Deacon

 

What is a deacon?

A deacon in the Bible can be a variety of things all related in some way to serving.  A deacon is a term applied to any Christian as Jesus 0ften does:

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant (or deacon ὁ διάκονος ὁ ἐμὸς) will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:24-26)

It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant [deacon], (Matthew 20:26)

But the greatest among you shall be your servant. [deacon] (Matthew 23:11)

Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant [deacon] of all.” (Mark 9:35)

But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; [deacon] (Mark 10:43)

Sometimes, it refers to a common servant or slave:

Then the king said to the servants [deacons] ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 22:13)

His mother said to the servants, [deacons] “Whatever He says to you, do it.” …  When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants [deacons] who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, (John 2:5, 9)

Sometimes it applies to someone who is sent on a mission:

…for it [civil government] is a minister [deacon] of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister [deacon] of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. (Romans 13:4)

Here the governing officials are sent by God to do good.  They have a mandate.  Jesus too was on a mission from God to confirm the promises given to the fathers.

For I say that Christ has become a servant [deacon] to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, (Romans 15:8)

Paul often refers to himself as one who had been called by God to his ministry:

… 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister [deacon]. … 25 Of this church I was made a minister [deacon] according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, (Colossians 1:23, 25)

…who also made us adequate as servants [deacons] of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6)

…but in everything commending ourselves as servants [deacons] of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, (2 Corinthians 6:4)

…of which I was made a minister [deacon], according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. (Ephesians 3:7)

Apollos likewise:

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants [deacons] through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. (1 Corinthians 3:5)

To the Galatians, Paul asks the question if Christ was a minister or deacon of sin?  In other words, was Christ someone who represented and advanced the cause of sin?

But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister [deacon] of sin? May it never be! (Galatians 2:17)

Sometimes the word refers to a specific function or office in a local church.  Phoebe held such a place in the church at Cenchrea:

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant [deacon] of the church which is at Cenchrea;  (Romans 16:1)

as did Tychicus:

But that you also may know about my circumstances, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister [deacon] in the Lord, will make everything known to you. (Ephesians 6:21)

and Epaphras:

…just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant [deacon] of Christ on our behalf… (Colossians 1:7)

and Timothy:

…and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, (1 Thessalonians 3:2)

When Paul writes to the Philippians, he intentionally mentions the deacons:

Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: (Philippians 1:1)

and in the pastorals, he explains what kind of men they must be:

Deacons likewise must be men of dignity… (1 Timothy 3:8)

In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant [deacon] of Christ Jesus, [constantly] nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. (1 Timothy 4:6)

To the Corinthians, Paul mentions the deacons of Satan:

Therefore it is not surprising if his servants [deacons] also disguise themselves as servants [deacons] of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds. … 23 Are they servants [deacons] of Christ?–I speak as if insane–I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. (2 Corinthians 11:15, 23)

 

What was the specific task to which Phoebe, Tychicus, Epaphras, and others were assigned?

The Bible does not tell us this.  In terms of women, David Schaff writes (p374):

From the earliest times, the need must have been felt of a special class of women who should devote themselves to Christian service at times of baptism, visit the parts of the houses set aside for females, and perform other duties.

 

So a deacon can be anyone who serves the church in some way?

Yes, precisely.

 

Why then does Paul speak of deacons as a separate office alongside the office of elder?

Because early in the history of the church, the office of deacon was added to the office of elder for the better administration of the ministry of the church.  The account of this is given in Acts 6.  This makes it difficult, at times, to know if the word deacon is referring to someone who serves the church in some way or to someone who holds the office of deacon.

 

What happened in Acts 6?

See here, but basically, the elders realized that they could not do all the tasks that belonged to the ministry of the church, and some critical functions of the church were  being neglected.  Therefore, they asked the church to choose seven men who could manage the financial affairs of the church and oversee the mercy ministry of the church.  

 

How do you know that these seven were not elders?  The word “deacon” does not appear in Acts 6.

The word deacon is not present although the root word is.  Note that the twelve say that they should not neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. (Acts 6:2)  The word “to serve tables” is διακονεῖν from which our word deacon is taken; see here.  Note as well the occurrence of the noun form of the same root.

Now at this time while the disciples were increasing, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving [διακονία]. (Acts 6:1)

“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry [διακονία] of the word.” (Acts 6:4)

Lightfoot comments [p188] further:

The functions [given in Acts 6] moreover are substantially those which devolved on the deacons of the earliest ages, and which still in theory, though not altogether in practice, form the primary duties of the office. Again, it seems clear from the emphasis with which St Luke dwells on the new institution, that he looks on the establishment of this office, not as an isolated incident, but as the initiation of a new order of things in the Church. It is in short one of those representative facts, of which the earlier part of his narrative is almost wholly made up. Lastly, the tradition of the identity of the two offices has been unanimous from the earliest times. Irenæus, the first writer who alludes to the appointment of the Seven, distinctly holds them to have been deacons. The Roman Church some centuries later, though the presbytery had largely increased meanwhile, still restricted the number of deacons to seven, thus preserving the memory of the first institution of this office. And in like manner a canon of the Council of Neocæsarea (315ad) enacted that there should be no more than seven deacons in any city however great, alleging the apostolic model. This rule, it is true, was only partially observed; but the tradition was at all events so far respected, that the creation of an order of subdeacons was found necessary in order to remedy the inconvenience arising from the limitation.

Mosheim disagrees (p177) because he thinks the young men who carried out Ananias and Sapphira were deacons.

 

It appears then that the office of deacon was instituted before the office of elder.

Not quite.  The office of elder was already in existence.  Note that when Paul and Barnabas made their relief visit to Jerusalem, they were sent to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.

And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea.  And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders. (Acts 11:29-30)

This indicates that the office of elder was already in place at the time.

 

Were females allowed to serve as deacons?

On deaconesses, see McGill p268; Warfield notes p283 the following from the Book of Church Order adopted by the Southern Presbyterian church in 1879, that “where it shall appear needful, the Church Session may select and appoint godly women for the care of the sick, of prisoners, of poor widows and orphans, and in general for the relief of distress.”