1 Timothy 6:13-16
Scripture
“13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, 15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”
I urge you in the sight of God
This exhortation from Paul to Timothy can be extended to all Christians. Are you a Christian? Then I exhort (urge) you in the sight of God …
who gives life to all things
All things have been created by and through God (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:16-17), “who gives life to all things.” Not that all things (such as rocks) have life, but that all things that have life have received said life and live only because God in His sovereignty chose to give life and sustain it. But God doesn’t merely give physical life, He is also the source of eternal spiritual life for the elect. For example, Jesus said (John 10:27-28):
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate
Jesus is “the Faithful and True Witness (Revelation 3:14),” and His witness (testimony) before Pilate is recorded in all four Gospel accounts:
• Matthew 27:1-66
• Mark 15:1-47
• Luke 23:1-56
• John 18:28-19:42
I included Jesus’ death in these references because the Greek root word for witnessed — μαρτυρέω (mar-too-reh’-o) [1] — is the root word in English for martyr, which often connotes “persecution and death” [2].
that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless
The Greek words for “this” or “the” and “commandment” are singular [3]. So, which commandment did Paul have in mind? Most likely the broad commandment in the preceding section (1 Timothy 6:12):
“Fight the good fight of faith.”
For more on this fight, see On Gain and Godliness (Part 2). Christians are to fight the good fight “without spot, blameless.” The Greek word used for blameless is the same word used by Paul in 1 Timothy 3:2 with regards to a qualification of a bishop. It means “not apprehended (found wrong) when censured or attacked, i.e. without blame in light of the whole picture [4].” In other words, Paul exhorted Timothy and exhorts Christians today to live life in a manner void of anything which could tarnish our testimony as Christians or “the glorious gospel of the blessed God (1 Timothy 1:11).” For how long should Christians do this?
until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time
Yes, Jesus is coming again, at a day or hour no one knows, with the exception of God. For more on this topic see Christ is Coming Again and Diligently Abide in Christ Until He Comes.
He who is the blessed
This could refer to the Godhead, or to the Person of Christ; I think these verses are referring to Christ [5]. Regardless, He is indeed blessed, i.e., happy [6]! As it is written:
“The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, the Rock of my salvation (2 Samuel 22:47)!”
“Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting (1 Chronicles 16:36)!
“Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation (Psalm 68:19)!”
and only Potentate
God is the only true potentate, or ruler, who is actually mighty in power [7]. And “All authority has been given to (Jesus) in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).” He is …
the King of kings and Lord of lords
“And being found in appearance as a man, (Jesus) humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:8-11).”
“Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:15-17).”
who alone has immortality
God “gives life to all things,” both temporal physical life and eternal spiritual life. It is God alone who is intrinsically immortal. He is YHWH. He is! As Jesus repeatedly declared:
“I am.”
dwelling in unapproachable light (φῶς), whom no man has seen or can see
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light (φῶς) and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).”
But no man has seen God? And no man can see God? This doesn’t seem correct. Was Paul mistaken? People walked and talked with Jesus, and He is God. So, how can this be true? I understand this to mean that no human has literally seen God as He truly and completely is in the fullness of His majesty at any time. For more on this topic, see No One Has Seen God?
to whom be honor
“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created (Revelation 4:11).”
“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house (Hebrews 3:1-3).”
and everlasting power
“I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-14).”
Amen!
End Notes
[1] http://biblehub.com/greek/3140.htm
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyr
[3] http://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_timothy/6-14.htm
[4] http://biblesuite.com/greek/423.htm
[5] The question in 1 Timothy 6:15-16 is this: to whom is Paul referring? The Godhead? The Father? Jesus? With regards to English grammar, the “He” at the beginning of 1 Timothy 6:15 should refer to the most proximate person mentioned, which is the “Lord Jesus Christ.” In addition, the “He” in 1 Timothy 6:15 is referred to as “King of kings and Lord of lords.” As this is the title ascribed by the apostle John to Jesus at His second coming in Revelation 19:16, and Paul had just referred to the second coming of Christ in 1 Timothy 6:14, it seems to me that Jesus is indeed the focus of 1 Timothy 6:15-16.
[6] http://biblehub.com/greek/3107.htm
[7] http://biblehub.com/greek/1413.htm
Bibliography
[i] J.R.W.Stott, “The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus,” Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, 1996.
[ii] J.MacArthur, “The New Testament Commentary : 1 Timothy,” Moody Press, Chicago, 1995.
[iii] A.Duane Liftin in J.F.Walvoord and R.B.Zuck (Editors), “The Bible Knowledge Commentary,”Chariot Victor Publishing, Colorado Springs, 1983.
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