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For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 3:13 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB For those who have served well gain for themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
  • KJV For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
  • BSB For those who have served well as deacons acquire for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
  • NASB For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
  • NLT Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Those who serve well gain a good standing and bold confidence in the faith. It promises spiritual reward for faithful service.

Overview

Paul encourages faithful deacons with the assurance of honorable standing and 'great boldness in the faith.' Humble service yields growth in confidence before God. The verse dignifies servant ministry as a path to deeper assurance in Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • Matt 25:21“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
  • Heb 6:10For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them.
  • Acts 6:5These words pleased the whole multitude. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch;
  • 1 Pet 4:10–11As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms.
  • Luke 19:17“He said to him, ‘Well done, you good servant! Because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’
  • 1 Th 2:2but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict.
  • Matt 20:28even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
  • 1 Cor 16:15Now I beg you, brothers (you know the house of Stephanas, that it is the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have set themselves to serve the saints),
  • Acts 6:8Stephen, full of faith and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.
  • 2 Tim 2:1You therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
  • Rom 12:7–8or service, let us give ourselves to service; or he who teaches, to his teaching;
  • Luke 16:10–12He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
  • Phil 1:14and that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.
  • Acts 21:35When he came to the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd;
  • Acts 6:15All who sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face like it was the face of an angel.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Timothy videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Timothy 3:13YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 TimothyMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

There is 'one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all' — the mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh.

How 1 Timothy 3:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.