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1 Timothy 3 · a question people ask

"good testimony from those who are outside" (3:7). Who are those outside?

In the text

The verse says, "Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil." (3:7). It doesn't say outside of what, or who they were, and these notes don't either. They apply the words to no one, then or now.

The verses

“Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
1 Timothy 3:7 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of 1 Timothy 3

1 Timothy 3: A good work

Good and well run through 1 Timothy 3: "a good work" (3:1), "good testimony" (3:7), and those who have "served well gain for themselves a good standing" (3:13). And the verb behind take care of God’s assembly (3:5) is the one in Jesus's story in Luke 10, where the Samaritan "took care of him" (Luke 10:34).

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Last reviewed October 8, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions