Precept Austin:
Imagine you’re applying for a job, and the company tells you, “We’re going to send someone to watch you work, but we’re not going to tell you when they’re coming.”
You wouldn’t know when the evaluation was happening. You wouldn’t know who was watching. So what would you do?
You would have to work the same way every day. You couldn’t suddenly become a better employee just because you knew someone important was watching.
That’s the kind of integrity Paul is calling Timothy to.
Paul tells him to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Timothy doesn’t know when Christ is coming—but he knows Christ is coming.
And because he knows that, he is called to live faithfully right now.
And so, diving into this text, Paul is going to give Timothy three reasons to remain faithful: God is present, Christ is coming, and God is sovereign.
Paul starts with “I charge”: We have seen Paul use this word many times in this text, and every time we see it, we’ve learned that whatever follows is going to be a command or an instruction from Paul. And in this case, it's a serious responsibility that Timothy needs to uphold.
Why?
Because Paul charges this in the presence of 2 of the greatest witnesses… God the Father, and Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Two very intimidating witnesses to have for such a charge. Paul has now set the tone of this charge to be quite serious. He is no longer charging Timothy to uphold this command only in front of the congregation, or in front of the many witnesses like he said last week, but also in front of God the Father and God the Son.
Paul's wording here “in the presence of” shows the closeness of God; The omnipresence of God.
God the Father, as Paul describes, “gives life to all things”.
Meaning he is literally the sustainer of all things we perceive and are.
This highlights not only God's power to be the giver of life, but also His ongoing power to sustain that life. And that God, is the God Timothy serves… The One who brings life.
The One who sustains it. The One over all things.
Every breath you breathe, every step you take, is dependent on Him.
Colossians 1:16 says: “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”
What encouragement this must have been for Timothy! Paul is reminding Timothy of the presence of God in all circumstances. We see that Timothy has and will face tons of opposition while proclaiming the Gospel; whether it's false teachers, slanderers, those who want to cause malice and quarrel. But his mission, his ministry is in the presence of the one who gives and sustains it all. God the Father.
So not only does he have the sustainer of all things. He has Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as Paul describes here, “who in his testimony before Ponitus Pilate made the good confession,”
In Matthew 27, Jesus Christ remained faithful in His testimony before Pilate. When he was asking “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” Jesus did not break his faithfulness, even if it led him towards suffering… and even death.
And so Paul uses Jesus’s faithfulness here as an example for Timothy to remember. So that he may remain faithful in his ministry, even when remaining faithful and obedient… could cost him his own life.
Do we ever think that? Remaining faithful could lead us down the path we don’t like. Not often.
And so Timothy is not carrying out this charge and his ministry where God is absent or uninvolved. Paul says, “I charge you in the presence of God.” The God who gives life to all things is the very One before whom Timothy serves. And alongside Him, Paul places Jesus Christ, who remained faithful in His testimony before Pontius Pilate.
Now we may not be in the exact position as Timothy, but this still applies to us now because we also carry out our lives and service before God, who is always present and involved in all things.
Whether we are serving in the ministry, working at our jobs, or going about our everyday responsibilities, we are never outside His sight. This should remind us to live faithfully, knowing that our actions and the way we serve matter before Him.
Paul establishes this reality to Timothy: God is present. Timothy's ministry is carried out before Him.
But Paul doesn't stop with the reality of God's presence. In verse 14, he directs Timothy's attention to the purpose of this serious charge, and most importantly, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So in verse 13 he charges Timothy in front of God the Father and God the Son… to do what? “To keep the commandment”
Do we know what commandment he's talking about?
Look back at verses 11 and 12, he tells Timothy the 4 things he's instructing him to do.
1. Flee from these things (false teachers, envy, slander, and the love of money)
2. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
3. Fight the good fight of the faith.
4. Take hold of the eternal life
And he says to uphold this commandment unstained and free from reproach.
Unstained (aspilos) and Reproach (anepilēmptos) both have similar Greek definitions - cannot be reprehended, irreproachable, without blemish
Paul has mentioned many times before doing things above reproach. This is because Timothy is going to be looked upon greatly during his time of ministry. His life should be lived with high integrity. These commandments are to be done without blemish. He will live out what he has been taught.
