Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
Parallel translations
- WEB holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
- BSB They must hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
- NKJV holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
- NASB but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
- NLT They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience.
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
Deacons must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. It joins sound belief to a life of integrity.
Overview
Paul requires deacons to keep 'the mystery of the faith,' the revealed gospel, with 'a pure conscience.' Right doctrine must be held by those whose lives match their confession. Faith and conscience together qualify a servant of the church.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 1 Tim 1:19Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
- 2 Jn 1:9–10Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
- 1 Tim 1:5Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
- 1 Tim 3:16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 3:9 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.