Thomas Aquinas Commentary 1 Timothy 6:15-16

"which in its own times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom [be] honor and power eternal. Amen." — 1 Timothy 6:15-16 (ASV)

1. Previously, the Apostle gave specific instructions to Timothy, commanding him to observe them until the coming of Christ. Therefore, he now discusses Christ’s coming, about which he reveals three things:

   1. That it will occur at a suitable time.
   2. That it will be evident.
   3. That he reveals the author of this coming.

2. Regarding the first point, he says, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings. Peter warns, “scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming?’” (2 Peter 3:3–4). Therefore, the Apostle wants to show that even though Christ’s coming seems to be delayed, it will nevertheless be revealed in its proper time: For everything there is a season (Ecclesiastes 3:1); for every matter has its time and way (Ecclesiastes 8:6).

   The suitable time will be the end of the world, because that is the time of harvest and of collecting the fruits; therefore, it must come at the end of the world.

3. Regarding the second point, he says, he will display, that is, he will make it manifest. For although Christ is visible in the flesh, his power is hidden; but then, even his divinity will be revealed to the saints, while the wicked will see only the glory of his body.

4. Regarding the third point, he says that the one who is God and the Trinity will reveal him.

   In this regard, he does two things:

   1. He describes the author of Christ’s coming.
   2. Bursting out in praise, he applauds Christ with the words, to whom be honor and eternal dominion.

   Regarding the first of these, he does three things:

   1. He describes the author of this coming in terms of his perfect action.
   2. He describes him in terms of his unique power.
   3. He describes him in terms of his incomprehensible nature.

5. He describes the author’s perfect action when he says, Blessed. For blessedness is a perfect action, which is distinctive of the supreme active power, disposed in the best way. This is our blessedness, while God’s blessedness is that by which he knows himself; for if God did not know himself, he would not be blessed. As Gregory says: so long as God enjoys himself, he is perfectly glorious.Moralia in Job 32.8.

   It is fitting that the author of this coming be described as Blessed, because the purpose of Christ’s coming is to lead us to blessedness: Happy shall I be, if there shall remain of my seed to see the glory of Jerusalem .

6. Regarding his unique power, he says, the only Sovereign. As the psalmist says, you are mighty (Psalms 89:8). But why does he say, the only? Do not all things have power? Yes, by participation; but God alone is powerful of himself and essentially. Hence he says, King of kings and Lord of lords. As Ambrose says, lord is a name of power, so also king.Ambrose, Exposition of the Christian Faith 1.1.7. Therefore, one who has a lord and king over him is subject to power, and such a being is not powerful of himself, but purely from another. Therefore, if Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords, then he alone has power not from someone else, but all others have it from him.

   Two of God’s powers are mentioned: his governance of the world, when he says, King of kings (A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes (Proverbs 20:8)); and his creative power, when he says, Lord of lords (Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and not we ourselves (Psalms 100:3)). And as it is written, On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).

7. Regarding his incomprehensible nature, he says, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light. God’s incomprehensibility is clear from two things: first, because he transcends whatever is comprehensible in creatures; second, because, being God, he is too great for anyone’s comprehension.

   He shows the first when he says, alone has immortality. In every change something is lost, because whatever is changed ceases to be what it was. Therefore, that which is properly and truly incorruptible is altogether unchangeable. But every creature, considered in itself, undergoes some change, and God alone is altogether unchangeable. Therefore, if any creature is unchangeable, this is the result of grace. This shows that God’s nature transcends everything in created nature: To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever (1 Timothy 1:17).

   Regarding the second point, he says, who dwells in unapproachable light. In material things, light is the principle of seeing; therefore, whatever makes something known in any way is called a light. That by which each thing is known is its form, to the degree that the form is actual; hence, to the extent that a thing’s form is actual, to that extent it has light. Therefore, things which are acts, but not pure act, are said to be luminous, but not light. But the divine essence, which is pure act, is light itself: He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light... was coming into the world (John 1:8–9). But God abides with himself, and this light is unapproachable; that is, it is not visible to the physical eye, but to the intellectual eye. Yet no created intellect can approach it.

8. It should be noted that there are two ways an intellect can approach the knowledge of a nature: by knowing it and by comprehending it. It is impossible for our intellect to arrive at a comprehension of God, because that requires knowing all that can be known about God. But God is perfectly knowable, insofar as he is being and light, and these are infinite. Therefore, God is infinitely knowable. A created intellect, however, is finite. Therefore, not even Christ’s human intellect comprehended God.

   But there is another way of knowing God, namely, by attaining to him. Yet even in this way, no created intellect, using only its own power, can attain knowledge of what God is. The reason is that no cognitive faculty can transcend its object, just as sight cannot go beyond seeing color. The proper object of our intellect is the essence of a thing; hence, whatever is beyond the essence of a thing exceeds the power of any intellect. But in God, there is nothing other than his essence.

   How then can he be known? We arrive at knowing him in this life through grace, and in the future life through glory: Look to him, and be radiant (Psalms 34:5).

9. But then how does God dwell in unapproachable light? For it is said, clouds and thick darkness are all around him (Psalms 97:2), and in Exodus, Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was (Exodus 20:21).

   I answer with Dionysius: every dark cloud is an inaccessible light. Therefore, what is light here is a dark cloud there. It is a dark cloud insofar as it is invisible, and a light insofar as it is visible.The Celestial Hierarchy 1.3. and 15.6.

   Something is invisible for two reasons: first, because of itself, as something opaque; second, because of its excessive brilliance, as the sun is invisible to the eye of an owl. Hence, some things are not visible to us because of a deficiency within themselves, and others because of their richness; which is the way God is inaccessible to us.

   Whom no one has ever seen: If this refers to comprehending him, it is absolutely true, even for the angels, because God alone comprehends himself. But if it refers to the vision by which he is physically reached, then it is true in three ways:

   1. No one sees him with physical eyes.
   2. Regarding his essence in the mind’s eye, no one living in the flesh, except Christ, can see him: you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live (Exodus 33:20).
   3. No one sees what God is in himself: no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (Matthew 11:27); flesh and blood has not revealed this to you (Matthew 16:17).

10. Then he bursts out in praise of God, saying, to whom be honor and eternal dominion. He mentions two things: the first relates to showing reverence, saying, honor, which is to show reverence (If then I be a father, where is mine honour? (Malachi 1:6)); the second relates to governance, when he says, and eternal dominion.