The Man of God  —part 2  The Motivation of  a Spiritual Leader (6:13-16)

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I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. (6:13-16)

First Timothy begins and ends with a doxology—a hymn of praise to the Lord (cf. 1:17). Therein lies the single greatest motivating factor for a man of God: the character of the God he serves. The apostle knew that theology proper (the doctrine of God) controls behavior. Put another way, how a person lives reflects what he really believes about God. J. B. Phillips decried the ineffectiveness of Christians by complaining, Your God Is Too Small (New York: Macmillan, 1961). A. W. Tozer stated the issue with great force and clarity in his classic work The Knowledge of the Holy: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us” ([1961; reprint, New York: Harper & Row, 1975], 9). He went on to say,

Paul calls upon Timothy to fulfill his duty based upon who his God is. He himself was an example of one who “did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19).

In light of Timothy’s prophetically confirmed call to the ministry (cf. 1:18; 4:14; 6:12), the question arises as to why he needed any further motivation. The answer lies in understanding the opposition he faced at Ephesus. He was an outsider, alone in confronting both opposition from false teachers and the sins of his people. He was looked down on for being young (4:12), and his battle with the lusts of youth (2 Tim. 2:22) was no doubt discouraging. His youthful zeal also tended to make him combative and overly argumentative (2 Tim. 2:24-26). His lack of experience put him at a further disadvantage when dealing with false doctrine.

Timothy was surely tempted to abandon his ministry there altogether. Paul had to remind him that “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7), and urged him to “kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6). Timothy was being pressured to become ashamed of Christ, and Paul (2 Tim. 1:8) because of the growing hostility toward the faith. Therefore, he had to be exhorted to hold fast to sound doctrine (2 Tim. 1:13-14). He was sorely in need of encouragement, fortitude, and strength to carry out his preaching and teaching.

There was and is only one source of strength for those in the ministry: God. Confidence in Him, and understanding of His character, lays the foundation that brings courage and strength to face any trial. That knowledge of the Almighty, more than anything else, also serves to motivate the man of God to fulfill his calling. So to encourage and stimulate his struggling young protege, Paul gives one of the most magnificent presentations of God’s character found on the pages of Scripture. Although the doxology does not come until verses 15-16, a review of verses 13-14 must be included, since they also give a glimpse of our magnificent God. In those four verses, six attributes of God can be discerned: the power of God, the invincibility of God, the blessedness of God, the sovereignty of God, the eternity of God, and the holiness of God.

THE POWER OF GOD

I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate (6:13)

God’s power is seen in His ability to give life to all things. There are four aspects of that ability.

First, the phrase refers to God as creator of all things. The first verse of the Bible states that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). “Creator” is a frequent title of God (cf. Eccl. 12:1; Isa. 27:11; 40:28; 43:1, 15; Rom. 1:25; 1 Peter 4:19).

Second, God sustains all life. In Acts 17:28, Paul told the pagan Athenians, “In Him we live and move and exist.” “0 Lord,” exclaimed the psalmist, “Thou preservest man and beast” (Ps. 36:6; cf. Neh. 9:6; Ps. 66:8-9; Heb. 1:3).

Third, God protects His own. David said in Psalm 37:28 that “the Lord … does not forsake His godly ones; they are preserved forever” (cf. Pss. 91:11-14; 140:7). Our Lord said in Matthew 10:29-31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.” The triumphant cry of the believer is “In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me” (Ps. 56:4; cf. 56:11; 118:6)?

The fourth principle is the most glorious feature in this realm. God’s ability to give life to all is seen in His power to raise the dead to live eternally. Paul reminds Timothy that the worst men can do to him is to kill him. Even if they did so, that would merely usher Timothy into the Lord’s presence. Paul put it this way to the Philippians: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21), since he had the “desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better” (Phil. 1:23). Warned of persecution and imprisonment facing him when he returned to Jerusalem, the apostle replied,

Paul understood the truth that “to be absent from the body” was to “be at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8), as did Abraham (Heb. 11:17-19), Job (Job 19:26), David (Ps. 16:10), the sons of Korah (Ps. 49:15), Isaiah (Isa. 26:19), Daniel (Dan. 12:2), and Hosea (Hos. 13:14).

The clearest indication that God’s resurrection power is included in this passage comes from the mention of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate. The story of that confession is told in John 18:33-37:

Knowing that it would cost Him His life, Jesus confessed that He was indeed the King and Messiah. He never equivocated in the face of danger, having committed Himself to the God who raises the dead (cf. Col. 2:12). No wonder that Revelation calls Him “the faithful witness” (Rev. 1:5; cf. 3:14).

Understanding God’s power to raise the dead allows the man of God to freely give away his life in sacrificial service. In the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it” (Luke 9:24). Viewing his ministry in that light frees the man of God to pursue it fearlessly to the utmost.

