At the beginning of Paul's first letter to Timothy, after greeting his child of the faith, warning against false teachers, and summarizing the purpose of the law, he shares his testimony in four verses:
1 Timothy 1:12-16
1 Timothy 1:12-16
[12] I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, [13] though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, [14] and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. [15] The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. [16] But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
Formerly an enemy of God, Paul is now a faithful servant of the one he stood against. Formerly closed-minded to Christ, he is now saturated in the abounding grace of our Lord.
Now, his faith and love are in Christ. Now, he has received mercy. Now, he is a testament of Christ's perfect patience to any other sinners who seek salvation.
Paul's awareness of his depravity is so deep that he claims that if sin were measured and sinners compared, he would be in the lead. He's the very worst. But sinners are exactly who Christ came to save. Even the worst of them if they only repent of their sin and turn in trust to Christ as Savior and Lord. This is a trustworthy saying, one of five that Paul gives to Timothy and Titus.
Paul's is a powerful testimony, and it rightly prompts praise to God. Paul concludes with a doxology in 1 Timothy 1:17, "To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." This is a glorious verse for the glories of God it contains. But lest we think it stands independent of Paul's testimony, I want to show how each title or attribute of God that Paul uses in this doxology ties into what Paul has just shared about his sin and his salvation.
To the King of the Ages
The King of the Ages is one of two kingly titles Paul uses to bookend 1 Timothy, the other being the more familiar King of kings and Lord of lords used at the end of this letter. But here, at the beginning of 1 Timothy, the emphasis isn't on God's sovereignty over every ruler and every man. Instead, the focus is on God's sovereignty over time.
As King of the Ages, God is king over all of time. He not only knows all of time, He ordains and orders all of time. It submits to His rule.
It only follows then that God is king for all time. Only He who is greater than the ages can rule over the ages. This is true of God in His eternal nature, and it's true of God as Creator. He invented time, and He is King of the Ages forever.
As King of the Ages, God governs all of time, and He governs all that is within it. His timing is always perfect—never early, never late. There is no better example of this than the pinnacle of all time: Christ's life, death, and resurrection. Paul says in Galatians 4:4-5, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." All of time led up to this, and on the other side, all of time leads out of it. Now, time leads up to another pinnacle, one it will remain at forever: the return and reign of Christ. And through His rule as King of the Ages, God oversees and orchestrates all of it.
As King of the Ages, God is king over all of time. He not only knows all of time, He ordains and orders all of time. It submits to His rule.
It only follows then that God is king for all time. Only He who is greater than the ages can rule over the ages. This is true of God in His eternal nature, and it's true of God as Creator. He invented time, and He is King of the Ages forever.
As King of the Ages, God governs all of time, and He governs all that is within it. His timing is always perfect—never early, never late. There is no better example of this than the pinnacle of all time: Christ's life, death, and resurrection. Paul says in Galatians 4:4-5, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." All of time led up to this, and on the other side, all of time leads out of it. Now, time leads up to another pinnacle, one it will remain at forever: the return and reign of Christ. And through His rule as King of the Ages, God oversees and orchestrates all of it.
The King of the Ages appoints time, and He appoints those who serve Him. Even those who, by their own merit, are unworthy to serve Him. Even the foremost of sinners. This is Paul's testimony. He was an enemy of Christ, but he has been pardoned, appointed to service, judged faithful, and strengthened (1 Timothy 1:12-13). Only a king can carry out these acts! It's the King who bestows strength, provides judgment, appoints to His service, and pardons with mercy. O, the grace of King Jesus runneth over! Thankfully, He does not appoint us to His service and leave us to ourselves. Instead, this King provides the means for us to serve Him righteously, faithfully, and heartily. He is the means!
Truly, the King of the Ages reigns over all things and appoints all things—every king every sparrow. Recognizing this, it is all the more awe-inspiring that this King would shed His blood for us. And it is yet more awe-inspiring to know that under His shed blood, we have personal access to the King of kings.
Immortal
In his testimony, Paul gives a reason for why he, as the foremost of sinners, has received mercy: to exemplify Christ's perfect patience to others who are to believe in Him for eternal life (1 Timothy 1:16).
There is no imperfection in Jesus Christ. He's not just a Mary Poppins who's practically perfect in every way; He is perfect in every way. This includes patience.
Out of all of Christ's glorious attributes, Paul points to patience. Why? Because Christ's patience is intimately connected with the salvation of sinners. Peter says in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." O, I am thankful He is patient with us! While I long to see Christ return, if He had 25, 50, 100, 1,500 years ago, I would never have known the joy of my salvation. I am a beneficiary of His patience, and shouldn't I want others, as many as possible, to experience the same?
In 2 Peter 3:8, the verse right before Peter explains the purpose of God's patience, he clarifies the source of God's patience, "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." The passing millennia are mere days to our God. He is the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9). As Pauls says, He is immortal.
