1 Timothy 6:14

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.

The charge is, that he faithfully perform all the duties belonging to him as a Christian and a minister, commissioned from God, in the whole course of his life, that he may not be liable to a just accusation for the neglect of any part of his office. This is enforced by the consideration of the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, that is, in the day of judgment, as the following words make evident. Yet the apostle seems to speak of it, as if Timothy should continue in his ministry till that appearance. But it is manifest by his cautionlug the Thessalonians against that false conceit, 2 Thessalonians 2:2,3 , that the apostle knew the contrary; for he assures them that that day should not come till many great things enumerated by him should be accomplished. The meaning therefore of the words until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the same with our Saviour’s command to the angel of the church of Smyrna: Be thou faithful unto death, Revelation 2:10 : for the whole flux of time from the death of any person till the day of judgment makes no alteration in his life; and consequently, whoever is faithful unto the death is so till the appearing of Christ.

And there is no motive more powerful to a zealous and faithful discharge of our duty, no excitation more rousing from the security and carelessness of the flesh, than the serious believing consideration of the glorious reward to be dispersed by our Saviour to his faithful servants in that day, and the dreadful condemnation that shall pass upon those who have been careless and negligent in the sacred ministry.

1 Timothy 6:14 . Τὴν ) this .— ἄσπιλον , ἀνεπίληπτον , without spot, unrebukeable ) in the masculine gender.[51]— μέχρι , until ) Believers, in regulating their practice, used in that day to set before themselves the day of Christ as near at hand: we are accustomed to set before us the hour of death.— ἐπιφανείας , the appearing ) This word often occurs in the second Epistle to Timothy and in the Epistle to Titus. [51] i.e . Agreeing with σε , not with τὴν ἐντολήν .—ED.

Commandment (ἐντολὴν) Usually of a single commandment or injunction, but sometimes for the whole body of the moral precepts of Christianity, as 2 Peter 2:21; 2 Peter 3:2. The reference may be explained by ἡ παραγγελία the commandment, 1 Timothy 1:5, meaning the gospel as the divine standard of conduct and faith. Comp. 2 Timothy 1:14. The phrase τηρεῖν τὴν ἐντολὴν to keep the commandment is Johannine. See John 14:15, John 14:21; John 15:10; 1 John 2:3, 1 John 2:4; 1 John 3:22, 1 John 3:24; 1 John 5:3. Without spot (ἄσπιλον) Unsullied. Comp. James 1:27; 1 Peter 1:19; 2 Peter 3:14. Appearing (ἐπιφανείας) See on 2 Thessalonians 2:8. In the Books of Maccabees it is used to describe appearances and interventions of God for the aid of his people. See 2 Macc. 2:21; 3:24; 14:15; 15:27; 3 Macc. 5:8, 51. In 2 Timothy 4:18, and Titus 2:13, it denotes, as here, the second coming of Christ. In 2 Timothy 1:10, his historical manifestation, for which also the verb ἐπιφαίνειν is used, Titus 2:11; Titus 3:4. for the Lord is second advent Paul commonly uses παρουσία presence; once the verb φανεροῦν to make manifest (Colossians 3:4), and once ἀποκάλυψις revelation (2 Thessalonians 1:7). It is quite possible that the word ἐπιφάνεια, so characteristic of these Epistles, grew out of the Gnostic vocabulary, in which it was used of the sudden appearing of the hitherto concealed heavenly aeon, Christ.

This they compared to a sudden light from heaven; and Christ, who thus appeared, though only docetically, without an actual fleshly body, was styled σωτὴρ savior, although his oneness with the God of creation was denied. The Creator and the Redeemer were not the same, but were rather opposed. Christ was only a factor of a great cosmological process of development. As Neander observes: "The distinctive aim of the Gnostics was to apprehend the appearance of Christ and the new creation proceeding from him in their connection with the evolution of the whole universe."

