1 Timothy 6:16 – Blessedly Unapproachable
13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, 15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light… New King James Version
"There is no use," thunders Charles Spurgeon in his sermon "The Blood-Shedding," for you to satisfy your hearts with anything less than what satisfies God the father. Without the shedding of blood nothing would appease his justice, and without the application of that same blood nothing can purge your consciences."
Paul would have Timothy reconvinced of this in the surprising Christ adjective inserted in 1 Timothy 6:16. Shall we buck Timothy up by reminding him that Christ is blessed, only, potentate, King of Kings and Lord of lords, that He is immortal? All right, then. By all these, we can favorably compare Christ to Pontius Pilate and every politician since. But unapproachable is the political kiss of death. Why attach that adjective, then, to His glorious Name?
The Holy Spirit through Paul perhaps accomplishes this jarring juxtaposition because we fall too quickly in love with other figures of speech. We cling to calling Christ the better version of those worldly figures in which we otherwise hope, and we should. But He has a prerogative as sovereign Creator, as the Bringer of life from death, for which there is no earthly equivalent. He shares some aspects with the boss who needs our best efforts, with the City Councilman, and the Congressman, and the president who for all their potential good need our votes, but He is none of these.
We approach because He bids. He is complete in marvelous light even if we do not. Our cry, not chummy, not manipulative, not over-familiar, is that of Psalm 79:11. "Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power
preserve those who are appointed to die." Checking in at that place, the reality of the terms of the old covenant, that is the well of our gratitude. That is the impetus to our ministry. That is our check against Ephesus' over-eloquence for impression's sake. Hours, brothers and sisters, is still a groan because the righteousness of Christ still stands impregnable.
We are the holy priesthood 1 Peter 2:5 pronounces because He bids it so. His is the bath. If His cleansing is better, penetrates deeper, and lasts longer than the type He ordered constructed for the temple, the glory is His, not ours. May His light continue to reveal that which does not glorify Him, and bring us to grateful repentance. May His light continue to reveal that which does glorify Him, and floor us in grateful worship.
"There is no use," thunders Charles Spurgeon in his sermon "The Blood-Shedding," for you to satisfy your hearts with anything less than what satisfies God the father. Without the shedding of blood nothing would appease his justice, and without the application of that same blood nothing can purge your consciences."
Paul would have Timothy reconvinced of this in the surprising Christ adjective inserted in 1 Timothy 6:16. Shall we buck Timothy up by reminding him that Christ is blessed, only, potentate, King of Kings and Lord of lords, that He is immortal? All right, then. By all these, we can favorably compare Christ to Pontius Pilate and every politician since. But unapproachable is the political kiss of death. Why attach that adjective, then, to His glorious Name?
The Holy Spirit through Paul perhaps accomplishes this jarring juxtaposition because we fall too quickly in love with other figures of speech. We cling to calling Christ the better version of those worldly figures in which we otherwise hope, and we should. But He has a prerogative as sovereign Creator, as the Bringer of life from death, for which there is no earthly equivalent. He shares some aspects with the boss who needs our best efforts, with the City Councilman, and the Congressman, and the president who for all their potential good need our votes, but He is none of these.
We approach because He bids. He is complete in marvelous light even if we do not. Our cry, not chummy, not manipulative, not over-familiar, is that of Psalm 79:11. "Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power
preserve those who are appointed to die." Checking in at that place, the reality of the terms of the old covenant, that is the well of our gratitude. That is the impetus to our ministry. That is our check against Ephesus' over-eloquence for impression's sake. Hours, brothers and sisters, is still a groan because the righteousness of Christ still stands impregnable.
We are the holy priesthood 1 Peter 2:5 pronounces because He bids it so. His is the bath. If His cleansing is better, penetrates deeper, and lasts longer than the type He ordered constructed for the temple, the glory is His, not ours. May His light continue to reveal that which does not glorify Him, and bring us to grateful repentance. May His light continue to reveal that which does glorify Him, and floor us in grateful worship.
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