1 Timothy 6:13

6:11-16 It ill becomes any men, but especially men of God, to set their hearts upon the things of this world; men of God should be taken up with the things of God. There must be a conflict with corruption, and temptations, and the powers of darkness. Eternal life is the crown proposed for our encouragement. We are called to lay hold thereon. To the rich must especially be pointed out their dangers and duties, as to the proper use of wealth. But who can give such a charge, that is not himself above the love of things that wealth can buy? The appearing of Christ is certain, but it is not for us to know the time. Mortal eyes cannot bear the brightness of the Divine glory. None can approach him except as he is made known unto sinners in and by Christ. The Godhead is here adored without distinction of Persons, as all these things are properly spoken, whether of the Father, the Son, or the Holy Ghost. God is revealed to us, only in and through the human nature of Christ, as the only begotten Son of the Father.

{10} I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; (10) A most earnest request and charge, to observe and keep all the things faithfully, with our eyes set upon the coming of Jesus Christ, whose glory we have to contrast with the vain glittering of this world, and his power with all the terrors of the wicked.

1 Timothy 6:13-16 . I give thee charge, &c. — See note on 1 Timothy 5:21 ; in the sight — In the presence; of God — Whose eye is upon us both; and who quickeneth all things — Who is the source of life, natural, spiritual, and eternal, and therefore is able to raise those from the dead that suffer for him: a suitable, though oblique intimation, that should Timothy, after the example of his great Lord, sacrifice his life to the honour of his profession, God, who raised Christ from the dead, would raise him. See 2 Timothy 2:3 ; 2 Timothy 2:10-12 . The earnestness and solemnity with which the apostle addresses Timothy on this occasion, did not proceed from any suspicion of his fidelity as a minister, but from his own deep sense of the importance of the truths which Timothy was to confess and maintain. Hence the ministers of the gospel may learn that these truths ought to be often and earnestly insisted on by them in their public discourses. And before — In the presence of; Jesus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession — This was made by our Lord most explicitly before Caiaphas and the Jewish council, when, being asked whether he was Christ, the Son of the Blessed, he acknowledged that he was; and added, Ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, &c, Mark 14:61-62 .

This confession was adhered to by our Lord in the presence of Pilate, when he acknowledged himself the King of the Jews, John 18:33 ; John 18:37 ; that is, acknowledged that he was Messiah the prince, and suffered death rather than conceal or retract it. And the apostle calls it a good confession, because all our hopes of salvation are built upon the truth of it. That thou keep this commandment — That thou observe whatsoever I have enjoined thee, or, that thou keep the doctrine which I have committed to thee; without spot — Without adding to it, detracting from it, concealing or misrepresenting any part of it; and unrebukable — So that no one may have cause to find any fault with thee, or reprove thee for thy neglect; till the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ — Till he shall call thee hence by death; or the meaning of the exhortation is, that Timothy, by keeping the doctrines and precepts which the apostle had committed to him without spot, was to hand them down pure to his successors in the ministry, and thereby to contribute his part toward preserving them in the world till Christ’s second coming.

The apostle’s care of the church showeth itself in these severe charges laid upon Timothy; though one whom he knew to be a faithful minister, he chargeth him, calling God to witness that he had fulfilled his part in laying this charge upon him. The name he here giveth unto God may possibly have a particular reference to the state of the gospel at that time, the doctrine and profession of which had many enemies, and so it is made use of here to comfort and encourage Timothy. God is called he who quickeneth the dead, Romans 4:17 ; here, he who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; he proposeth the example of Christ to Timothy, as being the Head of those that witness a good confession.

1 Timothy 6:13 . Παραγγέλλω , I give thee charge ) See how important is the office of preaching the Gospel; 2 Timothy 4:1 .— τοῦ ζωοποιοῦντος τὰ πάντα , who quickeneth all things ) LXX., Nehemiah 9:6 [ σὺ ἐποίησας — καὶ σὺ ζωοποιεῖς τὰ πάντα ]. Here the creation of all things, which is there mentioned, is taken for granted. Part of the hymn is expressed, the whole hymn is implied. The power of God quickens (gives life to) thee also, O Timothy, in the discharge of thy duty, and will raise thee up to everlasting life.— τοῦ μαρτυρήσαντος , who witnessed ) The confession of Christ quickens [gives life to] all confessions (professions, 1 Timothy 6:12 ). To witness a confession was the part of the Lord; to confess a confession (profession, 1 Timothy 6:12 ) belonged to Timothy.— ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου , before Pontius Pilate ) A well-known chronological era.— τὴν ) that which all Christians know was made by Him, viz. that concerning His kingdom , 1 Timothy 6:15 .

