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Hosts" (Hag. 2: 8), and when we give money to Him we should say, as David did of old,
"of Thine own have we given Thee" (I Chron. 29: 14).
As a contrast to money grabbing Timothy as a "man of God" must flee from this sort
of thing (6: 11). Paul gives a similar warning in II Tim. 2: 22. Timothy would
doubtless remember that the title `man of God' was given to such illustrious characters as
Moses, Elijah, Elisha, David, Shemaiah and Igdaliah and he therefore had a high standard
set before him and so he must pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and
gentleness (6: 11). He is now exhorted to:
"Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal whereunto thou wast
called, and didst the good confession in the sight of many witnesses" (6: 12, R.V.).
The word `fight' (agonizo) means `to contend in the games' and the cognate agon,
`race' is also used. E. K. Simpson claims that the military meaning is also present.
Whether this is so or not, the verb implies a disciplined struggle that is continuous. He is
also to lay hold of, or clasp, eternal life. This does not mean that he did not possess it by
faith apart from works, but that now he was to continually appropriate it with a sure hold
in his daily life and service. The good confession in the sight of many witnesses
doubtless refers to his ordination to which allusion has already been made.
Paul now gives the last charge of this epistle to Timothy and breaks into a magnificent
doxology:
"In the sight of God, Who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, Who while
testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this
commandment without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
God will bring about in His own time--God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of
kings and Lord of lords, Who alone is immortal and Who lives in unapproachable light,
Whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honour and might for ever. Amen"
(N.I.V., 6: 11-16)
Some commentators apply the whole of this doxology to the Father, although the
Apostle does not address God as such here. It is better to see this as an ascription of
praise to the Triune God. He is the Quickener, the Giver of life, (the Holy Spirit). The
title "King of kings and Lord of lords", the supreme King and the supreme Lord, is twice
ascribed to the Lord Jesus in Rev. 17: 14 & 19: 16, and reminds one of Deut. 10: 17:
"For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty and a
terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward". God the Father, in His essence
as Spirit, cannot be seen or approached and it is Christ, as the Image of the invisible God
(Col. 1: 15; 2: 9), Who sums Him up concretely.
Already in I Tim. 1: 17 immortality (athanasia) is ascribed to God. In the context we
are considering we have the statement "Who only hath immortality" that is, inherently. If
this most important statement had really been believed by the professing church down the
centuries, we should never have had the unscriptural and pagan idea of the immortality of
the soul. The words `soul' and `spirit', occurring many hundreds of times in Scripture,
are never termed immortal. God alone possesses it. Man can be described as a candidate
for immortality. Adam the sinner lost it ("and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take