The doctrine of diakonia

1. This is also diakonoj from which we get the word “deacon” but it has many meanings. The political meaning of the word: The word minister is translated “minister” and that is all right if it is understood the command is “carry out to the maximum your ministry.”

The political use for this word is found in divine institution #4 where diakonoj is used for the head of a state, one who has the authority to administer capital punishment — Romans 13:3,4. In other words, diakonoj was used in the Bible to indicate a political ruler, one who had the authority to administer in the political realm of the national entity.

The second use of the word is the universal ministry of the believer. There is a sense in which every believer is a minister and has a responsibility before the Lord. This is for the royal family of God in the sense that all believers are in full time Christian service. It empahsises the royal priest as the ambassador for Christ. In 2 Corinthians 3:6 — “… who has appointed us ministers...” Also 2 Corinthians 4:1; 6:1,3.

The third use of diakonoj is connected with the administration of the local church. The pastor has all of the authority but he delegates authority to certain men in the church in order to carry on administration. This is where we get the word “deacon.” Philippians 1:1. So a deacon is a man who has received delegated authority from the pastor in order to carry on the administrative activities of the local church.

The fourth use is the pastoral use. The pastor is also called diakonoj or a minister many times, and this has to do with the original source of all authority in the local church. It is delegated to the pastor who in turn delegates it to certain members in the congregation. All members of the congregation are ministers in the sense of coming under the teaching of the Word. 1 Corinthians 3:5; Ephesians 3:7; Colossians 1:7,23; 1 Thessalonians 3:2; 1 Timothy 1:12. This is a technical use of minister for a pastor-teacher.

A fifth use of diakonoj is the evil usage — 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.