THE INVINCIBILITY OF GOD

that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time (6:14-15a)

The man of God understands that God’s plan in history culminates in the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. As already noted, that is a general reference to the visible, glorious event when Christ comes to earth to judge and to set up His Kingdom. In Acts 1:11, the angels told the disciples that “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” Our Lord described His return in vivid terms:

That event is the culmination of human history and the vindication of Christ and those who are His. Prior to that judgment and the establishment of the kingdom on earth, the Lord will take His own saints to heaven (cf. John 14:1-4; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).

The man of God must keep a proper perspective on that coming reality. This life is “just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). It is the eternal realm into which he will enter and for which he labors. What kept Paul going through the rough times of his ministry was the certain knowledge that “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (2 Tim. 4:8). That crown of eternal righteousness is not only available to Paul, “but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8).

As already noted, Christ’s return vindicates Him by reversing the foolish judgment passed on Him by this world. His return also provides vindication for believers. “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed,” wrote Paul, “then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Col. 3:4). Romans 8:19 reads, “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God,” while 1 John 3:2 adds, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.” The world may not know who believers are now, but one day their true character and position as sons of God will be manifested. Is it any wonder, then, that Paul could say, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18)?

God has provided an incredibly glorious future for believers. The man of God keeps his focus on that truth as he endures the trials of living and ministering in this present world. He is assured that the Lord will bring glorious victory in the day of Christ’s return. He eagerly awaits the revelation of his Lord, which He will bring about at the proper time. He refers to God the Father, since the doxology that follows refers to Him. Despite the many futile attempts to set a date for the Second Coming, only the Father knows when it will be (Mark 13:32; Acts 1:7). We can trust Him to bring it about at the proper time.

The imminency of Christ’s return further serves to motivate believers to service. The church must understand that

For that reason, believers must focus on eternal realities. To the Corinthians Paul wrote, “Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11). The reality that the wicked would one day stand before the Lord to be judged motivated the apostle’s evangelistic efforts. The reality that he would one day be examined by the Lord further motivated his faithfulness as a steward of the mysteries of divine revelation (1 Cor. 4:1-5).

THE BLESSEDNESS OF GOD

He who is the blessed (6:15b)

Beginning with this phrase, Paul launches into one of the magnificent doxologies of Scripture. Each phrase in it expresses the transcendent, incomparable greatness of God. This first phrase of the doxology yields a third attribute of God, His blessedness. Makarios (blessed) means “happy,” “content,” or “fulfilled.” When used in reference to God, it describes His lack of unhappiness, frustration, and anxiety. He is content, satisfied, at peace, fulfilled, and perfectly joyful. While some things please Him and other things do not, nothing alters His heavenly contentment. He controls everything to His own joyous ends.

Those who enter into a relationship with God enter into His calm. They can be unperturbed because He is unperturbed. The Psalmist wrote, “How blessed are all who take refuge in Him” (Ps. 2:12; cf. 34:8; 40:4; 84:12; 112:1; 128:1)! Scripture describes the blessed as those whom God chooses (Ps. 65:4), those who know Christ (Matt. 16:16-17), those who believe the Gospel (Gal. 3:9), those whose sins are forgiven (Rom. 4:7), those to whom God grants righteousness apart from works (Rom. 4:6-9), and those who obey the Word (James 1:25).

No matter what the opposition, no matter what trials or persecutions he faces, the man of God can be at peace. That peace is not based on external circumstances but on the knowledge that God is in control. Believers are blessed because they are in union with the God who is blessed.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; (6:15c)

God is the only Sovereign because He alone is God (Deut. 4:35, 39; 6:4; 32:39; 1 Sam. 2:2; 2 Sam. 7:22; 22:32; 1 Kings 8:23, 60; 2 Kings 19:15, 19; 2 Chron. 6:14; Neh. 9:6; Pss. 18:31; 86:10; Isa. 37:16, 20; 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5-6, 21-22; 46:9; Joel 2:27; 1 Cor. 8:4, 6). There is no one to vie with Him for control of the universe. “I act,” says the Lord, “and who can reverse it” (Isa. 43:13)?

Isaiah understood that God is uniquely sovereign. He wrote,

Dunastēs (Sovereign) comes from a word group whose basic meaning is “power.” The adjective only shows that God’s power to rule is inherent in Himself, not delegated from an outside source. God is absolutely sovereign and omnipotently rules everything everywhere. He has no rivals, certainly not Satan, whom He created, cast out of heaven, and sentenced to eternal hell.

