Archived Daily Manna | Rejoice Fellowship | A mission to release people to rejoice in the world.

Message: We have actually backed up a bit from our Introduction, to look at a phrase that appears several times in the Epistles: “overseers and deacons.” Overseer is a decent translation of the Greek word episcopos. The Greek will seem familiar, as we use “episcopal” to refer to bishops. But it was not a religious word when Paul wrote Philippians. It meant, generally, a person who watched over an enterprise to make sure things were being done correctly. Thus, it is not correct to translate it “bishop.” In the words of a great scholar, Edwin Hatch, “the ecclesiastical loan word ‘bishop’ is too technical and loaded with late historical baggage” to be used in an English-language Bible. The term deacon is a bit easier; it is simply an Anglicization of the Greek word diakonos, meaning “servant” or “deputy.” Look at the origin of the word “minister.” It meant, and the verb form still means, a person who serves or aids another. Most of the terms we use for Christian worship functionaries today have come to be tainted with hints of power, moral authority, and intellectual self-reference, even though their original meaning was “caretaker” or “servant.” (Paul does hint that an overseer will be responsible for correcting errant “gospels.”) drawing of a monk at prayer Human beings—sinful creatures that we be, full of pride and self-importance—have become bishops and ministers who bear little resemblance to the overseers and deacons Paul had in mind. By the 16th century, bishops had become princes of the world. They lived in castles, owned large estates, and vied with dukes and kings for earthly power. They raised armies and fought wars. Their arrogance often equalled that of the princes of the world. Corruption of doctrine and practice in churches—Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant—is as endemic as sin in humanity. In one sense, it is insoluble. Churches are governed by people, and every human being is driven by nature to a variety of sins. In another sense, however, the inevitable corruption of church leadership is solved by ongoing renewal, by unflinching commitment to read the Bible as it was written, and by the constant resurgence of the Holy Spirit. We previously spoke of Paul’s affectionate tone in Philippians. We can now add his attitude of status: he tends to speak to the church in Philippi as a brother, an equal, although one who has knowledge to impart; and he takes this tone not only with the “overseers and deacons,” but with the entire church community. His posture contrasts with John who, in his later years, would address his epistles to his “little children.” (E.g., 1 John 2:1.) But John’s form of address might have been a matter of age, rather than attitude. He grew to be very old and was the “last living apostle” for decades.