But for how long? “Until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ”
Paul establishes a specific endpoint for Timothy's charge. Paul doesn't tell Timothy to remain faithful until he sees the results of his labor, until his circumstances improve, or until he receives recognition. His responsibility to uphold these commandments is not merely for a few weeks, a month, a year, or until circumstances become difficult, until his ministry becomes inconvenient. No, it extends until Christ appears.
This phrase “until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ”, reminded me of what James said in James 5:7, when he was talking to the poor Christians who were suffering. Because they were being defrauded by the rich of that time. The rich were taking the wages of their workers and paying off the government to not get in trouble. The poor Christians most likely wanted to fight back and stand up for what was wrong, but yet James tells them “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.”
So just like James was telling the poor to be patient in their suffering, Paul here is telling Timothy to fight the good fight and take hold of eternal life until Christ returns.
And as readers today, this truth extends to us as Christians.
Do you know when Jesus is going to return?
I sure hope your answer is no. Because we can look to Matthew 24:36 where it says that not even the Son knows the hour when he will return.
Look at 1 Corinthians 2:2
Paul knows more than just Christ crucified. So why does he say this? It’s Paul giving the Father the honor to present what needs presented at His perfect timing.
So in the same way the Son of Man knows many things, and as he his God in human flesh, he also knows the hour. But the honor goes to The Father to declare when.
Think of the intro story, just how we don’t know when the evaluator is coming to watch us work, we don’t know when Christ is coming back. So what he calls us to do is to be taken into action NOW. And to be upheld until he returns.
But Paul reassures us. And its that “-he will display at the proper time-”.
We may not know the hour, but we can be sure of this, we know God's promises don’t return void.
Joshua 21:45 - “Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.”
His timing is correct. It will always be correct. That’s why it’s proper. Our timing is faulty. We cannot see the timeline that God sees. There are many times in my life where I think I can see the timeline. And boy am I sadly mistaken.
This direction Paul is heading shifts Timothy’s attention past his present circumstances to a future reality… Jesus Christ is coming.
His appearance is not something Timothy can control, predict, or schedule ahead for, but it is the event toward which his responsibility extends.
We often want God to work according to our timing. We want answers now, relief now, and direction now. But just as Timothy couldn’t determine when Christ would appear, we cannot dictate when God will act in our lives. Our responsibility is not to control His timing, but to remain faithful while we wait, trusting that the One who holds all authority knows the proper time for all things.
So Paul establishes that Timothy serves in the presence of God, and now he reminds him that the Lord he serves is coming again. But who determines when Christ will appear? Timothy is charged to remain faithful until that day, but the timing of that day is not in Timothy's hands. Paul answers that here at the end of verse 15 and 16 by directing our attention to the One who determines the proper time: the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
And so Paul has shown us that God is present, and God is coming. Now we see his sovereignty.
In verses 11-15a, Paul first laid out the commandment itself, he tells us who this charge is in the presence of, and how long this commandment is to be upheld for, and now… We get the why! And it’s because he’s sovereign.
To be sovereign is to possess supreme authority over all. The Greek word translated Sovereign is dynastēs, meaning a ruler or one who possesses authority. Paul further emphasizes this by calling Him the “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
So what makes Him sovereign?
He alone is immortal:
God does not have a beginning or an end. He is who He is and always has been. Unlike everything in creation, God does not depend on anything outside Himself for His existence.
Moses says in prayer Psalm 90:2 - “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
Everything we know is subject to time, change, and ultimately death, but God is eternal and unchanging in His divine nature.
When Paul says God alone possesses immortality, he is emphasizing that immortality belongs to God inherently. Our lives depend upon Him, and eternal life is something He gives to us; it is not something we possess independently of Him.
God does not need creation to exist, but creation depends upon God for its existence. He is the source of life, not a recipient of life from someone greater than Himself.
Acts 17:24-25 says it best: “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”
This demonstrates His sovereignty because His existence and authority do not depend upon anyone or anything else. No one gave Him life, no one sustains Him against His will, and no one has authority over Him
He alone dwells in unapproachable light:
This “unapproachable light” phrase shows the glory of God’s dwelling place as a palce we can’t even fathom being in. Paul expresses the immeasurable separation between His holiness and us.