Quickeneth (ζωογονοῦντος) oP. Rend. who preserveth alive. Quickeneth is according to the reading ζωοποιοῦντος maketh alive. Comp. lxx, Exodus 1:17; Judges 8:19. This association of God as the preserver with confession is noteworthy in Matthew 10:28-33. Witnessed a good confession (μαρτυρήσαντος τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν) Letter, the or his good confession. The phrase is unique. The good confession is the historical confession of Jesus before Pilate, which is the warrant for the truthfulness of Timothy's confession. Christ is called "the faithful and true witness" (μάρτυς), Revelation 1:5; Revelation 3:14. It is true that μάρτυς was used very early of those who laid down their lives for the truth (see Acts 22:20; Revelation 2:13), and Polycarp speaks of τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦ σταυροῦ the witness of the cross (Philippians 7.; but this did not become general until after the end of the second century. Before Pontius Pilate The mention of Pontius Pilate in connection with the crucifixion is of constant occurrence in early Christian writings. See Ignatius, Magn. xi; Tral. ix; Smyrn. i. It has been supposed that these words were taken from a liturgical confession in which the Christian faith was professed.

13. quickeneth all things—that is, "maketh alive." But the oldest manuscripts read, "preserveth alive"; as the same Greek means in Ac 7:19; compare Ne 9:6. He urges Timothy to faithfulness here by the present manifestation of God's power in preserving all things, as in 1Ti 6:14, by the future manifestation of God's power at the appearing of Christ. The assurance that "eternal life," 1Ti 6:12, will be the result of "fighting the good fight," rests on the fulness and power of Him who is the God of all life, present and to come. witnessed—It was the Lord's part to witness, Timothy's part to confess (or "profess," 1Ti 6:12) "the good confession" [Bengel]. The confession was His testimony that He was King, and His kingdom that of the truth (see on [2485]1Ti 6:12; 1Ti 6:15; Mt 27:11). Christ, in attesting, or bearing witness to this truth, attested the truth of the whole of Christianity. Timothy's profession, or confession, included therefore the whole of the Christian truth.

Verse 13. - I charge thee for I give thee charge , A.V.; of for before (in italics), A.V.; the for a, A.V. I charge thee . It has been well observed that the apostle's language increases in solemnity as he approaches the end of the Epistle. This word παραγγέλλω is of frequent use in St. Paul's Epistles ( 1 Corinthians 7:10 ; 1 Thessalonians 4:11 : 2 Thessalonians 3:4, 6, 10, 12 ; and above, 1 Timothy 3 ; 1 Timothy 4:11 ; 1 Timothy 5:7 ). In the sight of God , etc. (compare the adjuration in 1 Timothy 5:21 ). Who quickeneth , etc. The T.R. has ζωοποιοῦντος . The R.T. has ζωογονοῦντος , with no difference of meaning. Both words are used in the LXX. as the rendering of the Pihel and Hiphil of תָיָה . As an epithet of " God ," it sets before us the highest creative act of the Almighty as "the Lord, and the Giver of life;" and is equivalent to "the living God" ( Matthew 26:63 ), "the God of the spirits of all flesh" ( Numbers 16:22 ). The existence of "life" is the one thing which baffles the ingenuity of science in its attempts to dispense with a Creator. The good confession refers to our Lord's confession of himself as " the Christ, the Son of God ," in Matthew 27:11 ; Luke 23:3 ; John 18:36, 37 , which is analogous to the baptismal confession ( Acts 8:37 (T.R.); 16:31; 19:4, 5). The natural word to have followed μαρτυρεῖν was μαρτυρίαν , as above ὁμολογίαν follows ὡμολόγησας ; but St.