1 Timothy 3:9

“But holding to the mystery of the faith”: The “mystery” is the spiritual truth found in the gospel (Ephesians 3:6; Ephesians 6:19).

So much for idea that deacons are nothing more than church janitors and maintenance men. These men need to have. firm hold on the faith, that is, the contents of Christian teaching. They must be men that practice what they teach, so they can hold the Christian faith with. clear conscience.. man of conviction, he has. firm and good grasp of the message of the faith, and he knows his Bible. God is not content with outward blamelessness in the conduct of deacons; they must also possess. vital spiritual life. “He who would commend the truths of the Gospel to others must conscientiously exemplify it in his own conduct” (Hiebert p. 69).