And Paul also so “who no one has ever see or can see.”
So Paul is saying God is unapproachable and we will never see him? That seems kind of disheartening right?
The reality is, what Paul is expressing here is the overwhelming vastness of God’s glory.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
And scripture does record people encountering manifestations of God, and Jesus Christ makes the Father known to us, like it says in John 1:18.
But Paul is showing that no human being can see God in the fullness of His divine glory through natural human ability.
The big purpose behind why Paul describes him with all of these divine attributes: King of kings, Lord of Lords, immortal, dweller of unapproachable light, is because He alone is sovereign. He alone is who deserves all of our attention. He deserves as Paul says “all honor and eternal dominion”
Honor (timē) - the worth or value ascribed to a person or thing, respect
Eternal dominion (kratos aiōnios) - ruling without a beginning or end, always had ruled
He is the one that deserves all our attention, but we don’t do that do we?
What things in our life distract us from honoring God?
Think about those things. That's what the kings and lords of our lives are, right?
Money gets praised for simply being. People often treat wealth as a sign of success, security, or personal worth.
Celebrities get praised for who they are. People admire their appearance, talent, influence, lifestyle, and opinions, sometimes giving their words more weight than God's Word.
Jobs get praised for what they accomplish. People find identity, status, and worth in their careers, titles, accomplishments, and productivity.
Relationships get praised for what they give us. People can place a spouse, romantic partner, friends, or family on a pedestal, seeking their approval or fulfillment above obedience to God.
Hobbies get praised for how they make us feel. People can elevate entertainment, gaming, sports, or other interests until those things receive more time, attention, and devotion than God.
We all face this reality that things in our lives can become kings and lords of our lives.
But what does Paul say? “To him be honor and eternal dominion.”
To be vulnerable, I have been personally struggling with giving him all the honor in my life.
As some of you know, I stream games and make youtube videos in my free time. My first “official” friend from middle school shared to me one day that he streamed video games in front of no one for fun…
And I thought that was one of the coolest things ever. And for 12 years… it's been the most creative thing in my life. And in that I take pride in my craft. I love it to death. But sometimes I love it too much…
It takes me away from what God has called me to do. It distracts my attention away from his glory just so I can get a few more likes and a few more nice comments about the work I do.
I look and show off the hard work I’ve put into something I’ve loved for 12 years… without ever looking to the person that instilled that love in the first place.
I neglect the God that created all things. The one that is sovereign over all things.
And I have to ask myself. Is God really sovereign over my life?
Do I acknowledge God's rule over every area of my life?
Do I live as though God is truly King over my life?
Do I honor God only when it benefits me?
Do I seek to bring honor to God…or to myself?
Do I recognize God's authority over my finances, relationships, time, and future?
Do I acknowledge God's sovereignty over both the blessings and difficulties in my life?
Do I use the influence I have to honor God or elevate myself?
Does the way I spend my time demonstrate that God's kingdom takes priority?
Am I willing to submit to God's dominion even when I disagree with His will?
Am I trying to control areas of my life that I need to surrender to God?
If God alone possesses eternal dominion, why do I sometimes live as though worldly approval matters more?
What earthly authority, possession, or relationship am I tempted to place above God?
Does my life reflect that God deserves all honor and dominion?
Is he really sovereign over my life?
Because in the end… It is to Him that He deserves all of our praise.
It’s to Him that makes all things.
It’s to Him who deserves our attention.
It’s to Him that is sovereign over my life.
It’s to Him be honor and eternal dominion.
And to that, like Paul says…. Amen.
These 4 verses are one big prayer of encouragement for Timothy and should be encouragement for us as well.
We can allow work, money, relationships, hobbies, success, or even ministry to become the thing that captures our attention.
But Paul pulls Timothy’s eyes back to the One who is above everything else.
This week sit down and ask yourself this question:
If all honor and eternal dominion belong to God, what needs to change in my life so that I stop seeking what ultimately belongs to Him alone?
Live faithfully before God until Christ returns, recognizing that He alone is sovereign and worthy of eternal honor.
Live with an awareness that you serve before God, not yourself.
Do not allow temporary desires to compromise your faithfulness.
Give God the honor that belongs to Him and Him alone