14. keep this commandment—Greek, "the commandment," that is, the Gospel rule of life (1Ti 1:5; Joh 13:34; 2Pe 2:21; 3:2). without spot, unrebukeable—agreeing with "thou." Keep the commandment and so be without spot," &c. "Pure" (1Ti 5:22; Eph 5:27; Jas 1:27; 2Pe 3:14). until the appearing of … Christ—His coming in person (2Th 2:8; Tit 2:13). Believers then used in their practice to set before themselves the day of Christ as near at hand; we, the hour of death [Bengel]. The fact has in all ages of the Church been certain, the time as uncertain to Paul, as it is to us; hence, 1Ti 6:15, he says, "in His times": the Church's true attitude is that of continual expectation of her Lord's return (1Co 1:8; Php 1:6, 10).

Verse 14. - The for this , A.V. without reproach for unrebukable , A.V. The commandment ( τὴν ἐντολὴν ). The phrase is peculiar, and must have some special meaning. Perhaps, as Bishop Wordsworth expounds it, "the commandment" is that law of faith and duty to which Timothy vowed obedience at his baptism, and is parallel to "the good confession." Some think that the command given in vers. 11, 12 is referred to; and this is the meaning of the A.V. "this." Without spot, without reproach . There is a difference of opinion among commentators, whether these two adjectives ( ἄσπιλον ἀνέπιληπτον ) belong to the commandment or to the person, i.e. Timothy. The introduction of σέ after τηρῆσαι ; the facts that τηρῆσαι τὰς ἐντόλας , without any addition, means "to keep the commandments," and that in the New Testament, ἄσπιλος and ἀνέπιληπτος always are used of persons, not things ( James 1:27 ; 1 Peter 1:19 ; 2 Peter 3:14 ; 1 Timothy 3:2, 5 :7); and the consideration that the idea of the person being found blameless in, or kept blameless unto, the coming of Christ. is a frequent one in the Epistles ( Jude 1:24 ; 2 Peter 3:14 ; 1 Corinthians 1:8 ; Colossians 1:22 ; 1 Thessalonians 3:13 ; 1 Thessalonians 5:23 ), - seem to point strongly, if not conclusively, to the adjectives ἄσπιλον and ἀνεπίληπτον here agreeing with σέ , not with ἐντολήν . The appearing ( τὴν ἐπιφανείαν ). The thought of the second advent of the Lord Jesus, always prominent in the mind of St.

Paul ( 1 Corinthians 1:7, 8 ; 1 Corinthians 4:5 ; 1 Corinthians 15:23 ; Colossians 3:4 ; 1 Thessalonians 3:13 ; 1 Thessalonians 4:15 ; 2 Thessalonians 1:9 , etc.), seems to have acquired fresh intensity amidst the troubles and dangers of the closing years of his life, both as an object of hope and as a motive of action ( 2 Timothy 1:10 ; 2 Timothy 2:12 ; 2 Timothy 4:1, 8 ; Titus 2:13 ). 1 Timothy 6:14

14 . that thou keep this commandment ] the commandment ; this phrase in the singular or plural (as indicated above, 1 Timothy 6:13 ) specially characterises St John’s first epistle and is closely linked with the confession of the true Christ: and the commandment there is ‘love’: see e.g. 1 John 3:23 . Again St Paul here, in 1 Timothy 6:13-14 , ‘I charge thee’ &c. Is clearly recurring to ‘the charge’ of 1 Timothy 1:5 , ‘the end’ of which is ‘ love , out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned.’ We have therefore no difficulty as to ‘the commandment’ here. without spot, unrebukeable ] Both words used of persons only in N.T., elsewhere of things; the latter has occurred 1 Timothy 3:2 and 1 Timothy 5:7 , and so A.V. apparently here refers them to Timothy; R.V. alters, giving the alliter ation and leaving open the question whether they agree with the subject or the object without spot, without reproach .

The early Greek interpreters take them with ‘commandment,’ which on the whole the construction favours. the appearing of our Lord ] At His second Advent; lit. ‘the Epiphany.’ After use in the Apostle’s earliest letters, 2 Thessalonians 2:8 , which dealt directly with the subject, the word has been dormant till now; now in each of the latest letters (here and Titus 2:13 and 2 Timothy 4:1 ; 2 Timothy 4:8 ) it shines out, as is so natural after the 15 years that have made an old man of him:—‘Surely the world too is growing old; Timothy may see His coming: yet let it be its own time—no nearer, no further.’