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The Gospel Observer
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them
to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).
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January 6, 2013
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Contents:
1) 1 Timothy 1:17-19 (Tom Edwards)
2) News & Notes
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-1-
1 Timothy 1:17-19
by Tom Edwards
In giving praise to God, Paul uses the following doxology in 1
Timothy 1:17: "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the
only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."
After having spoken in the previous verses of God being the one who
makes salvation possible, it does seem quite fitting that Paul then
offers this grateful homage unto God. For He truly is the one
who is to be honored, glorified, and greatly thanked for
that. James Burton Coffman points out that "This grand
doxology is not addressed to 'the Father,' but to God in His
compound unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." In that
sense, there is only one God. As Jesus states in John 5:44,
"How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and
you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?"
Though three persons -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- they each
make up the one Godhead. And this plurality of distinct
individuals is also seen in the first verse of the Bible: "In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth." "God" in
this verse is from the Hebrew word "Elohim," which is the plural
form of God. It is also in that first chapter that God says,
"Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness" (v. 26),
which indicates the other two persons of the Godhead: Jesus (Col.
1:15,16) and the Holy Spirit (Psa. 104:30).
Paul speaks of God as being "eternal" (1 Tim. 1:17; cf. Rev.
22:13). What an amazing truth! God had no beginning and
will have no end. For just as He has always been, even so, He
will also always be -- and, throughout all eternity, never aging nor
diminishing to even the slightest degree. As the Psalmist
declares, "Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the
earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are
God." Notice that it does not say, "You were" ("from
everlasting to everlasting") or "You will be" ("from everlasting to
everlasting"); but, rather, "You are." God at this present
moment is "from everlasting to everlasting."
Since also Jesus is God (Jn. 1:1-3,14; Heb. 1:8), He, too, is just
as eternal as the Father. For while all of us can trace our
beginning back to that day in which we were conceived (though our
years are normally said to begin at the time of our birth -- that
particular day), notice what is said of Jesus in this following
verse: "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among
the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in
Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of
eternity" (Mic. 5:2). Jesus also expresses His eternal nature
in John 8:58 by saying, "...'Truly, truly, I say to you, before
Abraham was born I am.'" Notice that the Lord does not
say, "I was" (before Abraham was born); but, rather, "I am."
Jesus is the great "I am," just as His Father also is. For
when Moses asked God what name should be used to refer to Him to the
children of Israel, the Lord said to tell them, "I Am has sent me to
you" (Exod. 3:13,14), which expresses God's self-existence and His
unchanging, eternal nature. In Isaiah 9:6, where Jesus is
referred to as the "Eternal Father," among other things, this does
not mean that Jesus is the Father; but it can be thought of as Jesus
being the "Father of Eternity." For all things have originated
from Him -- all matter, space, and time -- the "visible and
invisible" (Col. 1:16). Therefore, we also think of eternity
itself existing because of God. For His duration is eternal.
Paul also speaks of the Lord as being "immortal," which is
translated from a Greek word that means "uncorrupted, not liable to
corruption or decay, imperishable" (Thayer). The same Greek
word is used in Romans 1:23, where Paul refers to God as being
"incorruptible"; and in 1 Corinthians 15:22 where it is said of the
deceased Christians that they will "be raised imperishable"; and in
1 Peter 1:4 to describe the Christian's inheritance as being
"IMPERISHABLE and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in
heaven for you." Also in that same chapter, Peter uses this
term to refer to the imperishable nature of the "living and abiding
word of God" (v. 23). Though "Heaven and earth will pass
away...My words will not pass away," Jesus declares in Matthew
24:35. Think, too, of the contrast between the images the
heathens worshiped and the true and the living God. For all
those images would eventually perish, but the Lord is
imperishable. The same can also be said of all the various
reigns of all the kings of earth, whose rule was temporary; but
God's reign is eternal. To Him will be honor and glory forever
and ever.
Paul also includes in his doxology that God is "invisible."
This, too, we can contrast with the heathen images of worship.
For while those man-made idols could be seen, that was not so of the
true and the living God. As John writes, "No one has seen God
at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the
Father, He has explained Him" (Jn. 1:18). This, therefore, also sets
Jesus apart from other men. For no one has seen God the Father
except for Jesus. In John 6:46, the Lord states, "Not that
anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has
seen the Father." Consider also 1 Timothy 6:16: "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." In Colossians 1:15, Jesus is referred to as being
"...the image of the invisible God...."