God’s sovereignty is further amplified by the title King of kings and Lord of lords. Such titles were given to God in the Old Testament (cf. Deut. 10:17; Ps. 136:2-3; Dan. 2:47). Although this title describes the Lord Jesus Christ in Rev. 17:14 and 19:16, it is here used in reference to the Father. The phrase “whom no man has seen or can see” clearly does not apply to Christ, “who was revealed in the flesh” (3:16).

It is likely that Paul intended this title as a conscious rebuttal to the cult of emperor worship. The deification of the emperor dates back to Augustus. It gradually assumed a central place in the empire, and became “the supreme cause of Roman persecution of Christians” (Bruce L. Shelley, Church History in Plain Language [Waco, Tex.: Word, 1982], 58). The Romans viewed emperor worship as the unifying factor that bound their diverse empire together. To refuse to worship Caesar was considered an act of treason. To counter that, Paul insists that God alone is the Sovereign, and He alone is to be worshiped.

The sovereignty of God is the most encouraging and comforting doctrine in all of Scripture. An understanding of it removes the anxiety from life. It also gives the man of God courage in spiritual duty and willingness to face any danger. God is never surprised, nor is His will ever frustrated. He says in Isaiah 46:11, “Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.” Because He is in total control, there is no need to worry, to compromise, to equivocate, or to manipulate to achieve a goal.

The man of God knows that the success of his ministry does not depend on his ingenuity, wisdom, or talent. He is relieved of the intolerable burden of imagining that people’s eternal destiny rests on the persuasiveness of his preaching or the cleverness of his invitation. He understands that no one comes to faith in Christ apart from God’s gracious, sovereign choice. And he, too, is operating under the constant surveillance of and within the plan of the God who is in perfect control of everything. That frees him to focus on faithfully expounding the Word and fulfilling his calling with contentment.

THE ETERNITY OF GOD

who alone possesses immortality (6:16a)

Once again the apostle counters the cult of emperor worship. Although the Romans imagined the emperors to be immortal, Paul emphasizes that God alone possesses immortality. That phrase describes God’s eternity. He alone possesses immortality in the sense that He is inherently immortal. Angels and men, having come into existence, will exist forever. Their immortality, however, derives from God. Immortality does not translate aphtharsia, which means “incorruptible,” but athanasia, which means “deathless.” God has an unending quality of life, and is incapable of dying. The psalmist wrote, “For with Thee is the fountain of life” (Ps. 36:9). Jesus said, “The Father has life in Himself” (John 5:26). Isaiah called Him “the Everlasting God” (Isa. 40:28), while Moses wrote in Psalm 90:2, “Before the mountains were born, or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God” (cf. Hab. 1:12). Micah 5:2 describes the Lord Jesus Christ as eternal, offering further proof of His deity.

The man of God derives comfort from the knowledge that his God is above history and beyond time. No matter what happens during his brief span of time on this earth, the deathless, eternal One is available to support him. He shares the perspective of Paul, who told the Romans, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18; cf. 2 Cor. 4:17).

THE HOLINESS OF GOD

and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. (6:16b)

In this age of casual familiarity with God, it is well to remember His utter holiness. While God is our loving, gracious Father, He nevertheless dwells in unapproachable light. He is transcendent, totally beyond us. He is, in Martin Luther’s words, Deus absconditus, the hidden God. Had he not revealed Himself and come out of His holy habitation, man could have had no knowledge of Him.

The psalmist wrote of Him, “O Lord my God, Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with splendor and majesty, covering Thyself with light as with a cloak” (Ps. 104:1-2). When Moses prayed for God to reveal His glory, the Lord replied,

The writer of Hebrews put it simply, “our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29).

The imagery of God as blazing light aptly expresses His holiness. He is totally separate from sin. Psalm 5:4 reads, “For Thou art not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with Thee.” He is “majestic in holiness” (Ex. 15:11). “There is no one holy like the Lord” (1 Sam. 2:2).

Because of that holiness, God is inaccessible to man. He lives in an atmosphere of absolute purity, far too holy for mortals to ever enter. Such passages as Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” and 1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face,” refer to only that much of a vision of God which glorified humanity can perceive.

How does God’s absolute holiness fit into this doxology? Paul emphasizes God’s inability to make any mistakes. He always does exactly what is right and just. That provides great comfort for the man of God as he pursues his ministry. Not only is God in total control, but He also never makes a misjudgment. Further, those who oppose and persecute him will one day be judged by the holy God. That knowledge equips the man of God to faithfully serve his Lord.

It is fitting that the doxology ends with a refrain of praise, to Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. Paul exclaims, “let God always be respected, and may his rule never end.” That refrain takes its place alongside the other great hymns of praise to God in Scripture (cf. 1 Peter 4:11; 5:11; Jude 24-25).

Nothing motivates a man of God like a true understanding of the greatness of his God. Those who know their God can say with the writer to Hebrews, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man doto me” (Heb. 13:6)?