1 É sta es palabra fiel: Si alguno anhela ser obispo, desea una buena obra.

It is true that if a man wants to be a church leader, he wants to do a good work.

2 P ero es necesario que el obispo sea irreprensible y que tenga una sola esposa; que sea sobrio, prudente, decoroso, hospedador, apto para enseñar;

A church leader must be a good man. His life must be so no one can say anything against him. He must have only one wife and must be respected for his good living. He must be willing to take people into his home. He must be willing to learn and able to teach the Word of God.

3 n o afecto al vino, ni pendenciero, ni codicioso de ganancias deshonestas, sino amable, apacible, no avaro;

He must not get drunk or want to fight. Instead, he must be gentle. He must not have a love for money.

4 q ue gobierne bien su casa, que tenga a sus hijos en sujeción y con toda honestidad

He should be a good leader in his own home. His children must obey and respect him.

5 ( pues el que no sabe gobernar su propia casa, ¿cómo podrá cuidar de la iglesia de Dios?);

If a man cannot be a good leader in his own home, how can he lead the church?

6 n o debe ser un neófito, no sea que se envanezca y caiga en la condenación del diablo.

A church leader must not be a new Christian. A new Christian might become proud and fall into sin which is brought on by the devil.

7 T ambién es necesario que tenga buen testimonio de los de afuera, para que no caiga en descrédito y en los lazos del diablo. Requisitos de los diáconos

A church leader must be respected by people who are not Christians so nothing can be said against him. In that way, he will not be trapped by the devil. What the Church Helpers Must Be Like

8 D e igual manera, los diáconos deben ser honestos y sin doblez, no demasiado afectos al vino ni codiciosos de ganancias deshonestas;

Church helpers must also be good men and act so people will respect them. They must speak the truth. They must not get drunk. They must not have a love for money.

9 y deben guardar el misterio de la fe con limpia conciencia.

They must have their faith in Christ and be His follower with a heart that says they are right.

10 A demás, éstos primero deben ser puestos a prueba y, si son irreprensibles, entonces podrán ejercer el diaconado.

They must first be tested to see if they are ready for the work as church helpers. Then if they do well, they may be chosen as church helpers.

11 L as mujeres, por su parte, deben ser honestas, y no calumniadoras, sino sobrias y fieles en todo.

The wives of church helpers must be careful how they act. They must not carry stories from one person to another. They must be wise and faithful in all they do.

12 L os diáconos deben tener una sola esposa, y gobernar bien sus hijos y sus casas,

Church helpers must have only one wife. They must lead their home well and their children must obey them.

13 p ues los que ejercen bien el diaconado ganan para sí mismos un grado honroso y mucha confianza en la fe que es en Cristo Jesús. El misterio de la piedad

Those who work well as church helpers will be respected by others and their own faith in Christ Jesus will grow. Why Paul Writes to Timothy

14 A unque tengo la esperanza de ir pronto a visitarte, te escribo esto

I hope to come to you soon. I am writing these things

15 p ara que, si me tardo, sepas cómo conducirte en la casa de Dios, que es la iglesia del Dios viviente, columna y baluarte de la verdad.

because it may be awhile before I get there. I wanted you to know how you should act among people in the church which is the house of the living God. The church holds up the truth.

16 I ndiscutiblemente, el misterio de la piedad es grande: Dios fue manifestado en carne, Justificado en el Espíritu, Visto de los ángeles, Predicado a las naciones, Creído en el mundo, Recibido arriba en gloria.

It is important to know the secret of God-like living, which is: Christ came to earth as a Man. He was pure in His Spirit. He was seen by angels. The nations heard about Him. Men everywhere put their trust in Him. He was taken up into heaven.