is 1 timothy 3:6 speaking of the devil?

1 Timothy 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

The context makes it clear that this verse is not speaking of "the devil" being "lifted up" in "pride" and experiencing a "fall," rather it is speaking of the "novice." The surrounding context is speaking of the qualifications of "the office of a bishop" (verse 1). The context then proceeds from 1 Timothy 3:1 through to verse 7, setting forth those qualifications. The mention of "the devil" (verse 6) concerns "pride" the "novice" is susceptible to through "the devil" endeavoring to work "pride" into the novice's heart and cause him to "fall." It is not "the devil."

Earl R. Borders

From the  February 2025 issue of The Gospel Trumpeter