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1 Timothy 3:9
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9 Holding [echo] the mystery [musterion] of the faith [pistis] in [en] a pure [katharos] conscience. [suneidesis] KJV-Interlinear
9 but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. NASB
Paul refers to the mystery. But to what mystery is he referring?
Most folks want to relate this to the mystery doctrine of the Church Age, which was long held secret throughout the Old Testament times and not revealed until Jesus made reference to it during His First Advent.
However, this is not a reference to that mystery.
The context which we are studying of a deacon or servant, has to do with their qualifications to serve. Deacons, or service staff, have existed for many centuries, whether they were called servants, employees, or slaves is irrelevant. They would have been called by many other descriptions, but their function of service has always been the same with respect to the many occupations that require service staff.
But our context defines mystery within the verse itself by using faith and a pure conscience terminology.
But we have to start with the word, holding, ‘echo,’ which means to hold, to possess, to have continuity, to have the ability of use. So the mystery must be something that the believer must possess for his very own use when applying it to his life. Using something means using it in and for, your life.
Mystery, ‘musterion,’ is that which, having been long hidden, is at length disclosed. The passive here means to initiate through learning or instruction. Bible doctrine is long hidden from you until you learn it. To unbelievers it is foolishness, they do not understand it, and therefore do not possess it. It is foolishness. To believers, Bible doctrine must be learned through instruction. You cannot learn doctrine on your own. Only the fool will disregard Gods mandate to learn through instruction.
Faith, ‘pistis,’ refers to belief, assurance, persuasion, moral conviction, reliance. And comes to mean reliance on that belief, which you have learned (referring back to the word, ‘holding.’
‘With a clear conscience.’ The conscience is a human faculty given by God, which is designed to warn each person when they have violated moral law, or whether they are in compliance with His law, Rom 2:14-15.
In unbelievers it is a function of ones intuition, or common sense. They know right from wrong.
With believers their conscience is related to their learned knowledge through doctrine. Believers have a clearer sight of life, through doctrine and therefore have a better opportunity to maintain their conscience. Your conscience helps you to maintain an alertness to the sin in your life, to the inaccuracies that exist in your life, to the inconsistencies with Gods mandates that exist within your life, such that you can make the necessary corrections in your life, and get yourself back on track.
The purity of conscience, the cleanness, the clarity, comes from residence in fellowship, through confession, which is where your spiritual life functions.
Therefore, the deacon, the believer (every believer), must possess knowledge of Bible doctrine, by learning it through instruction, such that they may keep themselves in fellowship, and on the path that God wants them to live.
What you have not learned, is a mystery (an unknown) to you until you learn and understand it.
Faith is the self assurance that comes with understanding. You cannot trust that which you do not know or understand.
The spiritual life is based not on blindness, but on understanding. And understanding comes only through learning, and learning through instruction, and it all must occur on a daily basis, for Bible doctrine is the food that nourishes the soul, and most folks eat everyday of their physical satisfaction, therefore why not a daily diet of spiritual food.
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