So just as the wind can be seen through its affects on things, God
has also made Himself known through Jesus Christ. Plus, God's
reality has also been made known through the creation itself.
For instance, "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And
their expanse is declaring the work of His hands" (Psa. 19:1).
There is precision and balance in the universe. Creation, with
all its complexities of different life forms, attests to the need
for an intelligent and eternal Creator. For example, if you
found a computer out in the woods, you would realize that it just
did not merely evolve on its own -- regardless of the number of
years involved. Rather, it required an intelligent designer
and maker. And though computers can be very helpful, just your
mind is more advanced than one. Consider also Romans 1:19,20:
"because that which is known about God is evident within them; for
God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the
world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made,
so that they are without excuse." The creation shows that the
second theory of thermodynamics is true. Everything in the
physical universe tends to wear out and come to naught. So the
universe is not eternal. Therefore, it required something that
always was, in order to bring it about. Creation, therefore,
indicates the eternal nature of God, as well as His wisdom and
power. Paul also declares of the Lord, "and yet He did not
leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you
rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with
food and gladness" (Acts 14:17). I'm sure there are many
different kinds of foods you enjoy. God has made this all
possible, and He has also provided us with numerous kinds of
seasonings, so that we can even fine-tune a meal to our palate's
preference. The Lord truly does think of
everything. So these are all reasons why we can "see" God with
the eyes of faith, just as Moses did. For "...he left Egypt,
not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who
is unseen" (Heb. 11:27). As the writer says in the beginning
of that chapter, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen" (v. 1).
Some versions refer to the Lord as being "the only wise God" (1 Tim.
1:17), but the term for "wise" isn't in all manuscripts. We do
find it, however, in Romans 16:27. And who would doubt the
Lord being wise? On a scale of one to a trillion, with God's
wisdom represented by the trillion, where would we place our
wisdom? Even the most intelligent among us would come closer
to matching up to the "intelligence" of the heathen idols than to
that of God's wisdom. And here is what the psalmist says about
man-made idols: "... Their idols are silver and gold, The work of
man's hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have
eyes, but they cannot see; They have ears, but they cannot hear;
They have noses, but they cannot smell; They have hands, but they
cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make
a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become
like them, Everyone who trusts in them" (Psa. 115:1-8). In
Isaiah 44, we read of a man who would grow trees for himself; and
with these trees, he could build a fire to keep himself warm and to
cook with. But from the same wood, he also makes an idol god,
as vv. 5-7 show: "He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a
graven image and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in
the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is
satisfied. He also warms himself and says, 'Aha! I am
warm, I have seen the fire.' But the rest of it he makes into
a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships;
he also prays to it and says, 'Deliver me, for you are my
god.'" Though an idol god has no sense at all, at least it
isn't doing the foolish things that the one who worships it is --
and foolishness isn't wisdom.
Paul then closes verse 17 with the word "Amen." This word varies in
meaning, depending on where it is used in the sentence. When
it is used in or near the beginning, rather than its end, it means
"surely, truly, of a truth." For instance, the Lord uses the
phrase "truly, I say to you" 50 times in Matthew through Luke; and
25 times, the phrase "truly, truly, I say to you" in John's account
of the life of Christ. But when used at the end of a sentence,
or how it is often used by itself, "amen" means "so it is, so be it,
may it be fulfilled." Thayer also goes on to show that "It was
a custom, which passed over from the synagogues to the Christian
assemblies, that when he who had read or discoursed, had offered up
solemn prayer to God, the others responded Amen, and thus made the
substance of what was uttered their own." So its use has been
around for many centuries. The first place we find "Amen"
being used in the Bible pertains to a method that was used in the
Old Testament to detect whether a woman had been guilty of adultery
or not. In Numbers 5, if her husband had a spirit of jealousy
toward his wife, he could bring her to the priest; and he would give
her holy water to drink. If she were innocent, she'd be
immune; but if guilty, the water would bring a curse upon her.
Numbers 5:22 states that it would "'...make your abdomen swell and
your thigh waste away.' And the woman shall say, 'Amen,
Amen.'" So that takes it back to about 3,453 years ago.
We next find it used in Deuteronomy 27:15-26. All the people
were to say "Amen" to all the curses that would be pronounced upon
those who had committed various transgressions mentioned in this
section. So from the reading of these verses, we can easily
see how that the use of the word "Amen" was also a way of expressing
a hearty agreement.
