Survey
of the Letters of Paul: 1 Timothy
1:11
1 Timothy 1:11
According to the glorious gospel of
the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
At this
point we want to recap a bit before exploring
verse 11. Beginning with verse 8 we see just
who the law is for and what it specifically
condemns. The list of what it condemns is
purposely loathsome and ugly. We automatically
repel from it. Our very hearing is soiled by
even having to contemplate these works of the flesh
going on in the world and in the lives of humans.
To make this clear, let us read that list from
verses 9 and 10:
1. lawless
2. disobedient
3. ungodly
4. sinners
5. unholy
6. profane
7. murderers of fathers
8. murders of mothers
9. manslayers
10. whoremongers
11. them that defile themselves with mankind.
12. menstealers.
13. liars
14. perjured persons
15. any other thing that is contrary to sound
doctrine.
We then come to verse 11 which ends this passage in
Chapter 1 and declares the cleaning power of the
Word of God. As we ended our discussion
regarding verse 10, we showed four glorious things
regarding the gospel word:
1] The Word of God is sound teaching.
2] The Word of God is good news.
3] The Word of God comes from God.
4] The Word of God comes through men and
women---firstfruits.
Let us confirm this as we go through the
commentaries on verse 11.
According to the glorious gospel - The gospel is a
system of divine revelation. It makes known the will
of God. It states what is duty, and accords in its
great principles with the law, or is in harmony with
it. The law, in principle, forbids all which the
gospel forbids, and in publishing the requirements
of the gospel, therefore, Paul says that the law
really forbade all which was prohibited in the
gospel, and was designed to restrain all who would
act contrary to that gospel. There is no
contradiction between the law and the gospel. They
forbid the same things, and in regard to morals and
true piety [religious devotion and reverence to
God], the clearer revelations of the gospel are
but carrying out the principles stated in the law.
They who preach the gospel, then, should not be
regarded as arrayed against the law, and Paul says
that they who preached the gospel aright really
stated the true principles of the law. This he
evidently intends should bear against the false
teachers who professed to explain the law of Moses.
He means here that if a man wished to explain the
law, the best explanation would be found in that
gospel which it was his office to publish; compare
Romans 3:31.
Romans 3:31
Do we then make void the law through faith? God
forbid: yea, we establish the law. ~Barnes Notes
According to the glorious Gospel - The sound
doctrine mentioned above, which is here called the
Gospel of the glory of the blessed or happy God - a
dispensation which exhibits the glory of all his
attributes; and, by saving man in such a way as is
consistent with the glory of all the Divine
perfections, while it brings peace and good will
among men, brings glory to God in the highest. Sin
has dishonored God, and robbed him of his glory; the
Gospel provides for the total destruction of sin,
even in this world, and thus brings back to God his
glory. ~Adam Clarke
According to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God
- For no doctrine is sound, but what is agreeable to
that: this is a very great encomium of the Gospel.
The doctrine preached by the apostles was not only
Gospel, or good news, and glad tidings, but the
Gospel of God; of which he is the author, and which
relates to his glory, the glory of all his
perfections; which reveals his purposes, shows his
covenant, and exhibits the blessings and promises of
it; and is the Gospel of the blessed God, who is
blessed in himself, and is the fountain of
blessedness to others; and particularly he blesses
his chosen ones with spiritual blessings, and which
are set forth and declared in the Gospel; for which
reason this epithet seems to be given to God here:
and it is a glorious one; it discovers the glory of
God, of his wisdom, grace, and love in the salvation
of men; its doctrines of peace and pardon,
righteousness and salvation by Jesus Christ, are
glorious ones; and so are its promises, being great
and precious, all yea and amen in Christ, absolute,
unconditional, unchangeable, and irreversible; its
ordinances also are glorious ones, being amiable and
pleasant, and not grievous and burdensome to
believers; and it is glorious in its effects, being
the power of God unto salvation, the means of
enlightening the blind, of quickening the dead, of
delivering men from bondage and servitude, of
turning men from sin and Satan to God, and of
refreshing and comforting distressed minds, and of
reviving the spirits of drooping saints, of
establishing and strengthening them, and nourishing
them up to eternal life. ~ John Gill
According to the glorious gospel — The Christian’s
freedom from the law as a sanctifier, as well as a
justifier, implied in the previous, 1 Timothy 1:9, 1
Timothy1:10, is what this 1 Timothy1:11 is connected
with. This exemption of the righteous from the law,
and assignment of it to the lawless as its true
object, is “according to the Gospel of the glory (so
the Greek, compare Note, see on 2 Corinthians 4:4)
of the blessed God.” The Gospel manifests God’s
glory (Ephesians 1:17; Ephesians 3:16) in accounting
“righteous” the believer, through the righteousness
of Christ, without “the law” (1 Timothy 1:9); and in
imparting that righteousness whereby he loathes all
those sins against which (1 Timothy 1:9, 1
Timothy1:10) the law is directed. The term,
“blessed,” indicates at once immortality and supreme
happiness. The supremely blessed One is He from whom
all blessedness flows. This term, as applied to God,
occurs only here and in 1 Timothy 6:15 : appropriate
in speaking here of the Gospel blessedness, in
contrast to the curse on those under the law (1
Timothy 1:9; Galatians 3:10). ~Jamieson, Fausset,
Brown
2 Corinthians 4:4
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds
of them which believe not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them. Does this verse not remind
you of what is said earlier in 2 Corinthians 3 and
verse 18
2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass
the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of
the Lord.
Now the commentary on 2 Corinthians 4:4
| light of the glorious gospel of Christ —
Translate, “The illumination (enlightening:
the propagation from those already
enlightened, to others of the light) of
the Gospel of the glory of Christ.” “The
glory of Christ” is not a mere quality (as
“glorious” would express) of the Gospel;
it is its very essence and subject matter.
~Barnes Notes |
Now back to the commentary on 1 Timothy 1:11:
Of the blessed God - Revealed by the blessed God -
the same God who was the Author of the law.
~Barnes Notes
Which was committed to my trust - Not to him alone,
but to him in common with others. He had received it
directly from the Lord; 1 Corinthians 9:17; notes,
Galatians 1:1. ~Barnes Notes
Which was committed to my trust - to distinguish
this Gospel from another, from that of the false
teachers, which was an inglorious one, and he had
nothing to do with; and to show the excellency and
worth of it; it being valuable, was deserving of
care and keeping, and was a depositum the person
entrusted with was faithfully and carefully to keep
and preserve. ~John Gill
Which was committed to my trust — Translate as
in the Greek order, which brings into prominent
emphasis Paul, “committed in trust to me”; in
contrast to the kind of law-teaching which they (who
had no Gospel commission), the false teachers,
assumed to themselves (1 Timothy 1:8; Titus 1:3).
Titus 1:3
But hath in due times manifested his word through
preaching, which is committed unto me according to
the commandment of God our Saviour. ~Jamieson,
Fausset, Brown
From the Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge:
According to the glorious gospel:
Romans 2:16
In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men
by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Glorious gospel:
Psalm 138:2
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise
thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth:
for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
Luke 2:10-11
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for,
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of
David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men.
2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:12
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who
first trusted in Christ.
Ephesians 2:7
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding
riches of his grace in his kindness toward us
through Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:10
To the intent that now unto the principalities and
powers in heavenly places might be known by the
church the manifold wisdom of God,
1 Peter 1:11-12
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit
of Christ which was in them did signify, when it
testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and
the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto
themselves, but unto us they did minister the
things, which are now reported unto you by them that
have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy
Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels
desire to look into.
Blessed
1 Timothy 6:15
Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed
and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of
lords;
Which was committed to my trust:
1 Timothy 2:7
Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle,
(I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a
teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
1 Timothy 6:20
O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy
trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and
oppositions of science falsely so called:
1 Corinthians 4:1-2
1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of
Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be
found faithful.
1 Thessalonians 2:4
But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust
with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing
men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
Titus 1:3
But hath in due times manifested his word through
preaching, which is committed unto me according to
the commandment of God our Saviour.
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