Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Timothy 6:15

"which in its own times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;" — 1 Timothy 6:15 (ASV)

Yet.—The original is simply And, which is much more beautiful, implying that this very withdrawal from brotherly fellowship was an act of brotherly kindness.

An enemy.—In the private, not the public, sense. “Do not think of him as one with whom you must be at feud, to be thwarted and humbled on every occasion.” St. Chrysostom exclaims, “How soon the father's heart breaks down!”

Admonish him as a brother.—How was this to be done without “keeping company” with him? Perhaps the presbyters, to whom the work of “admonishing,” or “warning,” specially belonged (see 1 Thessalonians 5:12, 14), were to visit them in private for that purpose. Or possibly, the admonition was to consist in the act of separation, and not in verbal reproof at all.

Which in His times He shall shew.—More accurately rendered, which in His own seasons. Here the language of fervent expectation is qualified by words which imply that in Saint Paul’s mind at that time there was no certainty about the period of the “coming of the Lord.” It depended on the unknown and mysterious counsels of the Most High.

The impression left upon our minds by the words of this and the preceding verse is that Saint Paul had given up all hope of living himself to see the dawn of that awesome day, but he considered it more than probable that his son in the faith would live to witness it. Therefore, his words to him: Keep the commandment without spot until the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who is the blessed and only Potentate.—The stately and rhythmical doxology with which the solemn charge to Timothy is closed was quite possibly taken from a hymn loved by the Ephesian Christians and often sung in their churches; the words, then, were likely familiar to Timothy and his people, though now receiving a new and deeper meaning than before.

Timothy might well, as an example to the flock of Ephesus, keep the commandment without spot, unrebukeable—fearlessly, even though danger and death were presented before him as the sure reward of his faithfulness. For He who in His own times would reveal (show) the Lord Jesus returning to earth in glory was inconceivably greater and grander than any earthly potentate, king, or lord, before whose insignificant throne Timothy might have to stand and be judged for his faithfulness to the only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.

Of the first of these sublime titles, God is termed the blessed, or the happy, because He is the source of all blessedness and happiness; and the only Potentate, in solemn assertion that the Christian’s God was One, and that to no one but Him could this title only Potentate be applied. Possibly already in Ephesus the teachers of Gnosticism had begun their unfortunate work—with their fables of the mighty aeons, and their strange Eastern conception of one God the source of good, and another the source of evil.

The King of kings, and Lord of lords.—God is King over those whom people style kings, and Lord over all whom people call lords here.

Therefore, brothers, stand fast.—Such an exhortation is, in itself, conclusive against a theory of irreversible predestination. “Because God chose you from eternity, and called you in time, therefore stand your ground.” If it were impossible for them to quit their ground, it would be needless to exhort them to maintain it. If it were possible for them to quit their ground, and yet be as well off after all, it would be needless also. At the same time, the “therefore” draws a conclusion, not from 2 Thessalonians 2:14 alone, but sums up the whole discussion of the chapter: “Now that you are reminded of the true Advent doctrine.”

Hold the traditions.—This is the very same word as in Mark 7:3-4 and Mark 7:8, “holding the tradition of the elders;” also in the same metaphorical sense in Colossians 2:19 and Revelation 2:13. The action expressed is a vigorous and tenacious grasp, as (for instance) of the lame man clutching the Apostles in Acts 3:11. St. Chrysostom remarks: “It is plain from this that they did not deliver all their tradition by letter, but much without writing besides, and that both are equally worthy of belief. Therefore, let us consider the Church’s tradition worthy of belief. It is tradition: ask no further questions.” What were these “traditions” which it was so essential to keep?

The context shows that the particular traditions which were most consciously in St. Paul’s mind at the moment were his eschatological teachings, given to them while he was among them—the teaching of which he has been briefly reminding them in this chapter (2 Thessalonians 2:5–6): for the exhortation is practically a resumption of that given in 2 Thessalonians 2:2–3. “Instead of being seduced by the forgers of prophecies or of communications from us, remember the careful instructions we gave you once for all.” At the same time, he speaks generally, and we must not limit his words to that particular tradition. Whatever can be traced to apostolic origin is of the essence of the faith. They are to “hold tenaciously” all his traditions, and these would include instructions doctrinal (as 1 Corinthians 15:3 and Jude 1:3), ceremonial (1 Corinthians 11:2 and 1 Corinthians 11:23), and moral (2 Thessalonians 3:6 and 2 Peter 2:21).

As a matter of controversy, it is not so remarkable that he should exhort his converts to cling to his own oral teaching (“whether by word”) as that he should at so early a period call their special attention to what was gradually to supplant (at least, in doctrinal matters) all independent unwritten tradition—the Holy Scripture (“our Epistle”). St. Paul can speak on occasion as contemptuously of the “traditions of men” as our Lord did (Colossians 2:8). Of course, it depends entirely on the individual character of any tradition whether, and to what extent, it is to be “held” or condemned as “human.” In the Church no mutually contradictory traditions can be held together; and therefore any tradition “by word” which is in disagreement with the written tradition (i.e., Scripture) stands necessarily condemned.

By word, or our epistle.—The “our” belongs to both: “whether by word or epistle of ours.” Unless St. Paul had written them some other letter, now lost, this proves that the “First” Epistle was in reality the earlier written. “Have been taught” should be “were taught”—the historic tense.