Introduction
In today’s article, titled “To Whom Does the Immortality of 1 Timothy 6:16 Belong?“, we will explore a topic that generates much debate: the interpretation of the verse that states, “He alone has immortality“. Many people associate this immortality with Jesus, but is that really what Paul was conveying? By analyzing the context and other biblical passages, we will investigate whether the immortality mentioned in this text belongs to Jesus or to the Father. We will also examine the differences in the descriptions of God and Jesus and what this may reveal about the true meaning of this passage.
To Whom Does the Immortality in 1 Timothy 6:16 Belong?
1 Timothy 6:16 – “He who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and power forever and ever. Amen“
I have seen in many pieces of literature, articles, and even sermons, people applying the text cited above to justify the immortality of Jesus. Some even use this text to show that Jesus is the God of the Bible, since only God can be immortal. Is this text really referring to the person of Jesus? Let us examine the preceding verses and also consider other texts related to the subject.
1 Timothy 6:13-16 – “I charge you before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who testified a good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his times will show the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and power forevermore. Amen“
The text begins with Paul advising Timothy to keep the words he had spoken until Jesus appeared. However, the verse goes on to say that when Jesus appears, it will be revealed who He is-the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords-who alone has immortality, and who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. Paul ends the text by saying that this person should be given honor and eternal power.
In His appearance, will Jesus show everyone that He is the one who possesses all these characteristics, or will He show that they all come from another being?
Comparing with Another Text by Paul
At the beginning of the same epistle to Timothy, Paul also mentions the same titles and attributes, but he specifies who he is referring to. Let’s take a look:
1 Timothy 1:17 – “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen“
Although he used slightly different words, notice that the same attributes are present in both texts. However, this time he includes the words “to the only wise God“.
1 Timothy 1:17.
- “King of the centuries“
- “immortal“
- “invisible“
- “only wise God“
- “be honor and glory forever and ever“
1 Timothy 6:13-16.
- “King of kings and Lord of lords“
- “He who has only immortality“
- “dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see“
- –
- “be honor and power everlasting“
To Whom Does Immortality Belong? Based on the comparison above, we are beginning to understand to whom the immortality mentioned by Paul belongs! When we notice such a difference, we need to investigate who the only God mentioned by Paul in this passage is. To do this, we look for other quotes from the same author in his other epistles, and one very clear quote we find is in 1 Corinthians 8:6, which says:
1 Corinthians 8:6 – “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and we exist through him“
In the text above written by Paul, it is very clear that for him there was only one God, that being the person of the Father. In this text, we also find a clear distinction that Paul makes between the person of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Since he mentions that “there is one God, the Father” in 1 Corinthians 8:6, then, in the text of 1 Timothy 1:17, the “only God” mentioned by him can only refer to the person of the Father.
So, Who Was Paul Referring To?
We are now understanding to whom the immortality mentioned in 1 Timothy 6:16 belongs. Now that we know who Paul was referring to in 1 Timothy 1:17 when he used all those descriptors, including “immortal“, we have no doubt that the text in 1 Timothy 6:16 must also be referring to the person of the Father and not to Jesus. In addition to the fact that the characteristics mentioned in both texts are the same, there is another factor: in 1 Timothy 6:16, Paul uses the words “He who alone has immortality“. It could not be referring to Jesus here, as that would create a contradiction between the two texts. If only Jesus possesses immortality, why would Paul also attribute immortality to the Father in 1 Timothy 1:17? This is why both texts refer to the same person.
Another factor showing that Paul is referring to the Father and not to Christ is the description of this person as “invisible“, or as stated in chapter 6, “He who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see“. Only one single being in the entire Bible can receive such a description, and that is the person of the Father. As the apostle John mentioned in his writings:
John 1:18 – “No one has ever seen God“
1 John 4:12 – “No one has ever seen God“
The Son became flesh and was seen by thousands during His time. There are also other texts in Scripture where the Son was seen, even before His incarnation. However, the Father has never been seen in full by anyone. Moses could see Him pass by but could not look at His face (Exodus 33:20). Isaiah saw Him seated on His throne but could only see His glory (Isaiah 6). This is why Paul refers to Him as “invisible” in 1 Timothy 1:17, and this term ties us to other verses Paul wrote to the Colossians, where he states:
Colossians 1:13,15 – “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His beloved Son… Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature“
Here Paul again makes a distinction between Jesus and God. He says that Jesus is the “image” of the “invisible God“. It is evident that Jesus is not the “invisible God“. Himself but is the image of His Father. With this clear distinction, we again find evidence that Paul was speaking of the Father in 1 Timothy 6:16.
Final Considerations: To Whom Does the Immortality Belong?
To conclude, we need to understand why many people get confused when they attribute the immortality mentioned in this text to the person of Jesus. This happens because the context is speaking about Jesus, and a quick reading might give the impression that this passage is actually referring to Christ. However, in reality, Paul concludes his thought by attributing glory to the Father of Jesus. In his conclusion, he shifts the focus from the main person he is discussing. It is because of this shift in focus that many people fall into this misinterpretation. However, when we consider other biblical passages, we can see that this was not Paul’s intention when he used these words.
May God bless the reader.