It is out of His immortality that His perfect patience flows — the same perfect patience Paul's testimony exemplifies to repentant sinners who believe in Christ for eternal life. Only He can give eternal life. Not simply because He possesses it, but because He is it. He is the living God (1 Timothy 3:15; 4:10). Now, as His saints, we find our greatest patience and our true life through faith in our immortal God.
There is no imperfection in Jesus Christ. He's not just a Mary Poppins who's practically perfect in every way; He is perfect in every way. This includes patience.
Out of all of Christ's glorious attributes, Paul points to patience. Why? Because Christ's patience is intimately connected with the salvation of sinners. Peter says in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." O, I am thankful He is patient with us! While I long to see Christ return, if He had 25, 50, 100, 1,500 years ago, I would never have known the joy of my salvation. I am a beneficiary of His patience, and shouldn't I want others, as many as possible, to experience the same?
In 2 Peter 3:8, the verse right before Peter explains the purpose of God's patience, he clarifies the source of God's patience, "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." The passing millennia are mere days to our God. He is the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9). As Pauls says, He is immortal.
It is out of His immortality that His perfect patience flows — the same perfect patience Paul's testimony exemplifies to repentant sinners who believe in Christ for eternal life. Only He can give eternal life. Not simply because He possesses it, but because He is it. He is the living God (1 Timothy 3:15; 4:10). Now, as His saints, we find our greatest patience and our true life through faith in our immortal God.
Invisible
We have an invisible God. He is real, but no one has ever seen Him (John 1:18). He exists, but He is spirit (John 4:24). Christ, as the image of the invisible God, has made Him known to us (Colossians 1:15; John 1:18). Yet even now, we do not see Jesus. He ascended into heaven, and He too is invisible to us until we go to be with Him or He returns in glory.
In His testimony in 1 Timothy 1:14, Paul says that, "the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." Though we don't yet see Him, our faith and our love are in Jesus. This is only right. We trust our Lord and treasure our Savior! In writing to the churches in his care, Peter makes this connection as well, "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:8-9). All this to say that God's invisibility, our faith in Him, and our love for Him are all connected.
In providing a definition of faith, Hebrews 11:1 states, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." One day, our faith will be sight. And when there is sight, there will no longer be any need for faith. But we will always love Him. Until then, like Paul and Peter before us, we press on in the overflowing grace of our Lord, filled with faith and love, to receive our salvation.
In His testimony in 1 Timothy 1:14, Paul says that, "the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." Though we don't yet see Him, our faith and our love are in Jesus. This is only right. We trust our Lord and treasure our Savior! In writing to the churches in his care, Peter makes this connection as well, "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:8-9). All this to say that God's invisibility, our faith in Him, and our love for Him are all connected.
In providing a definition of faith, Hebrews 11:1 states, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." One day, our faith will be sight. And when there is sight, there will no longer be any need for faith. But we will always love Him. Until then, like Paul and Peter before us, we press on in the overflowing grace of our Lord, filled with faith and love, to receive our salvation.
The Only God
The last truth Paul shares in his doxology in 1 Timothy 1:17 is that ours is the only God. The entirety of Scripture affirms this as it reminds us our hearts are prone to wander. The LORD says in Isaiah 45:5-7,
[5] I am the LORD, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
[6] that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
[7] I form light and create darkness;
I make well-being and create calamity;
I am the LORD, who does all these things.
Yahweh is the only God. There is no other! Yet we live in a world filled with gods. They make their claim, but none of them truly lead to life. These gods, no matter their form — idols worshipped by pagans (Deuteronomy 32:16–17; 1 Corinthians 10:20) or empty philosophies idolized by the world (Colossians 2:8; 1 Timothy 4:1-5) — are deceitful, demonic, and deadly. And if we're not wary, we're susceptible to them.
There are not multiple paths to inherit eternal life. There is only one way, and that is through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me." This is why He came into the world. Paul states this in his testimony in 1 Timothy 1:15, "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." There is only one God who can save sinners, and there is only one who does. Turn away from all others and trust in Him!
Be Honor and Glory Forever and Ever
Finally, in light of the testimony and truth he's shared, Paul concludes with the only response appropriate for any doxology: worship. This is what a doxology is! All that's left to say is amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Doxological Extras:
1) Immortal, Invisible by Steve Green
2) Ironically, while Paul writes of God's perfect timing in sending His Son (Gal. 4:4-5), he writes of himself being untimely born as the very last to witness Christ's resurrection appearances (1 Cor. 15:8). Is there regret in these lines? Possibly. Like the psalmist, Paul may be bearing his heart here. But even so, he is planted on a firm foundation. Ultimately, his theology shows that he trusts God's timing.
3) 1 Timothy 6:15-16
2) Ironically, while Paul writes of God's perfect timing in sending His Son (Gal. 4:4-5), he writes of himself being untimely born as the very last to witness Christ's resurrection appearances (1 Cor. 15:8). Is there regret in these lines? Possibly. Like the psalmist, Paul may be bearing his heart here. But even so, he is planted on a firm foundation. Ultimately, his theology shows that he trusts God's timing.
3) 1 Timothy 6:15-16
[15] He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, [16] who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.