Qualities of
Deacons and Members
No. 9
By
Shelby G.
Floyd
Part Two: The Qualities of the Deacon and His Family
9.
1 Timothy 3:11
“Their wives likewise must be…not
slanderers…”
The
wives of the deacons must not be “malicious talkers.” Most translations use the
words “not slanderers” from [mh
diabolos-me diabolos]. This word is defined
to represent one who is “prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely”
(Thayer, p. 135). It is the same word that is used to identify the devil—the
diabolical slanderer of God to man and man to God. A person is never more like
the devil than when slandering and falsely accusing another person. Paul
declares to Timothy that this is one of the marks of perilous times in the last
days: “false accusers” (2 Timothy 3:3).
A deacon’s wife must not be such a type of person—her speech must be above
malicious talking.
Christian Women Must Be Also “Not
Slanderers”
All Christian women must be also “not slanderers.” Paul
declared to his co-worker Titus that with sound doctrine he was to teach “the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers [mh diabolos-me diabolos], not given to much wine, teachers of good
things—…” (Titus 2:3).
|
Deacons Wives |
Attribute |
Christians |
|
1 Timothy 3:11 “Their wives likewise must be…not slanderers…” |
Not malicious talkers or slanderers —1 Timothy 3:11 |
Titus 2:3 The older women
likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers… NKJV [Emphasis
SGF] |
Therefore, the same virtue applied to the deacon’s wife is also applied to all Christian men and women. Let no one identify themselves with the devil by slanderous speech. Copyright © 2009 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved