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Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

A reading plan that walks through the entire New Testament in 24 weeks of daily readings.

Duration: 168 days

1 Timothy 3-4

Chapter 3^[a]

Qualifications of Bishops. This saying can be trusted: Whoever wants to be a bishop desires a noble task. ²Therefore, a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of only one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, and a good teacher. ³He must not be a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not prone to quarreling, not greedy.

⁴He must manage his own household well and ensure that his children are submissive and respectful in every way. ⁵For if someone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of the Church of God? ⁶He should not be a recent convert so that he will not become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil. ⁷He must also enjoy a good reputation among outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s snare.

Qualifications of Deacons. ⁸Similarly, deacons must exhibit a sense of dignity, not indulging in double-talk or excessive consumption of wine, and not being greedy. ⁹They must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰Let them first be tested. They can be appointed as deacons only if they are beyond reproach.

¹¹Women^[b] must likewise exhibit a sense of dignity and not be given to spreading slander. They must be temperate and faithful in all things.

¹²Deacons must have only one wife and be able to manage their children and their own households. ¹³Those deacons whose work is exemplary will achieve a high standing and gain great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴Greatness of the Divine Majesty. While I am hoping to come to you soon, I am writing to you about these matters ¹⁵so that if I am delayed, you will know how to regulate your conduct in God’s household—that is, in the Church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. ¹⁶Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great:

He was made visible in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,^[c]
seen by angels,
proclaimed to the Gentiles,
believed in throughout the world,
taken up in glory.

General Regulations^[d]

Chapter 4

False Asceticism. ¹The Spirit clearly says that during the last times some will abandon the faith. They will run after deceitful spirits and demonic doctrines, ²through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences have been branded as with a burning iron. ³They forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods^[e] that God created to be accepted with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. ⁴For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided that it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵for it is made holy by the word of God and by prayer.^[f]

The Benefits of Godliness. ⁶If you offer these instructions to the brethren, you will prove to be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. ⁷Have nothing to do with profane myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself in godliness.

⁸While physical training has some value, the benefits of godliness are unlimited, since it holds out promise not only for this life but also for the life to come. ⁹This saying can be trusted and merits complete acceptance. ¹⁰For this is why we toil and struggle, because we have placed our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all, especially of all those who believe.

¹¹Pastoral Duties. These are the things you must insist upon in your teaching. ¹²Let no one regard you with contempt because of your youth, but serve as an example to the believers in your speech and conduct, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

¹³Until I arrive, devote yourself to reading,^[g] to exhortation, and to teaching. ¹⁴Do not neglect the gift that was bestowed upon you when, as a result of prophecy, the elders laid their hands on you.^[h]

¹⁵Meditate on these things and put them into practice so that your progress may be evident to everyone. ¹⁶Be conscientious about your life and your teaching. Persevere in both of these tasks, for by doing so you will save both yourself and your listeners.

Footnotes

1 Timothy 3:1 Christian communities have multiplied and grown; the Church needs organization. Bishops (“overseers”) or presbyters (“elders”) preach, lead liturgical meetings, and govern the local Churches under the more or less close supervision of the Apostle or his delegates (Timothy at Ephesus, Titus in Crete). These authorities, who are carefully chosen, are aided by deacons, who are appointed to help the apostles in material matters (see Acts 6:1-6) and also in their missionary work (see Acts 8:5-13, 38): to take upon themselves the management of the organization and to bring help to the poor and the sick. It seems that some women, too, may have had similar tasks (v. 11; see Rom 16:1).
¹
Thus, Paul sketches a hierarchy of the Church. To serve the Church, Paul demands solid human qualities on the part of candidates. People cannot proclaim the mystery of faith, i.e., announce that God saves the world through Jesus Christ, unless they live that faith. A fragment from a hymn of the time is used to celebrate this mystery: Incarnation, Resurrection, Mission, Ascension.
1 Timothy 3:11 Women: this word could refer either to women deacons or to women who were the wives of deacons. Scholars usually opt for the first reference since there is no possessive (e.g., “their”) and since they are introduced by the same word as in v. 8 (“similarly . . . likewise”), indicating that women too could possess the ministry of deacon. See note on Rom 16:1, in which verse Paul sends greetings to “our sister Phoebe, who is a deaconess of the Church at Cenchreae.”
1 Timothy 3:16 He was . . . vindicated by the Spirit: the holiness and divinity of Christ were made known in the Resurrection (see Rom 1:4). These six lines are regarded as a fragment of a hymn of the time.
1 Timothy 4:1 The time left to announce salvation to the whole world is limited; it is the end time, an age of crisis. In fact, troubled spirits jumble religious ideas together, seeking salvation in a pseudo-asceticism. But true Christians know how to celebrate creation and its realities in a positive way. Such an outlook in matters of doctrine rejects anything that is disordered and inconsistent; it endorses godliness, i.e., the worship of God and the desire to seek his will; attentiveness to the great virtues; love for the public reading of Sacred Scripture (v. 13); and teaching. An apostle finds the strength to persevere in this line of thought by ceaselessly renewing the gift that was given to him through the laying on of hands, i.e., when the community consecrated him for his office, in the name of the Lord.
1 Timothy 4:3 They forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods: this asceticism was not from the Bible but from the erroneous belief that the material world was evil, which was a principal tenet of Gnosticism.
1 Timothy 4:5 It is made holy by the word of God and by prayer: another possible translation is: “it is made holy by the invocation of God in prayer.”
1 Timothy 4:13 Reading: i.e., the public reading of Scripture.
1 Timothy 4:14 Laid their hands on you: an action that had various meanings in the Old Testament, among which was the transmission of authority (e.g., from Moses to Joshua: see Num 27:18-23; Deut 34:9). In the New Testament it symbolizes (1) the bestowal of blessings and benediction (see Mt 19:13, 15; Lk 24:50); (2) the restoration of health (see Mt 9:18; Acts 9:12, 17); (3) the imparting of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 8:17, 19; 19:6); and (4) the gifts and rights of an office (as in this verse and in Acts 6:6; 13:3; 2 Tim 1:6).

New Catholic Bible (NCB)