In 1 Timothy 1:18,19, Paul then gives the following charge to
Timothy: "This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in
accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that
by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good
conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in
regard to their faith." The phrase, "This command,"
refers back to verses 3-5, where Paul charges Timothy to remain at
Ephesus and "instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,
nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies...."; but,
rather, that they aim for the goal of the gospel's instruction,
which is "love from a pure heart, and a good conscience and a
sincere faith."
Notice, too, what could give Timothy some assurance and
encouragement toward this. Paul shows in 1 Timothy 1:18 that what he
is charging Timothy is "in accordance with the prophecies previously
made concerning you." It appears that prophets had foretold
the work of Timothy as being successful, so Paul is bringing that to
Timothy's attention, assuring him and exhorting him to fight that
good fight of faith; for if he does, these accomplishments will be
obtained. As B.W. Johnson writes, "Timothy was selected for
the ministry by divine direction. One so chosen was chosen according
to prophecy, the ordinary meaning being simply a declaration of the
divine will." We can also compare this to 1 Corinthians 12:28:
"And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second
prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings,
helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues."
Paul says, "that by them," which is pertaining to the
prophecies, "you fight the good fight." Paul was certainly one
to speak, for he had also been a good example in this. In 2
Timothy 4:7, for instance, near the close of Paul's life, he states,
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have
kept the faith." He then repeats this exhortation to Timothy
in the same letter: "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the
eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good
confession in the presence of many witnesses" (1 Tim. 6:12).
It is also believed by some that it was at the same time that the
prophecies were made concerning Timothy that he was also endowed
with miraculous gifts from the Holy Spirit. Corresponding to
this, note what Paul urges Timothy to do in 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14:
"For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which
is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not
given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and
discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of
our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for
the gospel according to the power of God." "Retain the
standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith
and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy
Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to
you."
The phrase "keeping faith" (1 Tim. 1:19) is rendered as "holding
faith" in the KJV. This latter phrase might remind you of
Ephesians 6:16, where in speaking about the Christian's armor, Paul
mentions in this verse: "in addition to all, taking up the shield of
faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming
arrows of the evil one."
Faith is something that needs to be kept; for it can sometimes be
lost. Consider, for example, Hebrews 3:12-14: "Take care,
brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving
heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one
another day after day, as long as it is still called 'Today,' so
that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For
we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of
our assurance firm until the end." We also can see this in 1
Timothy 6:20,21: "O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you,
avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of
what is falsely called "knowledge" -- which some have professed and
thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you." And note
what Paul points out a couple chapters prior, in 1 Timothy 4:1: "But
the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away
from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines
of demons."
In view of these passages, can a person lose faith? Obviously,
yes! Yet, how many religious people today teach that as an
impossibility? They might say that anyone who fell away never
really believed to begin with, but that is not what the Bible
shows. Compare Psalm 106:7-12. This passage speaks of
miracles that God worked for His people when bringing them out of
Egyptian bondage. Verse 12 says, "Then they believed His
words; They sang His praise." This all sounds very well and
fine, but now notice what the chapter goes on to say: "They quickly
forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, But craved
intensely in the wilderness, And tempted God in the desert. So He
gave them their request, But sent a wasting disease among them..."
(Psa. 106:13-29).
May we each, who are Christians, strive to maintain faith and a good
conscience -- lest we make shipwreck of our faith -- and give the
honor and glory to the only true and living God for His wondrous,
eternal nature and being the God that He is. May we also
continue to show our love and gratitude toward the Lord by living
according to, and teach others as well, the truth of God's word that
has been entrusted to us, that we might remain on the road to
eternal salvation and please our Father in heaven, all along the
way.
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News & Notes
Bill Barfield (Linda Blevins' uncle of Memphis, Tennessee) is
going to be transferred to a rehab center in Slidell,
Louisiana. He is 86 years old, on dialysis, a ventilator, and
had also fractured some vertebrae in his neck from a recent
fall. He has been hospitalized since last March, where it
began in ICU and then to a room that would be somewhere between ICU
and a step-down unit. His wife has been staying with him
around the clock. But the rehab center in Slidell won't allow
her to stay the night. So she will have to find a room or
place to rent in the area for about 2 months. Let those of us
who are Christians continue to pray for Bill and also his wife
Wilma.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel,
for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the
deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins
(Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in
Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water
for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4;
Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith;
for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet.
2:20-22).
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Park Forest
CHURCH OF CHRIST
9923 Sunny Cline Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70817
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 6 PM (worship)
Tuesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go (Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)