Read the Bible

¹ THIS is a true saying, If a man desires the office of a bishop, he aspires to a good work.² He who becomes an bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, have an alert mind, must be sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, and apt at teaching;³ Not given to wine, not a striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but meek, not a brawler;⁴ One who rules well his own household, and keeps his children under submission to bring them up with all purity.⁵ For if a man does not know how to rule well his own household, how shall he take care of the church of God?⁶ He should not be a recent convert, lest he become proud and fall into the condemnation of the devil.⁷ Moreover, he must have a good report from outsiders; lest he fall into reproach and the snares of the devil.

⁸ Likewise the deacons must be pure, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;⁹ But they must uphold the divine mystery of faith with a pure conscience.¹⁰ Let these first be examined, and then let them minister after they have been found blameless.¹¹ Likewise their wives must be chaste, have an alert mind, faithful in all things, and they must not be slanderers.¹² Let the deacons be appointed from those who have not been polygamous, ruling their children and their own households well.¹³ For those who minister well earn good recognition for themselves and grow more familiar with the faith of Jesus Christ.

¹⁴ These things I write to you, although hoping to come to you shortly,¹⁵ So that if I am delayed, you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.¹⁶ Truly great is this divine mystery of righteousness: it is revealed in the flesh, justi- fied in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory.