1 Timothy 3:2 (KJV) A Bishop

1 Timothy 3:2 (KJV)
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

Every word of God is important and is worthy of some consideration. Even simple words like

• A
• The
• Of
• And

can have profound meaning to a text. They should therefore not be ignored and, as the Spirit leads, they should even given meaningful  study.

This text contains a simple word that is easily assumed and therefore seldom really acknowledged. The Bible says, “A bishop then must be…” It is very easy to read the passage casually “A bishop must be…”

Strong’s Concordance gives, as the first two definitions, the words “certainly” and “accordingly”.  For sake of meditation and study purposes then we might read the verse,

Accordingly, a bishop must be ….Because the work of a bishop is a good work, the man who desires that work must be blameless and etc. Given that the work is good work a man might desire it who is not qualified. Many a man has entered the work of the ministry only to trample the name of Christ, ruin the reputation of a ministry and devastate the lives of people in the ministry because, though the work of the bishop is good work, the man who desired it was not. Desire for the work is not the qualification for the work.

A bishop certainly must be ….This gives a positive association with the qualifications provided. These are not suggestions or preferences. It is not, “A bishop preferably must be…” nor is it, “Hopefully a bishop would be…” The verse says, “A bishop then must be….” It’s not up for negotiation or debate. There are no excuses and work-arounds.

Accordingly a bishop certainly must be…Let’s just believe the Bible for what it says. Those who desire the work of the bishop (pastor of a local church) must meet these qualifications. Period.

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1 Timothy 3:2 (KJV) A Bishop

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