past, with the one great future of the day of recompense before it. It is scarcely necessary to add that the doctrine of rewards implied in this view of the passage is in perfect accordance with what is stated on the subject in other parts of Scripture; in our Lord’s parables, for instance, of the pounds, the talents, and the judgment day, Matthew 25, Luk_19:11-27; and in the apostle’s own writings, as at Rom_2:6-10, 2Co_4:10, 2Ti_4:7-8. But see at 1Ti_6:19.