A note from our Pastor:

“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

1 Timothy 1:17

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

Our study verse this week is the Apostle’s conclusion of a larger thought. In verse fifteen, a faithful saying, which describes the work of eternal salvation is set forth. Then in verse sixteen the Apostle says Jesus Christ was longsuffering with him as the chief of all sinners for an example in days to come. Now, the Apostle concludes these thoughts with a declaration of praise based on some of the traits of God.

He first declares God to be a king. Not a king in an earthly sense who assumes the throne at some point in life and then passes from this life and leaves the throne to another. But rather, God is a king over a spiritual kingdom and his reign is eternal. Not everlasting which implies a beginning, but eternal, which means there was no beginning and no ending of his reign. God has been on his throne before the world was created and will remain on his throne after this world has ended.

The God whom the Apostle declares is also immortal and invisible. God is the only immortal being in the universe. Every other living thing has a beginning and an ending but God has always existed and will always exist. And yet, God is invisible. God does not have a physical form but rather is a spirit. Even when God does reveal himself while Jesus is on the earth, he only does so by his voice both at the baptism and on the mount of transfiguration, and is never physically seen.

Next, the Apostle says the God he is declaring is “the only wise God”. This should not be misunderstood. The Apostle is not saying God is the only wise one among many Gods. The Apostle did not believe in many Gods and neither do we. Rather, despite it being lost in translation, the Apostle was saying God is only wise. In other words, there are no mistakes in what God does and no foolishness. His wisdom is revealed in the world he created, the people he created, the plan for salvation, the revelation of the Gospel, and so many other things.

Finally, the Apostle concludes his thoughts with a statement of Praise which is rooted and founded in the traits of God he has previously listed. Our Praise should also be in not only the actions God has taken on our behalf, but in the very nature of God.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah